Even in 2026, I keep logging back into Red Dead Online for the same reasons a lot of cowpokes do: the quiet campfire moments, the slow rhythm of hunting, and that strange satisfaction of brushing a digital horse after a long ride. Then I spawn into a PC lobby and remember why so many people have walked away from the frontier. Modders and hackers are still turning the place into their personal chaos sandbox, and some of the encounters are so bizarre they would be funny if they weren't ruining sessions.

One of the most infamous examples came from u/Ctrl_alt_ya-yeet, who just tried to say hello to another player. Instead of a wave or a hat tip, the response was raining boats. Not rowboats or little fishing dinghies either, but full industrial-sized ships dropped all around them while they stood on a roof. The photo looked like a weird maritime apocalypse had swallowed a western town. In isolation, that is a hilarious story. If you have ever been on the receiving end of random spawned props, though, you know it gets old fast.

What worries me more is how many players in that same conversation shared similar experiences with griefers. Some mod menus apparently include a function that crashes your game if you try to report the cheater. That turns the normal 'just report them and move on' advice into a trap. The best survival tip I have seen is to block the player, leave the session, and relog, hoping you land in a lobby without a hacker. It should not have to be like that, but this is where Red Dead Online on PC has been heading for a long time.

Back in July 2022, Rockstar announced that Red Dead Online would not receive any more major themed content updates. That was the final nail in the coffin for anyone hoping for new roles, story expansions, or big frontier features. The official content pipeline went quiet, but the modding scene on PC absolutely did not. Without the same level of active support and anti-cheat attention, these tools have spread even further. I still run into people in 2026 asking whether it is safe to play on PC, and the answer usually depends on how much weirdness you can tolerate.

Another player, u/Paul1568, encountered a modder who set their horse's hoofs on fire. They admitted it looked pretty cool, and I get it. Someone in the comments compared the visual to Ghost Rider, which is a much more fun use of mods than spawning a cargo fleet on top of a town. It is less intrusive than flooding the map with boats, but it is also another reminder of how common unchecked modding has become. When cosmetic chaos bleeds into gameplay sabotage, the line between harmless fun and griefing disappears.

The complaints have not stopped over the years. A frustrated post from u/Brewskii__boi asked how to deal with hackers after only ten minutes in a lobby because one player was blatantly cheating and ruining the game. They ended up refunding, which is a shame because there is still a good cowboy game underneath all the chaos. Commenters offered the usual fixes: switch to a new lobby, avoid engagement, and block suspicious players. u/AntiMemeTemplar even shared a macro that resets their Wi-Fi for one or two seconds, forcing the game into a solo lobby. That is a clever trick, but it says a lot that players have to fiddle with network settings just to enjoy a peaceful hunting trip.

Honestly, PC players of Rockstar's other big online game have seen this before. Hackers have been running rampant in GTA Online on PC for years, and Red Dead Online inherited many of the same problems. The shared infrastructure and the same mod-menu culture mean that if you play on PC, you will eventually meet someone who can spawn objects, teleport, crash sessions, or mess with your character. Some are just chaotic entertainers, but plenty are outright griefers.

In 2026, my advice is simple: if you have another platform, try Red Dead Online there instead. Console lobbies are not perfect, but they are generally much calmer because it is harder to run these mod menus. If PC is your only option, you can still find good sessions, but you need a survival kit.

Here is what I do when a lobby starts acting like a haunted carnival:

• 🔄 Switch sessions early and often.

• 🚫 Block modders immediately instead of arguing or trying to fight back.

• 🐎 Avoid flashing rare horses or outfits if a suspicious player is nearby.

• 📶 Use the Wi-Fi reset trick or a solo-lobby method if you just want to hunt or deliver goods.

• 🎮 Keep a console version in mind for a more stable experience.

Modder Behavior	What It Looks Like	My Vibe Check
Raining boats	Giant ships spawning around your character	Funny once, awful in practice
Flaming horse hoofs	Your horse turns into a Ghost Rider prop	Mildly cool, still a red flag
Report-triggered crashes	Game closes when you try to report	Extremely frustrating
Blatant cheating	Teleporting, god mode, ruined events	Just leave the lobby

I still love the idea of Red Dead Online. The scenery, the slower pace, and the sense of riding through a living frontier are hard to find elsewhere. But on PC, that frontier often feels less like a western and more like a modder's playground. If Rockstar ever gives the game proper anti-cheat support or even a dedicated solo-lobby option on PC, I will be the first one back at camp. Until then, I will keep my block button ready and my horse parked somewhere safe.