Red Dead Redemption 3 Likely, Says Rockstar Cofounder Dan Houser — But He’d Be Sad To Break The Two-Game Arc

With GTA 6 looming, the conversation naturally shifts to the other Rockstar behemoth: are we getting Red Dead Redemption 3? Short answer: probably, according to the guy who helped build the thing. Longer answer: he kind of hopes they don’t.

Who is saying this and why it matters

Dan Houser — Rockstar co-founder, former lead writer, and the guy who had his fingerprints on every Grand Theft Auto and both Red Dead Redemption games — popped up on the Lex Fridman Podcast and gave a surprisingly candid take. He and his brother Sam started Rockstar with three other developers, and Dan led the writing on the Red Dead duology, which explains why he sounds protective of Arthur Morgan and John Marston.

"It probably would be, in some ways, sadder if someone continued on Red Dead, because it was a cohesive two-game arc."

That’s the crux of it. GTA entries tend to stand alone — new city, new cast, fresh crime saga — but Red Dead was designed as a two-parter that connects directly, with Red Dead Redemption 2 serving as a prequel to the first game. It wraps in a way that feels complete.

So will Rockstar make Red Dead Redemption 3?

Houser thinks it will happen. He also makes it clear it won’t be his call. He doesn’t own the IP anymore — that was the trade-off for getting to build it in the first place — and Red Dead is simply too big a franchise for a company to ignore forever. Also, for anyone keeping score, yes, technically a new Red Dead would be the fourth game in the series if you count Red Dead Revolver. Naming is messy.

If they do it, what does it even look like?

There is room to maneuver that doesn’t involve digging up Arthur or John again. A new protagonist, different pocket of the frontier, later (or earlier) era — Rockstar does that all the time with GTA. But let’s be real: the ghosts of Arthur and John are going to hang over whatever comes next for a long while.

The part nobody loves to talk about

Houser also admitted the making of Red Dead Redemption 2 was rough. He says it wasn’t fun for stretches, it wasn’t coming together for a while, and the budget was so blown out he tried not to think about it. That’s a very behind-the-scenes way of saying: do not expect Rockstar to sprint into another Red Dead anytime soon. Big games are only getting bigger and slower to make.

• The setup: With GTA 6 on the horizon, speculation about Red Dead Redemption 3 is heating up (and yes, RDR2 is technically the third Red Dead game overall).
• Who said what: Dan Houser, Rockstar co-founder and former lead writer, spoke on the Lex Fridman Podcast.
• The vibe: He is emotionally tied to Arthur and John and sees Red Dead as a tidy two-game story, unlike GTA’s standalone entries.
• The hedge: He still thinks a new Red Dead will probably happen because the brand is huge — he just won’t be the one steering it.
• What it could be: A new character and locale within the Old West timeline, rather than reopening Arthur/John’s saga.
• Timing reality check: Development cycles are getting longer; do not hold your breath.
• Production scars: RDR2’s development, by Houser’s own telling, was a slog — slow to click and way over budget.

Bottom line: Red Dead Redemption 3 feels inevitable, but if it shows up, it’ll arrive on Rockstar time — and probably with a new face under the hat.