How to Make Money in RDR2: The Fastest Methods

The fastest way to make money in Red Dead Redemption 2 Story Mode is to play the story missions, especially the robbery jobs, which pay far more than anything you can do on the side. Outside the story, the best quick money is gold bars: each one sells to a fence for $500, and the Jack Hall Gang treasure hunt hands you two of them in Chapter 2. Hunting, bounties and selling loot to fences fill the gaps.

Last checked: November 9, 2026. Payouts are from PowerPyx, rdr2.org and GamesRadar. This guide covers Story Mode, not Red Dead Online.

Best ways to make money in RDR2 at a glance

Method	Available from	What it pays
Story missions	Chapter 1	The biggest single payouts; several robbery missions pay $1,000 or more
Treasure hunts (gold bars)	Chapter 2	$500 per gold bar; Jack Hall Gang treasure is $1,000
Selling valuables to fences	Chapter 2	Varies; looted jewelry, watches and trinkets add up
Hunting	Chapter 2	Varies with pelt and carcass quality
Bounty hunting	Chapter 2	Often $100 or more per target
Stolen wagons	Chapter 2	A lump sum per wagon at the Emerald Ranch fence
Robberies	Open world	Good cash, but your bounty climbs
Gambling	Chapter 2	Depends on your luck and skill

1. Play the story missions

This is the answer most players don't want to hear, but it's the fastest. Most chapters have at least one big-payday mission, usually a robbery, and some pay out more than $1,000 at once. Even early jobs add up: rdr2.org notes that Chapter 2's "An American Pastoral Scene" and "Pouring Forth Oil" pay around $500 between them.

During missions that take you inside buildings, loot every drawer and cabinet you pass. It's free money on top of the mission reward.

2. Find gold bars through treasure hunts

Gold bars are the best money in the open world. Every fence buys them for $500 each.

Treasure hunt	Available	Gold bars	Value
Jack Hall Gang	Start of Chapter 2	2	$1,000
Poisonous Trail	Start of Chapter 2	4	$2,000
High Stakes	Chapter 3, after "The New South"	3	$1,500
Le Trésor des Morts	Bonus for Special and Ultimate Edition or digital pre-order owners	5	$2,500

The bar counts for the last three come from PowerPyx's treasure map guide.

How to start each one:

Jack Hall Gang: Find Máximo on the hill west of Flatneck Station and buy his map for $10. Three clues later, the final stash sits on a small island in O'Creagh's Run.
Poisonous Trail: Head to the cabin at Cairn Lake in north-west Ambarino and take the map from the lockbox under the bed. Dress warmly. The trail ends in a cave behind a waterfall, so bring a lantern.
High Stakes: Watch for a treasure hunter random encounter in New Hanover or around Strawberry. Hogtie him and take his map. If you keep missing him, fences sell the map too.

Each hunt has three map clues before the treasure. If you'd rather keep the bars for camp, you can donate them, but selling them to a fence puts the money in Arthur's pocket.

3. Sell loot to fences instead of donating it

Every dead enemy, bounty hunter and bandit can be looted, and much of what you pick up, such as pocket watches, rings and other valuables, is worth more sold than kept. Regular shops won't take it, so sell it to a fence. Fences are at Emerald Ranch (east of Valentine), Rhodes, Saint Denis and the Van Horn Trading Post.

PowerPyx suggests selling valuables rather than dropping them in the camp's tithing box if your goal is Arthur's personal cash.

4. Hunt for pelts and meat

Butchers buy whole carcasses, and pelts can be sold at butchers, trappers and general stores. Quality decides the price:

Use the right weapon for the animal's size. A bow or Varmint Rifle on small game keeps pelts intact, and a headshot gives the best chance at a perfect pelt.
Sell quickly. Carcasses start to rot and lose value the longer you carry them.
If you can't carry a big animal, skin it and take the pelt and meat instead.

For the rarest animals, see our legendary animals guide. Legendary pelts go to the Trapper in Saint Denis for unique outfits rather than counting as quick cash.

5. Take bounties

Bounty hunting opens up in Chapter 2. After that, check the wanted posters at sheriff's offices around the map. Targets often pay $100 or more, and you get more for bringing them in alive, even when the poster says dead or alive. Learn to lasso and hogtie.

Bounties also raise Honor, which saves you money in a different way (see below).

6. Steal and sell wagons, or rob carefully

The fence at Emerald Ranch also buys stolen wagons, and you can take them from roads around the area. Stolen horses, on the other hand, are rarely worth it: low-quality stolen horses can fetch as little as $3.

Robbing shops, stagecoaches, trains and homesteads pays well, but it drives up your bounty and brings bounty hunters after you. Bandit camps are a cleaner option: look for campfire smoke, clear the camp, then loot the bodies and any strongbox.

7. Gamble if you're good at it

Poker unlocks after the Chapter 2 mission "Who Is Not Without Sin", and saloons also offer blackjack, dominoes and Five Finger Fillet. Five Finger Fillet is the most skill-based, so it's the most reliable if your timing is good. Gambling can also lose money fast, so treat it as a bonus rather than a plan.

How to spend less

Saving money matters as much as earning it early on:

Keep your Honor high. Higher Honor unlocks store discounts. PowerPyx lists 10% off at Honor rank 2, 25% at rank 5 and 50% at rank 7.
Don't buy guns you'll get for free. Story missions and dead enemies hand you plenty of good weapons.
Prioritize the fast travel upgrade. The first two Lodging upgrades in camp ($220 and $325) unlock the fast travel map, which saves real time.
Help strangers. Many of the people you help in random encounters repay you later with gifts or favors.

Is there a money cheat?

Yes. Typing Greed is now a virtue in the cheat menu gives $500 each time. Like every cheat, it disables saving and achievements while active, so it isn't a way to boost your main save. Our cheats list has all 37 codes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the fastest way to make money in RDR2?

Story missions, especially the robbery jobs, pay the most for the time spent. Outside the story, treasure hunts are the fastest, because each gold bar sells for $500 at a fence.

How much is a gold bar worth in RDR2?

A gold bar sells for $500 at any fence. The Jack Hall Gang treasure gives two of them, so it's worth $1,000.

Where do you sell gold bars in RDR2?

Sell them to a fence. There are fences at Emerald Ranch, Rhodes, Saint Denis and the Van Horn Trading Post. Regular stores won't buy them.

How do you get the Jack Hall Gang treasure map?

Buy it for $10 from Máximo, who waits on the hill west of Flatneck Station from the start of Chapter 2. The hunt has three clues and ends with two gold bars at O'Creagh's Run.

Is there a money glitch in RDR2?

Not one you should count on. The well-known gold bar duplication at Limpany from 2018 was patched in November 2018, according to rdr2.org. Treasure hunts and story missions are the reliable options.

Does Honor affect money in RDR2?

Yes. Higher Honor gives you store discounts, so you spend less on supplies, clothes and horse gear. Bounties, helping strangers and good mission choices raise it.