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Red Dead Redemption
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Red Dead Redemption · Story Missions
Red Dead Redemption Story: Every Mission in Order and the Ending
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Red Dead Redemption follows John Marston in 1911, forced by federal agents Edgar Ross and Archer Fordham to hunt down his old gang to get his wife and son back. He takes Fort Mercer from Bill Williamson in New Austin, follows Bill and Javier Escuella into the Mexican civil war, then helps the agents bring down Dutch van der Linde. Back on his ranch, he is betrayed and killed by Ross's soldiers, and his son Jack later avenges him. Below, every story mission in order, territory by territory.
The story counts 57 missions in three territories. Missions are grouped by the character who gives them. Who everyone is, with their voice actors, is on our Red Dead Redemption characters page.
1. New Austin: Bill Williamson and Fort Mercer
John is shot by Bill Williamson at Fort Mercer and nursed back to health by Bonnie MacFarlane. He gathers allies, Marshal Leigh Johnson, con man Nigel West Dickens, grave robber Seth Briars and arms smuggler Irish, and storms the fort, only to learn that Bill has fled to Mexico. Irish helps John cross the border.
| Given by | Missions |
|---|---|
John Marston | Exodus in America |
Bonnie MacFarlane | New Friends, Old Problems, Obstacles in Our Path, This is Armadillo, USA, Women and Cattle, Wild Horses, Tamed Passions, A Tempest Looms, The Burning |
Leigh Johnson | Political Realities in Armadillo, Justice in Pike's Basin, Spare the Rod, Spoil the Bandit, Hanging Bonnie MacFarlane, The Assault on Fort Mercer |
Nigel West Dickens | Old Swindler Blues, You Shall Not Give False Testimony, Except for Profit, Liars, Cheats and Other Proud Americans, Can a Swindler Change His Spots?, The Sport of Kings, and Liars |
Seth Briars | Exhuming and Other Fine Hobbies, A Gentle Drive with Friends, Let the Dead Bury Their Dead |
Irish | A Frenchman, a Welshman and an Irishman, Man is Born Unto Trouble, On Shaky's Ground, We Shall Be Together in Paradise |
2. Nuevo Paraíso: The Mexican Civil War
In Mexico, John meets gunslinger Landon Ricketts and works for both sides of a civil war: the army of Colonel Allende and the rebels of Abraham Reyes. When Allende turns on him, John joins the rebels, finds Javier Escuella and chooses to kill him or hand him to the agents, then helps Reyes chase down Allende and Bill Williamson.
| Given by | Missions |
|---|---|
Vincente de Santa | Civilization, at Any Price, The Demon Drink, Empty Promises, Mexican Caesar, Cowards Die Many Times |
Landon Ricketts | The Gunslinger's Tragedy, Landon Ricketts Rides Again, Lucky in Love, The Mexican Wagon Train |
Luisa Fortuna | My Sister's Keeper, Must a Savior Die? |
Father Abraham | Captain De Santa's Downfall |
Abraham Reyes | The Great Mexican Train Robbery, The Gates of El Presidio, An Appointed Time |
3. West Elizabeth: Dutch van der Linde
Back in the United States, Ross and Fordham send John after Dutch van der Linde, who leads a new gang. After failed attacks and a thwarted robbery of the Blackwater bank, John joins the U.S. Army's assault on Dutch's hideout. Cornered on a cliff, Dutch warns John that the government will never leave him in peace, and takes his own life.
| Given by | Missions |
|---|---|
Edgar Ross | Bear One Another's Burdens, Great Men are Not Always Wise, And You Will Know The Truth, And The Truth Will Set You Free |
Harold MacDougal | At Home with Dutch, For Purely Scientific Purposes, The Prodigal Son Returns (To Yale) |
4. Beecher's Hope: Home, and the End
Reunited with Abigail, Jack and Uncle, John works his ranch and teaches his son. The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed ends it: Edgar Ross leads soldiers against the ranch, Uncle is killed, and John sends his family away before facing the soldiers alone and dying.
| Given by | Missions |
|---|---|
Abigail Marston | The Outlaw's Return, Pestilence, Old Friends, New Problems |
Jack Marston | John Marston and Son, Wolves, Dogs and Sons, Spare the Love, Spoil the Child, The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed |
Uncle | By Sweat and Toil, A Continual Feast |
Remember My Family: Jack's Revenge
After the credits, the game moves to 1914. Abigail has died, and Jack, now playable, tracks down the retired Edgar Ross and kills him in a duel. Remember My Family is technically a stranger mission, one of 19 in the game, but it closes the story. More on John Marston's fate.
More Red Dead Redemption on GTAside
The cheat codes, the game page, and the story before this one on our Red Dead Redemption 2 missions page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many missions are in Red Dead Redemption?
57 story missions, plus 19 stranger missions.
What is the last mission in Red Dead Redemption?
The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed ends John's story. Remember My Family, where Jack kills Edgar Ross, is played after it.
Does John Marston die in Red Dead Redemption?
Yes. Soldiers led by Edgar Ross kill him at his ranch in The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed.
How does Red Dead Redemption end?
John is killed at his ranch. In 1914, his son Jack tracks down Edgar Ross and kills him in a duel.
Should you kill Javier Escuella?
The game lets you choose: kill him, or hand him over alive to agents Ross and Fordham.
Where does Red Dead Redemption take place?
In 1911, in New Austin, the Mexican state of Nuevo Paraíso and West Elizabeth.