Red Dead Redemption 2 players, prepare to say goodbye to your social life, as Rockstar Games has announced that the beta for the hotly-anticipated multiplayer component Red Dead Online is set to roll out this week.
Those who purchased the Ultimate Edition of the game will gain access to Red Dead Online on Tuesday November 27th, with the beta then opening for launch day players on November 28th, launch weekend players on November 29th and all players on November 30th.
Unlike some betas, this is designed to be the beginning of Red Dead Online and will eventually shift to the final version, allowing players to keep their progress from day one.
“The launch of the Red Dead Online Beta is the first step in what will be a continually expanding and dynamic world, and the beta period will allow us to deal with the inevitable turbulence of launching any online experience of this size and scale,” said Rockstar (via Variety). “During this process, we will be looking to our dedicated and amazing community to help us report and fix problems, share ideas, and assist in shaping the future of the full Online experience. As with all of our releases, we will strive to make the launch of Red Dead Online the best it can possibly be, and we ask that the community share that spirit with us over the next weeks and months.”
“With the gameplay of ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ as its foundation, ‘Red Dead Online’ transforms the vast and deeply detailed landscapes, cities, towns and habitats of ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ into a new, living online world ready to be shared by multiple players,” Rockstar continues. “Create and customize your character, tailor your abilities to suit your play style and head out into a new frontier full of things to experience. Explore this huge world solo or with friends. Form or join a Posse to ride with up to seven players; gather around the fire at your Camp; head out hunting or fishing; visit bustling towns; battle enemy gangs and attack their hideouts; hunt for treasure; take on missions and interact with familiar characters from across the five states; or fight against other outlaws in both spontaneous skirmishes and pitched set-piece battles; compete with other players or whole Posses in open world challenges and much more.”
After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him.
