Hundreds of millions of fans worldwide are eagerly awaiting the twice-delayed release of Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto: VI on Nov. 19, 2026. Yet, a specific sect of the Rockstar playerbase have their eyes set on something even further in the future. While some enjoy the bustling night life, luxurious vehicles and unhinged criminal warfare in the GTA series, others prefer calmness, isolation and immersion; maybe gun-slinging desperados, too. In other words, Red Dead Redemption.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the fourth best-selling video game of all time, having surpassed 82 million copies sold as of February 2026. Yet, it almost feels like a disservice referring to it simply as a “video game” when it’s so much more than that. Does it have the greatest combat system of all time? Certainly not — at least, I wouldn’t say so. But it’s the atmosphere that elevates this work of art to a level beyond virtually every other release in the gaming world.
The captivating atmosphere is achieved by brilliantly written dialogue, unpredictable plot progression, jaw-dropping graphics and attention to detail and a living, breathing, massive open world in which the player truly feels free. Following the story of rough-and-ready marksman Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde Gang, this masterpiece serves as the prequel to Red Dead Redemption, the 2010 release which centers on the later escapades of Arthur’s close friend, John Marston (who is also a fairly central character in the prequel).
Being such a devoted fanbase, having dedicated themselves to uncovering every last secret buried within the vast open world of Red Dead Redemption 2 since its release (and still discovering more), it’s no surprise that this same community has been engaged in constant speculation about a third installment in the series for a while now. Clickbait YouTube videos and investigative Reddit threads have cluttered the internet with theories and speculation regarding the production timeline and potential storyline of the fabled next installment. In truth, there was no real certainty that another Red Dead game would ever enter production until Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Take-Two Interactive (of which Rockstar Games is a subsidiary) referred to Red Dead Redemption as a “permanent franchise” at an earnings briefing. In other words, they’ll keep milking this intellectual property until there’s nothing left to gain from it, which is certainly good news for the fans that have been awaiting the green light.
As the chances of a Red Dead Redemption 3 have become practically certain, theories for the potential setting, characters and general plot have been running rampant among the fanbase. A popular theory is that the next installment will be a chronological sequel to Red Dead Redemption and will likely take place post-1914 centering on Jack, John Marston’s son. This theory really took off after screenshots of a LinkedIn profile that listed “leading vehicle AI through development of RDR3” under the Experience section. Though the validity of this screenshot is debated, it seemed to provide credence to the chronological sequel theory, as “vehicle AI” is assumed to refer to cars, which would likely be present in a game set in 1914 or later. However, vehicle AI can also refer to the same systems used for horses, stagecoaches and other mounts present in the first two games, so the supposed leak is unlikely to give any insight into the time period of the game.
With so many ideas floating around, I figured I’d weigh in with my own theory. It’s actually a relatively popular idea that the next Red Dead Redemption installment will take place chronologically prior to both of the first two games, during the height of the Wild West era in the 1870s or 1880s. While I personally adhere to this theory, I would go even further with it. A detail that seems to be overlooked by many fans in this discussion is the easter egg of John Marston’s hat on a rack in the house of Black Belle, a Red Dead Redemption 2 side character and one of the many famous gunslingers appearing in the “The Noblest of Men, and a Woman” side quest chain. Given this callback to the protagonist of the first game alongside the fact that Black Belle herself is a renowned gunslinger past her prime, the Easter egg could possibly be interpreted as a sign from the developers that the character could appear as a protagonist in another prequel.
Strengthening this theory is the fact that Black Belle is not the only Wild West hero that appears in their old age in the first two games: other characters that appear in the “The Noblest of Men, and a Woman” side quest chain include figures like Flaco Hernandez, Slim Grant and Jim ‘Boy’ Calloway. There’s also Landon Ricketts, perhaps one of the most celebrated gunslingers in the Red Dead universe, who is evidently much past his prime when John Marston meets him in the first Red Dead Redemption.
The developers throwing in all of these older figures who clearly had eventful pasts seems like the perfect world-building opportunity for another prequel. Not only that, but many completely fictional characters appear on the various cigarette cards scattered throughout the map. People ranging from athletes to politicians that appear to have entire stories associated with them can be found on collectible items that most players may not even care to discover. Is this just the impeccable attention to detail that we’ve come to expect from Rockstar games, or is this yet another subtle means of world-building for a future release? The first looks at characters whom we may encounter again.
Whether or not my theory will stand the test of time is impossible to know. One thing that’s for certain is that we’ve got a long road ahead of us before the release of another installment in this beloved franchise. For now, all we can do is heed the advice of Dutch Van der Linde, whom we all know has done no wrong: “Have faith, Arthur.”
Jordan White is a member of the Class of 2029 in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a columnist for the Arts & Culture department and can be reached at jiw39@cornell.edu.
