Summary
Red Dead Redemptionis one of the greatest open-world games ever made, and the fact that it’s finally receiving a port on new systems after a long wait has been a source of great fanfare in the gaming community.While the lack of remastered textures and the like is a huge disappointment, most people will forget about these issues after booting up this game and experience its magic for themselves.
The game features a myriad of ways to get money, which is important given how stingy this game’s economy can get at times. To get the best weapons, items, and outfits in the game, players need to make the most of the tasks they can accomplish inRed Dead Redemptionto have the capacity to spend as much as possible without having to think twice before making a purchase.
Updated Jul 26, 2025, by Stephanie Harris:Given the love and adoration that Red Dead Redemption 2 receives, it’s easy to see why its predecessor is recommended for fans of unique Western open-world games with fun narratives and engaging gameplay. Throughout their adventure, players will come to realize how important every dollar is. As such, it’s essential for players to figure out the best way to earn money quickly so that they don’t face any financial issues over the course of the story.
14Random Encounters
Triggered Scenes That Can Result In A Payout
While not all random encounters inRed Dead Redemptionwill earn the player money, some NPCs offer objects that can be sold. Further, there are tasks like ‘Nice Eyes’, ‘The Herbalist’, and ‘The Trapper’, all of which can earn the player can earn some cash or gather some items while showing off their skills at a particular task.
These dynamic encounters deviate from the main path of the story but can be a lot of fun, and add some realism to the world around the player, encouraging the player to dive deeper into activities like hunting and foraging in order to be rewarded.
13Good Ol' Fashioned Treasure Hunting
Players Can Get A Decent Payout
It can be a bit of a pain to try and hunt down treasure inRed Dead Redemption. There’s no denying that the open world is a blast to explore, but that doesn’t make it any less tedious to try and figure out the exact landmark that a map is pointing toward. Some of these locations are a bit too cryptic for most people’s liking.
It’s easy to see why most people prefer to follow a guide to make this act of treasure hunting easier for themselves. There’s no shame in doing so, especially since players gain access to valuable loot and a decent hoard of cash in the process.
12Gather Plants All The Time
A Tedious But Reliable Way To Get Some Money
There are many ways that players can interact with the world ofRed Dead Redemption. From robbing stores to engaging with strangers, there’s no shortage of things to do in the game. In fact, fans can be forgiven for forgetting that there’s one action that players can perform if they wish: gathering herbs in the open world.
As one would expect, this isn’t the most interesting task inRed Dead Redemption, especially given how action-packed this game is at its best. However, if players want to earn some quick cash whenever they’re exploring the world, then it’s important to forage as many herbs as they can to sell them for a quick buck. It may not seem like a lot, but all of a player’s hard-earned looting accumulates to make a pretty penny.
11Hunt Birds When The Opportunity Arises
Winning The Bet Is A Great Way To Fill John’s Pockets
Players can shoot birds just as they hunt animals throughoutRed Dead Redemption. Some of the best locations to find birds spawning include near lakes and rivers, and Dead Eye can be used to slow down time. This is especially useful because birds are particularly small targets, and more difficult to shoot than other animals.
When hunted and skinned, birds inRed Dead Redemptiononly provide feathers, which are not as useful as animal pelts but can be sold to merchants for some money. They are also useful for the mission “Deadalus and Son”.
10Play Five Finger Fillet Over And Over Again
A Simple Mini-game With A Good Payout
There are many ways that players can distract themselves fromthe gorgeous world ofRed Dead Redemption, and a great way to accomplish the same is by playing the minigame Five Finger Fillet. It’s a fairly simple mini-game as long as players are fairly adept at playing video games.
Sure, the button prompts become more and more complex over time, but it never gets too unmanageable either. As a result, John can amass a decent amount of earnings via large bets before getting up and quitting before the minigame becomes ridiculously tough to accomplish.
9Use The Money Cheat
For Players Who Don’t Mind Using Cheat Codes
Rockstar’s games are known for their imaginative cheats, andRed Dead Redemptionis no exception to this golden rule. While the prevalence of cheats in gaming may have died down over time, fans are still glad to see this studio continue this trend in their games.
Players need to input the code ‘The root of all evil, we thank you!’ to get $500 instantly. Players can repeat this code as many times as they want, so long as they don’t mind achievements being disabled.
8Exploit Liar’s Dice In Lights, Camera, Action
A Popular And Widely Accepted Way To Win A Lot Of Money
Lights, Camera, Action is one of the many great Stranger Missions that will keep John occupied during his adventures inRed Dead Redemption. While the mission is pretty decent, it’s the Liar’s Dice segment that opportunistic players should watch out for.
Unlike most games of Liar’s Dice, the ante in this game is set at $200 instead of the usual $20. Savvy gamblers can make the most of this opportunity to get a ton of cash as long as they play smart during this game, making it a profitable avenue for the player to exploit.
7Hunt Down Bounties
Bringing Targets Back Alive Nets More Cash
Selecting bounties and chasing them down isone of the best ways to earn money in the game. After all, these bounties pay a bomb, are fun to go through, and give players a bonus if they manage to lasso and capture said bounty alive.
In fact, it’s exclusively recommended to get all bounties alive, since the money earned is double that if said criminal was brought dead to the sheriff’s office. Also, there’s something innately hilarious about a criminal bouncing around behind the player’s house as John or Jack rides toward the place where they can be dropped off.
Tedious But Rewarding
While this goes without saying, players shouldn’t forget to loot the bodies of their enemies whenever they get the chance. While this sounds like obvious advice, players can rack up a huge kill count in the game, and trying to loot the body of each dead foe can seem overwhelming.
However, players who are diligent and don’t fail to loot every dead body around them will find their coffers growing sooner rather than later. It may not be the most exciting way to earn money, but it’s certainly the best way to maximize a player’s earnings after a particularly grueling shootout.
5Gamble To Your Heart’s Content
Save-Scumming Can Let Players Amass A Ton Of Money In No Time Flat
As isthe case with most Rockstar games, there are many mini-games that players can engage with in this game if they wish to enjoy a distraction after shooting felons left and right. Most of these activities involve players betting some cash, which means that players who manage to find an activity they enjoy in the game should bet as many dollars on it as possible.
There are a variety of mini-games that players can check out if gambling on one particular activity over and over again becomes a bit tiring. Regardless, gambling is a great way to increase the protagonist’s funds, although the argument of how efficient this method can be is a completely different debate altogether.
