Is John Marston from Red Dead Redemption a playable character in Red Dead Redemption 2?
Red Dead Redemption will finally be available to play on PC on October 29, 2024, as Rockstar announced a PC port earlier in October 2024. John Marston from Red Dead Redemption remains one of the most popular video game protagonists of all time and he is a playable character in the sequel. That said, the total playtime as this character is relatively low.
This article covers everything you need to know about John Marston's availability in Red Dead Redemption 2.
John Marston's role in Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption takes place in Wild West America in 1911. Its successor Red Dead Redemption 2 however, took place in 1899. While this might come as a shock to those who haven't tried out these games yet, it worked in favor of the developer. This is also one of the reasons why playing RDR1 in 2024 might be a great idea.
If you play these games as Rockstar intended, you will play as 38-year-old John Marston in Red Dead Redemption. He is an ex-fugitive who is supposed to help the government eliminate Dutch van der Linde's gang, which Marston was earlier a part of. Unfortunately, he dies at the end of the game. This is why fans were certain that Marston wouldn't be a playable character in Red Dead Redemption 2.
However, the story of Red Dead Redemption 2 takes place years before the original title. This is why John Marston appears can appear the deuteragonist in Red Dead Redemption 2. While you play as Arthur Morgan, Marston is portrayed as an important character. He is a 26-year-old fugitive here and compared to his character in the original RDR, he is a bit immature.
The epilogue of Red Dead Redemption 2 is the only part where you can finally play as John Marston. The ending depicts how he is now mending his ways and surviving after Arthur Morgan dies. Marston gets a job as a farmhand and depicts the maturity that you see in the OG title.
RDR2's epilogue helps connect the dots and understand the timeline that Rockstar Games intended to convey.