Red Dead Online Gets First Major Content Update in Four Years

A major content update titled Strange Tales of the West Vol. 1 was released for Red Dead Online four years after the drop of Blood Money on July 13, 2021. The update consists of four horror- and sci-fi-themed missions.

The plot of Strange Tales of the West centers on writer Theodore Levin, who is gathering material for an anthology about various phenomena in the Wild West with players’ assistance.

In the first chapter, titled Strange Tales of the Plague, players find out that the residents of Armadillo were struck by a plague that turned them into zombies. The second mission, Strange Tales of Modern Science, tells the story of a mad scientist who created killer robots. During the Strange Tales of the Bayou mission, players meet a terrifying creature in the swamps of Lagras. And the fourth chapter, Strange Tales of the Wilderness, revolves around a missing scientist.

To hop on a new adventure, players need to obtain a letter from Theodore Levin, which can be found at any post office or in the camp chest.

Until Aug. 4, 2025, players can receive three times more RDO$ and XP on all sold samples by helping conservationist Harriet Davenport catalog the wildlife of Red Dead Online. On top of that, players can earn 2x RDO$ and XP on Wildlife Photography missions and 3x Role XP and XP on Legendary Animal Sighting Missions.

Developed and published by Rockstar Games, Red Dead Online was initially released as the online component of Red Dead Redemption 2 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on May 14, 2019, and for Windows PC and Google’s Stadia in November 2019. The title received its standalone client in December 2020. The game is playable on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S through backward compatibility but hasn’t received a version for the current generation of consoles.

Strange Tales of the West Vol. 1 became the sixth major update, following 2019’s Frontier Pursuits and Moonshiners, 2020’s The Naturalist and Bounty Hunters, and 2021’s Blood Money.

The new update came with an element of surprise, as in July 2022, Rockstar announced that Red Dead Online would no longer be receiving any more major updates. Development shifted to smaller missions and the expansion of existing modes, as the company’s resources were redirected to focus on Grand Theft Auto VI, which, as of the time of writing, has received two trailers and revealed its roster of supporting characters.

Red Dead Redemption 2, which includes access to Red Dead Online, has sold an estimated 74 million copies globally as of March 2025.

As of the time of writing, Red Dead Online has a “Very Positive” rating on Steam with 57,423 reviews and an all-time peak of 19,921 concurrent players, according to SteamDB.