Red Dead Online's battle royale mode is real, and called Make It Count

The Red Dead Online beta is now live for players who bought the Ultimate Edition of Red Dead Redemption 2, and Rockstar let us know what we could expect from some of the more competitive features of the online game. Crucially, it confirmed a battle royale mode called Make It Count, but it comes with a twist.

Make It Count is a "true test of resourcefulness in two game modes: use nothing but a bow and a handful of arrows or throwing knives to be the last one standing," says Rockstar. "With a gradually shrinking player area, there’s nowhere to run." That's right, outlaws: you can forget sniper rifles and shotguns. Red Dead Online is taking battle royale back to the old school.

Here are the other four competitive modes you can access by finding Showdown Series Markers out in the game world - and yes, they are live in the beta now.

Most Wanted
"A tactical race to the top. Every kill pushes you up the scoreboard, but watch out: the closer to the top you are, the more points everyone else gets for killing you."

Hostile Territory
"Work in teams to control the land. Capture a territory to start racking up points: the team with most points wins - or you can win outright by capturing every territory."

Name your Weapon
"Demonstrate your personal specialty in this free-for-all or team based match: the trickier the weapon you use to land the killing blow, the more points you get."

Shootout and Team Shootout
"Classic gunfight modes with unlimited lives. Compete to rack up the most kills before the timer runs out. Sudden death will trigger in the event of a tie: whoever gets the first kill wins."

Don't forget to check out our Red Dead Online tips to get the most out of the online experience.