Gaming

'Red Dead Online' Release Time for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday's Beta

And everything we know about the new game modes.

Red Dead Online, the highly-anticipated online companion to Red Dead Redemption II went live on Tuesday morning, but only for the small fraction of super fans who shelled out for the game’s Ultimate Edition. Everyone else will have to wait at least one more day. But what time exactly is Red Dead Online released? And what makes the new multiplayer experience so exciting? Here’s everything you need to know.

Red Dead Online Start Time

Rockstar Games initially announced that the Red Dead Online beta would go live at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time on November 27 for Ultimate Edition owners. Over the course of the week, the game will expand to everyone else. Fans who started playing on launch day can dive into the online beta on Wednesday, November 28. Anyone who played in the first three days of release can try Red Dead Online on Thursday, November 29, and everyone else with a copy of Red Dead Redemption II can join in on Friday, November 30.

In an official statement (via Daily Star), Rockstar confirmed that the *Red Dead Online beta would “roll out at around 1:30 p.m. every day.” (That’s 8:30 a.m. Eastern time.) So regardless of which day you’re scheduled to get started, you should be able to squeeze at least a bit of play time in that morning. Then again, the word “around” suggests that this might be a moving target, so don’t be surprised if the actual release is delayed a bit or magically arrives early for you.

What’s New in Red Dead Online?

According to Rockstar, Red Dead Online transform the massive landscape of Red Dead Redemption II into a “ living online world.” You’ll be able to create your own customizable character and explore the world, either on your own or with a “Posse” of up to seven players. Activities include gathering around the campfire, hunting, fishing, battling rival gangs, new missions, and more.

Red Dead Online also introduces its own take on the popular Battle Royale game mode (Fortnite, PUBG, etc), but with a pretty big twist.

A leak from dataminer @IllogicalMods (via PCGamer*)reveals that the new mode is called Make It Count. It appears to put a huge focus on stealth, limiting players to just two weapons: bow and arrows at the Saint Denis Plantation and Tall Trees, or throwing knives at Stillwater Creek and Strawberry. That means no guns, at least for now.

Beyond Make it Count, there are also horse races, team fights where you battle for control over specific territory, and chaotic free-for-all matches. If you’d rather avoid direct competition entirely, you can visit a new character named Horley to take on various bounty hunter jobs, and Rockstar is sure to add more missions and gameplay modes in future updates.

Related video: Reviewing barbershops with a real barber in Red ‘Dead Redemption II’

Related Tags