The best states in Red Dead Redemption 2

Key insights

• New Austin lacks content and ranks last due to limited activities, focusing on barren land and few settlements.
• “Ambarino” is visually impressive but lacks content, making it only suitable for enjoying the scenery or hunting.
• Lemoyne boasts popular settlements, spooky swamps and crucial story moments that make it essential to gameplay.

Red Dead Redemption 2 features five different fictional states, each with unique features that help them stand out in the game. Each state adds something special that brings the game world to life. From breathtaking landscapes to bustling cities, each state has something to offer for players to enjoy as they explore.

However, certain states outperform their competitors in terms of quality, size and availability of content. Of course, this makes some states more worthwhile to visit than others. Therefore, this list ranks each state Red Dead Redemption 2 from worst to best in terms of scenic beauty, content and significance to the story.

This list contains spoilers for the story of Red Dead Redemption 2.

5 New Austin

The Wild West

• Notable places: Tumbleweed, Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch

New Austin has the unfortunate honor of coming last on this list. Players can only reach this state after completing the Red Dead Redemption mission and starting the epilogue as John Marston. The Red Dead Redemption 2 The New Austin version shows the barren land and the lack of extensive settlements.

Tumbleweed and Armadillo do a great job of depicting the Wild West, but there's not much to do in New Austin other than stumble upon gang hideouts. It's a nice trip down memory lane for players who played Red Dead Redemption, But it's missing a lot of the content that makes the other states more entertaining.

4 Ambarino

Where the snow falls

• Notable places: Wapiti Indian Reservation, Mount Hagen, Colter

Ambarino has the same problem as the New Austin Red Dead Redemption 2. It's probably the most visually impressive area in the game. However, there simply isn't enough content to justify exploring Ambarino other than enjoying the state's natural beauty.

The picturesque sight of Mount Hagen and the juxtaposition of snow and greenery give Ambarino a lively atmosphere. The lack of content and minimal involvement in the main story make Ambarino a place worth visiting just for mindless exploration or hunting for legendary animals.

3 Lemonyne

The heart of civilization

• Notable places: Saint Denis, Rhodes, Braithwaite Manor, Caliga Hall, Lagras

Lemonyne is the smallest and at the same time most populous state in the game. It contains some of the most popular settlements on the map, such as Saint Denis and Rhodes. Lemoyne's unique landscape is an abundance of swamps full of dangers such as alligators and night owls.

Lemoyne is one of the few areas where the game can give players goosebumps. Exploring areas like Lagras and Bayou Nwa during the night is quite unsettling. Lemoyne is also where the turning point of history and the gradual disintegration of the Van der Linde gang takes place. Some of the campaign's most important moments, such as Arthur's diagnosis, the deaths of Hosea, Sean and Lenny, and the gang's eventual retreat to Guarma, take place in Lemoyne.

2 West Elizabeth

A mix of nature and modernity

• Notable places: Strawberry, Blackwater, Beecher's Hope, Pronghorn Ranch, Manzanita Post

West Elizabeth offers beautiful areas such as Big Valley, Tall Trees and the Great Plains. It perfectly combines the rapid growth of modernization in the form of Blackwater and the natural beauty of the frontier. West Elizabeth offers players plenty of content to explore. This state is also a prime hunting destination as a wide variety of species are found here.

West Elizabeth plays a crucial role in the story of the Van der Linde gang, as the failed Blackwater ferry heist is the deciding factor Red Dead Redemption 2 in motion. Players can eventually return to West Elizabeth and explore the remaining areas of the state as the epilogue begins. West Elizabeth is a prime example of the seamless fusion of the impending dawn of a new era with the remnants of the past.

1 New Hanover

The greatest of all

• Notable places: Valentine, Annesburg, Emerald Ranch, Van Horn Trading Post

New Hanover is the largest and most famous state in Red Dead Redemption 2. The sheer size of this state should satisfy any player's exploration needs. There are many beautiful areas such as The Heartlands, Emerald Ranch and Roanoke Ridge. New Hanover is always full of content for players to experience.

Similar to Lemoyne, many important events in the story take place in New Hanover, as it follows directly after the prologue and contains some of the most important early moments in the story. New Hanover is truly the pinnacle of Red Dead Redemption 2 World design as it perfectly fulfills everything it has to deliver.