Besides being the year thatGrand Theft Auto 6will launch — fingers crossed — 2025 will also mark the seventh anniversary ofRed Dead Redemption 2.Red Dead Redemption 2was Rockstar’s last major release, and it continued the developer’s streak of success. It received incredibly positive reviews and has sold over 67 million copies.
Whenever the nextRed Dead Redemptiongame rolls around, it will certainly have its work cut out for it. The weight ofRed Dead Redemption 2’s narrative, the impeccable acting chops of its main cast, and theattention to detail in its open worldhave set a high bar, not just for the series, but for open-world games in general. Expectations are therefore quite high forRed Dead Redemption 3. Rockstar has proven itself time and time again when it comes to its storytelling, but fans may be more concerned with howRed Dead Redemption 3will address one of its predecessor’s most notable failings.
Redeeming RDR 2’s Abandoned Mode
Grand Theft Auto 5was a monumental success for Rockstar. Besides being regarded by fans and critics as one of the best video games ever made, it has also raked in billions of dollars in revenue since release.GTA 5’s open-world story mode was certainly a draw for many players, but a big reason whyGTA 5is still prevalent — and profitable — today is its online mode.
Grand Theft Auto Onlinelaunched two weeks after the release ofGTA 5. The mode allows players to explore San Andreas as a customizable character of their own making. They can then complete missions, purchase property, and interact with other players' characters in real-time. Despite some rough edges at launch, Rockstar’scontinued updateshave madeGTA Onlineone of the most beloved multiplayer experiences of the 2010s, and one that is still frequented by many players to this day.
Considering how popularGTA Onlineproved to be, it was no surprise that Rockstar attempted to replicate its success inRed Dead Redemption 2.Red Dead Onlinereleased in beta on June 13, 2025. While the originalRed Dead Redemptionhad an online experience as well, its multiplayer was more traditional, with a handful of PVP and co-op modes.Red Dead Onlineinstead tried to emulateGTA Onlineby allowing players to create their own gunslinger and exploreRed Dead Redemption 2’s vast open worldwith friends. This premise hadRed Dead Redemptionfans ecstatic, but the reality ofRed Dead Onlineproved to be disappointing.
TheRed Dead Onlineexperience was flawed from the start. Besides being plagued by bugs and errors, the game’s combat controls felt unpolished — unfortunate considering the game’s heavy emphasis on gunfights — and the overall gameplay was much more sluggish than that ofGTA Online. It makes sense given the limitations of vehicles and weaponry inRed Dead Online’s historical setting, but slowed down gameplay was made all the more noticeable by the absurd amount ofgrinding required to make money in-game.
Obtaining the currency necessary to buy many of the cosmetics, horses, andweapons inRed Dead Onlinerequired dozens of hours of playing. Considering the severely limited number of open-world activities that awarded money at launch, this grind was grueling and repetitive. Rockstar did provide an alternative for players wishing to skip this grind, as they could instead opt to purchase the in-game currency with real money. Players suspected that Rockstar had intentionally made the grind so intense in order to pressure players into giving in and just shoveling out more money in order to play the game how they actually wanted to.
While Rockstar eventually stated that it would make changes to the game’s economy, the initial model had already left a bad taste in players' mouths. The game had fewer players and made less money than expected, which resulted in Rockstar limiting the amount of updates that the game would receive. This created a cycle which deterred players from spending time playing the game, which deterred Rockstar from spending time adding to the game. Rockstar would eventually abandon development ofRed Dead Onlineall together in 2021, opting to instead focus resources on the upcomingGrand Theft Auto 6.
With how badly Rockstar fumbledRed Dead Online, any future multiplayer experiences in theRed Dead Redemptionseries may have a hard time gaining traction. Players will always have doubt in their minds, wondering if their time and money is worth sinking into a game that Rockstar might just give up on if the going gets tough.Red Dead Onlinestarted at such a low point, which would leave one to think that Rockstar could only go up from there with a sequel. However, Rockstar’s biggest hurdle will be earning back enough trust from fans to get them to even try a secondRed Dead Online.
