Red Dead Redemption 2 came out back in 2018, and yet, we’re still comparing it with the most recent AAA titles. Rockstar hasn’t just created a game; they’ve made a masterpiece and released it to the world.
Red Dead Online is very active in 2025
Based on Steamdb.info, as of this moment of writing and for the last few months, Red Dead Redemption 2 has over 30,000 daily active players, and over 60,000 when it comes to 24-hour peak. And that’s only counting Steam’s user base.
It’s no brainer that such a well-designed game will last for so many years after its release. The world in Red Dead Redemption 2 is so huge and has so many things to explore, learn, and do, a long list of main and side missions, and with such stunning graphics complementing it, people are loving it and have stuck with it over the years.
Or, at least, that’s what we’ve been hearing a lot lately. And so, we decided to start playing in Red Dead Online and see what the current status of the game.
When it comes to finding other random players to join in missions, there are many, and most of the time, we had no issues and long waiting times.
Thankfully, most of the online sessions were filled with other players, but sometimes we ended up playing in empty sessions, which gave us the freedom and opportunity to progress through all the main missions without getting killed by others.
Read more about Red Dead Redemption 2
Should you start playing alone?
Like in GTA 5: Online, there’s a mixed community of players. Some of them are nice, while others are just there for the shooting and getting into your nerves. If you want to avoid any in-game toxicity, simply switch to another session like we did.
Thankfully, we found a few very friendly players who helped us a lot, and we even joined together in online missions, which made killing more players even easier.
But even if you end up playing completely alone, the world of Red Dead Redemption 2 is endless, and with so many NPCs having their own voices and stories to tell, it’s hard to resist exploring it a bit more.
After all, we’re talking about a game that still holds the title for one of the most expensive games in history, in which approximately 1,600 people worked to make it what it is today. It also took Rockstar a whole 8 years to design and finally release it to the public.
But I won’t bore you with the details, I have already mentioned those in my previous “What Game Should I Play Next?” article. Instead, today we’ll be talking about Red Dead Online.
And to answer your question: Yes, it’s worth playing Red Dead Online in 2025, even if you’re playing solo. You can talk with other players, join missions together, and be part of a Discord server (there are tons).
Joining Red Dead Online in 2025
We started by creating our first online character. It took us over 20 minutes until we decided on the “right” face and expression for our character, but later on, we both found ourselves going back and making some changes.
Who has time to loot and gain money and gold, right? Right.. So we decided to start immediately with an online mission, you know, shoot first, ask questions later? Something like that, which, spoiler alert, didn’t go as expected.
The first thing that we learned (unfortunately, the hard way) is that as a new player in Red Dead Online, you’re helpless. You can’t compete with older players; there’s almost zero possibility of killing them, and if you’re lucky enough, you may end up in a session with noobs like you.
There are players who are still active after 7 years, and they’re so strong, it’d be sad (for you) to try and chase them. After multiple failed tries, we decided to start doing some main quests to raise some money and gold.
As the numbers show, the game was filled with online players completing one mission after another, which made the gameplay even more fun and the world more alive.
Things are also moving faster in Red Dead Online, including your player when walking or looting. The whole map was also fully unlocked, too, unlike in the campaign mode, and it was way bigger than we first anticipated.
We found a couple of hackers
Unlike the campaign mode, there’s a big problem with Red Dead Online, and it’s the exact same one that GTA 5: Online players have been reporting for years: hackers.
Yep, there are many, and they’re going to teleport you, they’ll be extremely powerful, some of them will be unable to die, and some may try to help you by giving you money or gold.
As we started completing our first missions, we found a hacker who, for the sake of upgrading a few things, gave us two boxes filled with gold and money. We started looting them until they were both emptied.
The guy was able to appear and disappear whenever he wanted, and he had a bird on his character’s right arm. He then started playing guitar, and once he was bored, he started dancing. It was fun, we talked for a bit, and then he left.
Editor’s Note:
Later on, we found out that you may get yourself banned if Rockstar Games catches you looting such boxes, so be careful.
Thankfully, our accounts are still active and safe, and we have enough money and gold to upgrade many things, get some new weapons and upgrade them, and even become Bounty Hunters and Collectors (more on that later).
At some point, when I was trying to complete one of my main quests, a hacker teleported me far up on some mountains filled with snow. I called my horse, and when I tried to run away, he was able to make it dissapear. Then, I tried to kill him, but after running out of bullets, I knew he was immortal.
That same guy teleported me a couple of times, and after he was bored, he killed me. Good times.
My friend, who also started playing at the same time as me, also saw a few hackers during his solo gaming play, and he even caught one during one of his recordings. And believe it or not, so did I.
Some differences between the campaign and Red Dead Online
Look, you can’t expect to leave a player in such a huge world without giving them a proper guide or a tutorial and believe they’ll be able to progress, right? Wrong. Rockstar Games can do that, and they already did it.
It takes a lot of time to find out how everything works, even if you complete the campaign story. You must decide which main and side missions you’ll have to complete, raise enough money and gold, and then choose a role to become a Bounty Hunter, a Collector, a Trader, a Moonshiner, or a Naturalist.
Each role has its pros and cons. If you like tracking, capturing, or killing fugitives, you can choose the role of Bounty Hunter. If you love exploring the world and finding hidden treasures (coins, heirlooms, tarot cards, etc.), go with the Collector role and sell those sets to Madam Nazar for profit.
If you prefer hunting animals, delivering pelts and carcasses to Cripps, and turning them into goods for sale, Trader is your go-to role. You’ll also be able to manage your supply runs and long-distance deliveries.
Moonshiner is the role for those players who want to run their own underground moonshine business. This is where you choose recipes, upgrade your distillery, and take on bootlegging missions.
Last but not least, we have the Naturalist, one of the roles that I also chose for my character. It’s all about studying and sedating animals rather than killing them. With special ammo, you can seduce any animal, take a sample, and sell it to Harriet Devenport for rewards. You can also hunt Legendary Animals and either kill them for Gus or sedate them for Harriet.
Basically, you have a lot of work until you have the gold to become any of those roles, and even more if you want to unlock multiple of those.
Forget an upcoming DLC, RDR2 is not going to get it
Considering everything that RDR2 has, it’s not hard to see the potential this game has had, and it will continue to have for at least half a decade more. Its graphics are so good and so well-designed, it’s not strange that so many vloggers and bloggers are comparing it with the most recent 2025 AAA titles.
And, it’s kinda funny that, as of today, it’s still supreme.
If you’re a gamer who still believes that Red Dead Redemption 2 has the greatest potential in the gaming industry, you’re not alone.
It still feels sad that Rockstar Games has chosen to stop supporting it with new content and DLCs, and instead, they only release very small updates every now and then.
Grand Theft Auto V is the company’s main focus right now, and Red Dead Redemption 2 is half a decade old. Maybe, just maybe, we may be lucky enough to witness a Red Dead Redemption 3, but when it comes to Red Dead Online and Red Dead Redemption 2, a huge DLC or anything that needs a lot of work is highly unlikely.
So, is it worth getting Red Dead Redemption 2 right now and joining the Red Dead Online world?
Well, it has thousands of online players every single day, it has tons of things to do, and it still gets new monthly extra bonuses and rewards for specific missions.
Where to buy Red Dead Redemption 2 cheaply
Get RDR2 along with Red Dead Online cheaply from the following online stores (make sure that the Steam or Rockstar Games Launcher keys don’t restrict your country from using them).
Get Red Dead Redemption 2
Cheap Steam and Rockstar Games keys from the most trusted places:
Red Dead Online is going to be alive for at least the release of GTA 6, where we can expect a downfall in every single game on this planet.
After that, I’m almost positive that the game will stay alive, especially with all the hardcore and die-hard fans who refuse to let it go.
If you’re looking for a game that’s not gonna cost you a fortune, has a big and amazing story, one of the best main characters you’ll ever see, and a world so huge with so many side stories that it’ll take years to explore, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a very good choice.
FAQ
Have more questions? Drop them in the comments at the end of this page.
Is it worth starting as a solo player in 2025?
As long as you don’t mind exploring the world by yourself or talking with other players during the online missions, then you should be absolutely fine. It’s such a huge game and gives you so many things to do and explore that you’ll have to spend hours upon hours before getting bored.
What is the fastest way to earn money and gold as a new player?
As a new player, you should focus on completing all the main quests and then all the side missions that you can find on your map. Those usually give you the highest rewards to get started as a new player, but avoid spending them on anything that isn’t absolutely useful. Once you choose a role, you’ll be able to earn more money and gold and spend it on clothes, accessories, horses, upgrades, etc.
Is Red Dead Online active in 2025?
If we only count the active players that are coming from Steam, RDR2 has over 30 thousand active players each day, making it one of the 50 most active games on the platform.
Are there any hackers in Red Dead Online?
Unfortunately, there are many hackers in Red Dead Online, a problem that many players have been reporting over the years. Hackers can teleport you, kill you, or even give you boxes filled with money and gold. Be aware that looting those boxes may get you banned.
