The Best RDR2 Resources

Finding information about Red Dead Redemption 2 is easy. Finding good information about the game is a challenge. Its complexity and sprawling nature can lead to misinformation. The powerful emotions it evokes can make us stray into misinterpretation. In the process of creating Read Dead, I’ve searched out the best RDR2 resources, which I’m sharing below. A disclaimer: The following sources aren’t necessarily totally free from error, and I may not agree with every nuance of their arguments. However, each of them illuminates the game in some way that can deepen the way we play it and think about it.

Popular Analysis

• Red Dead Redemption by Matt Margini. Although Margini focuses on the first game, much of his analysis applies to RDR2, as well. The ebook is an absolute steal at $5 from Boss Fights Books; I liked it so much I later picked up the paperback, too. (If you enjoy video games, be sure to check out Boss Fights’ catalog!)
• “Reading the Game: Red Dead Redemption 2” by Jason Sheehan. Close consideration of a specific and unusual aspect of the game over at NPR.
• “Red Dead Redemption 2‘s Redface Proves How Far Games Haven’t Come” by Dia Lacina. A frank explanation of why Rockstar’s decision to cast someone who is neither Native American nor Black as a man who is both is harmful.
• “We’re More Ghosts Than People” by Hanif Abdurraqib. A beautiful piece on the emotional experience of RDR2, what it’s like to play it as a person with a sense of moral nuance, and how it feels to mourn someone who never existed.
• “Women Out of Date” by Esther Wright. An excellent analysis of the misogyny in Rockstar’s writing.
• “The Daguerreotype, Real” by Julie Muncy. An interesting consideration of how, exactly, Rockstar takes inspiration from film.
• Red Dead’s History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America’s Violent Past by Tore C. Olsson. An invaluable resource when it comes to understanding the time period in which RDR2 is set. Olsson gives the game undue praise when it comes to the portrayal of most marginalized peoples, but his analysis of Rockstar’s prejudice against people living in the Appalachians is an important addition to our understanding of the game. It would have been made all the more valuable if it were placed in context as part of the constellation of bigotries that mar RDR2. Read this, certainly, but don’t become complacent – this list features much excellent work about RDR2‘s problematic aspects, so be sure to check that out, too. (And remember: being able to like or love something and admit that parts of it aren’t great is an essential life skill.)
• “69% of Large UK Games Firms Have Bigger Gender Pay Gap than National Average” by James Batchelor. Addresses structural inequality at Rockstar North.
• “Writing About Games: Learning to Love the Compromise” by Yussef Cole. A thoughtful consideration of how we choose to interact with problematic texts. I think about the phrase “Rockstar’s puerile South Parkian politics” at least once a week.
• The RDR2 map as the actual United States. Where, exactly, are we supposed to be? This map provides probable answers. A Redditor made a painstaking interpretation of how the real United States are represented in the game, incorporating community knowledge. Impressive work, and interesting to think about.

Academic Analysis

• Red Dead Redemption: History, Myth, and Violence in the Video Game West, edited by John Wills and Esther Wright. An excellent interdisciplinary and intersectional look at the game, focusing closely on a variety of the game’s aspects and written by academics specializing in a range of fields. Highly recommended!
• “’Stuttering Matt’: Linguistic Ableism and the Mockery of Speech Impediments in Video Games” by Danielle Burrell-Kim. Ableism in RDR2 is a topic that needs more consideration. This entire study is worth reading, but the section called “Intelligence and Violence” contains the closest analysis of RDR2.
• Rockstar Games and American History: Promotional Materials and the Construction of Authenticity by Esther Wright. Although this book primary addresses Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire, its discussion of Rockstar is a valuable tool for understanding RDR2 as well. My copy is full of bookmarked passages.
• Rockstar Games, Red Dead Redemption, and Narratives of “Progress” by Esther Wright. Wright’s analysis is always sharp, insightful, and right on the money. Her work is quoted throughout this site, and I appreciate it immensely. If Wright wrote it, I recommend it.

Gameplay

• Interactive RDR2 Map. Incredibly useful, especially if you’re trying to 100% the game or looking for anything specific.
• Red Dead Redemption II: The Complete Official Guide is available as a free downloadable PDF in several non-official places; just search the name (usually there are some working links on Reddit). My personal belief is that games should come with the information you need to play them, especially a game as big and complex as RDR2. You shouldn’t have to pay for a guide, too.

Arthur’s Complete Journal

Aicosu did a ton of work collecting entries from Arthur Morgan’s journal, cleaning them up, and putting them together so we can conveniently access them. Their work, which is one of the best resources for studying RDR2, can be found here. Although they gathered the vast majority of the entries and drawings, many were missing. I’ve made a list of these below.

Unfortunately, I’m not comfortable making the files themselves available because they’re under Rockstar’s copyright. If you want to see all the entries easily and have a PC copy of the game, you can view them by downloading the program OpenIV from Nexus Mods and using it to explore the game files. The journal files are located in /textures_1.rpf/textures/ui/ui_journal_textures.rpf. Additional files can be found in /update_4.rpf/x64/patch/textures/ui/ui_journal_textures.rpf. (The exception is the finished Gang Savings page, due to the fact that it’s generated from the component pieces in-game. I’ve included a screenshot of mine below for reference, since [annoyingly] the complete page can only be viewed during the first part of the Epilogue.) If you have difficulty finding anything, feel free to contact me at my socials and I’ll do my best to give you the file path.

Completed Gang Savings Page

Open to see the gang savings page, along with a key.

The order will vary depending on how the player decides to do the missions, but as they’re listed here, the robberies are:

• The Blackwater ferry job
• “Paying a Social Call”
• “Spines of America”
• “An American Pastoral Scene”
• “Pouring Forth Oil”
• “An Honest Mistake”
• “Sodom? Back to Gomorrah” (note: the amount earned will depend on whether the player opens all safes)
• “Who the Hell is Levitivus Cornwall?” (note: appears later in the list because Hosea isn’t able to move the bonds until this point)
• “The Fine Joys of Tobacco”
• “Horse Flesh for Dinner”
• “Friends in Very Low Places”
• “Angelo Bronte, a Man of Honor”
• “A Fine Night of Debauchery”
• “Urban Pleasures”
• “Banking, the Old American Art”
• “My Last Boy”
• “Our Best Selves”

Videos

I’m gonna be really real: YouTube is full of clickbait, misinformation, and an utter lack of critical thinking — particularly, ahem, amongst some of the most popular content creators — so approach it with skepticism. That said, many people are doing good, useful work there.

• High and Low Honor Comparison. This video from Nardy Games shows the differences that result from playing with high or low honor. I don’t think it’s totally comprehensive, but it’s close.
• Point Zero. If you want to see the interactions that take place in camp, this person has captured many — possibly all — of them.
• All 4 possible endings of the main game. The endings are included in the video from Nardy Games, but if you just want to see those, this video covers them.

Other Allusions

• A look at the game’s filmic influences. Some shots that inspired those found in RDR2, along with their in-game counterparts.
• This Reddit post identifies the statue in the Saint Denis market as an allusion to Venus Blindfolded by Cupid by Federico Gaetano Villa. I’m not sure what the significance is, if any.
• This Reddit post points out that J. John Weathers is based on the Dances with Wolves character John J. Dunbar.

RDR2 Credits

• The game credits.
• Additional game credits, because if you leave before the game ships, you don’t get credit, no matter how much work you did.

If you have suggestions for additions to this list, feel free to send them to me on Bluesky, Twitter, or Tumblr.