Should I Play Red Dead Redemption 1 Before 2?

Red Dead Redemption (RDR) is a video game produced by Rockstar San Diego. The game belongs to the action-adventure genre. It was released in 2010 by Rockstar Games as a continuation of the Read Dead Series. It is set in Western America and Mexico in 1911 when there was a gradual fall in the American Frontier.

The major character of the game, John Marston, an outlaw, is blackmailed into hunting down his former gang members by the Government using his family. The game has two parts; part 1 was released in 2010 and part 2 in 2018. The major dilemma about this game is if one should play Red Dead Redemption Part 1 before part 2.

A lot of gamers always ask themselves this question, “do you need to play Red Dead Redemption 1 before 2?”. This dilemma was caused by how the game was marketed at the time. Red Dead Redemption part 2 was numbered as a continuation of part 1.

However, it is a prequel to Red Dead Redemption 1. Therefore, one does not need to play RDR 1 before 2. So, one can play the game without playing RDR1. The background of the characters is explained more in RDR2. This would help the individual understand the game more.

RDR2 goes back 12 years earlier and explains the origins and exploits of John Marston and his gang. It explains how members of the gang survive in the Wild West. Also, it probes into the origin of their encounters with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other government agencies.

It is the prequel of RDR1 and not a continuation. Therefore, playing RDR2 first would broaden one’s knowledge of the characters and their origins. You would also understand the character development and the story behind them. Additionally, the storyline behind the government’s blackmail of John Marston in RDR1 would be properly understood. In the end, you must not play the two parts chronologically.