Footage from a Red Dead Online PC lobby has shown just how broken the game is at the moment, with some even comparing it to Hell itself. There has been no shortage of hackers in Red Dead Online over the years, but it appears the problem is spiraling out of control.
Rockstar's abandonment of updates for Red Dead Online hasn't helped matters at all. It means that hackers have been able to jump in and have free rein over the servers. Gamers still playing Red Dead Online are essentially at the mercy of hackers, and whether they feel like ruining the game for everyone else. There are some out there that will find this type of chaos fun, but most won't. Red Dead Online is about being a gunslinger in the Old West, and this sort of thing definitely breaks any level of immersion built.
The clip from Redditor m6ngojuice shows the chaos that ensues in many public lobbies now. It starts with the entire world on fire, torching the player to a painful death. It then cuts to footage of huge wall structures being placed in the middle of the map, blocking a huge portion of Valentine. There are even players floating high in the sky. While Red Dead Online was always filled with mayhem at the best of times, this footage shows the trouble that hackers are causing the game at the moment.
Players in the thread offered up solutions to the issues but conceded that they're extremely unlikely to be acted upon. The main solution was the ability to create private lobbies, but with Rockstar no longer updating the game, there's next to no chance of this happening. Players are able to create a solo lobby in Red Dead Online, but there are many hackers out there so dedicated to trolling that they would even follow a player from one server to another, so this would just be a very temporary solution to the problem.
It's a shame to see Red Dead Online in such a state on PC. The game has enormous potential, and it feels like it may never reach it. However, there are still ways that gamers can get their Wild West fix free of hackers. The Red Dead roleplaying scene features roleplay servers that are operated separately from the main game, and are privately moderated by a dedicated community to ensure no hackers or modders can ruin it for everyone else. It's taken extremely seriously, so it can be a little bit too intense for some players, but right now it's the best way to get a cheat-free experience from the game.
Red Dead Online is currently available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.