Red Dead Redemption 3: 10 Cities That Could Be On The Map

Red Dead Redemption and its prequel are considered masterpieces for a plethora of reasons. The voice acting was world class. The soundtracks were second to none. The storytelling in both installments put most of their video game peers - as well as plenty of big-budget Hollywood films - to shame.

One of the most impressive accomplishments in this franchise, though, has been its worldbuilding. The maps are absolutely breathtaking, and the world within feels truly alive. The first game crafted a living, breathing environment, and the prequel improved upon it in every way. Be it the alligator-infested swamps of Lemoyne, the snow-capped mountains of Ambarino, or the sun-soaked, rocky deserts of New Austin, everything feels perfectly realized.

That includes the games' settlements, like the muddy hamlet of Valentine, the slowly decaying outpost of Tumbleweed, or the bustling metropolis of Saint Denis. Each painstakingly created, each wholly unique, each with their own distinct personalities, and each with a palpable sense of life, history, identity, and culture.

It's worth noting that while none of them are real cities, they still take inspiration from real cities. Saint Denis is very clearly modeled after New Orleans; Armadillo is a stand-in for traditional western frontier towns; and Valentine is inspired by livestock towns like Cheyenne, Wyoming. None of the cities on this list will ACTUALLY appear, but they could very well serve as the inspirational basis for some of the settlements in the game world.

So what cities could Rockstar take cues from? Let's have a look.

Hole-in-the-Wall isn't technically a town, but it's one of the most significant destinations in the entirety of Old West lore, so it bears mentioning.

This remote pass in the Big Horn Mountains would become the meeting place for the Hole in the Wall Gang, a group of bandits and cattle rustlers that counted famous outlaws like Black Jack Ketchum, Kid Curry, the Logan Brothers, and Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch (which seems to have served as the inspiration for the Van der Linde gang). A slew of other lesser-known gangs met there, as well.

The primary cabin at which they all gathered has been preserved at the Old Trail Town museum in Cody, Wyoming, and can be visited to this day.

At its height, Hole-in-the-Wall boasted several cabins, a stable, a corral, and plenty of livestock, and the gangs that frequented the area all participated in its upkeep. Assuming Red Dead 3 goes even further back in time, we might see the Van der Linde gang at its height, possibly interacting with the early O'Driscoll boys. If they were to all congregate at a hideout, Hole-in-the-Wall could be the basis for that. That would allow a continuation of the camp mechanics established in the second game.