Red Dead Online gets competitive fishing, new Showdown Modes, and more next week

Red Dead Online's rendition of the Wild West is poised to get a little bit wilder next week, when Rockstar expands its cowboy beta with new weapons, new Showdown Modes and, wildest of all, competitive fishing.

All this will be introduced as part of Red Dead Online's next update on Tuesday, February 26th. This is the same update, incidentally, that will attempt to tackle "destructive player behaviour" in-game. If you're the sort that appreciates additional detail, however, then you're in luck, as Rockstar has broken down next week's update still further in its latest news post.

Top of the list is the new Fool's Gold Free Roam Event, which sees players competing to control a "gaudy and protective" suit of Golden Armour. Anyone managing to defeat the armour-wearer during play is awarded points, and also has the pleasure of donning the glistening outfit themselves. The armour-wearer, meanwhile, gets points for annihilating other players.

Fool's Gold is accompanied by three new Showdown Mode - Up in Smoke, Spoils of War, and Plunder - where "players and teams compete to capture and deliver bags, steal loot from each other and survive". There are new Target Races too, in which the goal is to shoot targets from horseback, and pass through checkpoints on a gallop to the finish line.

Rockstar notes that those on PS4 will also have (early) access to Open Target Races, that task players with taking out targets in an open area.

Elsewhere on all platforms, Fishing Challenges will be added to Red Dead Online's Competitive Challenge list. Those that opt in to a fishing challenge are provided with all the equipment required to compete, including rods, lures, and bait. Equipment will, however, vary depending on the nature of the chosen event, with crayfish provided for the swamp challenges, crickets for river challenges, and worms for lakes.

Rounding out next week's offerings are new greet, react, and taunt emotes, new weapons - including the Evans Repeater rifle and the Rare Shotgun (double-barrelled, if you're wondering) - plus new outfits, jackets, boots, coats, gloves, hats, and vests. There's also early access to the new Jawbone Knife melee weapon for those on PlayStation 4.

All of the above will be added in Red Dead Online's next free update, which arrives on PS4 and Xbox One on February 26th.