Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic tale of life in America at the dawn of the modern age.

America, 1899. The end of the wild west era has begun as lawmen hunt down the last remaining outlaw gangs. Those who will not surrender or succumb are killed.

After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him.

Built from the ground up for the latest hardware, Red Dead Online blends the classic multiplayer of the original Red Dead Redemption with the best of everything we have learned since then about creating deep multiplayer experiences. The result is something completely new and fun, and an experience that will continue to expand and evolve over time as we gain valuable feedback from our community in the Beta period.

Now that everyone has had a chance over the past month to experience the story of Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang in Red Dead Redemption 2, it is time to begin the beta period for Red Dead Online.

Built from the ground up for the latest hardware, Red Dead Online blends the classic multiplayer of the original Red Dead Redemption with the best of everything we have learned since then about creating deep multiplayer experiences. The result is something completely new and fun, and an experience that will continue to expand and evolve over time.

With the gameplay of Red Dead Redemption 2 as its foundation, Red Dead Online transforms the vast and deeply detailed landscapes, cities, towns and habitats of Red Dead Redemption 2 into a new, living online world ready to be shared by multiple players. Create and customize your character, tailor your abilities to suit your play style and head out into a new frontier full of things to experience.

Explore the world solo or with friends. Form or join a Posse to ride with up to seven players; gather around the fire at your Camp; head out hunting or fishing; visit bustling towns; battle enemy gangs and attack their hideouts; hunt for treasure; take on missions and interact with familiar characters from across the five states; or fight against other outlaws in both spontaneous skirmishes and pitched set-piece battles; compete with other players or whole Posses in open world challenges and much more.

New to the Red Dead Online Beta this week is Spoils of War, a team-based capture-style Mode for 2-16 players, and the latest addition to the Showdown Series of competitive matches.

All Showdown Modes are also delivering 20% XP this week in addition to a bonus of 8x Dynamite Arrows for the first Spoils of War match win.

As we continue to add to and evolve the Red Dead Online Beta, we will keep expanding on and improving our Showdown Series. These player vs. player modes are tight, dramatic competitive matches that allow for quick structured gameplay sessions as well as being a great way to complete combat-based Daily Challenges. This week's new addition to the Series is Spoils of War - a frontier take on capture-style multiplayer. You can launch this new mode using the Featured Series tile in the Red Dead Online Beta launch menu, via the Quick Join option in the Player Menu or by navigating to the Featured Series signpost on the map.

In Spoils of War, 2-16 players compete in this team-based mode to defend their stockpile and raid each other’s. Each team must steal loot from their opponent's base and return it to theirs, while defending their own stash. Whichever team steals the most by the end of the match wins. You can take on this new Showdown mode across a variety of locations including Fort Mercer and Valentine.

As added benefits this week, you’ll get a 20% XP boost on all Showdown Modes and winning one Spoils of War match will earn you an extra bonus of 8x Dynamite Arrows that you can retrieve from the Post Office or your Camp Lockbox.

In its quest to offer the very latest and best in frontier supplies, the Wheeler, Rawson & Co Catalogue will be updated regularly as goods come and go. As you browse the Catalogue from week to week, select clothing from inbound shipments will be marked Coming Soon. When available, these same items will be marked as Limited Stock. If you see any items marked as Out of Stock, be sure to check back in future weeks as some of these items are sure to return again.

Starting today, sellers have received their first shipments of rare clothing that will only be available for a limited time. This week, look for a pair of new outfits as well as a few other garments and accessories:

• The Tasman Outfit (Male only)
• The Danube Outfit (Female only)
• Tied Pants
• Hitched Skirt (Female only)
• Winter Shotgun Coat
• Gardenia Hat
• Squat Stovepipe Top Hat

As we progress through the Beta we will work to improve Catalogue functionality and organization, while adding new items with unique flair that will regularly rotate through the shops.

We’ve also made a few updates to the official Red Dead Online Beta Feedback website , where you can now leave us your thoughts on Spoils of War as well as general feedback on Controls via this page . As always, your feedback is appreciated and vital to helping us tune the Red Dead Online Beta as it grows and progresses.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is currently available for PS4 and Xbox One.