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.

Starting today, all Red Dead Online players can jump into the Last Stand and Make It Count: Ancient Tomahawk Showdown Modes, both previously included in PlayStation 4 Early Access content. Additional Early Access Content such as the Ancient Tomahawk, Perlino Andalusian Horse, clothing and emotes are also now available to all players.

Please see below for additional details, including info on new clothing, Ability Card XP bonuses, Item discounts, a requested reset feature for character appearances and more.

Ancient Tomahawk, Last Stand & More Now Available On Xbox One

The brutal Ancient Tomahawk arrives on Xbox One today alongside the tense action of the Make It Count: Ancient Tomahawk Showdown Mode. Previously PlayStation 4 Early Access content, you can grab the Ancient Tomahawk from any of the five Fence locations (Saint Denis, Rhodes, Emerald Ranch, Van Horn or Thieves Landing) and play matches of Make it Count: Ancient Tomahawk as part of the Elimination Series.

More new additions of previously Early Access content now available for Xbox One players include the Perlino Andalusian Horse, Belanger Saddle, Finley Jacket, Stenger Studded Spurs and Caldwell Hat, as well as two new Emotes - "Boast" and "Hey, You." Additionally, the climactic, free-for-all carnage of Last Stand makes its way to Xbox One.

New Common Flat Cap, Horsfall Overshirt, Griffith Chaps

Two new clothing items, the Common Flat Cap and the Horsfall Overshirt, are now in stock at local Tailors across the five states:

• Common Flat Cap - A modest design, this smart flat cap is a humble addition to any wardrobe.
• Horsfall Overshirt - With button detailing and contrasting cuffs, this overshirt is an understated addition to the modern man’s wardrobe. Long lasting wear guaranteed.

The Wheeler, Rawson and Co. Catalogue is also currently offering an updated selection of garments and accessories to all outlaws and gunslingers for a limited time only, including the new Griffith Chaps:

• Griffith Chaps - Warm bison fur paired with tough leather and featuring bold stitches and button-up pockets. Practical yet striking.
• Charro Jacket - This grand, fully lined, deerskin Charro Jacket features a handstitched brocade and brass buttons on the breast and cuffs.
• Clymene Coat - A stunning two-tone design, this coat features soft tiered top grain leather and fancy brass buttons.
• Vaquero Baroque Spurs - Hand tooled embossed leather spurs with ornate 8 point rowels. An arresting design from Vaquero.

Ability Cards XP Bonuses And More

All equipped Ability Cards - both Dead Eye and Passive cards - will accrue XP 20% faster all week long wherever you use them, from Elimination Series to Free Roam. For high ranking players,  Stables are selling Special Saddles that offer perks like slow Core depletion and regen rates at a 25% discount this week, and Horses that unlock from Rank 41 and above are now available at Rank 40. Meanwhile, all hats requiring a Rank Unlock of 30 and above are being reduced to Rank 10.

Thank You For Your Feedback

We'd like to thank all of our loyal players for continuing to send their to us feedback via the official Red Dead Online Feedback page and encourage you to please keep it coming. We've been working on implementing some of the top-requested features for the next major Red Dead Online update - including the ability to reset your character’s appearance without altering your progress, automatically retaining Playing Style preferences (Defensive/Offensive) when transitioning to and from Free Roam and much, much more.

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