Red Dead Redemptionand its sequel,Red Dead Redemption 2, are considered to be two of the best games ever made. Rockstar hit it out of the park with both of its open world western games, with particular praise aimed at the games' characters and stories. WithRed Dead Redemption 2standing as one of the highest-rated games ever made, it’s no surprise that there are many who want to see Rockstar move forward withRed Dead Redemption 3.
Considering how financially successfulRed Dead RedemptionandRed Dead Redemption 2were, one would think that aRed Dead Redemption 3is just a matter of time. But there are no guarantees when it comes to Rockstar Games. For an entire decade, the only two major new projects the studio put out wereGrand Theft Auto 5in 2013 andRed Dead Redemption 2in 2018, and it’s likely that fans still have years to wait before they’ll get to play the studio’s next game, thelong-awaitedGrand Theft Auto 6.
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But ifRed Dead Redemption 3comes to pass like many fans hope, the question remains what the story would be about.Red Dead RedemptionandRed Dead Redemption 2tell a pretty complete story, but there are five obvious paths that a potentialRed Dead Redemption 3could take if Rockstar ever decides to make it.
This article will have MAJOR SPOILERS forRed Dead RedemptionandRed Dead Redemption 2.
Dutch van der Linde Prequel
The originalRed Dead Redemptionwas about John Marston as he hunted down former Van der Linde gang members in exchange for his kidnapped family’s safe return.Red Dead Redemption 2, despite its title, actually takes place years before the original game, and is primarily thestory of Arthur Morganand his time in the Van der Linde gang.
The leader of the gang and its namesake isDutch van der Linde, whose personality drastically changes over the course ofRed Dead Redemption 2due to injuries and life events. Dutch is at first shown to be a strong leader, committed to giving every member of his gang a better life. As the game goes on, though, Dutch finds himself in a spiral of bad choices, trusting the wrong people, taking unnecessary risks that get his friends killed, and ultimately finding himself at odds with Arthur Morgan, his former best friend.
Just asRed Dead Redemption 2turned back the clock by a few years, so too couldRed Dead Redemption 3. It could explore Dutch’s relationship with Annabelle, the beginnings of hisviolent feud with the O’Driscolls, and how he put together his gang. It would be the opposite ofRed Dead Redemption 1, where the goal is to eliminate the still-living members of the Van der Linde gang. It would instead be about recruiting them and getting everyone together for the events that will follow inRed Dead Redemption 2.
A Dutch van der Linde prequel would also give Rockstar the opportunity to have aRed Dead Redemptiongame that’s closer to the height of the Wild West as opposed to its demise, which is what the first two games focus on.Red Dead Redemption 3being a Dutch prequelseems like it would have some of the most potential gameplay-wise, and it would help add more layers to his character, in turn enhancing the narratives of bothRDR1andRDR2.
Sadie Adler Sequel
Having already spent plenty of time telling the story of the Van der Linde gang, Rockstar may be itching forRed Dead Redemption 3to move things forward instead. There are three characters that would all make great choices to follow for a sequel, but one that stands out especially isSadie Adler.
Sadie Adler is widowed early inRed Dead Redemption 2’s story, which transforms her from a housewife to a violent outlaw. Instead of staying at camp with the other women in the Van der Linde gang, Sadie finds herself going on missions, especially when it involves hunting down her husband’s murderers, the O’Driscolls. Sadie is hardened by her time under Dutch’s leadership, but her bloodlust appears mostly satisfied after the O’Driscolls are wiped off the map.
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With the O’Driscolls dead and the gang split up, Sadie decides to leave her life of crime behind her and starts bounty hunting. She tracks down thetreacherous Micah Bell, reuniting with John Marston and Charles Smith to kill him as revenge for betraying the gang. Adler is stabbed and badly hurt during all this, but she manages to survive. Sadie’s fate after the events ofRed Dead Redemption 2is unknown, but there’s a clue as to her whereabouts.
During theRed Dead Redemption 2Epilogue, Sadie mentions to John that she might travel to South America. Assuming she did just that,Red Dead Redemption 3could show Sadie’s life in South America. It would make for a nice change of setting compared to the first two games, and it would allow players to see what happens to one of the franchise’s most popular non-player characters. PerhapsGrand Theft Auto 6’s female protagonistcan help pave the way forRed Dead Redemption 3to put Mrs. Adler in the starring role.
Charles Smith Sequel
ACharles Smithsequel would be another great choice forRed Dead Redemption 3’s story for similar reasons as Sadie Adler. Charles came out ofRed Dead Redemption 2as one of the game’s most popular characters, and beyond that, dialogue inRDR2has hinted at what he may be doing during the events of a potentialRed Dead Redemption 3. Whereas Sadie Adler expressed her desire to travel to South America, Charles Smith said he wants to go north.
InRed Dead Redemption 2, Charles tells John and Sadie that he wants to go north, meet a woman, and start a family. This would allowRed Dead Redemption 3to have a completely different settingthan the first two games, which could make for a nice change of pace. ManyRed Dead Redemptionfans would be interested in seeing if Charles ever did truly settle down with a family, or if he found himself unable to escape the outlaw life.
Jack Marston Sequel
Perhaps the most obvious route for the hypotheticalRed Dead Redemption 3story to take would be for the game to follow the life of Jack Marston, though this would not be as interesting as the Dutch, Sadie, or Charles options. Jack Marstonavenging his father John’s deathat the end of the originalRed Dead Redemptionputs a nice bow on the entire saga, and it doesn’t seem like there would really be worth exploring his character further, especially since he’s an adult when the Wild West is basically gone completely.
However, there are those who have grown attached to Jack from his wholesome moments with Arthur during his childhood to his days as a gun-slinging adult. It seems likeJack Marston’s storyis already over, but maybe Rockstar Games can come up with an interesting way to bring him back forRed Dead Redemption 3.
A Brand-New Gang
The fifth option, though perhaps the least popular, would be forRed Dead Redemption 3to focus on an entirely new gang, a brand-new cast of characters completely independent of the ones fans met inRed Dead RedemptionandRed Dead Redemption 2. This would actually makeRed Dead Redemption 3more in line with how Rockstar handles sequels, as itsGrand Theft Autogames usually have a completely new cast of characters each time, with some cameos to link them together, but it’s safe to say many fans would rather seeRed Dead Redemption 3continue the stories of characters fromRed Dead RedemptionandRed Dead Redemption 2.
