‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ Mistakes You’ll Never Be Able to Unsee

While exploring a vast world spanning five states and hunting mythical creatures, you might notice minor visual inconsistencies. These aren’t major flaws, just small quirks in how the game handles loading and saving, becoming apparent if you pay close attention.

These issues are simple to recreate by performing certain actions or observing what happens when the game switches between different modes. Consider it a guide to the subtle glitches hidden within the game’s workings. Once you spot them, they become quite noticeable, particularly when the game moves between open-world exploration and story sequences.

The Hat That Magically Comes Back

If Arthur loses his hat during a fight, a mission can start or a cutscene can begin, and the hat will magically reappear on his head. This can even happen if you just saw the hat fall to the ground. The game seems to automatically restore his default appearance, including the hat, during important story moments and cutscenes.

I found this really interesting glitch in Red Dead Redemption 2! If you start a fight right outside the Valentine saloon and then quickly run to where a mission marker is, something weird happens. The game loads a version of Arthur with his default hat on during the cutscene, even if he wasn’t wearing one before. Then, when you’re back in control, it looks like his hat just… teleported onto his head! It’s a funny little visual bug.

Long Guns That Vanish Between Scenes

The game sometimes takes away your rifles and heavy weapons during story scenes. You might start a scene with a repeater and shotgun, but end up with just pistols when you regain control. This happens most often during missions where you automatically ride a horse or are placed near one with a specific goal.

This glitch happens when you have two long guns equipped, enter a mission, and then open your weapon wheel after the scene finishes. The wheel will reset to its default setup, and your long guns will seem to disappear for a moment before reappearing in storage.

Dirt and Blood That Clean Themselves

If Arthur gets covered in mud, dirt, and blood, a cutscene might show him looking cleaner during conversations. This is because the game uses a different, cleaner character model for these scenes. When the game returns to normal gameplay, the dirt and grime may reappear, or look slightly different than before.

Test it out after getting into a brawl in Valentine or a messy hunt. Begin a dialogue during a mission and observe how dirt and bloodstains realistically appear and change on your clothing. The effect is clearest on lighter-colored clothes and the duster coat, where you’ll notice splatter patterns evolving as the game loads and unloads new areas.

Bodies That Disappear After Transitions

After clearing out a gang hideout, you can quickly leave using the stagecoach or by sleeping. When you return, many of the bodies will have disappeared. This is because the game automatically removes them to keep things running smoothly, and traveling or starting missions speeds up this process.

You can test this by going to the abandoned Driscoll camps in the Heartlands. Beat up the enemies there, then travel a short distance – even just crossing into a new area will do – and return. You’ll notice items and bodies disappear in groups, giving the impression that the scene has been completely cleared.

Pelts That Vanish From Your Horse

After loading a good animal hide and a small body onto your horse, start a mission. This will trigger a cinematic sequence. When you regain control, you might find that one or both of the items you loaded are gone. The game uses memory during these mission scenes and can sometimes unexpectedly remove items that weren’t specifically included in the planned events.

During story missions, especially when traveling to Saint Denis, be careful not to lose valuable animal pelts. To keep them safe, sell them to a trapper or butcher *before* starting the next mission. Otherwise, the game might remove them from your horse without warning.

Trains That Pop In Out Of Nowhere

If you wait by a train crossing when no train is coming, open and then close the game’s pause menu. This will often cause a train to appear on the next section of track very quickly. The game loads trains and their schedules in sections, and pausing and resuming seems to trigger a reload of these sections.

You’ll notice this most clearly on the track north of Rhodes. Position yourself near the signal, wait briefly, and then head back. The next train might arrive surprisingly quickly, almost as if it appeared suddenly nearby instead of coming from far away.

Wagons That Leave No Lasting Tracks

Driving over soft ground leaves noticeable tracks. However, these tracks aren’t permanent. If you move far enough away and the game reloads the area, or simply look away and back, the tracks will disappear and the ground will look smooth again. This is because the game only creates these ground markings temporarily for the areas you’re currently viewing.

You can easily see this effect in a field in the Heartlands, even on a rainy day. Simply drive a heavily loaded wagon in a small circle, back up about twenty meters to create an unloaded area, and then drive the circle again. You’ll notice many of the wagon tracks will be fainter or disappear, making it look like the trail has reset itself.

Outfits That Change Mid Conversation

Characters in the game can change their clothing, like switching coats or hats, as the weather changes between story scenes. The game automatically adjusts their outfits to match the climate, and this sometimes happens mid-conversation, leading to unexpected costume changes.

I recently discovered this cool little detail in the game! If you start talking to an NPC when it’s raining, and then just wait a few seconds for the weather to clear up, sometimes they’ll actually *change* their outfit! It’s not a huge thing, maybe they’ll take off a coat or switch hats, but it’s really neat. I noticed it’s more obvious when you’re out in places like the mountains, but you can sometimes see it even in towns like Valentine if you look closely.

Cigarettes That Do Not Reduce Your Count

When Arthur lights a cigarette during a cutscene, it looks great, but sometimes it doesn’t actually use up a cigarette from your inventory. This is because cutscenes use pre-made animations and don’t always tell the game to update your items like when you use something normally.

You can test this by keeping track of how many premium or regular cigarettes you have. Start a scene where Arthur smokes while talking, then check your inventory. The number of cigarettes remaining is often the same as it was before the scene, making it appear as though you didn’t actually use one.

Moon And Shadows That Jump After Sleep

If you sleep through the day and night at a campsite, you might notice the moon or shadows change much faster than they normally would. This time jump quickly advances the in-game day and night cycle, affecting the lighting and when certain events happen.

Near Flatneck Station, you’ll notice a pattern of activity that happens both in the mornings and at night. Pay attention to the moon and how it appears to move in relation to nearby landmarks. The game’s lighting is designed to keep things visible during missions, but this can cause the moon’s phases and position to change suddenly.

Tell us about the smallest mistake or error that bothers you the most, and where you first noticed it, in the comments below.

2025-10-07 04:15