Is the Red Dead Redemption 2 Ultimate Edition Worth It? My In-Depth Analysis

As an avid gamer and RDR enthusiast, you may be debating whether to buy the Standard, Special, or Ultimate Edition of Red Dead Redemption 2. It‘s a tough choice – who doesn‘t want more bonuses and exclusive content?! But is the Ultimate Edition really worth the extra $20-30?

After digging deep into what you get with each edition, analyzing reviews, and weighing the pros and cons, I‘m ready to share my definitive opinion: the RDR2 Ultimate Edition is absolutely worth it if you meet a certain gameplay criteria.

Let me walk you through what I‘ve uncovered in my research, so you can decide if the Ultimate Edition is a smart purchase for you.

Here‘s Exactly What You Get in Each Edition of RDR2

Before we determine if the Ultimate Edition is "worth it", let‘s briefly recap what is actually included with each edition of Red Dead Redemption 2:

Red Dead Redemption 2 Standard Edition

• Base game
• Pre-order bonuses:
  • War horse
  • Outlaw survival kit
  • Cash bonus for Story Mode

Price: Around $59.99

Red Dead Redemption 2 Special Edition

• Base game
• Pre-order bonuses:
  • War horse
  • Outlaw survival kit
  • Cash bonus for Story Mode
• Story Mode bonuses:
  • Bank robbery mission
  • Dappled Black Thoroughbred horse
  • Talisman and medallion gameplay bonuses
  • Digital artbook
  • Digital soundtrack
  • Physical map
  • Cash bonuses and discounts

Price: Around $79.99

Red Dead Redemption 2 Ultimate Edition

• Base game
• All pre-order and Story Mode bonuses from Special Edition
• Additional bonuses:
  • Rank bonuses for online
  • Black Chestnut Thoroughbred horse
  • Free Survivor Camp theme
  • Free access to additional weapons
  • Copperhead Enforcer outfit
  • Black Rose Bounty Hunter outfit
  • Nuevo Paraiso Gunslinger outfit
  • Physical items like puzzles, photos, tithing box

Price: Around $99.99

So in short – the more you pay, the more actual gameplay content and physical bonus items you get. Pretty straightforward.

But is the value there? Let‘s dig deeper.

Here‘s Why the Ultimate Edition is Worth it for Serious Fans

After analyzing the differences between the RDR2 editions, it becomes clear that the Ultimate Edition is absolutely worth the extra cost if you meet the following criteria:

You plan to spend a lot of time playing Red Dead Online

The majority of the bonuses in the Ultimate Edition focus on enhancing the Red Dead Online experience. Let‘s break down their value:

• Higher starting ranks – This lets you unlock better weapons, horses, and ability cards right off the bat. One review estimated it saves 15-20 hours of early game grinding.

• Exclusive horse – The Black Chestnut Thoroughbred has top tier speed and acceleration. It would cost you $350-500 in-game dollars otherwise.

• Free Survivor Camp theme – This camp theme normally costs 15 Gold Bars, which is $30 worth of premium currency.

• Extra weapons – The Volcanic Pistol, Pump Action Shotgun, and Varmint Rifle give you solid firepower early on and cost $1400 total to buy individually.

Based on my experience, I estimate the Ultimate Edition bonuses save you $60-70 worth of time and effort in Online. That‘s a big head start!

You want every piece of Story Mode content possible

While the Story Mode bonuses in the Ultimate Edition don‘t dramatically change the gameplay or narrative, they do add some nice extra content for big fans:

• The Bank Robbery mission offers a fun side activity that takes 1-2 hours to complete.

• The two extra Gang Hideouts provide fun combat challenges and take 30-60mins each to beat.

• The Dappled Black Thoroughbred horse is available very early in Chapter 2 and makes traversal faster.

• Digital artbook and soundtrack give you behind the scenes info and music from the game.

These small additions flesh out the Story Mode nicely. But more casual players who just blitz through the story once likely won‘t care much about them.

You love collecting physical gaming merchandise

The Ultimate Edition comes packed with some very cool physical items that serious collectors will love having:

• A metal tithing box – beautifully designed container for storing small items.

• A jigsaw puzzle – the huge 150cm x 50cm puzzle features striking RDR2 imagery.

• A physical map – incredibly detailed cloth map of the entire RDR2 game world.

• Photo prints – exclusive photos from the game world.

• Cigarette cards – collectible cards with art covering people, places, and items from the game.

As someone who proudly displays gaming merchandise, these high-quality collectibles are pretty awesome.

Based on prices for similar items, I estimate the physical bonus content is worth $60-70.

You‘re a diehard Red Dead Redemption fan

Let‘s be real – if I gave you a chance to get more RDR2 content for just $20, you‘d take it in a heartbeat!

As a huge Red Dead fan ready to dive into many playthroughs, you‘ll appreciate having extra story missions, gear, and online items. And you‘ll get a rush unboxing the collectible merchandise.

For diehard fans ready to spend 200+ hours in the Old West, the Ultimate Edition is a no brainer.

When the Standard Edition Makes More Sense

However, the Ultimate Edition isn‘t for everyone. Based on my analysis, here are the cases where I believe the Standard Edition is the better buy:

You only plan to play Story Mode once

If you just want to play through the single player story campaign once, you can easily skip the Ultimate Edition‘s minor Story Mode bonuses. The Bank Robbery mission and extra Gang Hideouts don‘t dramatically impact the overall experience.

The Standard Edition gets you 100% of the core story at the lowest base price.

You won‘t be playing Red Dead Online much (or at all)

Since a significant chunk of the Ultimate Edition‘s additional value comes from enhancing Online, it makes little sense spending extra if you don‘t plan on playing much multiplayer.

Without caring about rank bonuses or cosmetic items, the Standard Edition contains all the actual gameplay content you need.

You aren‘t interested in physical collectibles

Let‘s be honest – the metal box and climbing up to dust a giant jigsaw puzzle may not excite you!

If you won‘t actually display or appreciate the physical bonus items, you can save money by going Standard and staying all digital.

Price is your highest priority

For some buyers, getting the lowest entry price is the ultimate factor. If you just want to play this critically acclaimed game as cheaply as possible, the Standard Edition at $59.99 is the obvious choice.

You can always upgrade to the Ultimate Edition later if you want more content.

The Bottom Line – Base Your Choice on Your Gaming Habits

So in the end, whether to buy the Red Dead Redemption 2 Standard or Ultimate Edition comes down to your own personal gaming preferences.

If you love online multiplayer, 100% completion, collecting merch, and squeezing every last bit of content from games you‘re obsessed with – I fully believe the Ultimate Edition is money well spent.

But more casual players focused on the critical story path or still unsure if they‘ll like RDR2 should stick to the Standard and save some dollars.

Hope this deep dive helps you decide which edition is the smart choice for you and how you actually play games. Let me know if you have any other questions – always happy to chat more Red Dead strategy!