Red Dead Redemption 2 released to rave reviews across the board and was eventually re-released on PC late in 2020. Red Dead Online released a few months after the game's debut after a lengthy beta period and also saw standalone versions on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S for players looking to upgrade their visuals.

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A central part of the Red Dead Online experience is playing with friends in the immersive western setting, but because many games don't have crossplay functionality, it's hard to play with friends with different systems. Red Dead Online is not entirely without this functionality, but it is limited in a few ways.

6 How To Enter Red Dead Online

Entering the multiplayer portion of Red Dead Redemption 2 is possible in two ways: launching the standalone Red Dead Online, or by pressing left on the D-pad while playing the campaign in Red Dead Redemption 2 (on PC, press the L button). This brings up the Free Roam menu where the player can then create a posse and invite friends.

After this, the player will be brought to a character creation menu and an introductory segment before being given free roam over their online experience. It's really as simple as that, and because Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game that can't be played offline (even for story mode), it should be easy to start an online session as long as you can get into the game.

5 Is Red Dead Online Crossplay?

The ultimate answer to whether Red Dead Online has crossplay is that it does and it doesn't. In the traditional sense, Red Dead Online does not have crossplay functionality, as players on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles cannot play with one another on separate systems. Crossplay is not normally a feature of modern games, unfortunately.

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Many fans were disappointed by this when it was initially revealed, perhaps justifiably. But with the release of the updated PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions in late 2020, there is one kind of crossplay functionality enabled: crossplay within the same console environment.

4 Account Info Will Transfer To Similar Systems

If a player on a PlayStation 5 wants to play with a friend who's on an Xbox, they'll be out of luck. If a PlayStation 5 owner wants to play with a PlayStation 4 owner, though (or an Xbox One owner wants to play with an Xbox Series X|S owner) they are able to. PC players are left out of this, unfortunately, but PC players also don't have to pay for online privileges.

Additionally, account information will transfer from one console to the next in the generation. Players who bought the standalone version of Red Dead Online for modern consoles are able to keep their save and transfer it over, as long as it's the same brand.

3 Posses Are Central To Multiplayer Co-op...

Creating a posse is the main way to interact with the world of Red Dead Online, and the easiest way to do this is to gather a small group of real-life friends together for some questin' in the West. If you don't have friends who own Red Dead Online, you are able to invite and join other players who are connected to the same server. Posse management is available through the in-game Online menu, by pressing either left on the D-pad or L on PC while in an online session.

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It's a great way to get a footing for the online mechanics and gameplay while learning about how posses work. There are two types of posses: temporary, and permanent. Temporary posses will disband upon the leader quitting the group, while permanent posses have expanded capabilities and are comparable to guilds.

2 ...But You Don't Need Friends To Play Online

Sometimes it's much more fun to just wander around and take whichever path one might fancy in online RPGs like Red Dead Online. If you don't particularly feel like playing with friends, or are tired of relying on random teammates online, remember that a posse can consist of one person.

Joining a posse is just one of the ways to engage with other players in Red Dead Online. Although it's disadvantageous to go at it alone, especially with roaming full posses, it can be a different kind of excitement altogether. Plus, some players have reported getting into lobbies without any other players, making for a rare relaxing time in the online space.

1 The Red Dead Online Intro Takes About An Hour

Upon launching Red Dead Online the player will be greeted with a character creation menu, a skill menu, and an introductory questline that gives the player a horse and their bearings in the online space. It is all too tempting to rush through this portion of the game, especially if you've played a Rockstar game before, but it's important to go through it patiently anyway.

Red Dead Online is not unlike the normal campaign for Red Dead Redemption 2, but it has a number of expanded features. PvP, special events, showdowns, feuds, duels, camps, races, hunts, skills, and so much more are explained pretty well in this introduction, so be sure to pay close attention because there's a lot to learn.

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