Ambitious Red Dead Redemption mod wants to revive the iconic multiplayer mode

If the original Red Dead Redemption has earned a place in gaming history, it's because of its mournful atmosphere, arresting open world, and gut-punch ending. When you think of Rockstar's revisionist western, you think of John Marston, that first ride into Mexico, and the 'gunfight' in front of the old barn. But RDR 1's multiplayer offering was a real blast; those weighty shooting and cover mechanics made for some great online deathmatches. With GTA 6 in full swing, much to the dismay of RDR 2 fans, Rockstar has shifted all of its focus away from Red Dead Online. However, one ambitious modder is trying to bring back the original game's multiplayer modes.

The multiplayer wing of Red Dead Redemption 2 was relatively short lived. Released in 2018, the western game stopped getting major expansions just four years later, in 2022. Compare that to Grand Theft Auto 5, which Rockstar is still updating on a regular basis after more than a decade, and you can sympathize with RDR 2 fans who feel short changed. With the GTA 6 release date inbound, it's only natural that Rockstar commit its full might to what will almost certainly be the most profitable game ever made, but that leaves the world of Arthur Morgan and John, for the time being at least, unfortunately neglected.

But there is a small hope. With the original Red Dead Redemption now available on Steam, one modder, 'K3rhos,' is trying to bring back its multiplayer mode. 'RDRMP' is still in the very early, alpha stages, and currently only really allows users to establish servers within a pseudo online framework, using a custom scripting API – if you want to actually play the original Red Dead Redemption online, you'll have to wait until RDRMP is further along. Nevertheless, it's a start. You can find and support the project on Nexus Mods.

Otherwise, you might want to try some of the other best open-world games, or maybe take a look at GTA Db, where we have consolidated everything there is to know about Grand Theft Auto 6 and the return to Vice City.

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