The end of the outlaw era

Red Dead Redemption, from Rockstar Games, came out in 2010 and told the story of John Marston, a former outlaw forced to hunt down his old gang as the frontier closed around him. Its prequel, Red Dead Redemption 2, released in 2018, went back to 1899 and the Van der Linde gang at the height of their troubles, through the eyes of Arthur Morgan, Dutch's most loyal enforcer. It became one of the most acclaimed games ever made, praised for its world, its writing and a central performance players still talk about.

Both games are about the end of something: the Wild West giving way to railroads, lawmen and cities, and men who don't know how to be anything else. A Red Dead rug brings that beautiful, melancholy world into the room. Ours are printed into short velvet, so dusty plains, rich leather browns and the soft gold of a prairie sunset come out with depth and texture, and they go in the washing machine.

Arthur Morgan

Arthur, in his worn hat and leather satchel, is one of the most loved characters in gaming: a hard, dangerous man slowly coming to terms with who he's been. A portrait of Arthur, riding into a sunset or sitting by a campfire, is the defining Red Dead rug. It works beautifully in a den or study, especially in a sepia or muted palette that feels like an old photograph.

Arthur's journal

Here's a design unique to Red Dead Redemption 2: Arthur's journal. Throughout the game, he sketches animals, people, places and moments in pencil, with handwritten notes beside them, and the journal becomes one of the most personal parts of the story. A journal-page rug, cream paper, pencil sketches of a deer or a horse, a few lines of handwriting, is an elegant, quiet design that looks like a naturalist's notebook to visitors and like Arthur's thoughts to fans.

The Van der Linde gang

The gang is a family, until it isn't. Dutch van der Linde, the charismatic leader with a plan for everything; Hosea, his oldest friend; John and Abigail Marston and their son Jack; Sadie Adler, the widow who becomes the fiercest gunslinger of them all; Charles Smith, quiet and steadfast; Lenny, Javier, Bill, Uncle, Mary-Beth, Tilly, Miss Grimshaw; and Micah Bell, whom everyone remembers for very different reasons. A gang portrait design, the group posed like an old studio photograph, is a striking, nostalgic rug for fans who were heartbroken by how the story ends.

John Marston and Beecher's Hope

The first game belongs to John Marston, the scarred former outlaw trying to buy back his family's freedom, and to the ranch he builds at Beecher's Hope with Abigail and Jack. His journey across New Austin's deserts and into Mexico, with José González's "Far Away" playing as he rides south, is one of gaming's most remembered moments. A Beecher's Hope design, a small ranch house under a wide sky, is a quiet, hopeful Red Dead rug for fans who know what that home cost.

Horses

No game has made players care about a horse quite like Red Dead Redemption 2. Brushing, feeding, patting and bonding with your horse becomes second nature, and many players never forget theirs. A horse design, a beautiful Arabian or a sturdy Shire against open country, is a lovely Red Dead rug that also simply looks like fine equestrian art. Horse lovers will find more in our western rugs.

Legendary animals

Hidden across the map are legendary animals, a white bison, a giant moose, a legendary bear, a buck with enormous antlers, a cougar and a panther, each tracked through Arthur's maps and sketches. Hunting and photographing wildlife is a huge part of the game. A legendary animal design, a great buck in a misty forest or a bison on the plains, is a natural, rustic rug for a lodge-style den or a study, at home among wood, leather and wool.

The lands

Red Dead Redemption 2's world is one of the most beautiful ever built, and each region has its own palette:

Region	Landscape	Palette
The Heartlands, New Hanover	Rolling plains, wildflowers, cattle	Gold, green, sky blue
The Grizzlies, Ambarino	Snowy peaks, pine forests	White, slate, deep green
Bayou Nwa, Lemoyne	Swamps, Spanish moss, alligators	Moss green, murky brown
Saint Denis	A smoky, gaslit city	Brick red, soot grey, gold lamps
Great Plains and Blackwater, West Elizabeth	Open grassland, a frontier town	Wheat gold, dusty blue
New Austin	Deserts, mesas and cacti	Terracotta, sand, sunset orange

Saint Denis's brick reds and gold lamps make the warmest choice for a study or a den.

A landscape rug is the most versatile Red Dead design: it reads as fine western landscape art, and it can be matched to almost any room.

Camp life

Between missions, the gang gathers at camp: tents, a cook pot, a wagon, a fire in the evening with songs, stories and arguments. Those quiet moments are some of the game's best. A campfire design, warm orange light against blue dusk, the silhouettes of the gang around it, is a cozy, nostalgic rug for a living room or den.

Saloons, poker and dominoes

Valentine's saloon, the card tables of Saint Denis, games of poker, blackjack, dominoes and five-finger fillet: the Old West's pastimes are part of Red Dead's charm. A saloon-inspired design, playing cards, poker chips and a whiskey glass on green baize, is a natural rug for a games room or under a card table, at home with a real poker night.

The music

Woody Jackson's score, with its lonely guitars, harmonicas and slow-building strings, and songs like Daniel Lanois's "That's the Way It Is" in the second game, give Red Dead its unforgettable mood. A landscape or campfire rug in a listening room or beside a record player carries that same feeling of wide, quiet country.

Red Dead Online

For many players, the story continued online: forming posses, hunting bounties, running moonshine, trading pelts and studying animals as a naturalist. A design inspired by an online role, a bounty hunter's badge, a trader's wagon, a moonshiner's still, is a fun nod for players who spent years in the multiplayer frontier.

Bounty posters

Every outlaw in Red Dead ends up on a bounty poster sooner or later: aged paper, a woodcut-style portrait, the word WANTED and a price that keeps rising. A bounty-poster design is a fun, western-style rug for a game room or entryway, and through our custom rugs you can print one with your own face and an outrageous reward.

Western decor, done well

A Red Dead rug fits naturally into a western or rustic room, and a few principles make it look right:

• Warm materials. Leather, dark wood, wool blankets, iron and brass.
• Muted, earthy colors. Browns, tans, faded reds and dusty blues rather than bright primaries.
• A few real objects. An old lantern, a saddle blanket, a vintage map or a framed photograph.
• Restraint. One strong rug and a couple of objects feel authentic; too many cowboy props feel like a theme park.

Man caves and dens

Red Dead is a natural fit for a man cave, a home bar or a den: whiskey glasses, a leather armchair, a card table for poker or dominoes, just like the saloons. A large landscape or gang design in Premium velvet, 7 mm plush on a bamboo and cotton back, feels warm and heavy underfoot in 5×7 ft. See our man cave rugs for more ideas for the room.

A Rockstar shelf

Many Red Dead players are long-time Rockstar fans. If your shelf also holds GTA, a Red Dead rug is its dusty, old-world counterpart. Browse more in our gaming rugs.

Sizes and levels

Under a gaming chair, choose Standard in 3.3×5 or 4×6 ft: its 5 mm crushed velvet on a non-slip faux leather back lets wheels roll freely. In a living room or den, choose Premium in 5×7 ft for a landscape or campfire scene. A journal page suits a 3.3×5 ft rectangle, and a bounty poster suits a 2×3 ft rug by the door.

Gifts

A Red Dead Redemption rug is a great gift for the friend who still hasn't recovered from Arthur's story, or a western fan who loves the game's landscapes. If you aren't sure which design to choose, a sunset landscape or a horse is the safest and most timeless. Every rug is printed to order in 1–3 business days and ships from Turkey; US delivery usually takes 2–5 business days after that.

Care

Vacuum on a low setting each week, blot spills with cold water straight away and wash the rug on a gentle, cold cycle when it needs it; let it air dry flat. The design is printed into the fibers, so the prairie gold stays warm through every season of use.

A note on the series

The first game and Undead Nightmare

Before Arthur, there was John Marston. The original Red Dead Redemption, released in 2010, follows John as he is forced to hunt down his former gang in 1911, from New Austin's deserts to the Mexican border. Its expansion, Undead Nightmare, turned the frontier into a zombie apocalypse and let players tame the four horses of the Apocalypse. A rug of a lone rider under a blood-red sky, or a pale horse in a misty graveyard, suits a fan of both games.

Players of both games will recognize the shared landscapes of New Austin and the Heartlands.

Padrift is an independent studio. Red Dead Redemption and its characters are named to describe what our designs are inspired by; we are not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.