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Fast-forward to 2021, and Rockstar’s masterpiece still holds up as the unofficial industry standard for high-quality graphics in games and an example of ambitious, realistic open-world design. Players still tend to return to some of the most beautiful locations in Red Dead Redemption 2, just to take in the landscape and marvel at the environmental diversity of the game.
Updated August 13th, 2021 by Maciej Grzymkowski: Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game where one of the main attractions and appealing factors is its open world and Rockstar’s attention to detail in recreating the Wild West atmosphere. Not only are the game’s locations meticulously crafted and breathtaking, but some of them also serve as references to real places in the United States.
Whether it’s the Yellowstone-inspired Big Valley or the Braithwaite Manor that serves as a reminder of the nation’s dark, shameful past, Rockstar is undeniably the gaming industry’s leader when it comes to translating historical (and contemporary) realities into a virtual format.
13 Grizzlies West
Located in the state of Ambarino, the Grizzlies are a tall mountain range, characterized by very steep cliffs and passages that are almost too difficult to pass through for the unwary traveler. Home to inspiring views such as the Lake Isabella or Mount Hagen, this region of RDR2 is a must-see. Luckily, it is unmissable, as Arthur Morgan’s adventure starts in this part of the map, the Spider Gorge location to be precise.
Grizzlies West is worth returning to even after rescuing John Marston and leaving the area with Dutch’s gang in the prologue. As the only region in the game that’s completely covered in snow, it makes for a pleasant change of pace and environment.
Is Grizzlies West Inspired By A Real-Life Location?
The Grizzlies mountains (both East and West), are quite obviously inspired by the Rocky Mountains located in Colorado (also known as the Rockies). The jagged peaks and scattered glaciers, as well as deep valleys that are easy to get lost in, are the biggest giveaways of the developers’ inspiration by the Rockies.
12 Saint Denis
The city of Saint Denis is the biggest town to ever be included in a Red Dead Redemption game, and as such, it is truly a sight to behold. Based on the real-world city of New Orleans, Saint Denis is full of interesting architecture and things to do. Partially inspired by the European capitals, and influenced by the unique style of the Wild West, the characteristic saloons share the same streets as pompous city halls and upper-class living quarters in this city.
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Saint Denis is very important to the main plot ofRed Dead Redemption 2, so players are bound to enter its premises at one point or another. The city is worth a longer stay, though. Rushing through the Saint Denis questline without taking the time to appreciate everything this town has to offer is a major mistake.
Is Saint Denis Inspired By A Real-Life Location?
Any American Red Dead Redemption 2 player will quickly make the connection between Saint Denis and the vibrant, eclectic city of New Orleans, LA. Not only is the city itself eerily similar to New Orleans, but its surrounding area, the swampy Leymone state, is also a play on the real-life Louisiana.
11 Bayou Nwa
While the city of Saint Denis certainly is impressive, the area surrounding it is also full of interesting things to do and beautiful sights to view. Inspired by the Bayous of Louisiana, the Bayou Nwa presents players with some of the most unique and visually pleasing sights in gaming. The stagnant water of these swamps is home to many dangers, such as alligators, but there is also something profoundly beautiful about it.
Traversing the boardwalk passages on horseback and witnessing the sunlight seep through the thick fog of the Bayou is truly unforgettable. Generally speaking, there isn’t a lot of “beauty” to be found in swamps, but Rockstar has managed to turn an ugly, dangerous area into a mysterious one, full of marvelous sights and lush (and dangerous) wildlife.
10 Annesburg
The mining town of Annesburg is a breathtaking location for all of the wrong reasons. First of all, it quite literally takes the breath away from anyone who enters it due to the overwhelming air pollution that hangs in its dense air. However, there is something ominously beautiful about the coal mining town, drowning in thick fog.
Despite having a healthy population consisting of miners and their families, Annesburg looks and feels like a ghost town. The ruthless working conditions of miners, breathing problems of its inhabitants, and contaminated water contributes to the disturbing feeling that the settlement is on the verge of becoming an actual ghost town soon enough.
Is Annesburg Inspired By A Real-Life Location?
Although players may be tempted to think that a town like Annesburg would not exist in the real-life United States, the mining settlement is actually inspired by Pittsburg, CA, which in the 1860s was a very prominent coal-mining city where, similarly to Annesburg, the wealth was concentrated in the hands of the few owners of the companies, leaving the miners to fend for themselves.
9 Mount Shann
Located smack in the middle of the West Elizabeth state, Mount Shann is a true monstrosity. Taking up a significant portion of the map, scaling this mountain is no easy feat. The mountain is impressive enough when looked at from the ground, but when making their way to the top, players can witness some of the most meticulously created environments in the industry.
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While there is no single main quest or stranger mission that will challenge them to get to the top of the mountain, there is a mystery to be solved that requires players to get to its summit. Those curious enough to try and solve it should head to an abandoned hut that can be found just north of Emerald Station.
Is Mount Shann Inspired By A Real-Life Location?
Rockstar is known for its attention to detail and love for inspiring its game designs with real-life places. Although at first glance, Mount Shann looks like it may just be a randomly generated mountain if one digs deeper into its layout and composition, they’ll soon realize that it was actually modeled after Mount Shasta, located in Northern California.
8 Spider Gorge
This river, located in the Grizzlies West, originates from an ice waterfall in the glacier located in the northernmost part of the mountains and passes through Colter. Taking a walk along the Spider Gorge can be a welcome change of pace from all of the Wild West action in Red Dead Redemption 2.
The picturesque, frozen landscape players will traverse through when following the Gorge also hides quite a few secrets, including the grave of Jenny Kirk, which needs to be discovered by those looking to obtain the elusive 100% completion of the game.
7 Blackwater
Long-time fans are familiar with the town of Blackwater from the first entry in the Red Dead Redemption franchise. The second game returns to this settlement and shows it in all of its glory. Blackwater is drastically different from RDR2’s other city, Saint Denis, in the way that it took the trend of industrialization of the Wild West to a whole new level.
While players won’t find as many factories and chimneys in Blackwater as in Saint Denis, the general feel of the town is more modern, with paved streets and services such as photographers and movie theaters available for players to interact with. When looked at from the surrounding hills, Blackwater truly is a breathtaking testament to the changes occurring in America during the times Red Dead Redemption 2 is set in.
6 Big Valley (Just North Of Strawberry)
The Big Valley is a region placed in the far north of the map, just above the town of Strawberry. It is heavily forested, and players can expect to encounter a lot of dangerous animals there, such as bears or wolves. Although the primary environments featured in this area are forests, there are also plenty of vast grasslands, creeks, and steep, rocky hills to explore.
It is the perfect place to go for players who are tired of the hustle and bustle of cities like Saint Denis or sick of the small-town drama of Valentine and Strawberry. Going for a hunt or a joy ride in the Big Valley is the perfect way to distance yourself from the heavy and serious tone of the main story and spend some time in beautiful, lush natural surroundings.
Is Big Valley Inspired By A Real-Life Location?
The landscape of Big Valley, bustling with color and wildlife, is based on one of the United States’ most famous wilderness recreation areas: the Yellowstone National Park. From its layout to the flora and fauna, nature enthusiasts will surely recognize Yellowstone’s unmissable characteristics in Big Valley.
5 Cotorra Springs
Although the Grizzlies West is a more noteworthy region, the East part of the mountain range has some bright spots, as well. The Cotorra Springs is definitely one of them. It’s a formation of hydrothermal springs, which are as beautiful as they are dangerous – trying to go for a swim in one of these hot puddles will immediately kill the players.
Aside from taking in the view of these natural phenomena, Cotorra Springs has quite a few secrets waiting to be uncovered. In the north of the volcanic hotspot, players can come across a Legendary Wolf, and if they explore an abandoned tunnel under the springs, there are quite a few rare and valuable items waiting for them.
4 Braithwaite Manor
The Braithwaite Manor is a sprawling estate, covering a very large swath of land in western Leymone. It also plays an important role in Red Dead Redemption 2’s main story, as it is a central point of the Beau White and Penelope Braithwaite love story, and the stolen moonshine questline.
Although this place is a reference to some of the darkest moments in American history, as it was part of a cotton plantation that belonged to a slave-owning family, the Braithwaite Manor’s architecture and coastline location are undeniably beautiful. Ultimately, the Braithwaites got what was coming to them, as the Manor was burned to the ground by Arthur and the rest of Dutch’s gang.
Is Braithwaite Manor Inspired By A Real-Life Location?
The Manor is a near-perfect rendition of the Oak Alley and Houmas House cotton plantations in Louisiana, both of which are prominent historic landmarks and some of the largest slavery museums, not only in Louisiana but in all of the United States.
3 Beecher’s Hope
Just like Blackwater, Beecher’s Hope should sound familiar to those who have played the original Red Dead Redemption. It is home to the Marston family, but it has not always been that way. The beauty of this location is not obvious at first glance. When players first come across Beecher’s Hope in Red Dead Redemption 2 (in 1899), the place is nothing more than an ugly swath of unfertile land.
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It is what John Marston and his family do to the place in the game’s epilogue that grants Beecher’s Hope its breathtaking qualities. After leading the protagonist through a string of quests that involves some hard, backbreaking work in order to turn this forgotten land into a real ranch, players will surely gain a new appreciation for Beecher’s Hope and what the Marstons have managed to make out of it. After spending so much time on the road with Dutch’s gang, Beecher’s Hope is finally the place where players can truly feel at home.
2 Donner Falls
Just like the Cotorra Springs, the Donner Falls is a location that can be found in the Grizzlies East region. It is one that will definitely make players stop their horse and celebrate the view, even if they are in a hurry to the next quest marker.
The sound of the water splashing against the rocks combined with the view of the largest waterfall in Red Dead Redemption 2 should fill the fans with a newfound appreciation of the work the developers put into this revolutionary game.
1 Roanoke Ridge
This region located in the New Hanover state is a vast one, filled with things to do and locations to explore. These subtropical hills can awe players both during the day and at night. It is one of the most isolated regions in RDR2, where, with the exception of Annesburg and the Van Horn Trading Post, human settlements are few and far between.
This emptiness makes Roanoke Ridge quite eerie at times. The feeling is only compounded by the fact that the murderous Murfree Brood faction roam this otherwise beautiful and peaceful area.
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