Red Dead Redemption 3 Is A Prequel, And I Can’t Wait

Jul 22, 2026 - 16:08

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Red Dead Redemption 3 Is A Prequel, And I Can’t Wait

Red Dead Redemption 2 Arthur Morgan on horseback

Published Jul 22, 2026, 8:30 AM EDT

James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC.

The Red Dead Redemption duology undoubtedly told a brilliant, enclosed narrative that really managed to bring everything full circle, without the need for another game in the series. That said, it certainly would be nice to have one, no matter how far away that might be, with all of the current hubbub dialed in on GTA VI.

If the series is to return for a third game, and they don't go for a soft reboot as they did after Red Dead Revolver, there are certainly some practicalities that will need to be navigated. The most obvious of those is undoubtedly the timeline, and while Rockstar hasn't revealed anything about their plans specifically at this juncture, there is a fair amount that we can safely glean from existing context.

Red Dead Redemption 3 Is 100% A Prequel

As we all know by now, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel to the events of the first game, showing us exactly how John Marston ended up in the predicament that eventually kills him off. The events of RDR1 draw to a close in 1911, and that essentially rules out a similar Wild West game being set after those take place.

There is a world where a third entry could take place between the two games we have, but it's really difficult to see why that would be of any interest from a narrative perspective. That leaves the time before the events of RDR2 (in 1899) as the prime candidate for the setting of the third game in the series.

The exciting thing about that is that it really opens up a world of possibilities, from the inclusion of real-world outlaws from the golden age of the West, to historical events that came to define the era.

It doesn't even necessarily really matter whether Rockstar decides to stick with the original cast as much as possible, or move on entirely. It would certainly be interesting to see an even younger version of Dutch et al. but it would be just as exciting to have a whole host of new characters living at a time when the mood in the West was better than anything we have seen in the games to date.

Red Dead Redemption 3 Is Still A Long Way Away

It's unclear what exactly Rockstar plans to do with the beloved series moving forward, but it does seem like an insane business decision to leave it behind entirely. The focus is very much on GTA VI for the time being, though, so we will certainly be waiting a lot time to play Red Dead Redemption 3, whatever form it may come in.