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2018 video games

Red Dead Redemption 2

Ch. 1 of 8
— CH. 1 · INTRODUCTION —

Contents

Red Dead Redemption 2

8 sections

  • Red Dead Redemption 2 is a 2018 action-adventure game from Rockstar Games that puts the player in the boots of Arthur Morgan, an outlaw living in the year 1899. The frontier he knows is closing. Government forces, rival gangs and the march of modern civilization are all pressing in on the gang he belongs to. The game is the third entry in its series and a prequel to Red Dead Redemption from 2010. Players hunt, rob, ride and talk their way through a fictionalized United States that reacts to nearly everything they do. This documentary asks how a studio builds a world with that much texture, and what the effort cost the people who made it. It also asks why a record-setting launch ended up producing disputes in courtrooms, classrooms and fan gatherings.

  • The map spans five fictitious U.S. states named New Hanover, Ambarino, Lemoyne, West Elizabeth and New Austin. Lemoyne is a land of bayous and plantations that echoes the Deep South, and its city of Saint Denis is analogous to New Orleans. Ambarino is a sparsely populated mountain wilderness, and its only settlement is the Wapiti Indian Reservation. Regions returning from the first game were redesigned for the earlier era. Blackwater is still under development, and Armadillo has become a ghost town after a cholera outbreak.

    Horses are the main way to get around, and the game treats them as partners. A player must train or tame a wild horse, then saddle or stable it to own it. Leading, petting, cleaning and feeding the animal deepens a bonding process that earns the rider advantages. Stagecoaches and trains also carry travelers, and a player can hijack either one by threatening the driver.

    Hunting turns the landscape into a workshop. Animals supply food, income and materials for crafting, and the choice of weapon and shot placement changes the value of the meat and pelt. A carcass carried along rots, loses value and attracts predators.

    The character's body is modeled in unusual detail. Freezing or overheating drains the cores that govern how quickly health and stamina regenerate, so weather-appropriate clothing matters. Eating changes weight, and an underweight character has less health but more stamina. Hair grows realistically over time, and weapons need regular cleaning to keep performing well.

    Morality is tracked by the Honor system. Helping strangers, following the law and sparing an opponent in a duel raise it, while theft and harming innocents lower it. High Honor brings special outfits and store discounts, and low Honor yields more items from looting. In combat, the Dead Eye ability slows time so the player can mark targets and then fire at every mark in a very short space of time.

    Crime carries consequences. Witnesses alert the law, and a caught player gets a bounty that grows with each offense. If the player escapes the law, bounty hunters come next, and after enough crime the U.S. Marshals are sent. A bounty can be removed by paying it off or by spending time in jail.

    The same Honor rating that unlocks a store discount also decides how the main story ends.

  • Dutch van der Linde, played by Benjamin Byron Davis, is a charismatic anarchist who extols personal freedom and decries the encroaching march of modern civilization. Arthur Morgan, played by Roger Clark, serves as the gang's enforcer and one of its veteran members. Beside Dutch stands his best friend and co-leader Hosea Matthews, played by Curzon Dobell. The gang also includes John Marston with his partner Abigail Roberts and their son Jack. Sadie Adler is a housewife turned gunslinger, Charles Smith is a Black Indian hunter, and Micah Bell is a gunslinger.

    Leviticus Cornwall, a wealthy oil magnate, stands against them. After the gang robs one of his trains, he hires the Pinkerton Detective Agency, led by Andrew Milton and his subordinate Edgar Ross.

    The story runs on a promise that Dutch keeps renewing. After a botched ferry heist, the gang flees Blackwater, and Dutch insists that the next job will be the last. A bank robbery in Saint Denis goes wrong when the Pinkertons kill Hosea and arrest John. A storm then sinks the ship carrying Dutch, Arthur and three others toward Cuba, and they wash ashore on the island of Guarma. There they are drawn into a war between the sugar plantation owner Fussar and the enslaved locals.

    Back in the United States, Dutch grows paranoid that a Pinkerton informant hides among them, and he names Micah his top lieutenant in Arthur's place. Arthur is diagnosed with tuberculosis. Faced with his own mortality, he urges John to flee with Abigail and Jack, and he helps the Wapiti leader Rains Fall, played by Graham Greene.

    Arthur's faith in Dutch collapses when Dutch abandons him to the Army, leaves John for dead and refuses to rescue Abigail after she is kidnapped. Milton names Micah as the informant before Abigail kills him. In the last confrontation, a player with high Honor sees Arthur die of his injuries and disease while watching the sunrise. A player with low Honor sees Micah execute him.

    The story then jumps to 1907 and the player takes control of John, the hero of the first game. He borrows money from a bank to buy a ranch and proposes to Abigail. With Uncle, Sadie and Charles, he builds a home. When he learns that Micah is alive and leading a gang, John, Sadie and Charles attack the camp. Dutch shoots Micah, walks away in silence, and John finishes the job.

    In a mid-credits scene, Edgar Ross tracks Micah's killer to John's ranch, which sets up the events of Red Dead Redemption.

  • Preliminary work began shortly after Red Dead Redemption reached stores in 2010. Rockstar San Diego, the studio behind that game, had a rough outline by mid-2011, and rough scripts were complete by late 2012. Rockstar Games realized that a group of distinct studios might not work, so it merged all of its studios into one team presented simply as Rockstar Games. About 1,600 people collaborated at the peak, and around 2,000 worked on the game in total. Analysts placed the combined development and marketing budget among the highest ever for a video game.

    Dan Houser, Rockstar's Vice President of Creativity, drew on film and literature while writing, but he avoided contemporary works so no one could accuse him of borrowing ideas. The team took inspiration from real locations rather than from film or art. Houser treated the game as historical fiction and alluded to historical events instead of retelling them, because of their unpleasantness. The first game had been about protecting family at all costs, and this one tells of a family breaking down.

    Recording sessions began in 2013. The writers focused on each gang member's life before the gang and the reasons for staying. Several characters were cut because their personalities added nothing to the narrative. Grand Theft Auto V in 2013 had three protagonists, but the team chose one here, believing a single character suits the structure of a Western.

    This was the first Rockstar game built specifically for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The studio had tested those consoles while porting Grand Theft Auto V to them. A key goal was to make players feel they live in a world rather than sit through missions and cutscenes, and the gang's moving camp became a main tool for that. Characters kept the same personality from cutscene to gameplay.

    Before release, Houser said the team had worked 100-hour weeks "several times in 2018". Many outlets read that as crunch time for the entire staff. Rockstar clarified that it applied only to senior writing staff and lasted three weeks. Other employees disputed that account and described "mandatory" overtime and years-long periods of crunch. Because contracts were salary-based, many staff went unpaid for overtime and depended on year-end bonuses tied to sales.

    Many employees agreed that conditions had improved somewhat since the first game. By April 2020, several reported significant changes at the company, and many were cautiously optimistic about Rockstar's future.

  • Woody Jackson, who had worked with Rockstar on the original game and on Grand Theft Auto V, composed the original score. The game uses three kinds of music. Narrative music plays during story missions, interactive music plays while the player roams the open world or plays online, and environmental music includes campfire songs and characters playing instruments in the world. The soundtrack reacts regularly to the player's decisions.

    Jackson bought several instruments from the Wrecking Crew, the musicians heard on classic cowboy films. More than 110 musicians worked on the music in total.

    Daniel Lanois produced the original vocal tracks and collaborated with artists including D'Angelo, Willie Nelson, Rhiannon Giddens and Josh Homme. Ivan Pavlovich, the director of music and audio, brought in the saxophone player Colin Stetson, the experimental band Senyawa and the musician Arca.

    The Game Awards 2018 would later honor both the score and the audio design with trophies.

  • On the 18th of October 2016, Rockstar Games officially announced Red Dead Redemption 2, after teasing it on the 16th and 17th of that month. The release was first planned for the second half of 2017. Two delays followed, first to early 2018 and then to the 26th of October 2018, with Rockstar citing the need for extra polish. To spur pre-orders, the company worked with retail outlets on special edition versions. A companion app for Android and iOS acted as a second screen with catalogs, journals and a real-time mini-map.

    Analysts had spent two years guessing at the numbers. Ben Schacter of Macquarie Research first estimated 12 million copies in the opening quarter, then 15 million shortly before release. Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities predicted 25 million.

    The real launch set records for pre-orders, first-day sales and three-day sales on the PlayStation Network. It ranked as the second-highest-grossing entertainment launch, behind Grand Theft Auto V. Share prices at the parent company Take-Two Interactive rose 9% in the week after release. The game passed the lifetime sales of Red Dead Redemption within eight days. By the end of 2018 it had shipped 23 million copies and generated $1.38 billion in revenue.

    Sales kept climbing. They reached 50 million in 2022, with yearly increases of six to twelve million, and passed 85 million by March 2026. That makes it the third-best-selling video game. In Japan, the PlayStation 4 version sold 132,984 copies in its first week and charted at number one overall. In the United Kingdom, opening-week physical sales doubled those of its predecessor, and 68% came from the PlayStation 4 version.

    The game reached Windows on the 5th of November 2019 and was a launch title for Stadia on the 19th of November 2019. The Windows version sold 406,000 copies at launch and passed one million after arriving on Steam the following month.

    The online mode, Red Dead Online, opened as a public beta on the 27th of November 2018 to owners of a special edition, then expanded to all owners. Its events allow up to 32 players. Rockstar viewed it as a separate product with its own trajectory, and a standalone client arrived on the 1st of December 2020. In July 2022, Rockstar announced there would be no more major updates, as resources moved to Grand Theft Auto VI.

  • Matt Bertz of Game Informer called the game "the biggest and most cohesive adventure Rockstar Games has ever created". Metacritic reported "universal acclaim" and rated it the highest-rated game of 2018. Only Grand Theft Auto V matched it as the top-rated PlayStation 4 and Xbox One game there. David Meikleham of GamesRadar wrote that it "represents the current pinnacle of video game design". Keza MacDonald of The Guardian declared it "a landmark game". Peter Suderman of The New York Times compared its storytelling to The Godfather and The Sopranos.

    Not every reviewer agreed. Kallie Plagge of GameSpot was frustrated by predictability later in the story, though she accepted its importance to Arthur's arc. Alex Navarro of Giant Bomb found the portrayal of Native Americans clichéd, and Chris Plante of Polygon called it insensitive and confusing. Martin Robinson of Eurogamer found Arthur less compelling than Marston and disliked the lack of freedom in some story missions. Some reviewers found the button layout and interface inconsistent and confusing.

    In November 2018, a YouTube channel was briefly suspended after posting videos of its player character murdering a female suffragette NPC. One video showed her being fed to an alligator, and another showed her dropped down a mineshaft. Most comments on the videos were misogynistic. Some critics asked whether Rockstar shared the blame, since the game does not limit attacks on the suffragette as it does on children.

    Kristine Jørgensen and Torill Elvira Mortensen, writing in Games and Culture, placed responsibility on the player. They added that limiting attacks could be read as a political statement and a restriction on freedom of expression. Moritz Hoffman of Public History Weekly observed that granting freedom without penalties promotes disinhibition.

    The Windows release also received "universal acclaim" overall, though Samit Sarkar of Polygon called the port unplayable at the time because of technical issues. One week after release, Tony Polanco of PCMag said the problems had mostly been solved.

    The game won over 175 Game of the Year awards. At the Game Awards 2018 it received eight nominations and won four, adding Best Narrative and Best Performance for Clark to its music and audio trophies. The 22nd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards gave it eight nominations.

  • In February 2018, Trusted Reviews published an article leaking several planned features, including a first-person perspective and a battle royale mode for Red Dead Online. The details came from a document sent to other sites in August 2017. In November 2018, the article was replaced with an apology stating that the information was confidential. In a settlement with Take-Two, Trusted Reviews agreed to make a donation, and Rockstar directed it to the American Indian College Fund, the American Prairie Reserve and the First Nations Development Institute. Seth Barton of MCV/Develop called the outcome "an incredible development for games industry journalism".

    Securitas AB, parent company of the modern-day Pinkerton agency, sent Take-Two a cease and desist notice on the 13th of December 2018. It claimed the game's use of the Pinkerton name and badge imagery violated its trademark, and it demanded royalties on every copy sold. Take-Two filed a complaint on the 11th of January 2019, arguing that the Pinkerton name is strongly associated with the Wild West. Pinkerton president Jack Zahran called the game's portrayal "baseless" and "inaccurate". By April 2019, Securitas had withdrawn its claims, and Take-Two moved to withdraw its complaint.

    IGN added the game to its list of the top 100 video games, ranking it 62nd in 2019 and 8th in 2021. In November 2018, South Park referenced it in two episodes, "Time to Get Cereal" and "Nobody Got Cereal?" Game footage appeared in the first music video for "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X in December. Eiji Aonuma, a producer of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, said open world games like this one inspired his developers.

    Fans took the game off the screen. Tombstone Redemption, organized by Kenney Palkow, drew an estimated 10,000 attendees to Tombstone, Arizona, on the 29th and the 30th of July 2023, including fourteen cast members. Tombstone was redressed to resemble the in-game Blackwater. The event returned the next year as Black Hills Redemption in Deadwood, South Dakota, with twenty actors present as guests.

    In July 2021, a study from the University of Exeter and Truro and Penwith College found that players could identify three more animals on average than other gamers. In late 2021, University of Tennessee professor Tore Olsson began teaching "Red Dead America", a class on late nineteenth and early twentieth century United States history. It drew larger enrollments than his other history subjects, and in August 2024 he published a book, Red Dead's History, with an audiobook narrated by Roger Clark, the actor who played Arthur.

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Updated

Common questions

When was Red Dead Redemption 2 released?

Red Dead Redemption 2 was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on the 26th of October 2018. The Windows version followed on the 5th of November 2019, and the game was a launch title for Stadia on the 19th of November 2019.

Who developed Red Dead Redemption 2?

Rockstar Games developed and published Red Dead Redemption 2. Rockstar San Diego, the studio behind the original game, began preliminary work after 2010, and the company later merged its studios into one team of around 2,000 people.

What is the story of Red Dead Redemption 2 about?

Red Dead Redemption 2 follows Arthur Morgan, an outlaw in the Van der Linde gang in 1899, as the era of outlaws ends. He faces Pinkerton agents, rival gangs and Dutch van der Linde's growing paranoia, and the story ends with an epilogue in 1907 starring John Marston.

How many copies has Red Dead Redemption 2 sold?

Red Dead Redemption 2 has shipped over 85 million copies as of March 2026, making it the third-best-selling video game. It passed the lifetime sales of Red Dead Redemption within eight days of release.

What is the Honor system in Red Dead Redemption 2?

The Honor system in Red Dead Redemption 2 measures how the player's actions are perceived. Helping strangers, following the law and sparing duel opponents raise it, while theft and harming innocents lower it, and the level changes dialogue, rewards and the final outcome.

How many players can play Red Dead Online at once?

Red Dead Online, the multiplayer mode of Red Dead Redemption 2, lets up to 32 players take part in events. It opened as a public beta on the 27th of November 2018, and Rockstar announced in July 2022 that it would receive no more major updates.

Why did Securitas threaten legal action over Red Dead Redemption 2?

Securitas AB, parent company of the modern-day Pinkerton agency, claimed the game's use of the Pinkerton name and badge imagery violated its trademark and demanded royalties. Take-Two disputed this, and by April 2019 Securitas had withdrawn its claims.

All sources

249 references cited across the entry

  1. 1'Red Dead Redemption 2': How to fast travel to get around quicklySteven Petite — Designtechnica — October 30, 2018
  2. 2'Red Dead Redemption 2': How to hunt like a proGabe Gurwin — Designtechnica — November 8, 2018
  3. 3Red Dead Redemption 2 Bounty and Wanted level – how to pay bounties and lose your wanted level explainedChris Tapsell — Gamer Network — December 21, 2018
  4. 4Red Dead Redemption 2 How to Rob a Train and StagecoachJason Faulkner — CraveOnline — October 25, 2018
  5. 5Red Dead Redemption 2 Temperature – How to Keep Warm and CoolHaru Nicol — CraveOnline — October 25, 2018
  6. 6Red Dead Redemption 2 Weapon Degradation Tips – How to Clean Your Weapons in RDR2Cian Maher — CraveOnline — November 12, 2018
  7. 7Red Dead Redemption 2's DNA: How GTA5, Bully, LA Noire, And More Influenced The SequelCBS Interactive — October 25, 2018
  8. 8Red Dead 2 Easter Eggs And Strangest EncountersAlessandro Fillari — CBS Interactive — November 5, 2019
  9. 9World's First Look at Red Dead Redemption 2Alex Simmons — Ziff Davis — May 3, 2018
  10. 10Red Dead Redemption 2 Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife DetailedZiff Davis — September 28, 2018
  11. 11Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer has bows and arrows, after years of requestsAllegra Frank — Vox Media — September 28, 2017
  12. 12Red Dead Redemption 2's epilogue fixes one of the game's biggest problemsRuss Frushtick — Vox Media — January 3, 2019
  13. 13Red Dead Redemption 2 guide: making moneyJeffrey Parkin — Vox Media — November 19, 2018
  14. 14Red Dead Redemption 2 Online: 7 things to know about the betaBen Kuchera et al. — Vox Media — November 27, 2018
  15. 15These are the 6 minigames you need to play in Red Dead Redemption 2Adam Cook — Red Bull — October 29, 2018
  16. 16Combat guide: weapons, stealth, melee, and Dead Eye – Red Dead Redemption 2Kevin Tucker — Gamerhub — October 25, 2018
  17. 17NewsRed Dead Redemption 2 guides, character list and reviewsHenry St Leger — Future plc — November 7, 2018
  18. 18When Does Red Dead Redemption 2 Take Place?Ben Jessey — Valnet — April 14, 2023
  19. 19How to Dual Wield Guns in Red Dead Redemption 2 – How to Unlock the Second Gun Holster in Red Dead 2Hirun Cryer — Gamer Network — December 7, 2018
  20. 20Red Dead Redemption 2 Honor Level Guide – Honor Reward Levels, How to Increase and Decrease Your Honor RankHirun Cryer — Gamer Network — December 7, 2019
  21. 21Red Dead Redemption 2 Map – Complete Map Overview, How to Unlock the Whole Red Dead 2 MapHirun Cryer — Gamer Network — December 20, 2018
  22. 22Red Dead Redemption 2 Dead Eye tips – how to level up Dead Eye, auto target, critical shots, moreMatt Martin — Gamer Network — January 3, 2019
  23. 23Red Dead Redemption 2 guide and walkthrough for Rockstar's open world westernLauren Aitken — Gamer Network — December 21, 2018
  24. 24Red Dead Redemption 2Rockstar Games — October 26, 2018
  25. 25Blackwater and beyond: Red Dead Redemption 1/2 directly comparedThomas Morgan — Gamer Network — November 2, 2018
  26. 26Red Dead Redemption 2s Tumbleweed Mystery ExplainedRob Dolen — Valnet — August 21, 2020
  27. 27Where's the best or worst place you've left your game character?Rachel Weber et al. — Future plc — August 8, 2020
  28. 28Heartbreak, horses and the staggering Red Dead Redemption 2 ending explainedDave Meikleham — Future plc — November 21, 2018
  29. 29NewsRed Dead Redemption 2: Ambarino, mapaGry-Online S.A.
  30. 30Red Dead Redemption 2: New Austin, mapaGry-Online S.A.
  31. 31Red Dead Redemption 2: New Hanover, mapaGry-Online S.A.
  32. 32Red Dead Redemption 2: West Elizabeth, mapaGry-Online S.A.
  33. 33BookRed Dead Redemption 2: The Complete Official Guide — Collector's EditionPiggyback — October 26, 2018
  34. 34JournalThe Wild West: Accuracy, Authenticity and Gameplay in Red Dead Redemption 2Iain Donald et al. — 2020
  35. 35JournalCan Red Dead be Redeemed?: Race and Gameworld ContextsRegina D. Hamilton — May 2023
  36. 36BookRed Dead's History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America's Violent PastTore C. Olsson — St. Martin's Press — 2024
  37. 37BookVideo Games, Crime, and ControlShon M. Reed et al. — Routledge — 2024
  38. 38Rockstar details the frontier, cities, and towns in Red Dead Redemption 2Asif Khan — Gamerhub — September 17, 2018
  39. 39Where does Red Dead Redemption 2 take place?Kevin Tucker — Gamerhub — December 21, 2018
  40. 40BookRed Dead Redemption: History, Myth, and Violence in the Video Game WestRobert Whitaker — University of Oklahoma Press — March 30, 2023
  41. 41Red Dead Redemption 2 officially revealed for PS4 and Xbox One, out 2017Sherif Saed — Gamer Network — October 18, 2016
  42. 42Red Dead Redemption 2 Delayed Until 2018Kevin Knezevic — CBS Interactive — May 23, 2017
  43. 43Red Dead Redemption 2 delayed to OctoberMichael McWhertor — February 1, 2018
  44. 44The Red Dead Redemption 2: Special Edition, Ultimate Edition and Collector's BoxJune 4, 2018
  45. 45MagazineThe new West world: Red Dead Redemption 2 signals the era of prestige video gamesNick Romano — Meredith Corporation — October 22, 2018
  46. 46Red Dead Redemption 2: The inside story of the most lifelike video game everSam White — Condé Nast — October 24, 2018
  47. 47How Rockstar Is Making Its Open Worlds Even BetterDaniel Krupa — Ziff Davis — May 4, 2018
  48. 48Rob Nelson: "Avec Red Dead 2, on Veut Que le Joueur Soit Connecté le Plus Possible Avec le Monde Qui L'entoure"Maxime Chao — Mixicom — May 3, 2018
  49. 49Woody Jackson and Vox StudiosLily Moayeri — Future US — March 19, 2019
  50. 50Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to PCAndy Chalk — Future US — October 4, 2019
  51. 51Red Dead Redemption 2 is out now on PCWes Fenlon et al. — Future US — November 5, 2019
  52. 52Google Stadia launch games revealedAndy Chalk — Future US — November 11, 2019
  53. 53Red Dead Redemption 2's companion app makes the game much betterBen Kuchera — Vox Media — October 30, 2018
  54. 54The painted world of Red Dead Redemption 2Arthur Gies — Vox Media — December 14, 2018
  55. 55MagazineThe 'Red Dead Redemption 2' Soundtrack Might Be the Biggest Album of 2018Elias Leight — Penske Corporation — December 28, 2018
  56. 56Red Dead Redemption 2 Seemingly Teased With First ImageEddie Makuch — October 17, 2016
  57. 57NewsRed Dead Redemption 2 is happening: Rockstar posts Western imageChristopher Hooton — October 17, 2016
  58. 58Rockstar Games Reveals New Plot Details for 'Red Dead Redemption 2' (Exclusive)Patrick Shanley — Eldridge Industries — September 7, 2018
  59. 59Red Dead Redemption 2 Interview: The Actor Behind Arthur Morgan Talks About Becoming the Main Character, Lenny Scene & MoreHayes Madsen — Twinfinite — February 19, 2019
  60. 60The Story Behind the Story of 'Red Dead Redemption 2'Brian Crecente — Penske Media Corporation — October 24, 2018
  61. 61Red Dead Redemption 2 could hit 20 million in sales – and turn a profit — by DecemberDean Takahashi — October 31, 2018
  62. 62Best of 2018: Red Dead Redemption 2 – how advanced AI and physics create the most believable open world yetKirk McKeand — Gamer Network — December 12, 2018
  63. 63Rockstar attempts to defuse 100-hour work week controversy amid storm of criticismTom Phillips — October 15, 2018
  64. 64The human cost of Red Dead Redemption 2Tom Phillips — Gamer Network — October 26, 2018
  65. 6518 Months After Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar Has Made Big Cultural ChangesJason Schreier — G/O Media — April 15, 2020
  66. 66Inside Rockstar Games' Culture Of CrunchJason Schreier — G/O Media — October 23, 2018
  67. 67Rockstar boss says no one is "forced to work hard" after mentioning 100-hour weeksDustin Bailey — Network N — October 16, 2018
  68. 68Rockstar responds to blowback over Red Dead Redemption 2 team's '100-hour' workweeksAllegra Frank — Vox Media — October 15, 2018
  69. 69Rockstar says senior staff chose to work excessive hours on Red Dead Redemption 2Andrew Webster — Vox Media — October 15, 2018
  70. 70Red Dead RedemptionFandom, Inc.
  71. 71What Games to Play Right NowFandom, Inc.
  72. 72What Games to Play on PS4Fandom, Inc.
  73. 73What Games to Play on Xbox OneFandom, Inc.
  74. 74Review: Red Dead Redemption 2Chris Carter — Enthusiast Gaming — October 25, 2018
  75. 75MagazineRed Dead Redemption 2 reviewFuture plc — November 8, 2018
  76. 76MagazineRed Dead Redemption II ReviewNick Plessas — EGM Media — October 25, 2018
  77. 77Red Dead Redemption 2 review – a peerless open world, and a story in the shadow of its predecessorMartin Robinson — Gamer Network — October 25, 2018
  78. 78MagazineRed Dead Redemption II: An Open-World Western For The AgesMatt Bertz — GameStop — October 25, 2018
  79. 79Red Dead Redemption 2 review: "When the credits roll, you'll have created enough incredible memories to fill ten lesser games"David Meikleham — Future plc — October 25, 2018
  80. 80Red Dead Redemption 2 Review – Outlaw CountryKallie Plagge — CBS Interactive — October 25, 2018
  81. 81Red Dead Redemption 2 ReviewAlex Navarro — CBS Interactive — October 26, 2018
  82. 82Red Dead Redemption 2 review: A generation-defining releaseSam White — Eldridge Industries — October 25, 2018
  83. 83Red Dead Redemption 2 review – gripping western is a near miracleKeza MacDonald — October 25, 2018
  84. 84Red Dead Redemption II ReviewLuke Reilly — Ziff Davis — October 25, 2018
  85. 85Attention To Detail, Obsession With Detail (The Jimquisition)Jim Sterling — October 30, 2018
  86. 86Red Dead Redemption 2: The Kotaku ReviewKirk Hamilton — G/O Media — October 26, 2018
  87. 87'Red Dead Redemption 2' fails to justify its own excessive existenceJess Joho — Ziff Davis — December 7, 2018
  88. 88NewsRed Dead Redemption 2 Is True ArtPeter Suderman — November 23, 2018
  89. 89Red Dead Redemption 2: one year after the hypeFilm Crit Hulk — Vox Media — November 5, 2019
  90. 90Red Dead Redemption 2 reviewChris Plante — Vox Media — October 25, 2018
  91. 91What Red Dead Redemption 2 gets right about having a terminal diseaseEirik Gumeny — Vox Media — March 12, 2019
  92. 92Red Dead Redemption 2 Review (PS4)Robert Ramsey — Gamer Network — October 25, 2018
  93. 93Red Dead Redemption 2 reviewMike Williams — Gamer Network — October 25, 2018
  94. 94Red Dead Redemption 2 is a disappointmentJeff Grubb — October 10, 2018
  95. 95Red Dead Redemption 2 spoiler-free review – a genre benchmarkKirk McKeand — Gamer Network — November 5, 2019
  96. 96MagazineRed Dead Redemption 2 review: so big it feels like a choreMatt Reynolds — Condé Nast — October 26, 2018
  97. 97What Games to Play on PCFandom, Inc.
  98. 98Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC: More frames, more volumetric beauty, no SteamSam Machkovech — Condé Nast — November 6, 2019
  99. 99Red Dead Redemption 2 is just as lovely on PCChris Carter — Enthusiast Gaming — November 5, 2019
  100. 100Test de Red Dead Redemption 2 sur PCJean-Kléber Lauret — Webedia — November 6, 2019
  101. 101Red Dead Redemption 2 reviewJames Davenport — Future plc — November 16, 2019
  102. 1026 thoughts on Red Dead Redemption 2 after its first day on PCJames Davenport — Future plc — November 6, 2019
  103. 103Red Dead Redemption 2 PC review – Rockstar's best gameSam White — Network N — November 5, 2019
  104. 104NewsRed Dead Redemption 2 (for PC) ReviewTony Polanco — Ziff Davis — November 26, 2019
  105. 105Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC is a messSamit Sarkar — Vox Media — November 7, 2019
  106. 106NewsWot I Think: Red Dead Redemption 2Matthew Castle — Gamer Network — November 7, 2019
  107. 107YouTube U-turn over Red Dead Redemption 2 suffragette clipsBBC — November 8, 2018
  108. 108Red Dead Redemption 2 and the Politics of Player ExpressionMatt Leonard — CraveOnline — November 9, 2018
  109. 109JournalWhose Expression Is It Anyway? Videogames and the Freedom of ExpressionKristine Jørgensen et al. — SAGE Publishing — 2022
  110. 110Red Dead Redemption 2: game criticised over killing of suffragetteKate Lyons — November 7, 2018
  111. 111Journal"You Are a True Progressive": Red Dead Redemption 2 and the Depiction and Reception of Progressive Era PoliticsHilary Jane Locke et al. — Cambridge University Press — 2021
  112. 112JournalThe Moral of the Story: Red Dead Redemption 2Moritz Hoffman — De Gruyter — April 4, 2019
  113. 113YouTuber Temporarily Suspended For Video of Suffragette Killing in 'Red Dead 2'Stefanie Fogel — Penske Media Corporation — November 8, 2018
  114. 114YouTube reverses ban for streamer who killed Red Dead 2 feministPatricia Hernandez — Vox Media — November 8, 2018
  115. 115'Red Dead Redemption 2' Players Are Excited to Attack and Kill Feminists in the GameEmanuel Maiberg — Vice Media — November 6, 2018
  116. 116Here's Australia's Top 10 Selling Games For 2018Shannon Grixti — Southern Cross Austereo — January 14, 2019
  117. 117Nintendo and GTA 5 come top in big year for Australia game sales Australia Annual ReportChristopher Dring — Gamer Network — January 15, 2021
  118. 118Take-Two Surges as Red Dead Success Puts Investor Fears to RestKriti Gupta — Bloomberg L.P. — October 30, 2018
  119. 119Red Dead Redemption 2 Achieves Entertainment's Biggest Opening Weekend of All TimeBusiness Wire — October 30, 2018
  120. 120FIFA 19 trumped Red Dead and COD as Europe's highest selling game in 2018Matthew Handrahan — Gamer Network — January 18, 2019
  121. 121European market generated €21.6 billion in revenue in 2019Marie Dealessandri — Gamer Network — August 27, 2020
  122. 122Digital downloads jumped 47% across Europe in 2020 European Annual ReportChristopher Dring — Gamer Network — February 8, 2021
  123. 123Old games, FIFA and Switch dominated Europe in 2021 European Market ReportChristopher Dring — Gamer Network — January 27, 2022
  124. 124European console and PC game sales fall 7.1% in 2022Christopher Dring — Gamer Network — January 12, 2023
  125. 125Video game sales up 1.7% in Europe during 2023 European Annual ReportChristopher Dring — Gamer Network — January 16, 2024
  126. 126European game sales rose 1% in 2024 European Annual ReportSophie McEvoy — Gamer Network — January 16, 2025
  127. 127Red Dead Redemption 2 to sell 12 million in fall quarter – AnalystBrendan Sinclair — Gamer Network — October 18, 2016
  128. 128Grand Theft Auto V was the best-selling game of the decade in the USRebekah Valentine — Gamer Network — January 16, 2020
  129. 129Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 have sold a combined 150m unitsRebekah Valentine — Gamer Network — January 28, 2020
  130. 130Red Dead Redemption 2 UK sales more than double the first gameChristopher Dring — Gamer Network — October 28, 2018
  131. 131Take-Two: "We don't believe in Red Dead Redemption 2 success until we deliver it"James Batchelor — Gamer Network — July 2, 2018
  132. 132Red Dead Redemption 2 Will Sell at Least 15 Million Copies, Analyst SaysEddie Makuch — CBS Interactive — October 18, 2016
  133. 133Media Create Sales: 10/22/18 – 10/28/18Sal Romano — Gematsu — October 31, 2018
  134. 134Red Dead Redemption 2 maker sells 17m games in first fortnightMark Sweney — November 9, 2018
  135. 135NewsGreat Reviews For 'Red Dead' Bode Well For Take-Two Interactive SoftwarePatrick Seitz — Investor's Business Daily, Inc. — October 26, 2018
  136. 136Video Game Industry Predictions for Holiday 2018Mat Piscatella — July 9, 2018
  137. 137Take-Two Interactive results lackluster compared to last year's Red Dead 2 bumpDean Takahashi — February 6, 2020
  138. 138NBA 2K, GTA, catalog titles drive Take-Two's holiday quarterBrendan Sinclair — Gamer Network — February 8, 2021
  139. 139Take-Two bookings grow 6% to $866.1M in holiday quarterDean Takahashi — February 7, 2022
  140. 140Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold more than 50 million copiesRachel Kaser — February 6, 2023
  141. 141Red Dead Redemption 2 surpasses 61 million copies soldDonovan Erskine — Gamerhub — February 8, 2024
  142. 142Take-Two reports $1.37B bookings for holiday quarter; no update for GTA VI launchDean Takahashi — February 6, 2025
  143. 143GTA 6 Still On Track For November Release, Marketing Campaign Kicks Off This SummerEddie Makuch — Fandom Inc. — February 3, 2026
  144. 144GTA V surpasses 230 million sales months before GTA VI touches downChris Kerr — Informa TechTarget — August 7, 2026
  145. 145Red Dead Redemption 2 Overtakes Wii Sports in Best-Selling Games of All Time ListWesley Yin-Poole — Ziff Davis — May 21, 2026
  146. 146'Red Dead Redemption 2' Breaks Records With $725 Million Opening WeekendRyan Parker — Eldridge Industries — October 30, 2018
  147. 147Biggest-Selling Games Of 2018 Revealed (UK)Oscar Dayus — CBS Interactive — January 3, 2019
  148. 148UK video game sales drop for the first time since 2012Christopher Dring — Gamer Network — January 3, 2020
  149. 14943 million games sold in the UK in 2020 UK Annual ReportChristopher Dring — Gamer Network — January 11, 2021
  150. 15036 million games and 3.4 million consoles sold in the UK in 2021 UK Annual ReportChristopher Dring — Gamer Network — January 18, 2022
  151. 151UK games sales dropped 6% in 2022 and console sales plunged 29%Christopher Dring — Gamer Network — January 5, 2023
  152. 152UK PC and console sales grew 2.6% in 2023 UK Annual ReportChristopher Dring — Gamer Network — January 9, 2024
  153. 153October 2018 NPD: Call of Duty still outsells Red Dead Redemption IIJeff Grubb — November 20, 2018
  154. 154Red Dead Redemption 2 Beats Black Ops 4 in November 2018 SalesColin Stevens — Ziff Davis — December 19, 2018
  155. 155December 2018 NPD: Smash Bros. beats Spider-Man in exclusives battleJeff Grubb — January 22, 2019
  156. 156NPD 2018: The 20 best-selling games of the yearJeff Grubb — January 22, 2019
  157. 157NPD: The 20 best-selling games of 2019 in the U.S.Jeff Grubb — January 16, 2020
  158. 158January 2019 NPD: Sales down as Kingdom Hearts tops game chartsJeff Grubb — February 20, 2019
  159. 159January 2020 NPD: Even Goku can't rescue game spendingJeff Grubb — February 14, 2020
  160. 160Red Dead Redemption 2 Is Coming to Xbox Game PassGeorge Yang — Enthusiast Gaming — April 23, 2020
  161. 161Spiele des Jahres 2018 – Spiel des JahresComputec Media GmbH — January 4, 2019
  162. 162AusGamers Top 10 Best Games of 2018Steve Farrelly — AusGamers Pty Ltd — January 1, 2019
  163. 163All The Winners From The Australian Games AwardsShannon Grixti — Southern Cross Austereo — December 20, 2018
  164. 164Red Dead Redemption 2 é eleito Melhor Jogo do Ano no Brazil Game Awards 2018Bruna Penilhas — Ziff Davis — December 12, 2018
  165. 165'God of War,' 'Red Dead 2' Lead BAFTA Game Awards NominationsStefanie Fogel — Penske Media Corporation — March 14, 2019
  166. 166Best Video Games of 2018: Top Games of The YearKevin Wong — Complex Media — December 14, 2018
  167. 167The 10 Best Games of the DecadeBrian Lloyd — Packed House — November 2019
  168. 168The Best Video Games of the Decade (2010–19), According to Game CriticsCBS Interactive
  169. 169NewsNothing else compares to the greatest video game of the decadeCalum Marsh — Postmedia Network — December 5, 2019
  170. 170NewsThe 50 Best Games Of The Decade: The 2010sJames McMahon — Bandlab Technologies — December 20, 2019
  171. 171Stuff of the Decade: The 25 best gamesMatt Tate — Kelsey Media — December 29, 2019
  172. 172The Best Games of the DecadeTrilby Beresford et al. — Eldridge Industries — December 6, 2019
  173. 173The 20 Best Video Games of the 2010sBrittany Vincent — Group Nine Media — January 4, 2020
  174. 174The best video games of the decade – the top 50 games from 2010–2010, rankedGamer Network — November 27, 2019
  175. 175MagazineThe best games of the decade, ranked for your displeasureCondé Nast — December 28, 2019
  176. 176'God of War' Leads DICE Award Noms, Followed by 'Marvel's Spider-Man'Brian Crecente — Penske Media Corporation — January 10, 2019
  177. 177The Best Video Games Released in 2018Designtechnica — December 12, 2018
  178. 178MagazineThe Edge AwardsFuture plc — 4 January 2019
  179. 179MagazineEGM's Best of 2018 Part Five: #5 ~ #1EGM Media, LLC — January 1, 2019
  180. 180Red Dead Redemption 2 wins Best Game at Fun & Serious Festival AwardsMatthew Handrahan — Gamer Network — December 10, 2018
  181. 181GOTY 18: Red Dead Redemption 2Gamez Publishing A/S — December 31, 2018
  182. 182Hot Press' Top Games of 2018Pavel Barter — December 11, 2018
  183. 183Red Dead Redemption 2 named Game of the Year at Italian Video Game AwardsRebekah Valentine — Gamer Network — April 12, 2019
  184. 184The Game Awards 2018: Here are all the winnersChristopher Grant — Vox Media — December 6, 2018
  185. 185Game Of The Year: 2018's 10 Best GamesMatt Espineli — CBS Interactive — April 30, 2019
  186. 186Red Dead Redemption 2 tops list of Game Developers Choice nomineesOwen S. Good — Vox Media — January 4, 2019
  187. 187The 20 best video games of 2018Keza MacDonald — December 21, 2018
  188. 188Best Video Games of 2018Jason Dietz — CBS Interactive — January 2, 2019
  189. 189Game Of The Year — a tough call to choose the best of the best for 2018Royce Wilson — News Corp Australia — December 14, 2018
  190. 1902019 SXSW Gaming Awards Winners AnnouncedLogan Trent — South by Southwest — March 17, 2019
  191. 191Games of 2018: Red Dead Redemption 2's refusal of compromise defines its excellenceTom Hoggins — Telegraph Media Group — December 21, 2018
  192. 192USG's Top 20 Games of 2018Gamer Network — December 28, 2018
  193. 193The 10 Best Video Games of 2018Jake Swearingen — New York Media — December 7, 2018
  194. 194Red Dead Online Standalone Is Out Now And Heavily DiscountedAlessandro Barbosa — CBS Interactive — December 1, 2020
  195. 195Red Dead Online: Devs Reveal First DetailsJon Ryan — Ziff Davis — September 19, 2018
  196. 196Red Dead Online Won't Get Big Updates As Rockstar Shifts To GTA 6Zack Zwiezen — G/O Media — July 7, 2022
  197. 197Rockstar details the future of Red Dead Online: "we are only just getting started!"Josh West — Future plc — August 8, 2019
  198. 198Red Dead Redemption 2 Online launches in beta on Nov. 27Michael McWhertor — Vox Media — November 26, 2018
  199. 199Red Dead Redemption 2 sells massive 23 million copies, but Take-Two stock still falls 13%Dean Takahashi — February 6, 2019
  200. 200Red Dead Online: There Are Currently No Plans to Reset Player ProgressionCaty McCarthy — Gamer Network — December 4, 2018
  201. 201Red Dead Online guide: tips and tricks for missions, multiplayer modes and open world survivalVG247 — December 21, 2018
  202. 202Website pulls Red Dead Redemption 2 leak story, Rockstar directs £1m settlement to charityWesley Yin-Poole — Gamer Network — November 1, 2018
  203. 203MagazineThe Pinkertons And Rockstar Games Are Fighting Over Red Dead Redemption IIJavy Gwaltney — GameStop — January 14, 2019
  204. 204Rockstar threatened with legal action over Red Dead 2's Pinkerton agentsMatthew Handrahan — Gamer Network — January 15, 2019
  205. 205Take-Two, Rockstar dismiss complaint against PinkertonRebekah Valentine — Gamer Network — April 11, 2019
  206. 206Take-Two, TrustedReviews reach legal settlement over Red Dead Redemption 2 leakRebekah Valentine — Gamer Network — November 1, 2018
  207. 207Why Reporting a Red Dead Redemption 2 Leak Cost a British Website $1.3 MillionKeza MacDonald — G/O Media — November 11, 2018
  208. 208MagazineTrusted Reviews pays £1m to charity as a result of Red Dead Redemption 2 leakSeth Barton — Biz Media — November 1, 2018
  209. 209Red Dead Redemption 2 Leak Leads to £1 Million SettlementSammy Barker — Gamer Network — November 2, 2018
  210. 210Take-Two Games – an apologyTI Media Limited — November 1, 2018
  211. 211Game Site Apologizes for 'Red Dead Redemption 2' Leak, Pays £1 Million DonationBrian Crecente — Penske Media Corporation — November 1, 2018
  212. 212Red Dead Redemption 2's Pinkerton agents are at the center of a lawsuitAdi Robinson — Vox Media — January 14, 2019
  213. 213Red Dead Redemption 2 review: A game we'll be talking about for years to comeJeff Bakalar — CBS Interactive — October 25, 2018
  214. 214MagazineGame Informer's Best Games of the GenerationJoe Juba — GameStop — October 2, 2020
  215. 215The 50 best games of all timeJosh West et al. — Future plc — November 24, 2021
  216. 216GamesRadar's 100 best games of the generationFuture plc — December 15, 2020
  217. 217Top 30 Video Games of All TimeRavi Sinha — April 11, 2022
  218. 218The 100 greatest video games of all time, ranked by expertsSam White et al. — Condé Nast — May 10, 2023
  219. 219The Best Games of the PS4/Xbox One GenerationZiff Davis — December 31, 2020
  220. 220Top 100 Video Games of All TimeLuke Reilly — Ziff Davis — October 18, 2019
  221. 221IGN's 100 Best Games of All Time: Why We Made The Changes We MadeZiff Davis — October 19, 2019
  222. 222The Top 100 Video Games of All TimeLuke Reilly — Ziff Davis — December 31, 2021
  223. 223The 25 Best PC Games to Play Right NowZiff Davis — June 25, 2021
  224. 224Best PS4 Games: Ranking the Greatest PlayStation 4 GamesZiff Davis — June 26, 2021
  225. 225The Best Xbox One GamesZiff Davis — June 22, 2021
  226. 226What are the best video games of all time? I asked our team to help decide.Adam Rosenberg — Ziff Davis — July 3, 2020
  227. 227The 100 Greatest Video Games of All TimeBo Moore et al. — Hearst Communications — March 21, 2019
  228. 228The 50 Greatest Video Games of All TimeAshley Bardhan — Penske Media Corporation — January 6, 2025
  229. 229Games of the Generation: Red Dead Redemption 2 is so real you'll feel the saddle soresGerald Lynch — Future plc — November 1, 2020
  230. 230Games of the generation: the games that define PS4, Xbox One and SwitchFuture plc — December 29, 2020
  231. 231The 100 best video games of all time, rankedGannett — September 10, 2022
  232. 232Red Dead Redemption research: 'Gamers learn about nature'David Molloy — BBC — July 14, 2021
  233. 233Black Hills Redemption event brings red-blooded fans from all corners of the globe to DeadwoodSara Morgan — June 26, 2024
  234. 234JournalThe educational value of virtual ecologies in Red Dead Redemption 2Edward J. Crowley et al. — British Ecological Society — 2021
  235. 235Here's the winning shot from London Games Festival's Virtual Photographer of the Year competitionVikki Blake — Gamer Network — April 9, 2022
  236. 236Red Dead Redemption Is Being Used To Teach A College American History ClassHayley Williams — Fandom, Inc. — February 14, 2021
  237. 237A Red Dead Redemption Fan Event Featuring The Actors Is Coming This JulyEddie Makuch — Fandom, Inc. — March 22, 2023
  238. 238Red Dead Redemption 2 is being used to teach a University history courseHirun Cryer — Future plc — February 14, 2021
  239. 239Jack Black shares his love for games, especially Red Dead Redemption 2, in brilliant new Tenacious D songAnne-Marie Ostler — Future plc — May 12, 2023
  240. 240Arthur Morgan Is Your American History Teacher in New Red Dead Redemption AudiobookWesley Yin-Poole — Ziff Davis — March 4, 2024
  241. 241Professor Teaching World's First Red Dead Redemption American History Class Wants to Do GTA NextWesley Yin-Poole — Ziff Davis — March 4, 2024
  242. 242South Park: All the Red Dead Redemption 2 ReferencesRyan McCaffrey — Ziff Davis — November 15, 2018
  243. 243BookOld Town RoadChris Molanphy — Duke University Press — October 6, 2023
  244. 244BH Redemption in Deadwood celebrates popular video game seriesDavid Azadi Scott — KNBN — June 22, 2024
  245. 245Where 'Old Town Road' Is Leading Country MusicDevon Leger — FreshGrass Foundation — April 17, 2019
  246. 246Red Dead Redemption fans praise Tombstone eventDana Cole — Wick Communications — August 2, 2023
  247. 247Fan brings Red Dead Redemption to TombstoneVeronica Kuffel — Times Media Group — July 27, 2023
  248. 248Breath of the Wild sequel developers 'inspired by Red Dead'Tom Ivan — 1981 Media — June 12, 2019
  249. 249What we're loving today: popular western video game comes to life in Deadwood, South DakotaDalen Brazelton — Nexstar Media Group — June 28, 2024

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