Red Dead Online Getting Battle Royale-Style Gun Rush Mode

Red Dead Online is getting a new update today, with a new last man standing competitive mode called Gun Rush. The player-vs-player (PVP) mode drops 32-players into a region, tasking them with gathering weapons and ammunition to kill their opponents. To ratchet up the tension, the play area shrinks over time.

That might sound familiar to you if you've played any one of the Battle Royale games over the past two years. It's a smaller version of the same gameplay you'll find in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds or Fortnite. Gun Rush is playable in free-for-all and team variants.

Xbox One players can also access the additional content that was previously PlayStation 4 exclusive. This includes the Red Chestnut Arabian Horse, Alligator Skin Ranch Cutter Saddle, and the High Roller Double-Action Revolver.

There are future changes planned for Red Dead Online as the beta continues. Rockstar will be offering new Daily Challenges, giving players various tasks like evading capture or sharpshooting for rewards. The law and bounty systems will be changing heavily based on player feedback: bounties will be added for committing crimes and players will have to pay back the price on their heads or face crack shot bounty hunters. It'll be easier to parley to avoid players who just want to murder and scrap, but also easier to trigger feuds for those who love a good gunfight.

Rockstar will also be changing player-location markers to only appear within a short distance. This means you'll no longer be able to track (read: grief) a single player over a wide area. The developer is planning to make griefers more visible though; their markers will darken as they kill, allowing them to be seen from longer ranges. Finally, the developer will be adding more to the beta alongside tweaks and refinements, including emotes, clothing, new Races, and more Showdown modes.

Heading into 2019, Rockstar is planning further content for Red Dead Online:

• All-new missions to build on your Story in A Land Of Opportunities – from previously established characters like Horley and Jessica LeClerk, and some new ones as well.
• A range of Dynamic Events throughout the world
• Lots of new competitive modes including new Showdown Modes and Races
• New weapons and clothing
• Lots more not ready to be shared just yet