Red Dead Online 2022 Updates That Would Save It

The multiplayer component of Red Dead Redemption 2, Red Dead Online, still has plenty of potential, and only needs a few more updates in order to save it from collapse in 2022. Despite starting out poorly, RDO bounced back in 2019 with its Frontier Pursuits update, which brought new roles to the game that players could then embody. The game has suffered from a lack of significant updates since Red Dead Online‘s original specialist roles were added however, during which time its sister title, Grand Theft AutoOnline, received some of its biggest content add-ons. Rockstar is in danger of not realizing its ambitions with Red Dead Online, and it’s made doubly more frustrating by the fact it only needs a few more elements in order to halt and reverse its decline.

Red Dead Online is set in the same map and world as Red Dead Redemption 2, with a focus on roleplaying and cooperative play. Gameplay is slower-paced than in GTA Online, thanks to players being restricted to single-action firearms and horses, which means that it is less chaotic to spend time in New Hannover than it is in Los Santos. Players can inhabit the Old West lifestyle the way they want to, but a lack of frequent updates in 2021 has meant that making money in Red Dead Online is pointless for many longtime players. There has been speculation that more significant updates could be on the way in 2022, but as of the time of writing, the last major update to Red Dead Online was Call to Arms, a horde mode that came in August last year. This has left the game in a state of limbo, with the only regular updates now being discounts for baked beans, and occasionally some gaudy-looking hats and outfits.

This is far from the picture of Red Dead Online‘s future painted by Rockstar in an interview with VG247 in 2019. Published shortly after the introduction of Frontier Pursuits, Rockstar discussed the long-term vision for Red Dead Online and how the specialist roles system would develop. Among the ideas discussed were properties and improvements to RDO‘s trader and bounty hunter roles – specifically the concept of players transitioning from being the owner of a “fledgling business” to an “industrialist“, and bounty hunters one day progressing into actual lawmen. It should be stressed that these ideas were never announced as official plans for RDO, and that they were just that – ideas – but it’s an ambitious vision of the game that would take it to the next level. That aside, there are also minor updates that Rockstar could bring to Red Dead Online that would instantly make it better – stuff like more cosmetics and weapons, or the ability to own a carriage as well as a selection of horses.

Red Dead Online Should Have Lawmen And Outlaw Roles

Red Dead Online‘s specialist roles are great to explore, but they don’t cater for every Wild West fantasy and longtime players have seen most of what they have to offer by now. Two potential Red Dead Online updates that would help alleviate both those issues would be an “Outlaws” update and a “Lawman” update. Despite players starting out their life in RDO as outlaws, there’s little to do as a criminal in the current version of the game. Players can take on the law if they please, but opportunities for career criminals are surprisingly scarce in Rockstar’s Old West. Being a moonshiner is one, but it isn’t the traditional outlaw fantasy. Likewise, 2021’s Blood Money update was essentially just GTA Online‘s heists, but not as good. Criminality is Rockstar’s bread and butter, but there’s no way to live a proper outlaw fantasy in RDO.

The concept of an outlaw role in Red Dead Online was broached by Rockstar in the aforementioned VG247 interview, and it’s easy to see how such a role would enhance the game’s player ecosystem. It’s already self-policing in a certain way, with high-level bounty hunters able to hunt down players with a high bounty on their heads, but it could go even further. Bounty hunters or lawmen could hunt down outlaw posses in the game’s open world, while outlaws would have to hide or evade capture. Either way, an outlaw role with a set of open-world activities similar to what was seen with the bounty hunter, trader, and moonshiner roles would be a welcome addition to Red Dead Online.

A possible further expansion to the more honorable path in the game would also help reinvigorate the bounty hunter role. While it’s unlikely that every licensed bounty hunter in Red Dead Online would wish to become a full lawman – and would instead prefer the nomadic lifestyle that accompanies most other in-game roles – it could be an option that others would be excited by. Being deputized by a town’s sheriff and forming a posse, or even being tasked with policing a set locale for an in-game day, would help lend a further sense of authenticity to the game’s world, and a sense of progression to those budding lawmen already in its servers.

Red Dead Online Needs More Era-Accurate Clothing

While the lack of major updates to Red Dead Online has been a common complaint among the fanbase, arguably just as disappointing has been the lack of minor additions. Although RDO‘s wardrobe has steadily expanded in the three years since it first went live, new items of clothing have been added less frequently over the last 12 months, and many of the new outfits in Red Dead Online have been recycled from Red Dead Redemption 2‘s story. The new clothes that have been added have also been criticized for not garish or otherwise cartoony, with new wears for bounty hunters usually employing a skull motif and items of clothing in each Outlaw Pass being overly colorful. This isn’t to say that these sorts of wears shouldn’t be in the game at all, but that they can sometimes seem at odds with Red Dead Redemption 2‘s core aesthetic.

Instead of outfits and hats that could be seen as over-the-top, Rockstar should add some era-appropriate clothing and gear to Red Dead Online with a similar level of regularity as it does with GTA Online. New hats, coats, vests, and shirts are always wanted, and there are other cosmetic alterations players have been requesting, such as the ability to button or unbutton certain coats, as players are able to do as Arthur Morgan and John Marston in RDR2‘s single-player. A greater variety of gunbelts and holster options would let players further customize their own character, and a patch that ensured the belts themselves hugged clothing more tightly instead of floating as they currently do would also be much appreciated. This would no doubt require extra work in regards to animations and clipping textures, but the added level of variety would be worth it.

New Weapons Would Make Red Dead Online Feel Less Repetitive

Another area where Red Dead Online needs better variety is firearms. The current roster of guns isn’t inadequate, but there are still a number of iconic rifles and revolvers from the era that could be added. They may not vary greatly when it comes to actual gunplay, but the option of wielding a new revolver and rifle combo would help alleviate some of the repetitive encounters players come across in sessions. Further opportunities to customize weapons in Red Dead Online would also be a welcome addition, with ivory grips and different barrel lengths for repeaters, shotguns, and revolvers two potential areas for Rockstar to explore.

There are undoubtedly even more ambitious updates that Rockstar could add to Red Dead Online to make it better, like properties, but even small steps like new clothes and weapons may be enough to turn its fortunes around. Small updates like that would help RDO in the short-term, and potentially entice those players who have fallen off its wagon to get back onboard for future content. The specialist roles system is where the bulk of Rockstar’s focus should be though, as it’s where the game could find real renewal. Red Dead Online could have a self-sustaining player ecosystem with just a few tweaks, which would go a long way in helping it attain the same kind of longevity as its GTA sibling.

About The Author

Ewan Paterson
(75 Articles Published)

Ewan is a Gaming Features Editor for Screen Rant and may in fact have way too many interests. His love for comic books, video games and Dad Movies also instilled in him a love for writing, which he’s been doing since he was about 16. Originally from Liverpool, Ewan made the move to Newcastle in 2014 to study History at Northumbria University (which he loved), and has stayed there ever since. You may have heard/seen him on YouTube a bunch as well.

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