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.

RELATED: Red Dead Online: The Best Weapons (& How To Get Them)

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.

Updated November 6 ,2021 by Raza Malik: Red Dead Online can be intimidating even to the experienced player, because of how realistic and immersive it is. But that shouldn't deter anyone from playing it. The single-player portion is one part of this epic western; the online part, however, is its own experience. Certain mechanics in the single-player version behave differently in the online portion; however, the game does not communicate this clearly. These updated tips should give players the fullest experience, without being bogged down in minutia that may frustrate them.

12 Online is a Different Game Than Offline

red dead online a player getting ready to shoot

Though the offline and online portions of RDR2 look the same, in reality, they're very different. Even though the offline aspect of Red Dead is the same on paper, it sort of is a tutorial for the online and then some.

Red Dead Online's function as a multiplayer game leans into that, and it becomes challenging. Instead of interacting with NPCs, players now have to engage with other players who are either on the same skill level or better. But once players learn the ropes, and play with friends, Red Dead Online becomes fun rather than the dull repetition of getting killed often.

11 Dead Eye Works Differently

red dead online players walking away from a house on fire

In the single-player portion of Red Dead, Dead Eye would slow down time, allowing players to mark targets and shoot them all in the order they were marked. This would quite be something if it worked like that in Red Dead Online. In the online section, Dead Eye doesn't really slow down time; however, with the addition of cards, it can make Dead Eye work differently and even better.

Many cards have abilities that can reflect what the player wants. They offer perks like health boosts, aim accuracy, give players more protection against others. Ultimately its how the player uses these cards and what they want these cards to do, will impact how they play.

10 Making Money Helps

red dead online player pointing gun Cropped

There are many ways for players to make money in Red Dead Online; however, some pay off faster than others. One of the best ways to make a lot of money fast is by hunting — not just hunting any animal, but something more worthwhile. While these animals yield more profits, going out after them requires patience and knowledge of where they are.

RELATED: Red Dead Online: All The Rifles & Repeaters, Ranked

The more players hunt exotic animals, the more money they'll get. Additionally, those playing with friends can make plans and hut together, because these animals take some time to look for.

9 Upgrading Ammo

red dead online player with a mask on Cropped

In single-player of Red Dead, the need to upgrade ammo isn't really an issue, because most enemies can be taken down with normal bullets. In Red Dead Online, it's something players miss.

Split Rounds, for example, cause more damage and reward the players with extra XP for doing so which helps players level up quicker. Additionally, it helps gamers compete with higher-level players and clear high-level areas better with ease. The game does not give a good indication when the player has unlocked the ability to upgrade ammo, but when the players get their hands on this ability, the game starts to feel different.

8 Pay Attention to the Cores

red dead online players walking towards the camera

Each core reflects something, like the player's health, the Dead Eye, the horse's health, or player's stamina. All those things are important and should not lose the attention of players. The most important one is the health core: the more the player has the more they can take. There are many ways to upgrade the core, but the easiest is fishing.

When players are able to catch a large or rare fish, they are rewarded with a health core upgrade. The degree of the upgrade depends on what type of fish they caught. Not only is fishing good for the core, but players can also sell the fish to earn a decent profit because of its rarity.

7 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?

rdr2 ps5 xbox series x

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.

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

cross gen releases ps4 ps5 xbox one xbox series x s

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.

RELATED: Red Dead Online: The Most Profitable Animals

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

red-dead-online-cowboy-in-black-leather

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

Red Dead Online Character Customizer

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.

NEXT: Red Dead Online: Every Fish In The Game (& How Much They Sell For)