Are you one of the lucky ones?
We've known for a while now that Red Dead Redemption 2 (our
review) would be getting an online version some time before Christmas, but in what is known as "doing a Beyonce", developers Rockstar have surprise-dropped
Red Dead Online for certain players today.
Following the launch of GTA Online, coming off the back of GTAV, they found that having practically every single player attempt to play the online version all at once is likely to crash their servers, which is likely why Red Dead Online will have a more staggered approach to its availability.
Here is the breakdown of when you can use the beta of Red Dead Online, based on the date you played the game, as well as which version you purchased:
Ultimate Edition - Tuesday 27 November
Anyone who played the game on launch day (October 26) - Wednesday 28 November
Anyone who began to play the game between October 26 and 29 - Thursday 29 November
Open to all - Friday 30 November
Red Dead Online is available for free to everyone who purchased any version of Red Dead Redemption 2 on PS4 or Xbox One.
Here is how Rockstar described Red Dead Online:
"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. 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."
