Emotions are what make us humans, and video games that know how to play with these emotions have the potential to win our hearts. There are very few studios that know how to do this, and arguably the best one among them isRockstar Games. Where they once used to boast a plethora of different franchises, the studio is now solely focused on the Grand Theft Auto and theRed Dead Redemptionfranchise, and maybe that’s for the better.
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But of the two franchises, it’s the latter where the writers start to spew fire from their pens to write some of the most harrowing tales. The characters in the Red Dead Redemption franchise are relics of a past the world has moved on from, enforcing the rule of “change with the times or die trying”.
Though sometimes, even that isn’t enough, as the past has a cruel way of turning up on the doorstep, uninvited and with an army of men holding 12-gauge shotguns in their hands. Even players who feel very little emotion will tear up at these saddest deaths in the Red Dead Redemption franchise.
A Hunter’s Demise
Most men in the Wild West live by the gun and die by it, but Hamish Sinclair wasn’t most men. A retired soldier with a leg lost in battle, Hamish spends his later years fishing and hunting near his remote cabin, offering Arthur (or John, if Arthur is gone) a rare glimpse at a simpler life, one that isn’t built on violence.
His death, however, is as brutal as any outlaw’s. A boar hunt takes a tragic turn when the beast turns on him, leaving him mortally wounded. His final moments are quiet, spent reflecting on a life well lived before passing on hisprized horseto the player. Hamish isn’t a famous gunslinger or a notorious criminal, but his death is a reminder that even the most honorable men aren’t spared from the brutality of the frontier.
The Uncle Who Never Left
For all the jokes about being lazy and useless, Uncle was one of the few people who stuck by John Marston until the bitter end. He may have spent more time drinking than working, but when the time came, he stood his ground alongside John and Abigail, fighting off the soldiers who came to wipe out the last remnants of the Van der Linde gang.
His death is the first sign that John’s story isn’t going to end well. Shot down as he tries to defend the Marston ranch, Uncle dies like a true cowboy with a gun in hand, fighting against impossible odds. It’s a cruel fate for a man who, despite his flaws, was family to John and Jack.
8Keiran Duffy
A Fate Worse Than Death
Kieran never really belonged. First an O’Driscoll, then a reluctant member of the Van der Linde gang, he spent his time trying to prove himself in a world that never truly accepted him. By the time Arthur starts to trust him, it’s too late: he’s kidnapped, tortured and left for dead in the most gruesome way possible.
When his lifeless body is thrown into camp, headless and tied to a horse, it’s one of RDR2’s most shocking moments. Kieran wasn’t a killer or a thief by nature, just a man trying to survive. But in the world of Red Dead Redemption, that’s not always enough.
7Luisa Fortuna
A Revolution’s Tragic End
Luisa Fortuna dreamed of a better Mexico, free from tyranny and oppression. A passionate revolutionary, she fought alongside Abraham Reyes to overthrow the corrupt government, only to be betrayed by the veryman she loved.
Her death is senseless. Dragged in front of a firing squad, she’s gunned down without mercy. Unlike many deaths in Red Dead Redemption, there’s no last stand, no chance at revenge, just a dream cut short. In the end, Reyes achieves victory, but his new regime is just as corrupt as the one he replaced, making Luisa’s sacrifice feel all the more hollow.
6Dutch Van Der Linde
“Our Time Has Passed”
Dutch Van Der Linde was once a man of ideals, but by the time John Marston finally tracks him down in Red Dead Redemption, he’s nothing more than a shadow of his former self. His grand speeches have lost their conviction, and his dreams of freedom reduced to paranoia and empty rhetoric.
In the end, he chooses to go out on his own terms, stepping off a cliff rather than being taken in by the government. It’s not a satisfying death, not a glorious final duel, or a fitting punishment. It’s just sad. Dutch spent his whole life running from the law, but in the end, he was really running from himself.
5Sean McGuire
Laughing Until the End
For a gang full of outlaws, Sean was the closest thing to a comedian Red Dead Redemption 2 had. Loud, reckless and always ready with a joke, he was one of the few characters who seemed to genuinely enjoy life.
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That’s what makes his death so jarring. One moment he’s cracking jokes in Rhodes, the next, he’s dead on the ground, a bullet through his skull. Just like that, he’s gone, and the game never lets players forget how fast things can change in theWild West.
4Sam Odessa
A Dream That Never Reached California
Some deaths in Red Dead Redemption come with shootouts and explosions. Sam Odessa’s death is far quieter but just as heartbreaking, if not more. A young man desperate to reach California, he spends his time talking about the paradise that awaits him: gold, opportunity, a new life.
But by the time John finds him, it’s too late. He’s collapsed on the ground, too weak to move, his dream having died long before his body gave out. In the letter to Sam’s wife that John finds on his body, the last line reads: “I had everything, and gave it up in the pursuit of nothing”, which just goes ahead to drive home how cruel the Wild West is.
3Hosea Mathews
A Father Figure of the Van der Linde Gang
Hosea always knew Dutch’s dreams of a better life were just that — dreams. He tried to keep the gang grounded, to remind them that a life of crime only ends one way. His wisdom and warmth made him one of the few people Arthur could truly trust.
Then, in Saint-Denis during the bank heist, everything falls apart. As the gang scrambles to escape, Hosea is dragged in front of the law and executed by Agent Milton, marking the beginning of the gang’s downfall. His death is even more tragic because he was the only one who saw Dutch’s paranoia and cruelty coming but couldn’t prevent it.
2Arthur Morgan
The Outlaw Redeemed
Arthur Morgan’s story isn’t about revenge or power, it’s about redemption. Once a ruthless outlaw, his journey leads him to something far more valuable than gold: peace.
Whether he dies fighting or watching the sun rise, his fate is sealed the moment he’s diagnosed with tuberculosis. Arthur’s final moments are quiet, reflecting on the choices he’s made. He doesn’t get a hero’s death, but he gets something better, a final act of kindness, ensuring John and his family escape the life that doomed him. But we all know how that turns out.
1John Marston
One Revolver vs. Fifteen Shotguns
John Marston did everything he could to leave his past behind, but the past never lets go. His final stand against Edgar Ross’s army is one of the most gut-wrenching moments in gaming: a last, hopeless attempt to protect his family before being cut down in a hail of bullets.
His sacrifice isn’t in vain as Abigail and Jack are able to escape, but it still hurts. The man who tried to escape the outlaw life was always destined to die by the gun. But what hurts even more is that Arthur sacrifices himself to save John and his family, and John gives up everything, his freedom, his dreams and ultimately his life so that his son could have the chance to live a life untouched by the cycle of violence that doomed them both. Yet, in the end, Jack still picks up a gun, proving that no matter how hard they try, some things are set in stone.
Red Dead Redemption 2
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