Red Dead Redemption 2 isn't known for having impromptu in-world events. Rockstar tends to focus on Grand Theft Auto Online for that kind of content, due to its popularity and monetization, and Red Dead Redemption 2 seems to be aging out of content updates. Needless to say, Red Dead Redemption 2 players were quite surprised to find what appears to be a Christmas occasion going on in-game. In fact, the event is just subtle enough that Red Dead Redemption 2 players wondered if it's an event at all.
What's happening, or at least happened, in Red Dead Redemption 2 is snow. It's not just a bit of snow, either. It was reported to be snowing everywhere in Red Dead Redemption 2, including in the swamp and elsewhere. Snow was even said to be accumulating on the ground, giving Red Dead Redemption 2's setting a white Christmas energy. Players simply logged into Red Dead Redemption 2 to continue playing the game and discovered that snow was falling everywhere they went.
Given that the apparent event is just in-game snowfall, many Red Dead Redemption 2 players are skeptical about the situation. It could just be a random coincidence, after all. It could be some users confusing an automated story event, a mod that triggered a snow event, or something else entirely. The first person who called attention to it on Reddit even later described it as a glitch. Others believe this is an event that's happened in Red Dead Redemption 2 before, though the consensus seems to be that it only ever happened in multiplayer and not in singleplayer.
While there's absolutely some confusion over what's going on, many players believe this to be Rockstar delivering a special Christmas event to Red Dead Redemption 2 players that it hasn't before. It's unclear if that's true, however. While many people reported seeing the snow on Reddit, many others said they logged in to play and didn't experience the same thing.
Some of Red Dead Redemption 2's more excitable fans even hoped that there'd be something more to the snowy event than has yet been discovered, combing Red Dead Redemption 2 for evidence of a quest or any other Christmas-related content. Unfortuntely, they didn't find anything, lending credence to the idea the snow was a bug. Further, it seems unlikely Rockstar would add a holiday event without mentioning it.
Whether it's an official Rockstar change to give Red Dead Redemption 2 a more holiday-focused atmosphere or simply a glitch, it's fun to see the game's community come together for some holiday cheer. Here's hoping some Red Dead Redemption 2 players may still be able to log in and see some Christmas-time snow. If not, Grand Theft Auto Online should have snow through December 29.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.