Alright, so the big question everyone’s asking is: “is Red Dead cross platform?” I figured I’d dive in and see what’s what, and share my findings.
First off, I did the obvious thing: fired up my consoles. I’ve got both a PlayStation 5 and an Xbox Series X kicking around, plus my PC gaming rig. My initial thought was to jump straight into Red Dead Online on each and see if I could team up with a buddy who plays on a different platform.
The initial bummer? No dice. I tried linking up through Rockstar Social Club, figuring that might be the magic bridge, but it didn’t work. Couldn’t see my friend who was online on PlayStation while I was on Xbox. Strike one.
Next, I tried some good old-fashioned Googling. Sifted through a bunch of forums, read some articles, and watched a couple of YouTube videos. The consensus seemed pretty clear: Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online aren’t cross-platform. That means if you’re on PlayStation, you can only play with other PlayStation players (PS4 and PS5 can play together, thankfully). Same goes for Xbox (One and Series X/S). And PC players? Stuck with other PC players.
Why, Rockstar, why?! That’s the million-dollar question. Some folks speculate it’s about technical hurdles, others think it’s a business decision. Maybe it’s about keeping the playing field level, since PC players might have an edge with mouse and keyboard controls. Who knows?
I even went deep into the Rockstar support pages, hoping to find some hidden setting or workaround. Nope. Nothing official, nothing unofficial that actually worked. It was all just wishful thinking from other players hoping for the same thing.
- Step 1: Tried direct friend invites across platforms – Fail.
- Step 2: Searched for in-game cross-play options – Nada.
- Step 3: Scoured Rockstar support for answers – Zilch.
So, after all that digging and experimenting, here’s the straight dope: Red Dead Redemption 2, including Red Dead Online, does NOT support cross-platform play. You’re locked into playing with folks on the same system as you. Bummer, I know. But hey, at least we know for sure now.
Maybe someday Rockstar will change their minds, but for now, if you wanna ride with your friends, make sure you’re all on the same platform. Happy trails!
