People praise Rockstar for their massive open worlds and playground like-sandboxes that give players the freedom to create chaos as they see fit. The Grand Theft Auto series seemingly endless thanks to its replayability factor and you can load into a multitude of cities (depending on the title) to do whatever you please.
Red Dead Redemption is very much the same way, offering up endless hours of fun thanks to its living, breathing, open world. But the creative minds at Rockstar offer so much more than locations, they offer beautiful storylines that include engrossing characters and thrilling narratives. Red Dead Redemption 2 is perhaps the golden standard concerning Rockstar’s ability, with a wide array of characters that are easy to fall in love with.
Because of this, Cosplayers come out in droves to pay their respects to the characters they adore and some of the cosplays we’ve seen for Red Dead Redemption 2 look as if they jumped directly from the game. Here are 8 stellar examples.
8 Arthur Morgan (Maul Cosplay)
We might as well start this list off with the main man himself. When Red Dead Redemption 2 first hit store shelves, many gamers were stressed at the prospect of being forced to play a protagonist other than the much-beloved John Marston. After getting a chance to finally progress through the story, everyone instantly fell in love with Arthur Morgan, with many touting that he was actually a better hero than John.
Maul Cosplay does an absolutely fantastic job bringing Mr. Morgan to life. It’s almost as if the character quite literally jumped from the screen and into the real world. This is definitely one of the most spot-on Cosplays we’ve ever seen, from any game.
7 Sadie Adler (MissSkunk)
Another fan-favorite character, Sadie Adler quickly captured the hearts of many players. Thanks to her spitfire attitude and combat skills, she instantly became a respected part of the Van Der Linde gang. Her side missions were always entertaining and we loved to listen to her sassy sayings and stories while riding tandem.
Cosplayer MissSkunk has crafted a lot of amazing costumes over the years but her rendition of Sadie Adler is absolutely stunning. She managed to capture the very essence that so many people love about the character and you can feel her snarky persona coming to life via this photo.
6 Javier Escuella (Gin-Cosplay)
One of the best parts of Red Dead Redemption 2 is playing out all the side missions and getting to know the gang members. Each one of them features a rich backstory that usually comes out through phenomenal voice actors as they tell tales of days gone by. It’s easy to get lost listening to a companion around a campfire and we were engrossed on more than one occasion simply riding to a destination.
Javier Escuella is one of the more interesting bandits around the Van Der Linde camp and Gin-Cosplay has expertly captured his signature look, outfit, and suave mannerisms.
5 Dutch Van Der Linde (TheWeaselEye)
Things would have gone so smoothly had we all just stop, relaxed, and followed Dutch’s plan. The mastermind behind the Van Der Linde gang wanted nothing more than to smell the sweet Mango-infused air of Tahiti. All kidding aside, Dutch is one of the best characters found in Red Dead Redemption 2. Those that played the original title finally get some much needed and requested backstory, which definitely doesn’t disappoint. Dutch changes so much in such a short period of time and it’s quite the emotional journey.
TheWeaselEye captures the brooding and calculating look of this gang leader, giving us a glimpse at a Dutch that appears to be beginning a journey down a darker path.
4 Micah Bell (Bill “Smiley” Fawler)
Micah is one of those characters you just love to hate. Right from the get-go, he manages to wiggle his way under your skin. It can be quite the chore trying to co-exist with the maniacal bandit, especially when Dutch keeps insisting that he’s family. Thankfully, you’re free to choose to avoid alone time with Micah via missions (unless you’re looking for that illustrious 100 percent, then you’re out of luck).
Cosplayer Smiley Fawler brings this dastardly Van Der Linde gang member to life and does so with exceptional style and accuracy. We’d like to imagine that Smiley is a much more pleasant person to be around but we can’t help but feel our teeth grit at the sight of Micah.
3 John Marston (GH-FORGE)
It was an absolute relief for some to see John Marston again. Those that played the original Red Dead Redemption were having some serious withdrawals as many gamers had fallen firmly in love with the cowpoke and his mannerisms. Thankfully, Red Dead Redemption 2 gave us more time with John than we expected. There now resides a stable of players that are pro John and Arthur, finding it hard to prefer one over the other.
Gh-Forge goes above and beyond with their cosplay, not only bringing us a gem that is game accurate, but also historically accurate. The end result looks nothing short of fantastic.
2 Arthur Morgan (Galactic-Reptile)
We’ve already seen one depiction of Arthur in his purest and most wholesome form but everyone knows there is another side to this bandit. We spend much of Red Dead Redemption 2 riding a fine line between right and wrong with Arthur constantly questioning himself about the poor decisions he’s making or has made (unless you decide to throw all morals and caution out the window).
Cosplayer Galactic-Reptile brings us a real-life train heist, showcasing Arthur in full robbery mode, complete with his iconic outfit and incognito bandana mask.
1 The Van Der Linde Gang (Kadart_Cosplay & Group)
We thought it would be best to end this small look at some amazing Red Dead Redemption 2 cosplays with a group photo depicting part of the Van Der Linde gang in all its glory. You spend a lot of time getting to know these characters, as well as the stories that brought them together. It’s very much like a family and it’s hard not to become close to each individual as the game prattles on.
Kadart_Cosplay teamed up with others to bring this amazing group photo into the real world, choosing to cast it against a rising sun.
NEXT: Red Dead Redemption 2: 10 Best Areas, Ranked