Red Dead Redemption 2 release date, news and rumors

With so many great games being announced every day, it's not that frequent any more that we see the kind of clamoring excitement that accompanied the announcement of Red Dead Redemption 2.

Teased and announced with perfect pacing on the part of Rockstar, the game will be the developer's third set in the Wild West and its first release since Grand Theft Auto 5 in 2013. To say Rockstar fans are waiting with bated breath is an understatement.

Though the game isn't due to be released until Spring 2018, news and rumors are circulating and we've gathered everything you need to know right here.

Cut to the chase

What is it? The sequel to the Wild West Rockstar hit, Red Dead Redemption
When can I play it? Spring 2018
What can I play it on? PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC

Trailers and screenshots

The first trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2 which was released shortly after the game's announcement is currently the only one we have. It doesn't reveal much other than that we're going to be returning to the Wild West. The game locations in the trailer are diverse and beautiful and it looks highly likely that the game will be open world.

Release date

We thought we'd have Red Dead Redemption 2 in our stockings come Holiday 2017, but it turns out that may have been a bit preemptive on our part.

According to a blog post on the publisher's website, we'll be waiting until Spring of 2018 to saddle up for Rockstar Games' next epic western:

"Red Dead Redemption 2 is now set to launch Spring 2018 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This outlaw epic set across the vast and unforgiving American heartland will be the first Rockstar game created from the ground up for the latest generation of console hardware, and some extra time is necessary to ensure that we can deliver the best experience possible for our fans ... We are very sorry for any disappointment this delay causes, but we are firm believers in delivering a game only when it is ready."

News and features

We have very little in the way of solid facts when it comes to Red Dead Redemption 2 but what has been confirmed by Rockstar can be found below.

It'll have an open world

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a sequel to an open world game and it's being developed by Rockstar so this isn't exactly surprising information. Though Red Dead Revolver was a more linear affair, it was apparent that Rockstar was moving away from this with its spiritual successor Red Dead Redemption and we imagine this trend will continue.

On the game's site, Rockstar has called the game world "vast and atmospheric" and the trailer certainly backs up this claim.

The environments shown in the trailer are diverse and stunning and we imagine that as before you'll be able to traverse them on foot, horseback and perhaps even by rail at your own pace.

It'll have single and multiplayer

As you'd expect of a Rockstar game, Red Dead Redemption 2's vast open game world will be the backdrop to a thrilling single-player campaign.

Though the first game followed the story of one man, we're not sure whether that will be the case with Red Dead Redemption 2. The game's trailer shows 7 figures on horseback which does suggest there could be multiple stories weaving together here like Rockstar did with Grand Theft Auto 5. We'll just have to wait to find out if this is the case.

One similarity we do know Red Dead Redemption 2 will have to Grand Theft Auto 5 is its huge online multiplayer world and it could be this element of the game that the 7 cowboys on horseback imagery is referring to.

On the game's website, Rockstar has stated that the world of the single player campaign will "also provide the foundation for a brand new online multiplayer experience."

Considering Grand Theft Auto 5's online world is still growing and thriving 4 years after the game's initial release this is an exciting prospect. We imagine the cooperative missions that involve heists, races, gangs and money making will transfer neatly over to the Wild West world of Red Dead Redemption 2.

PlayStation 4 players will get early access to some online content

Thanks to a partnership between PlayStation and Rockstar, PlayStation 4 owners will get early access to some of the game's online content. In a post on the official PlayStation Blog where the announcement was made it wasn't clear what the online content would be, however it was promised that more details would be revealed soon.

Rumors and what we want to see

Considering solid facts on the game are pretty thin on the ground, speculation and rumors are understandably rife, with most of the basis for guessing at possible features coming from the game's single trailer.

Out on the water

You couldn't even swim in Red Dead Redemption but a glimpse of a character out on the open water in a kayak in the trailer for the sequel has people wondering if you'll be able to travel across water or maybe even swim this time around. It'd certainly make an already sure to be large game world even larger.

Sharing the load

A scene of a character walking alongside a mule loaded up with equipment also has fans wondering if it'll be possible to share your inventory with your steed. We imagine this would work in a similar manner to sharing your inventory with your companion in games like Skyrim.

Could this be the game's map?

Earlier this April, a map claiming to be the setting for the next Red Dead leaked on NeoGAF.

The biggest takeaways from the tentative topography was a slight move eastward from the arid plains of Red Dead Redemption, showing more marshy locations, islands, and even a mention of a bayou city called New Bordeaux - possibly a tie-in with the recently released, 2K-published Mafia III?

A source with insider knowledge did confirm to us that the map was legit, adding that the game plans to take place before the events of Red Dead Redemption.

However, it is still a leaked map from the internet, so checked expectations are always a smart move.

Rockstar has revealed that the map of the game will be used as the foundation for building an online multiplayer world similar to that of Grand Theft Auto 5 so the incredible scale and diverse landscape suggested by this map would be suited to an online world.