How to Make Money Fast in RDR2 Story Mode

Money is hard to come by in the early hours of Red Dead Redemption 2 — the Van der Linde gang is broke, the camp is struggling, and everything costs more than you’d like. This guide covers the fastest and most reliable methods for filling your wallet in story mode, from looting gold bars to running bounties, all without touching a single cheat code.

1. Loot and Sell Gold Bars

• Available from: Chapter 2
• Repeatable: No (fixed locations)
• Earnings: $500 per bar

Gold bars are the single most valuable lootable item in the game — each one sells to a Fence for $500. There are over a dozen spread across the map, many in abandoned locations that require no combat whatsoever. This is the fastest way to get a large sum of money early in the game.

The most accessible gold bar early on is inside the Limpany Sheriff’s Office, just south of Horseshoe Overlook. The town burned down, but the lock box under the sheriff’s desk still contains a gold bar. You can grab it as soon as Chapter 2 opens up.

How to Get the Limpany Gold Bar

1. Ride to Limpany — the burned-down town south of Horseshoe Overlook, just north of Flat Iron Lake.
2. Enter the ruined Sheriff’s Office and look under the desk for a lock box.
3. Open it to collect the gold bar.
4. Ride to any Fence (the nearest is Seamus at Emerald Ranch) and sell it for $500.

Fences are the only buyers for gold bars — don’t try to sell them at a general store. The Fence at Emerald Ranch is unlocked during the mission Pouring Forth Oil in Chapter 2.

2. Solve Treasure Maps

• Available from: Chapter 2
• Repeatable: No (per chain)
• Earnings: $100–$500+ per cache

Treasure map chains are some of the most rewarding activities in the game. Each map leads you to a cache that usually contains gold bars, cash, or valuable trinkets. There are several independent chains to work through, including the Jack Hall Gang maps, the Poisonous Trail maps, and the High Stakes maps.

The Jack Hall Gang Treasure is the most beginner-friendly chain. The first map can be bought from the treasure hunter Maximo, who you’ll find near Flatneck Station in Chapter 2. Follow each map in sequence to claim a reward of two gold bars at the final cache.

How to Complete a Treasure Map Chain

1. Find or purchase the first map in a chain. Maximo near Flatneck Station sells the Jack Hall Gang Map 1 for $10.
2. Study the map carefully — it shows a rough sketch of a real landmark in the game world.
3. Ride to the location and search the area for the cache (look for disturbed ground or a rock formation).
4. Collect the contents and move on to the next map in the chain.

If you’re struggling to find a cache, dismount and use Eagle Eye (L3 + R3). It highlights interactive objects in the environment, including buried treasure spots.

3. Hunt Legendary Animals

• Available from: Chapter 2
• Repeatable: No (16 total)
• Earnings: $50–$200 per legendary pelt

Hunting is one of the most enjoyable ways to earn money in RDR2, and Legendary Animals are the premium targets. There are 16 Legendary Animals in story mode, and each one drops a unique pelt that can’t be lost — even if your horse is killed, the pelt is automatically sent to the Trapper.

Sell the Legendary Pelts and carcasses to the Trapper for cash, and use the materials to craft powerful outfits and trinkets — many of which permanently boost your cores. The Legendary Bear Pelt is especially valuable, both for cash and for the Bear Head Hat you can craft from it.

The Legendary Tatanka Bison and Legendary Coyote are two of the easiest targets early in the game. Check your map for the paw print icons that appear once you’ve traveled close enough to a Legendary Animal’s territory.

4. Complete Bounties

• Available from: Chapter 2
• Repeatable: Yes
• Earnings: $50–$150 per target

Bounty hunting is a steady, repeatable source of income throughout the game. Head to any Sheriff’s Office as you discover new towns to pick up bounty posters. Each poster activates a mission with a marked search area for the target.

Always try to bring your target in alive — you’ll earn significantly more than bringing them in dead. Use your lasso to hogtie them, drape them over your horse, and ride back to the Sheriff’s Office or jail to collect your reward.

Some bounty targets are accompanied by gang members. Clear the gang first before attempting to lasso the target, and always loot the bodies before leaving — you can easily add another $20–30 from enemy loot on top of the bounty reward.

5. Rob Trains & Stagecoaches

• Available from: Chapter 2
• Repeatable: Yes
• Earnings: $100–$500+ per robbery

Train and stagecoach robberies are the most outlaw approach to making money, and they can be very lucrative. Passenger trains often carry wealthy travelers with watches, jewelry, and cash. Express stagecoaches can carry strongboxes with hundreds of dollars inside.

Be mindful of the bounty system — robbing in populated areas will raise your wanted level. Keep robberies to remote stretches of track, wear your bandana to hide your identity, and pay off your bounty at a Post Office after each major haul.

How to Rob a Train

1. Find a train on the tracks (check your map for the train icon, or wait near a station).
2. Ride alongside the train on horseback and board it by jumping on.
3. Work through the cars, robbing passengers at gunpoint. Target well-dressed passengers first — they carry watches worth $15–30 each.
4. Blow the safe in the rear car with dynamite and collect the cash inside.
5. Escape and ride away from the search area to lose your wanted level.

6. Loot Everything, Always

• Available from: Chapter 1
• Repeatable: Yes
• Earnings: Highly variable — adds up fast

A large number of players leave significant money on the table simply by not looting every body and every drawer they encounter. After any combat encounter, take the time to loot every enemy — bodies carry cash, jewelry, tonics, and ammo that all add up over time.

Explore every abandoned cabin and house you come across. Drawers, wardrobes, and chests frequently contain cash and valuables. Sell everything you can’t use to a General Store or Fence — even a handful of gold rings and pocket watches can net you $30–50 per haul.

During certain story missions, a cutscene triggers as soon as you interact with your allies — and you’ll lose the chance to loot nearby bodies. Always loot enemies before approaching your fellow gang members at the end of a mission encounter.

7. Maintain High Honor

• Available from: Chapter 1
• Repeatable: Ongoing
• Benefit: Up to 50% off at stores

This one doesn’t directly earn you money — but it saves you a significant amount. Keeping Arthur’s Honor level high (by helping strangers, paying your debts, and avoiding unnecessary killing) unlocks progressively larger discounts at shops across the world.

At maximum Honor, you’ll pay around half price at general stores, gunsmiths, and stables. Given how expensive horses, weapons, and upgrades can be, this effectively doubles the value of every dollar you earn. The Black Arabian horse in Saint Denis costs over $1,000 — but high-honor players pay closer to $700.

Quick Reference — Money Methods at a Glance

Method	Est. Earnings	Difficulty	Repeatable?
Gold Bars	$500 per bar	Easy	No
Treasure Map Chains	$500–$2,000 total	Easy	No (per chain)
Legendary Animal Hunting	$50–$200 per pelt	Medium	No (16 total)
Bounty Hunting	$50–$150 per target	Medium	Yes
Train & Stagecoach Robbery	$100–$500 per run	Hard	Yes
Looting Bodies & Buildings	$5–$50 per encounter	Easy	Yes
High Honor Discounts	Up to 50% off stores	Easy	Ongoing

For most players, the quickest path to early wealth is: grab the Limpany gold bar in Chapter 2, complete the Jack Hall Gang treasure map chain, and run a few bounties while looting every enemy along the way. You’ll have several thousand dollars within a few hours — more than enough to buy the best horse and upgrade your camp with services like fast travel.

Have any good ways to make a lot of cash in Red Dead Redemption 2? Drop them in the comments below to help your fellow players!