Rockstar is officially decoupling Red Dead Online from Red Dead Redemption 2. That means you’ll be able to buy the online multiplayer mode as a standalone product on both PC and consoles–it’s not going free-to-play.
This new standalone version of Red Dead Online launches on December 1 and will cost $20. However, for the first few months of availability–from launch until February 15, 2021–it will be 75% off, selling for just $5. As an online game, it requires a subscription to PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold if you’re playing on PS4/PS5 or Xbox One/Series X|S, respectively.
Red Dead Online will be sold through the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Rockstar Games Launcher, Steam, and Epic Games Store. It includes the full RDO experience, with no differences from what you’d get by owning Red Dead Redemption 2, meaning there’s nothing new to buy here if you’re an existing player. This standalone version will offer an option to purchase what’s called Red Dead Redemption 2: Story Mode, which includes the single-player campaign, although a price was not shared.
RDO will require 123GB of free space to install. There’s no word on specific enhancements if you’re playing on PS5 or Xbox Series X|S, although those platforms do support the game through backwards compatibility.
This is a notable release for Rockstar, given that GTA Online–which continues to be a massive success for the company–has not been available separately from Grand Theft Auto V. There is a standalone version of GTA Online on the way in 2021, but Red Dead will be the first of Rockstar’s games to be separated in this fashion.
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