After having already outpaced lifetime sales of its predecessor in just a few days following its launch on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Red Dead Redemption 2 can easily be counted as one of the biggest games of the year. Now, it looks like even more cowpokes will be flocking to the open world title soon, as the beta for RDR2's multiplayer component, Red Dead Online, is set to begin on November 27, 2018.
It must be noted that while Rockstar Games will officially launch Red Dead Online in beta form tomorrow, it will initially be accessible only for owners of the Ultimate Edition of Red Dead Redemption 2. On the following day, Wednesday, November 28, the beta will open up to those who played RDR2 on its first day of release. After that, on Thursday, November 29, those who played the game in its first three days of release will be given access. Following these dates, the online multiplayer component's beta will then finally be available to all Red Dead Redemption 2 players on Friday, November 30.
While some Red Dead Redemption 2 fans might be miffed at the fact that they will have to wait to give Red Dead Online a go, it's worth mentioning that the staggering of the beta's availability dates seems to be a way for Rockstar to ensure the occurrence of as few issues as possible. After all, when Grand Theft Auto Online went live several years ago, the multiplayer mode had tons of server problems due to too many players flooding the online space all at once.
Taking all of this into account, it will be interesting to see just how Red Dead Redemption 2 plays out in the online multiplayer realm with Red Dead Online, and what kind of features and missions fans should expect right out of the gate. RDR2's single player offers plenty of moments that convey some of Rockstar's best storytelling and sandbox design elements to date, so one can only hope that the developer manages to build upon the solid foundations it has already laid and provides a fantastic open world western experience for multiplayer aficionados.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and the Red Dead Online beta officially goes live on Tuesday, November 27, 2018.