Money in Red Dead Redemption 2 is extremely important as it allows Arthur Morgan to purchase weapons, upgrades, ammunition, medicine, horses, camp upgrades and so on. It's also extremely important to pay bounties and get the law, and bounty hunters, off his tail. Arthur also has to contribute to the Van der Linde gang camp's upkeep and money plays a big part in this as well.
Right from the start of Chapter 2, when the game opens up, there are many ways to spend money, but very few opportunities to earn significant amounts. Completing the first few story missions opens up a lot of possibilities and making a decent amount of money becomes easier.
In this guide, we will cover some of the fastest and most profitable ways to earn these precious dollars, as well as a glitch that can currently be used to make an unlimited amount of cash.
Article Contents
Story Missions
This may seem a bit obvious, but some story missions reward players with a decent amount of money. Early missions like "An American Pastoral Scene" and "Pouring-forth Oil" reward players with around $500 total. Some missions also involve sneaking into houses and other buildings, and looting everything that can be found in cabinets and drawers increases profits considerably.
Trading
During the course of the game, Arthur will obtain a variety of items with no actual use that can be sold to shops for good amounts of money. It is possible to trade carriages and horses for some good money as well.
Hunting
Hunting is not just useful for cooking and contributing to the camp's resources, but also to earn some good money. All hunted animals can be sold as they are at butchers, and the better the state the carcass is, the better the money.
Usually, killing any animal with a headshot, especially with the bow, prevents excessive damage. The carcass has to be brought quickly as possible to a butcher, as it will start decomposing before long, diminishing its value as well.
If, for any reason, it's not possible to carry an animal's carcass, it can be skinned on the spot. Its pelt and meat can then be sold for some decent profit .
Looting
Looting everything in sight is another excellent way to make money, especially looting dead enemies after a shootout. During the course of the game, Arthur will also have to deal with bounty hunters and looting them usually provides a variety of items that can be sold.
Looted items, however, need to be sold to fences, as regular shops will not take them.
Gambling
With a bit of patience, gambling can be a very good source of money. Of the various gambling opportunities, Poker is definitely the best one. Unlocked after completing the "Who is Not Without Sin" mission in Chapter 2, Poker allows players to stake more money as the game proceeds.
Five Finger Fillet is also a good way to make money. In some ways, it's even better than Poker, as it's a skill-based mini-game, unlike Poker where luck influences the game considerably. The mini-game is rather straightforward: Arthur simply has to be quicker than his opponent in completing each round.
Stealing and Selling
A number of valuables in Red Dead Redemption 2 can be acquired for free if you aren't afraid of skirting the law. Selling stolen horses can be a good source of income, provided that the horse is of high quality. Low quality stolen horses can be worth as low as a measly $3, however high-end animals will quickly fatten your wallet. Similarly, carriages can be sold for large amounts, as well as various trinkets.
Jack Hall Gang Treasure Hunt
This particular treasure hunt will award you with 2 gold bars worth a total of $1000, and is relatively easy. Refer to this guide to find out how you can quickly make a fortune.
Bounty Hunting
Bounty hunting is another great way to make money. The ability to capture Wanted men is unlocked after completing the Chapter 2 side mission "Good, Honest Snake Oil", which is initiated by heading into the sheriff's office in Valentine.
Once the wanted man has been brought to the sheriff alive, Arthur will be able to hunt other wanted men by simply checking out wanted poster found in sheriff's offices all over the world.
Wanted men taken back alive are always worth more, even if the poster says dead or alive, so skillful use of the Lasso weapon can make Arthur make more money.
Helping People
During his travels, Arthur will often meet NPCs who require help. Sometimes, they just need medicine to heal a snake bite, other times they need to be freed from a bear trap. Helping them always nets some nice rewards, so it's always a good idea to stop and help them whenever possible.
Robberies
Arthur Morgan is an outlaw, and what do outlaws do? Rob banks, coaches, stores and even trains. Doing this allows Arthur to earn a lot of money, but it comes with some consequences that ultimately make it not worth it unless money is a true necessity.
Making any big hit, especially on trains, raises Arthur's bounty exponentially, making it more difficult to travel through the world without having to deal with the law and bounty hunters.
You can check out our Robbery guide in full here.
Bandit Camps
The West is a land of opportunity, and many other than Arthur and the Van der Linde gang are taking advantage of this to make money. Money that can be stolen easily. Assaulting bandit camps is a very good way to make money: all dead bandits can be looted for valuables. These bandit camps also, almost always, feature a strong box with some valuable loot. Spotting bandit camps is also pretty easy, as they can be identified by campfires and smoke.
Gold Bars
The best way to make some really good money in Red Dead Redemption 2 is by obtaining gold bars. These can be found by obtaining buried treasure indicated on maps, by checking out one of the strange statues and more. They can be sold for $500 each to Fences.
Gold Bar Glitch
Currently, there's a glitch that can be exploited to get an unlimited amount of gold bars in a relatively short amount of time.
To obtain unlimited gold bars, players have to head to Limpany, a town found northwest of Flatneck Station. There, they have to head to the sheriff's office and check out the loot box located under the desk.Once the box has been opened, they need to interact with the gold bar and pause the game as soon as Arthur reaches down. Make sure you don't touch the pamphlet.Then save the game and reload from the newly made save file.The loot box in the sheriff's office in Limpany will now include 30 gold bars that you can loot.The 30 gold bars are worth $15,000 when you sell them to a Fence, after which you can repeat the steps above.
As this exploit is likely getting patched soon, it's better to take advantage of it as quickly as possible.
We don't suggest taking advantage of it, however, as unlimited money effectively breaks the game and takes away some of the things that make Red Dead Redemption 2 one of the most fun open-world experiences ever created.
The above glitch was patched on November 27, 2018.
