Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Mario Day deals
Don't miss these
Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead All Red Dead Redemption cheats for single-player
Red Dead Redemption 2 cheats
Red Dead Red Dead Redemption 2 cheats and every code available
A screenshot of Red Dead Redemption protagonist John Marston.
Red Dead After 16 years, Red Dead Redemption's John Marston actor completes Rockstar's epic Western, and breaks down crying
Resident Evil Requiem trailer
Resident Evil Resident Evil Requiem out of bounds sleuths uncover a horrifying truth about Grace Ashcroft: she uses Reddit
Cropped Helldivers 2 art from the official 'Save Cyberstan' poster.
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2 players cheated so hard that Arrowhead had to "disable the Galactic War" and change a Major Order
No Man's Sky promotional images for the new Remnants expedition update
Survival Games I became a space trash collector in No Man's Sky and fell in love with a community doing the same
Games like Fable: a group of soldiers during the Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 trailer.
Action RPGs Modders are teaming up to make Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 multiplayer a reality with visions for PvP and GTA-style RP
Three playable characters stand in a triangle wearing suits and holding guns in GTA 5
Grand Theft Auto Team behind GTA 5 multiplayer mod that rivalled Rockstar-owned FiveM says Take-Two is shutting the project down
Arc Raiders characters with shotgun and revolver
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders players make a plea to Embark: don't let PvP in trios poison your solo "aggression-based" matchmaking
The sandworm in Dune: Awakening
Survival Games Dune: Awakening "shutting down all servers" for emergency fix to yet another exploit that put entire bases at risk
The hunter faces down The White Wraith, an Arkveld, in a grassy plain in Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Monster Hunter Wilds' new update falls short of impressing the RPG's fans after performance comparisons from Capcom
Monster Hunter Wilds beta and trailer screenshots
Monster Hunter Monster Hunter Wilds' latest PC performance patch is already earning rave reviews from players: "THEY DID IT!"
Dune: Awakening - two soldiers looking at the mouth of a sandworm during the new game.
Survival Games After surprise server shutdown, Dune: Awakening devs squash bug that cost players 1,000-hour bases
Arc Raiders Shared Watch event update.
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders devs rush to fix duplication exploit, threaten "possible penalties"
Overwatch 2
FPS Games Blizzard slams emergency patch button as Overwatch players crash entire lobbies and turn invisible with a bugged skin
  1. Games
  2. Action
  3. Red Dead
  4. Red Dead Online

Red Dead Online bug leaves towns without animals and people on PC

News
By Hirun Cryer published 1 August 2022

The Wild West isn't looking that wild

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Red Dead Online Wilderness Camp
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Red Dead Online is being deserted by characters and creatures alike thanks to a new bug.

As first reported on the Red Dead Online subreddit yesterday on July 31, one player found the streets of Saint Denis mysterious abandoned by NPCs, with no character or animal to be seen anywhere (thanks, PCGN).  According to the comments, many other players have also been experiencing this same odd problem with Rockstar's multiplayer game.

However, it seems like this problem is only an ongoing issue for PC players in Red Dead Online. Many in the comments section report the game running fine on both PlayStation and Xbox systems, with characters and animals all loading in correctly and populating the Wild West.

You may like
  • Best games like Red Dead Redemption 2 Red Dead Redemption 2 developer never thought the newly uncovered mystery would be found, says it's "absolutely wild"
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 Red Dead Redemption 2 players discover new easter egg after 7 years, and they're trying to figure it out before GTA 6
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 New Red Dead Redemption 2 mystery takes ominous turn with a previously unnoticed mountain carving

This has led players to assume there's an issue with the PC version of Red Dead Online. Looking at the evidence above and the other players reporting the same problem, it's hard not to agree that this could be a brand new bug plaguing the online shooter.

Many Red Dead Online players are doubtful that Rockstar will fix the issue. Last month in July, Rockstar announced it would be halting all "major themed content updates" for Red Dead Online to commit to delivering GTA 6 properly.

This has left players understandably mourning the online game. After months spent campaigning for Rockstar to deliver more regular updates for Red Dead Online, the #SaveRedDeadOnline community mourned the passing of the title with an in-game funeral for Red Dead Online held last month on July 13. 

Here's what happened when players gathered together for Red Dead Online's funeral. 

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
Xbox One PS4 Xbox Series X PS5 PC Gaming Platforms Xbox PlayStation
Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Social Links Navigation
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
Best games like Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 developer never thought the newly uncovered mystery would be found, says it's "absolutely wild"
 
 
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 players discover new easter egg after 7 years, and they're trying to figure it out before GTA 6
 
 
Red Dead Redemption 2
New Red Dead Redemption 2 mystery takes ominous turn with a previously unnoticed mountain carving
 
 
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 is now a "legally distinct" Pokemon RPG thanks to one creative modder
 
 
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 players almost solved a puzzle hidden for 7 years before finding they missed the actual start
 
 
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2's enigmatic spider web puzzle is the first thing that's gotten me genuinely excited for GTA 6
 
 
Latest in Red Dead
A screenshot of Red Dead Redemption protagonist John Marston.
After 16 years, Red Dead Redemption's John Marston actor completes Rockstar's epic Western, and breaks down crying
 
 
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 fan accidentally deletes his fiancée's save file, pays Arthur's actor to apologize on his behalf
 
 
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2's enigmatic spider web puzzle is the first thing that's gotten me genuinely excited for GTA 6
 
 
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 is now a "legally distinct" Pokemon RPG thanks to one creative modder
 
 
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 players almost solved a puzzle hidden for 7 years before finding they missed the actual start
 
 
Best games like Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 developer never thought the newly uncovered mystery would be found, says it's "absolutely wild"
 
 
Latest in News
Palworld Pal with shocked expression
"I wouldn't rule out a Palworld 2.0," says Pocketpair publishing head, but don't expect a "No Man's Sky situation"
 
 
Dafne Keen brandishing her claws as Laura/X-23 in Deadpool and Wolverine
Marvel fans are debating whether Dafne Keen should become Wolverine or stay as X-23, and I've already chosen a side
 
 
Peak mesa biome
Peak came about after a bet between Content Warning and Another Crab's Treasure leads to see whose game would sell more
 
 
Key art for Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred showing Mephisto, a spiky and angular demon, against a red, lightning backdrop, arm and claw raised menancingly, cropped to show more of him
Diablo 4's Lord of Hatred expansion will be "really f*cking hard" at its highest difficulty, dev threatens
 
 
Jin, Mugen, and Fuu standing in a row
Samurai Champloo is getting a live-action Netflix series from One Piece studio, and the original creator is on board
 
 
Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise in the It: Welcome to Derry finale
It: Welcome to Derry season 2 is officially in the works, as showrunner promises "something greater" than season 1
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Dafne Keen brandishing her claws as Laura/X-23 in Deadpool and Wolverine
    1
    Marvel fans are debating whether Dafne Keen should become Wolverine or stay as X-23, and I've already chosen a side
  2. 2
    "I wouldn't rule out a Palworld 2.0," says Pocketpair publishing head, but don't expect a "No Man's Sky situation" with a "decade of continuous, massive updates"
  3. 3
    "Whoever sells more copies pays for the other's therapy": Peak came about after a bet between Content Warning and Another Crab's Treasure leads, and ironically the friendslop collab that followed sold more than both games combined
  4. 4
    Samurai Champloo is returning as a live-action Netflix series from One Piece adaptation team, and the original creator is on board: "We've learned" after Cowboy Bebop
  5. 5
    It: Welcome to Derry season 2 is definitely in the works, as showrunner promises to "deliver something that is greater" than season 1

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...