Is RDR in the same universe as GTA?

[cant remember]

For me (headcanon) I consider RDR to be a part of the GTA franchise, mainly because they are both published by R* and have a similar engine and gameplay loop.... basically I see it as GTA in cowboy times.

Also because I'm starved of a new GTA game so RDR2 has to fill the void.

 

But what's other people's take on it? There's a few things I noticed that could point to them not being in the same universe:

- Different title and considered to be a different "Franchise"

- Characters in-game mention New York instead of Liberty City

- Obviously aswell RDR has completely unique locations and characters non of which ever crossed over from GTA.

 

The last bulletpoint especially renders the whole point moot whether it's in the same universe or not but I like thinking about it just for the sake of imagination.

[universetwisters]

1 hour ago, cant remember said:

- Characters in-game mention New York instead of Liberty City

This reason here is why I don’t believe them to be in the same universe. Of course you could give Red Dead Redemption 1 a pass because iirc they only mentioned New York once in passing, but Red Dead Redemption 2 had every opportunity to reference the gta cities in cigarette cards for example and they didn’t take it.

[Space Cowboy]

It shouldn't be in the same universe. Most noticeably Red Dead 2 contains heavily condensed version of several states (which we can see in its very divere map), while HD era GTA games do not have that. In GTA IV you have two states, but neither of them are captured in its entirety, and in GTA VI we will have Florida and maybe parts of some other state. For the scale of maps alone it doesn't make any sense to have the two franchises in the same universe.

[El Tigre chino]

Rockstar is implying they are in the same universe but I’m not buying it.

 

If North Yankton is supposed to be based off North and South Dakota why is Ambarino there instead of the North Yankton? was there a name change?

 

 

it’s just really inconsistent

 

[universetwisters]

2 hours ago, El Tigre chino said:

If North Yankton is supposed to be based off North and South Dakota why is Ambarino there instead of the North Yankton? was there a name change?

 

 

 

tbh I think Ambarino is supposed to be Colorado cuz theyre both named after spanish colors

[sabitsuki]

9 hours ago, universetwisters said:

This reason here is why I don’t believe them to be in the same universe. Of course you could give Red Dead Redemption 1 a pass because iirc they only mentioned New York once in passing, but Red Dead Redemption 2 had every opportunity to reference the gta cities in cigarette cards for example and they didn’t take it.

California is also mentioned in both games so chances of them being in the same universe is slim.

[universetwisters]

6 minutes ago, sabitsuki said:

California is also mentioned in both games so chances of them being in the same universe is slim.

 

tbh I only remember California being mentioned in a radio commercial in IV and a license plate in V (excluding music and lyrics etc)

[KEK540]

Officially, definitely not. Although if it's in you headcanon; you do you buddy. I retcon a bunch of games in my head so that they're in the same shared universe.

[gtafaninwest]

8 hours ago, sabitsuki said:

California is also mentioned in both games so chances of them being in the same universe is slim.

There is a mention of San Francisco.