Getting the things you want in Red Dead Online requires cash. From day to day items that you’ll need to replenish your health, to items that can help you in combat like new weapons or even a new horse… everything costs money. Money is the reward for many activities, but we’ve compiled this list of ten best ways to get money fast in Red Dead Online.
Whatever it is that you like to do — whether you want to hang out in the world of Red Dead Online and partake in leisure activities or you are looking for more action this guide will give you plenty of options for making money in Red Dead Online.
These Red Dead Online activities aren’t ranked in any order, but some of them will give you more money for completing them than others.
Make a lot of Money doing Story Missions
Doing Story Missions in Red Dead Online is a fast way to get your economy kick-started. The problem with playing story missions in Red Dead Online is that there aren’t that many of them. Playing Story missions will give you a pretty big cash bonus for completion as well as big XP earnings as well. You can seek out story missions by searching for the yellow markers on the world map, or you can make yourself on-call for story missions.
To make yourself on call you can press left on the d-pad and then select “Quick Join” and the “Story Mission On-Call”. Once you do this you will be added to the next available co-op multiplayer instance for any story mission.
Make Money Doing Stranger Missions
Stranger Missions are the pink circles on the Red Dead Online map. Each of these locations will give you a mission that you can take to earn cash. Depending on the character that you receive the Stranger Mission from, you’ll be doing various activities. From things like retrieving stolen property to killing bounty targets, the Stranger Missions in Red Dead Online are a dependable source of income if you’re looking to save up some cash for a big purchase.
A Reliable Way to Make Money is to Hunt Animals and Sell Skins and Carcasses to Butcher
Hunting in Red Dead Online is still one of the most reliable ways to make money, because there’s a seemingly endless supply of animals and it doesn’t take too long to do some hunting. Gear up, with items like your lasso, varmint rifle, knife, and bow and then go out and hunt for different animals. Different parts of the Red Dead Online map will have different animals in it. Once you’ve killed an animal make sure that you park your horse directly on top of the animal if you want to save some time while skinning it.
Selling the fish you catch is highly profitable
Fishing is another hobby in Red Dead Online that will allow you to earn some extra cash. You will need to reach level 14 to be able to purchase the fishing rod, but once you get it you’ll be able to fish to your heart’s content. The only overhead in your fishing enterprise is the bait and tackle that you’ll need if you want to catch the most valuable fish.
Look for fishing spots that are nearby towns with Butchers so that you can bag up your fish and head to town to collect your cash.
Complete Treasure Hunts
Completing Treasure Hunts is one of the best ways to get money in Red Dead Online, but the problem is you actually need to track down treasure maps to do this activity. These treasure maps will be found at Bandit Hideouts, and these aren’t always easy to come by.
After you’ve spared or killed a Bandit Leader you will be given a treasure map to track down. These treasures are a little bit easier to find than the ones found in the story mode of Red Dead Redemption 2. The rewards will be things like gold, cash, and other valuables.
Play Online Multiplayer Matches
Showdown, Elimination, and Featured Series are online matches where you can play in a variety of different game modes against other players. You can find these events littered across the Red Dead Online map, or you can Quick Join these events at any time by pressing left on the d-pad and then selecting the series you want to play in. Whether you win or lose in these events will determine how much cash you haul out of each one.
Compete in Horse Races
The Race Series is a different game mode from the other multiplayer series games. This has you racing on horseback instead of fighting it out on foot. Regardless, these races can earn you a chunk of cash for completion and will earn you more or less cash depending on your placement in the race. Like the Showdown events, Horse Races can be found on the map, but they can also be entered by using the Quick Join feature as well. Quick Join using left on the d-pad and the select “Race Series”.
Fence Valuable Items that you find
When completing activities like treasure hunts you will often find valuable items. These items can be taken to the fence in Red Dead Online and be sold for cash. The Fence is located in Saint Denis and this proprietor will purchase the items that you find that have no other use in Red Dead Online. Take items like jewelry or other valuables to the fence on a regular basis and you’ll see your cash reserves growing quite quickly.
Make Sure you Loot Bodies and Search Everything
This might sound pretty logical, but you need to make sure that you loot and search everything you can get your hands on if your primary goal is to make money in Red Dead Online. During Stranger and Story Missions there will be plenty of opportunities to loot dead bodies or search drawers and other areas. Make sure you’re doing this because you’ll likely find pocket change on people you’ve killed and items that can save you money by finding them instead of buying them from the catalog.
Playing Poker
Playing poker in Red Dead Online isn’t necessarily the most profitable thing you can do in the game, but it is a way to relax and possibly make some side cash. Poker is part skill and part luck so you very well could end up losing your $25 buy-in. The game mode is incredibly slow-paced as well, so even if you are a great poker player the pace of the game puts it way behind other money making ventures when it comes to earning cash in Red Dead Online.
And there you have it. There are 10 different ways to make money in Red Dead Online. Try completing these activities regularly in the game to start earning more cash in Red Dead Online whether you’re an outdoors man or an outlaw at heart, there are no shortage of different ways to earn money.
