It has somehow been almost a decade since Red Dead Redemption 2 released to thunderous acclaim from everyone who played it, and as further testament to its quality, thousands of players continue to return with each passing day. That said, most do so for the game’s multiplayer at this point, after exploring everything the single-player has to offer.
Happily, Rockstar has been quite diligent about bringing us new experiences and incentives to keep playing in Red Dead Online, and it remains the most current place to get your cowboy kicks. Now, the latest of those events is now live, and there are some very worthwhile items that you don’t have long to pick up for your character.
Over on the official Rockstar website, the developer has confirmed the arrival of the Naturalist bonus event, and as the name might suggest, this latest run is all about the many animals that populate the game world. In describing the event, they shared the following about what we’ll be getting up to:
“Harriet Davenport needs all the help she can get sampling and classifying the rare wild animals of the five states. Meanwhile, Gus Macmillan wants those animals’ heads (and hides) on his wall.”
Depending on whether you want to help our furry friends or not, there are opportunities on both sides that will still allow you to profit if you’ve got one of those big moral compasses I’ve heard about. Before we get into all that, the first thing you’ll want to do is pick up the free emote for winning a Featured Series, as there’s only 48 hours left to claim it.
Beyond that, you can also participate in rounds of the Wildlife Photographer or Wild Animal Kills Challenge Free Roam Events, both of which reward 4X RDO$ and XP. If you do the former, you can also get the blue Guerra Poncho for your troubles, while just logging into play in any capacity during the event grants access to the black Rushword Shirt.
The fun doesn’t stop there, with 3X RDO$, XP, and Role XP on Sample Sales, as well as a Chicken Emote for completing an Animal Sighting Mission and the brown Clairborn Coat for Hunting or Sampling a Legendary Animal.
There are even more rewards available throughout the event, though again just be aware that it goes away on June 1, along with everything that you might have earned.
Given that Rockstar is undoubtedly focused on GTA VI for a long time to come yet, we might not get another Red Dead game for years, if ever. With that sad reality in mind, Online really is the best we can do for now, as well as taking advantage of the immense efforts of the game’s modding community.

- Released
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October 26, 2018
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Engine
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RAGE
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
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N/A
- Cross Save
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N/A















