Red Dead Redemption and 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. With Red Dead Redemption 2 standing as one of the highest-rated games ever made, it's no surprise that there are many who want to see Rockstar move forward with Red Dead Redemption 3.
Considering how financially successful Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2 were, one would think that a Red Dead Redemption 3 is 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 were Grand Theft Auto 5 in 2013 and Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018, and it's likely that fans still have years to wait before they'll get to play the studio's next game, the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto 6.
But if Red Dead Redemption 3 comes to pass like many fans hope, the question remains what the story would be about. Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2 tell a pretty complete story, but there are five obvious paths that a potential Red Dead Redemption 3 could take if Rockstar ever decides to make it.
This article will have MAJOR SPOILERS for Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Dutch van der Linde Prequel
The original Red Dead Redemption was 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 the story of Arthur Morgan and his time in the Van der Linde gang.
The leader of the gang and its namesake is Dutch van der Linde, whose personality drastically changes over the course of Red Dead Redemption 2 due 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 as Red Dead Redemption 2 turned back the clock by a few years, so too could Red Dead Redemption 3. It could explore Dutch's relationship with Annabelle, the beginnings of his violent feud with the O'Driscolls, and how he put together his gang. It would be the opposite of Red 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 in Red Dead Redemption 2.
A Dutch van der Linde prequel would also give Rockstar the opportunity to have a Red Dead Redemption game 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 3 being a Dutch prequel seems 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 both RDR1 and RDR2.
Sadie Adler Sequel
Having already spent plenty of time telling the story of the Van der Linde gang, Rockstar may be itching for Red Dead Redemption 3 to 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 is Sadie Adler.
Sadie Adler is widowed early in Red 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.
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 the treacherous 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 of Red Dead Redemption 2 is unknown, but there's a clue as to her whereabouts.
During the Red Dead Redemption 2 Epilogue, Sadie mentions to John that she might travel to South America. Assuming she did just that, Red Dead Redemption 3 could 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. Perhaps Grand Theft Auto 6's female protagonist can help pave the way for Red Dead Redemption 3 to put Mrs. Adler in the starring role.
Charles Smith Sequel
A Charles Smith sequel would be another great choice for Red Dead Redemption 3's story for similar reasons as Sadie Adler. Charles came out of Red Dead Redemption 2 as one of the game's most popular characters, and beyond that, dialogue in RDR2 has hinted at what he may be doing during the events of a potential Red Dead Redemption 3. Whereas Sadie Adler expressed her desire to travel to South America, Charles Smith said he wants to go north.
In Red Dead Redemption 2, Charles tells John and Sadie that he wants to go north, meet a woman, and start a family. This would allow Red Dead Redemption 3 to have a completely different setting than the first two games, which could make for a nice change of pace. Many Red Dead Redemption fans 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 hypothetical Red Dead Redemption 3 story 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 Marston avenging his father John's death at the end of the original Red Dead Redemption puts 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 like Jack Marston's story is already over, but maybe Rockstar Games can come up with an interesting way to bring him back for Red Dead Redemption 3.
A Brand-New Gang
The fifth option, though perhaps the least popular, would be for Red Dead Redemption 3 to focus on an entirely new gang, a brand-new cast of characters completely independent of the ones fans met in Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2. This would actually make Red Dead Redemption 3 more in line with how Rockstar handles sequels, as its Grand Theft Auto games 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 see Red Dead Redemption 3 continue the stories of characters from Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2.