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Red Dead Redemption 2
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Red Dead Redemption 2
Released 2018 · PS4 · Xbox One · PC
Red Dead Redemption 2 is Rockstar's 2018 open world western, and a prequel set in 1899, twelve years before the first game. You play Arthur Morgan, a senior member of the Van der Linde gang, as a botched robbery sends the crew running and the era of outlaws closes in on them. It is the most detailed world Rockstar has built.
Official Trailer
A Prequel That Rewrites the First Game
John Marston is in this story, younger and lower in the gang's hierarchy, and so are the men he later hunts. Playing the 2018 game changes what the ending of Red Dead Redemption (2010) means, which is why the order you play them in genuinely matters. Rockstar wrote the prequel knowing most players already knew how it ends.
Camp, Honor and Consequence
The gang camp is the hub: you contribute money, food and supplies, and the crew's mood responds. Arthur's honor shifts with how you treat people, and it changes dialogue, prices and the tone of his final chapters. Very little of it is optional dressing, most of it feeds back into the story.
Detail as a Design Philosophy
Horses respond to how you treat them, weapons foul if you never clean them, meat spoils, snow holds tracks, and townspeople remember what you did. Some players find the friction exhausting and some find it the point. Either way it is the clearest statement of what Rockstar was trying to do with the generation.
Red Dead Online
The multiplayer component launched as a beta shortly after release and later became a separate purchase. It shares the map and systems but runs as its own experience with its own progression, covered on its own page. For today’s prices at three key sellers and the official stores, see where to buy Red Dead Redemption 2.
Where Are the RDR2 Cheats and the Best Horse?
Red Dead Redemption 2 has cheat codes, entered from the Settings menu: our RDR2 cheat codes page lists all 37. The best horse in RDR2 page ranks the story mode’s top horses on their stats, with where to find or buy each one, and the RDR2 tips hub gathers both.
The five states, their regions and towns, from Saint Denis to Armadillo, are on our RDR2 map page.
On PC, story mode mods, how to install them and the ban risk are covered on our RDR2 mods page.
Frequently Asked Questions about Red Dead Redemption 2
When did Red Dead Redemption 2 come out?
On 26 October 2018 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and on 5 November 2019 on PC.
Is Red Dead Redemption 2 a prequel?
Yes. It is set in 1899, twelve years before Red Dead Redemption, and follows the Van der Linde gang that John Marston later hunts.
Who do you play as in Red Dead Redemption 2?
Arthur Morgan for most of the game, a senior enforcer in the Van der Linde gang. The story later shifts perspective.
How long is Red Dead Redemption 2?
The main story runs roughly 50 hours. Completing the side content, challenges and collectibles pushes it well past 150.