Red Dead Online is the first multiplayer game in the Red Dead series. Initially, it came bundled with Red Dead Redemption 2. On December 1, 2020, it became a standalone game.

The huge open world from the story campaign became the basis for multiplayer. It can be explored alone or with friends. You can create a squad of up to seven players.

You can create and customize your own characters, as well as adjust abilities based on your playstyle.

Red Dead Online has all the features and opportunities from the main game. Players can form gangs, relax by the fire, go hunting or fishing, rob, fight with enemy gangs, search for treasures, and so on.

In addition to the sandbox mode, Red Dead Online has its own set of missions in which players interact with familiar characters. For the first time in the series, the "honor scale" plays an important role in the story, as certain missions are only available with a high or low reputation level.

In addition to story content, the game has daily challenges, bounty hunter work, trading and business management, hunting and tracking rare wild animals, missions from strangers that can be met in the open world.

Red Dead Online has implemented a PvP mode. Players participate in events for which they receive money, experience, reputation, and gold bars.

Players also gain experience. It allows you to rise in the ranking table. The maximum level is 100. With each new rank, the player unlocks items such as clothing, weapons, horses, camp modifications, and ability cards. You can continue to raise your rank after the hundredth level, but without rewards.

Players have their own camps, which can be personalized to their liking. They can be small or large. The former can accommodate a squad of up to four people, and the latter — up to seven. The camp has a safe that allows you to pick up goods purchased from the catalog. Depending on the purchased tent, the main character will receive certain bonuses when resting.

Players can own ten stables for horses and, therefore, only ten steeds. When buying an animal, users have the right to choose the breed, sex, name, appearance, and equipment. As in the single player game, horses in Red Dead Online have unique characteristics that vary depending on the breed.

On July 7, 2023, Rockstar announced that support for Red Dead Online has been discontinued, and all main forces have been redirected to the development of GTA 6. Meanwhile, updates and seasonal events are still being released for the game. Most likely, the statement meant that there will be no more major story additions.