The Red Dead series has no shortage of gunfights that keeps players on the edge of their seats. Whether escaping a job gone wrong, getting embroiled in local politics, or simply being caught out by a hostile gang. Players will have to fight their way through hordes of enemies, man or animal, to survive in the Wild West.
Despite the requirement for a firearm, there are still some gunfights that stand out from all the others – engagements so violent that players will leave a pile of corpses, or fights so desperate that failure is not an option. Whether it's Arthur Morgan or John Marston, each gunslinger has had the most intense gunfights across the Red Dead Redemption games.
10 Hanging Of Bonnie MacFarlane
In one of the earlier missions in Red Dead Redemption, John must rescue Bonnie with Marshal Leigh after she was kidnapped by Bill Williamson’s gang. It isn’t the most difficult firefight, but considering Bonnie has saved John’s life, and the two have spent quite a lot of time together, many players will be itching to set her free and take revenge on her kidnappers.
The fight starts off already intense, considering Tumbleweed is infested with gang members, eager to shoot the iconic hat off of John Marston's head, and a lawman. However, when the stool that keeps Bonnie standing is kicked away, the clock starts ticking before Bonnie's neck snaps from the rope, or suffocates due to a lack of oxygen.
9 Shady Belle Ambush
One of the few times in Red Dead Redemption 2 when the camp comes under attack, Arthur, Dutch, Sadie, and the others must defend it against an O’Driscoll ambush. Right before the attack, a decapitated Kieran rides into camp, killed by his former compatriots. Kieran was dealt a bad hand, and the cruelty of his murder makes some players immediately want to avenge his death with their weapons.
During the firefight, players must barricade the manor and defend it from within, before Arthur can flank around and deal with the attackers. The fight is close to home, and with so many gang members at risk of dying, it can be a frightening ordeal, one where Arthur feels responsible for their safety.
8 Assault On Fort Mercer
After John Marston was shot and left to die after a confrontation with Bill Williamson in Red Dead Redemption, many players will want to take revenge on Williamson and his gang once he recovers from his gunshot wound at MacFarlane's Ranch. The assault on Fort Mercer gives players that opportunity, with John taking control of a Gatling gun hidden in a wagon. Players will feel the power of a Gatling gun for the very first time as they tear Bill Williamson’s gang to shreds.
Not only is Fort Mercer a fortress, but it’s also guarded by a small army of men, and reinforcements arrive by the dozens. It makes for a hair-raising and non-stop firefight that will leave the player’s ammunition running seriously low. If players have already played Red Dead Redemption 2, then this gunfight becomes all the more intense, as players will understand the relationship between former gang members, John and Bill.
7 Escape From The Army
The Favored Sons mission in Red Dead Redemption 2 sees Arthur, Dutch, and Eagle Flies ambush an army patrol. This fight alone is intense, with great music and plenty of gunfire to boot. However, a fight with the army inevitably goes wrong, forcing the player to flee from a whole horde of angry enlisted. The chase eventually ends in a canyon, and with nowhere to go but down, the player is allowed to take out as many soldiers as they can.
It’s impossible to take them all down, but the player can kill most before plummeting into the waters below, following Dutch's poetic words about the inability to fight change and gravity. The entire mission is running and gunning, and Arthur and Dutch’s desperate escape attempt is certainly an unforgettable one.
6 Trolley Station Shootout
Acting on a tip-off from Angelo Bronte, Dutch, Arthur, and Lenny rob a trolley station in Saint Denis and attempt to escape on a trolley itself in Red Dead Redemption 2. The thrilling chase sequence that follows leads players across half the city, ducking into side alleys and emerging onto streets to fend off legions of law enforcement.
The trolley crash and Dutch’s head injury make the chase even more chaotic, and when the player finally does escape, they leave half the Saint Denis police force dead behind them, along with carnage to the growing town that makes it hard to return and show face.
5 American Venom
In the final story mission in Red Dead Redemption 2, American Venom sees John take revenge against Micah years after Arthur's death and the collapse of the Van der Linde gang. John goes through the snowy mountains, gunning through an entire gang to reach Micah. From the initial standoff with Joe, right through to the final confrontation, the snowy mountains are the perfect place for such a hectic shootout, with a great rendition of the iconic Red Dead Redemption theme.
Enemies appear everywhere – taking positions on the high ground, darting out from shacks, and even running in from behind – with badass music blaring the whole time. It makes for a spectacular bout of vengeance-fueled violence, and a satisfying finale to Red Dead Redemption 2's epilogue chapter, especially with justice being brought to Arthur Morgan.
4 Cornwall Kerosene and Tar
With Eagle Flies attempting a suicidal assault on the army, Arthur leads his mission to rescue Rains Fall’s last son. Charging down the hillside by side with Native American allies as they aim with bows and arrows is one of the most memorable scenes in the game, and the fight only starts there. Almost the entire gang is present, riding horses and shooting rifles.
What follows is a lengthy firefight set across the burning oil fields of Cornwall Kerosene and Tar, with the gang fending off a seemingly endless horde of army men. Featuring train reinforcements, maxim guns, factory shootouts, and a wounded Eagle Flies saving Arthur’s life, the mission is one of the fiercest in Red Dead Redemption 2 as the game nears its climax.
3 Braithwaite Manor
With Jack kidnapped, Sean dead, and the gang betrayed by the two wealthy families they were trying to play with, the gang rides out to destroy the Braithwaites and rescue Jack in Red Dead Redemption 2. The moon sets the mood perfectly, illuminating the tense stand-off between the two warring sides.
The gang quickly unleashes their wrath, gunning down dozens of Braithwaite goons, beating back reinforcements, and searching the house for any sign of Jack. It all ends with Mrs. Braithwaite in her nightie wailing as her sons are shot and her manor burns to the ground, concluding one of the most powerful and brutal shootouts in the game.
2 The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed
In the final mission of Red Dead Redemption, John and his family come under attack from the FIB and army at Beecher's Hope. The army was sent to kill the last remnant of Dutch’s gang, refusing to allow any loose ends. Squads of soldiers ride in from all directions to assault the ranch, and John, Uncle, and Jack are forced to fight back.
Uncle is killed during the ordeal, and the player must shoot their way to the barn, where John says goodbye to his family and lets them escape on horseback. John then faces his attackers head-on, who surround him outside the barn, in a desperate attempt to take as many of them with him as he can, giving his wife and child enough time to escape. Players can kill some, but will ultimately fall in a hail of gunfire in a tragic death.
1 Arthur’s Last Stand
In the mission aptly titled Red Dead Redemption, Arthur and John try to escape both the Pinkertons and Dutch’s now-deranged gang in Red Dead Redemption 2. Despite fighting every step of the way, Arthur is slowed by his tuberculosis and tells John he won’t make it, urging him to run and not look back. The player then sacrifices themselves in a heroic last stand to keep the Pinkertons away just long enough for John to escape with his family.
After playing the entire game as Arthur, and watching him change for the better during the chaos and evil of chapter 6, Arthur’s sacrifice is an emotional one, and his intense last stand saves the lives of John, Jack, and Abigail. It isn’t the most difficult gunfight in the game, nor is it the most hectic – but it is the most meaningful.