Despite the success of *Red Dead Redemption 2*, *Red Dead Online* hasn’t quite lived up to its potential since breaking free from beta in mid-2019. That’s not to say it isn’t a good game. With the right mix of players on any populated server, Rockstar’s multiplayer cowboy crime sim still ranks among the most entertaining open-world games in 2025.
However, despite its scope to match the ambition of *GTA Online* once upon a time, *Red Dead Online* instead persists in the lurching shadow of its modern-day cousin. In fact, so neglected has *Red Dead Online* been over the last few years that even the most ardent fans—those who signed the several-thousand-strong #SaveRedDeadOnline petition of 2023—would have likely given up on the game at the beginning of this year.
Now, however, with *Red Dead Online* riding high on a new lease of life—after receiving a handful of new missions for the first time in years—and with the *GTA 6* release date coming into focus, could our return to Vice City help break new ground in the Old West?
“Back in July, Rockstar unexpectedly dropped a brand-new *Red Dead Online* content trailer for the first time in over four years, which gave me a real glimmer of hope they might return to the game in a bigger way once *GTA VI* is out and their resources free up,” says prominent Rockstar commentator Ben, aka Videotechuk.
“Rockstar also seems to be building on the *Strange Tales of the West* content in the coming months,” he adds, “and with current rumours of new current-gen versions in the works, Rockstar could have the footprint to deliver more *Red Dead Online* updates without being held back by the Xbox One and PS4.”
Even a cursory glance into *Red Dead Online*’s corner of the GTA Forums highlights a flurry of activity, reignited interest, and general buzz around *Red Dead Online* in the wake of July’s update—something that’s been entirely missing in recent years. There, a whole host of newcomers, lapsed wranglers, and hardcore players (including one chap who’s logged close to 10,000 hours) are happily sharing fables from the frontier, making it a lovely place to explore.
It’s a safe bet that the core of Rockstar’s dev team will remain focused on *GTA 6* long after the crime sim lands on May 26 of next year—with many of those folks, you’d assume, transitioning onto work on whatever shape *GTA Online 2.0* takes following the base game’s arrival.
Once all of that falls into place, though, wouldn’t it make sense to return some focus to *Red Dead Online*, given the renewed interest and strong opposition to putting it out to pasture entirely? Ben certainly thinks so.
“Also, it’s kind of a no-brainer to come back as *Red Dead 2* continues to sell better than most modern-day titles on this market, which is just nuts.”
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/grand-theft-auto/a-glimmer-of-hope-what-does-gta-6-mean-for-red-dead-online/