The world of Red Dead Redemption 2 is an expensive one indeed. Not only are there lots of things to buy (or buy off)— stuff like clothes, weapons, and bounties— but income is virtually non-existent. You play as outlaw Arthur Morgan, who is a member of the infamous Van der Linde gang. The only thing is that the gang (by virtue of being a gang) doe꧂sn't really have a reliable or steady source of income. On top of that, the country is moving on (both technologically and socially) and leaving the life of outlaws and cowboys in the literal dust. The gang is forced to loan money to beggars at exorbitant interest rates, rob trains and banks, and do menial odd jobs just to get by. As such, money is tight with a capital T.

But it doesn't have to be. Throughout the game there are many interesting side quests you can partake in, many of which don't take too long and pay quite handsomely. But there are also those quests that don't pay at all, or pay very little in return for the necꦗessary amount of work. Sure, they can fun through a gameplay or story perspective, but they are next to useless if your goal is acquiring money.

We're here to si♐ft through the side quests to tell you which are prosperous, and whi🔯ch are duds. These are fifteen side quests that can make you rich, and ten that are just not worth the hassle.

And, just so you know, there are some spoilers to follow.

25 ෴ Rich: Legendary Animals

There are sixteen legendary animals to be found throughout Red Dead Redemption 2, and luckily, none of them are very hard to find or eliminate. All it takes is acquiring the legendary animal map, riding to the location, and quickly disposing of the animal. It takes maybe ten minutes, and the animals don't put up much of a challen♓ge. You can then sell their skins (and some of their bodies) to the trapper who pays quite handsomely for the rare items. If that wasn't all, you can also use their parts to craft trinkets and special garments and outfits. Going after the legendary animals is a no-brainer.

24 𒉰 Not Worth It: A🎐 Test Of Faith

The stranger mission A Test of Faith is triggered after coming across amateur paleontologist Deborah MacGuiness. She tasks you with finding thirty dinosaur bones, which are littered throughout the enormous map. Not only is an internet guide required for this mission (because there's no way you're finding the bones on your own,) but riding to each specific location is tedious work. After a few hours of riding around the massive map and documenting dinosaur bones, you'll be rewarded with a sk🧜ull statue and a special knife. It's kind of worth it for the funny cutscene, but don't go into the mission expecting a serious reward.

23 🔴 Rich: Finding Gold Bars

One of the most popular pastimes of open world games is simply exploring the world itself and seeing what you come across. And Red Dead Redemption 2 is filled with secrets (and lots of gold bars.) Simply exploring the world reward꧃s you with valuable treasures, and gold bars can be in Limpany, south o𓄧f Cotorra Springs, in the Braithewaite Manor, and in the mountains northeast of Bacchus Station. There's seven gold bars among them for a grand total of $3,500. Not bad for simply wandering around doing nothing.

22 𓃲 Rich: Poker/Gambli🧜ng

We hate to encourage gambling, but it really is a hassle-free way to earn some quick cash. Blackjack and poker are not only fun, but they're also quite easy to learn. And while many locations don't exactly pay out the big bucks, you can go to Saint Denis and buy into a poker game for $5. If you're particularly adept at the game (and if you can best the AI,) then you can walk away with some decent money. Sure, it won't be enough to retire on, but it's an easy, fun, and relatively risk-free way to earn some quick cash. Provided you're a good poker player, 🅘of course.

21 Not Worth It: Selling𒅌 Horses 🐽

While in Rhode♉s, you unlock the ability to sell stolen horses to a horse fence. Do not do this. It is not worth the effort. Why? Because a basic stolen horse will net you maybe $2. If you want to increase the price, you'll have to significantly bond with the horse, and this may take a few in-game days. And your reward will be a price increase from𝔍 $2 to $5. Yay. Yes, you can make more money with rarer horses, but that includes both finding and taming them, which could also take a while. In the end, horse selling is a mug's game and it's not worth the time or effort involved.

20 🅷 ✤ Rich: Bounty Hunting

Bounty hunting has returned from the first game, and while the bounties don't seem as plentiful this time around, they still provide a decent income for the morꦚe morally inclined among us. There arꦚe a total of bounty missions throughout the game, and they collectively pay $650. That's roughly $60 per bounty, which is certainly not a bad take considering the limited amount of work involved. Plus, hunting down bad guys is always a good time. It may not be the fastest way to make money, but it's honest work. Kind of.

19 ൲ Rich:💛 Selling Wagons

Now if you want to sell some stolen goods, wagons are a great investment. You can sell stolen wagons to the fence in Emerald Ranch, and lucky for you, the roads near the ranch are absoluℱtely littered with wagons. All you need to do is camp out in the grass, wait for a wagon to spawn (which may only take a few minutes,) and then proceed to steal it and sell it. The whole ordeal is over in five minutes, and you net yourself a𒆙 cool $40. Of course, this will lower your honor, but hey, no one said life in the Wild West was easy.

18 ♛ Not Worth It: Hunting

If you'd prefer to live a more honest life, then hunting is always an option. Unfortunately, it doesn't pay nearly as well as stealing wagons. Hunting animals is not only risky business, but it's hard work. You have to find an animal, hope that it's a nice three-star version, and then dispose of it cleanly. Then you have to skin it and ride it back to the butcher's, all for maybe $10 in pelts and meat. In the time it takes you𒁏 to hunt four perfect animals for $40 you could have stolen one wagon outside Emerald Ranch. Plus you get your clothes and your horse all messy, and who wants that?

17 Rich: Geology For Beginners🦩 ꦡ

Geology for Beginners is a stranger mission given to you by the maybe time-traveling Francis Sinclair, who tasks you with finding various rock carvings. Unlike the dreaded dinosaur bones which take forever, this is over in no time at all. After finding just one carving, you are paid  (and a bottle of bourbon). And after five, you are given a rock st♒atue which can be sold to a fence for $50. All told, you are given a cool $60 after finding just five rock carvings, whic🐼h shouldn't take very long (provided you use a guide.) Plus you get to see all the trippy engravings, so it's a win-win.

16 ꦺ Not Worth It: Smoking And Other Hobbies

Smoking and Other Hobbies is a collector's dream, but a nightmare for more casual players. Arthur encounters a man named Phineas T. Ramsbottom outside Flatneck Station, who tells Arthur that premium cigarette cards are worth good money. There are 144 of these cards to collect throughout the map, and they're scattered all over the place. Finding them all is really monotonous work, and it takes forever. After finding all 144, you are given a mere $200. This may sound like a lot, but finding all the cards takes HOURS of work. And yes, you can buy premium cigarettes and amass the cards, but this isn't ideal for a cash-strapped player. At a hefty $5 a pack, you would be spendin🍌g more than you would be making, and that's just bad business.