Red Dead Redemption 2is generally regarded as having one of the best open worlds in gaming, which isn’t without reason. The western epic has incredible attention to detail, nudging players to explore every nook and cranny in search of its myriad of secrets. It’s also markedly different fromRockstar’s other darling open-world franchise,Grand Theft Auto.
Both of these games sport a separate online mode, butGrand Theft Auto 5’s online component has grown a whole lot large thanRed Dead Redemption 2’s offering. For example, the former has received a brand-new expansion map in the form of the Cayo Perico heist, the likes of which should feel right at home for the latter.
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UnlikeGrand Theft Auto’s online component,Red Dead Onlinehasn’t proven to be an outright success. Though many fans seem to have a lot of fun roaming the streets and towns of the game with theirRed Dead Onlinecharacter, others don’t feel the spark and constant adrenaline rush thatGrand Theft Auto’s online component brings.
There’s a multitude of reasons for that, ascharacters inRed Dead Redemption 2feel heavier to control than what players might be used to inGTA. The slower modes of traversal, simplistic auto-aiming, and the number of mechanical inputs required to do anything are some things that many players have helped to push players away. Many fans also claim thatRed Dead Redemption 2is pay-to-win, which is plausible given how gear and provisions make a major difference. With getting more of these resources just a gold bar away, this claim is understandable.
With the exclusion of pay-to-win practices, many of the problems that fans seem to face are deeply rooted within the mechanics of the game. Given how dependentthe world ofRed Dead Redemption 2is on its quests, strangers, and vistas for fun, it’s no secret that a lot of players have been dropping out ofRed Dead Onlinewell before Rockstar would have expected them to.
This helps make a case forRed Dead Redemption 2to dabble with more single-player-focused content. The game’s story mode is considered by many to be Rockstar’s best work yet, and getting more of that would not be bad by any means. Furthermore, it could be a standalone expansion like Cayo Perico itself, with an entirely new area to explore that should keep players hooked for quite some time.
Rockstar has delivered spectacular self-contained experiences along these lines, withGrand Theft Auto 4: Episodes from Liberty CityandRed Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmarebeing some major highlights. The stark drop in player count forRed Dead Redemption 2’s online mode provides enough reason to believe that players would prefer more content along the lines of single-player narratives. In turn, delivering that within the online mode could be the missing ingredient that’s needed to redeem the game and bring back players who lost interest in it.
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Rockstar hasn’t shipped a game in almost 3 years now, and it’s looking like the wait for the next game could be longer. The studio isprobably working onGrand Theft Auto 6now, and the most recent batch of rumors and speculation indicates a release window of 2025 or beyond.If it happens, Red Dead Redemption 3would likely be an even longer wait, possibly even extending into the next generation of consoles.
Thus, it stands to reason that fans have been clamoring for any morsel of information that could be found on the matter.Grand Theft Auto Onlineon next-gen consoles is a reaffirmation of the fact thatGrand Theft Auto 6is still quite some ways off, and fans have to remain content withGTA 5’s online offerings for now. That being said,Grand Theft Autofans have a lot more reason to be hopeful right now, given that Cayo Perico heist has garnered huge success and Rockstar might finally pay much more heed to expansions in a similar vein.
Red Dead Redemptionfansdon’t seem to have that luxury though, which is even more grueling for those who don’t seem to enjoy the current online offerings just yet. Furthermore, there’s also the fact that the wait for the nextRed Dead Redemptionwill likely be longer, assuming that it would ever be in the works. Rockstar is certainly not at the mercy of fans when it comes to developing content for the game’s online mode, as it has more than enough resources to pursue future projects without much hassle.
That being said,Red Dead Onlinehas a lot of potential, and Rockstar could appeal to a larger fraction of its fanbase provided that it’s willing to put in the work. As always, there’s money to made there too, and the number of studios within Rockstar more or less guarantees that work on future projects wouldn’t be impacted drastically. As such, it would be great to see Red Dead Online get a meaningful expansion.
Grand Theft Auto 5is available now on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in development.Red Dead Redemption 2is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
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