Is Red Dead Online Cross Platform?
8 minutes
Last Updated: May 29, 2024
The third installment of the Red Dead franchise was released to the public in 2019, titled Red Dead Redemption 2. It was a major success, following in the footsteps of 2010’s Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Revolver, which was released back in 2004.
The Arthur Morgan and John Marston RDR2 adventures drew so much interest, Rockstar Games had no choice but to unveil an online multiplayer mode. That came a few months later when Red Dead Redemption 2 Online was released in early 2019. It enabled a massive audience to interact with each other, further fueling the popularity of the franchise.
But its downfall was inevitably tied to the fact that Red Dead Online has no cross platform compatibility. With no RDR2 crossplay enabled, users of the Xbox and PlayStation platforms were left out to dry. But with a rumored RDR2 remaster, a crossplay feature might be on the horizon.
What is crossplay and cross platform?
Since you’re here, you probably know what cross-compatible play, cross-platform play, and crossplay mean. In essence, all these terms signal the online gaming functionality between different video game hardware platforms.
To put it bluntly, crossplay means that PC players can match up and compete alongside console players without any issues. For titles with smaller counts on their multi player modes, this is essential for their survival. And this is where Rockstar Games dropped the ball.
Is Red Dead Online cross platform 2023? (RDR2 cross platform)
So to answer the question on everyone’s mind, is Red Ded Online cross platform? As of the time of writing, July 2023, Rockstar Games are yet to enable a crossplay feature for their Red Dead Redemption 2 Online multi player mode.
This means that players who want to join their friends on Red Dead Redemption 2 online, need to be compatible on the same platform. Console users on the PlayStation platforms can only team up with other PlayStation users in the Red Dead Online multi player mode. The same goes for Xbox users and PC users who have the Red Dead Redemption Steam version.
⭐ Is Red Dead Redemption 2 Cross Platform Between Xbox One And Xbox Series X/S?
Since the Xbox is one of the most popular gaming consoles on the market, many gamers are wondering about the RDR2 accessibility through this platform. The Red Dead Redemption 2 Xbox One version is hosted and supported by the same platform for the Xbox Series X/S versions.
This means that despite being newer-gen consoles, all Xbox users can play Red Dead Redemption 2 Online together. Hopefully, the next installment of the Red Dead franchise comes equipped with backward compatibility, so these players aren’t excluded from the player base or forced to upgrade their console.
⭐ Is Red Dead Redemption 2 Cross Platform For PC And PS4?
A lot of users have also been asking is Red Dead Redemption 2 cross platform PC and PS4? This is not the case, because these are two separate platforms. We already explained what crossplay means, and these gadgets run different versions of the game.
While Red Dead Redemption is a game dating back to when PC and PS4 consoles were the most sophisticated gaming platforms on the market, Rockstar Games never got around to implementing a cross platform feature.
⭐ Is Red Dead Redemption 2 Cross Platform Between Xbox One And PC?
The same answer applies to the question: is RDR2 crossplay PC XBOX? Since crossplay was never implemented, players on different platforms can never connect to the same servers. That’s why there is no Red Dead Redemption 2 cross platform between Xbox One and PC.
The Red Dead Redemption 2 Steam version uses different servers to host the multi-player mode, than those running the Red Dead Redemption 2 Xbox One, X, and S versions. That’s why RDR2 crossplay can’t be achieved on different hardware platforms.
⭐ Is Red Dead Redemption 2 Cross Platform for PS4 And PS5 Users?
But if you and your friends are all under the umbrella of Sony, this won’t be an issue. Many ask is Red Dead Redemption 2 cross platform PS4 and PS5? And since all generations of PlayStation consoles use similar hardware and servers, the Red Dead Online multiplayer mode is available to all PS4 and PS5 users.
Even PlayStation 3 console owners can enter the servers. Although this cross-generational compatibility is nice to have, it sucks to see there’s no RDR2 crossplay for PS5 and Xbox consoles. In the end, a lot of this boils down to business decisions between rivals.
Will Red Dead Cross Platform Soon?
Unfortunately for all enthusiasts, as of July 2023, there is no mention from Rockstar Games about making Red Dead Redemption 2 crossplay compatible. It looks like the developers have shifted their focus and budget away from the Red Dead 2 multi player mode.
Despite a remarkably positive launch in 2019, Red Dead Online has received barely any meaningful updates. That looks to change as fans seem to point out a new development, but is it too little too late?
Bank doors suddenly opened in Red Dead Online. The last time this happened was in July 2021, a week before the Blood Money update. pic.twitter.com/nDs0tvMwau
— OnlyPVPCat (@OnlyPVPCat) July 10, 2023
The Red Dead Online player count has consistently dwindled, hovering over a few thousand concurrent players on Steam. There are hopes for rejuvenating the franchise with a new live-action TV series, which should be an adaptation of the Red Dead Redemption series.
The success Last of Us enjoyed on HBO Max is probably the motive behind this. But in terms of new content gaming wise, it looks like the RDR2 community will have to wait a bit more. There were talks of a RDR2 remaster, but there’s no concrete evidence to back that up. And according to several other reports, Red Dead Redemption 3 probably won’t come out by 2030.
It looks like Rockstar Games is fine with letting Red Dead Online die, with reports of cheaters running rampant in Red Dead Redemption PC lobbies. The lack of support and substantial brand-new content for the game signals an uncertain future for Red Dead Redemption 2 online
Does Red Dead Redemption 2 Have Cross-Progression?
The existing player base most commonly asks is Red Dead cross platform. But there’s another accessibility feature they also care about. Cross progression is a feature that enables gamers to pick up where they left off regardless of the platform they are using.
It’s a great feature with no downsides but it’s most commonly reserved for well-established titles with a big budget, that likely span across multiple generations and across platforms. Since this feature is tied to cross platform accessibility, Red Dead Online still doesn’t support cross progression.
Why Don’t Rockstar Games Make RDR2 Cross Platform?
Considering it’s been 4 years since Red Dead Redemption 2 Online came out, it’s unlikely we will see RDR2 cross platform ever happen. The triple-A title has lasted for nearly 2 decades mainly as a single-player action-adventure game, so there was never much incentive to invest in the multiplayer mode.
Crossplay is usually reserved for titles with massive player counts, such as Minecraft, Call of Duty, and Fortnite. In most cases, those are competitive multiplayer titles like CS:GO, League of Legends, Overwatch, and Valorant among others.
If there isn’t enough demand for a multiplayer mode, companies like Sony and Xbox are unlikely to sit down and split profits for the sake of the audience.
Is Red Dead Online Still Popular?
Although the developers have somewhat abandoned it, the Red Dead Redemption 2 Online multiplayer mode is still somewhat popular. The title has around 2000 monthly players on Steam each month, with some months reaching 3-4000 active users.
This is a far cry from its peak, when 18 000 Steam users were duking it out in the Red Dead Redemption 2 Online multiplayer mode. It’s important to note that these numbers don’t include the player base that has access to the game through the PlayStation, Xbox, or any other platforms.
Those numbers are probably higher but are almost never disclosed. As for the developers, it does seem they have other priorities in mind. The lack of meaningful new content has only been partially undone by the Red Dead Redemption 2 Steam version going on sale multiple times.
This has drawn a new younger audience that hasn’t explored the Red Dead universe. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a great game with a lot of depth and interactions. Red Dead Online is also pretty expansive, but there isn’t much past the daily missions once you have explored everything.
Red Dead Redemption Multi Player mode (Red Dead Online)
Multiplayer modes are always great to have. Rockstar Games realized the potential and the need for a multiplayer mode through their beloved GTA titles. And that’s how we got Red Dead Online back in 2019.
Their titles in the GTA series were a major commercial success. The multiplayer modes for them were also exceptional, with SAMP (San Andreas Multi-Player) being a smashing hit. It kept the community of a very old game very active, which in turn led to a massive profit.
There was just one problem. The GTA series has a much larger audience than the Red Dead Redemption franchise. Some of that is due to the longevity, partly due to the lower cost and mainly with the titles being so accessible through piracy.
The larger player count meant that when the multi player modes for GTA titles were released, they would thrive regardless if there was crossplay or not. But the same could not be said for RDR2, whose multi player mode suffered immensely without cross platform connection.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Red Dead Online currently doesn’t support cross-platform play. While this is a disappointment to new and returning players who wish to join their friends on their online Western expeditions through different gaming platforms, this is how things are at the moment.
The gaming industry is very dynamic, and developers usually care about player feedback. If the game suddenly becomes a smashing hit, Rockstar Games might be forced to implement crossplay. This might be a bit of Copium on our end, but hey, one can only hope.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing since we are long overdue on another Red Dead Redemption expansion. The existing titles offer a lot of content, especially in the single-player mode, which is part of the reason the multiplayer mode never reached similar heights.
