Let’s be honest for a second. Life in the Van der Linde gang is tough. Dutch is always talking about “one last score” and having “faith,” but the camp’s tithing box is often looking a little light, and your personal wallet is probably even lighter. You’re surrounded by a vast, beautiful world, but everything in it, from a better rifle to a decent horse to a simple can of beans, costs money. Cold, hard cash.
You’ve probably found yourself staring at that shiny new revolver in the gunsmith’s catalogue, wondering how you could ever afford it when you’re only making a few dollars here and there. How are you supposed to become a legendary outlaw when you can barely afford the ammunition?
If that sounds familiar, then you’ve come to the right place. This guide is your key to breaking the cycle of being broke. We’re not just going to talk about how to make a few extra bucks. We’re going to show you how to make money fast. We’re going to cover every major method of turning Arthur Morgan from a struggling outlaw into a frontier tycoon, a man so flush with cash that he can buy anything he wants and still have enough left over to upgrade the entire camp. Forget scraping by. It’s time to get rich!
What’s In Our How to Make Money Fast in RDR2
Part 1: The Gold Rush – Your First and Fastest Path to Wealth
Before we get into anything else, let’s get one thing straight: the single fastest way to make a huge amount of money in Red Dead Redemption 2 is by finding gold bars. These aren’t just little nuggets; they are solid bars of pure gold, each worth a staggering $500 when sold to a Fence. Finding just a few of these early in the game will set you up for your entire playthrough. Hunting and robbing can wait. Your first priority should be to become a treasure hunter.
The Easiest Gold Bar in the West: Limpany
The game practically hands you your first gold bar. Just south of Valentine, you’ll find a burned down, abandoned town called Limpany. It’s a ghost town, an eerie shell of what it once was. Walk into the destroyed Sheriff’s building. Underneath the desk, you’ll find a lockbox. Open it up, and inside you’ll find one gold bar and a special pamphlet. Grab it. Just like that, you’re $500 richer (once you find a Fence to sell it to, which you will do during a main mission in Chapter 2). Don’t sell it for less!
Your First Real Treasure Hunt: The Jack Hall Gang Map
While exploring the cliffs overlooking the Dakota River, northwest of Flatneck Station, you’ll find a stranger named Maximo. He’s a fellow treasure hunter who will offer to sell you his map for $10. Buy it. If you decline and decide you want it later, you can always purchase it from a Fence.
This map kicks off a three part treasure hunt that will lead you across the landscape, solving simple visual riddles. It’s a fantastic adventure in its own right, and the final prize at the end of the trail is two gold bars. That’s another $1000 in your pocket. It’s a significant undertaking, but it’s absolutely worth the effort and will solve all of your early game money problems.
Upping the Ante: The High Stakes Treasure Map
Once you reach Chapter 3, another treasure hunt becomes available, and this one is even more lucrative. To start it, you have to bump into a specific stranger who is looking at a map. You can find him in various locations, often on cliffsides overlooking the landscape. The easiest way to trigger this is to just ride around the world. When you find him, he will get spooked and run away. You need to chase him down and hogtie him to get the map. If he gets away, don’t worry; you can later buy the map from a Fence. This three part treasure hunt is a bit more challenging, but the reward at the end is three gold bars a cool $1500.
While these first few treasure hunts are the key to getting rich quick, there are many more gold bars and hidden treasures scattered across the entire map. Seeking them all out is a worthy goal for any aspiring millionaire, and you can find their locations in more detailed guides dedicated solely to treasure hunting.
Part 2: The Frontier Professional – Steady, Honorable Income
Treasure hunting provides a massive, one time injection of cash. But what about a steady, reliable income? If you want to earn your keep without constantly looking over your shoulder, you can make a very good living through more “legitimate” means.
Master of the Hunt
Hunting is one of the most robust and rewarding systems in the game, and it’s a great way to make money. The key is to hunt for quality, not quantity. A “Perfect Pelt” from a deer is worth significantly more than a “Poor Pelt.” To get perfect pelts, you need two things: a three star animal and a clean kill.
- Study the Animal: Use your binoculars to spot an animal from a distance. The info box will show you if it’s a one, two, or three star animal. Only three star animals can yield a perfect pelt.
- Use the Right Weapon: The game tells you which weapon to use for a clean kill. For smaller animals like rabbits, use a Varmint Rifle. For medium-sized animals like deer or pronghorn, use a rifle or a bow with improved arrows.
- Aim for the Head: A clean shot to a vital organ (usually the head or heart) will kill the animal instantly and preserve the quality of the pelt.
Once you have your perfect pelts, you can sell them to the Butcher in any town for a decent profit. However, if you’re after unique outfits, you should take your Legendary Animal pelts to the Trapper.
Fishing for Fortune
Similar to hunting, fishing can be a relaxing and profitable pastime. Once you get your fishing pole during a Chapter 2 mission with Jack, you can fish in any body of water. Larger fish, like salmon and trout, can fetch a very good price at the Butcher. Find a good spot, cast your line, and enjoy a peaceful way to make some extra cash.
Becoming a Bounty Hunter
If you prefer hunting men instead of animals, then bounty hunting is the job for you. At the Sheriff’s office in major towns, you’ll find bounty posters on the wall. These missions task you with tracking down and capturing wanted criminals. Bringing them in alive will always get you a bigger reward than bringing them in dead, so invest in a reinforced lasso and get good at hogtying your targets. Bounty hunting is a repeatable and reliable source of income that also boosts your Honor.
Part 3: The Classic Outlaw – High Risk, High Reward Activities
Sometimes, you just want to be a bad guy. Robbing and stealing is the bread and butter of the outlaw life, and it can be profitable, but it always comes with a cost: a bounty on your head.
Robbing Shops and Backroom Businesses
Every shop in the game can be robbed. Just pull out your weapon and aim it at the shopkeeper to make them empty the cash register. But here’s a pro tip: many shops have a secret, illegal business running in the back. If you can find a way to get into these back rooms (sometimes by peeking through a window or finding a hidden door), you’ll find much more lucrative scores, like a high stakes poker game. Be warned: this will always result in a firefight and a high bounty.
Train Robberies
Stopping a train is one of the most iconic things you can do in a Western. You can either buy a train ticket and rob the passengers from the inside or ride alongside the train on your horse and jump aboard. Passenger trains have safes in the luggage cars that can contain a lot of cash, but they are often guarded. This is a high risk activity that will draw a lot of attention from the law.
Fencing Stolen Goods and Wagons
Not all loot can be sold at a general store. Valuables like pocket watches and jewelry must be sold to a Fence. There are several Fences in the world, and they are your go to for offloading stolen goods.
One of the most reliable (and fun) side hustles is stealing wagons and selling them to the Fence at Emerald Ranch. He’s always looking for stagecoaches and supply wagons. Simply steal one on the road, lose any witnesses, and ride it back to his barn for a nice payout.
Part 4: The Hustler’s Income – Winning at the Card Table
If you fancy yourself a sharp, you can make a decent living by playing the mini-games scattered throughout the world.
- Poker: You can find poker games in saloons in most major towns and even back at your own camp. If you know the rules of Texas Hold ’em, you can sit down and clean out your fellow players. The buyins aren’t huge, but it’s a great way to earn some pocket money.
- Five Finger Filet: This is a pure game of rhythm and memorization. It’s a quick way to double your money if you can master the button patterns.
- Blackjack: Simple, fast, and based mostly on luck. You can find a Blackjack table in the saloon in Rhodes.
Winning at these games won’t make you rich overnight, but they are a fun and immersive way to supplement your income without getting your hands dirty.
So there you have it. The path to wealth in Red Dead Redemption 2 is varied. You can be a treasure hunter, a professional outdoorsman, a ruthless outlaw, or a card sharp. The best strategy? Use the gold bars from treasure hunting to give yourself a huge financial head start, then use a mix of hunting, bounties, and the occasional side hustle to keep the money flowing in. Now get out there, partner. Your fortune awaits.
