Red Dead Redemption 2 is a Western-themed action-adventure game. Played from a first or third-personperspective, the game is set in an open-world environment featuring a fictionalized version of the Western, Midwestern, and Southern United States in 1899, during the latter half of the Wild West era and the turn of the twentieth century.[1] The game features both single-player and online multiplayer components, the latter released under Red Dead Online.[2] For most of the game, the player controls outlaw Arthur Morgan, a member of the Van der Linde gang, as he completes numerous missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story; from the game's epilogue, the player controls John Marston, the playable protagonist of the game's predecessor, Red Dead Redemption.[3] Outside of missions, the player may freely roam the game's interactive world.[4] The player may engage in combat with enemies using melee attacks, firearms, throwables, or explosives. Combat has been refined from the game's predecessor, and notable new mechanics consist of dual-wielding and the ability to use a bow.[5][6] The player is granted the ability to swim as Arthur, but not as John—a reference to the previous game, where swimming led to instant death.[7]