Red Dead Redemption 3 Prequel Setting Backed By Gamers

1 hour ago 5

Published Feb 11, 2026, 1:00 PM EST

Known as 'Cyberpunk 2077's' biggest fan, Angharad is a Welsh games writer who thrives in anything related to digital storytelling. If a video game explores the intricacies and horrors of womanhood, she is there.

Thanks to previous work at GAMINGbible, GameByte, The Loadout, Game Luster, Angharad has built a strong understanding of both the digital world and what fans want from it and is eager to share her thoughts and expertise with readers.

Whether a Red Dead Redemption 2 sequel is in the works remains to be seen, but what is definite is that its fans are hoping that a prequel is currently in the works, offering a chance of a backstory to some of our favorite characters or even introducing new characters and getting to see how they fit into the story as a whole.

However, at the time of writing, Red Dead Redemption 3 has not been officially confirmed by Rockstar Games, making any news about it mere speculation.

Is Red Dead Redemption 3 Really In Pre-Production?

The answer to this, quite simply, is no, but that has not stopped some news outlets from claiming that Red Dead Redemption 3 is in the works. Hey, it may be in the very earliest stages of development at Rockstar, but as mentioned, this has not been confirmed and so it is worth taking any rumors with a pinch of salt.

As such, a news post claiming that "Rockstar reportedly begins pre-production on RDR3" was recently shared to r/reddeadredemption and although there is no source attached to this claim, it is the discussion that followed that gave us some insight into what fans are hoping for in the next installment of the Red Dead franchise.

What we do know, is that back in 2014, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick described the Red Dead series as a "permanent franchise as long as we keep delivering this incredible quality" (via GameSpot) so this could mean that it is far from over. However, what will happen next remains to be seen, and with Rockstar hard at work on the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI, there could still be a bit of a wait.

Red Dead Fans Know What They Want From RDR3

arthur morgan looking curious in red dead redemption 2

However, that knowledge has not stopped fans from discussing what they would like to see from Red Dead Redemption 3, and it seems as though a prequel may be the way forward. "It better be set in the 1800s. I don't give a damn about the 1900s," one user shared on Reddit. "The origins of outlaws, how people took over natives, hell native as a playable character, some hardcore gunslingers and their gangs. I think since Arthur Morgan is such a loved character, it should be logical to play as Lyle Morgan in the 3rd. Same voice actor. More green, more west. More sidequests."

Getting to play as Arthur's father would definitely be interesting, especially considering that all of Red Dead's characters have some link to our favorite outlaw, but other fans hope that Red Dead Redemption 3 will be more of a standalone.

"I'm going to hold back on getting my hopes up until there's an official announcement, personally," user gutwyrming shared. "However, I will say that I hope it's separate from Red Dead Redemption. I hope it's Red Dead [Something Else] and follows a story and characters that are mostly unrelated to the Van der Linde gang."

Another user mostly agreed, adding, "Red Dead Revolution. Set in the 1850s in Antebellum, US. Themes of Bleeding Kansas, John Brown, Slave rebellions, pre-war tensions between north and south, etc. If Rockstar really wanted, they could throw in some cameos of Dutch, Hosea, as young'uns but the story could be completely divorced from anything to do with the Van Der Linde gang."

As of now, Red Dead Redemption 3 still remains a distant concept, but as you can see, that has not stopped its fans from expecting big things from Rockstar when it inevitably puts fans out of their misery.