Rumours Suggest Red Dead Redemption 3 May Be Entering Early Pre-Production

As anticipation continues to build around Rockstar’s next era, attention is quietly shifting beyond Grand Theft Auto VI and back to the American frontier. New industry chatter, executive remarks, and long standing development patterns are fuelling speculation that Red Dead Redemption 3 may already be taking its first steps behind the scenes.

Neither Rockstar Games nor parent company Take-Two Interactive have made any official announcements. However, a growing collection of subtle signals suggests the franchise is far from dormant.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has previously described Red Dead Redemption as a permanent franchise, placing it alongside the publisher’s most valuable long term properties. While he has consistently stressed that Rockstar titles require extended development cycles, the implication is clear that a third mainline entry is expected at some point. From a commercial perspective, the success of Red Dead Redemption 2, which has surpassed 65 million copies sold, makes a future sequel all but inevitable.

If the project has entered pre-production, it would be in a very early and limited form. At Rockstar, this phase typically involves a small internal team focused on concept rather than execution. This can include narrative discussions around setting and era, early concept art to establish tone, and technical evaluations of how systems developed for GTA VI could be adapted for vast natural environments, animal behaviour, weather systems, and horseback traversal.

Speculation intensified earlier this year following an unverified LinkedIn profile update from a former Rockstar employee referencing work on unannounced titles involving next generation vehicle AI. While many assumed this related to GTA VI, others noted that the wording could just as easily apply to horses and wagons, which are central to the Red Dead experience.

Actor Roger Clark, who portrayed Arthur Morgan, has also addressed the franchise’s future during public appearances. While confirming that Arthur’s story has definitively concluded, Clark has repeatedly expressed confidence that a third game will happen eventually, even if he has no insight into its timing.

The largest obstacle remains Rockstar’s development structure. The studio historically commits the bulk of its workforce to a single flagship project at a time. With Grand Theft Auto VI still in active development, Red Dead Redemption 3 would not enter full production until after GTA’s release. If GTA VI launches in late 2026 as expected, meaningful development on the next Red Dead would likely begin in 2027, placing a realistic release window in the early 2030s.

While fans should not expect an announcement anytime soon, the evidence suggests Red Dead Redemption 3 is no longer just a distant idea. It may already exist in outlines, concept work, and internal discussions, quietly laying the groundwork for the franchise’s eventual return.