Red Dead Redemption 2 is a huge game full of secrets and strange circumstances. The main story is impressive on its own, but there are also hundreds of side quests and small interactions to be discovered, most of which aren't tracked by anything other than the player's memory. Many mysteries in the game can be tracked and solved to immense satisfaction as players explore the map.

But other parts of the game remain mysterious, no matter how deep players dig into them. Some oddities, like the large snake corpse outside of Pleasance, can be explained as easter eggs and references without need for in-world justification. But other characters and settings definitely feel like they're hiding something, and RDR2's audience has spent years trying to figure them out. These ten mysteries in Red Dead Redemption 2 remain unsolved to this day, but may eventually receive an answer.

10 Who Are The Aliens Watching Over America?

UFOs In The Sky Near Mount Shann And Emerald Ranch

Aliens show up in many Rockstar titles, despite never getting any real lore or explanation. But that hasn't stopped players from searching for information on these extraterrestrials, which can be found around Mount Shann and Emerald Ranch in RDR2. There are actually two locations in the area from which these aliens can be observed: from the top of a mountain, and from inside an abandoned shack.

Starting with the shack outside Emerald Ranch, arriving here during the day will provide its own spooky experience, as the deteriorating building was apparently the site of a cult mass suicide. Skeletons can be found strewn about, as well as a note that mentions these otherworldly visitors arriving at the "second hour under the half moon." Coming to this shack at the prescribed time during a half moon will in fact have a UFO appear menacingly above it, only visible through its broken ceiling.

Similarly, the second location at the peak of Mount Shann will reveal a strange looking altar of rocks, which may be a sort of sun dial. But standing near them between the hours of 1 and 4 A.M. will reveal a small alien craft out in the distance. Interestingly, it seems to be of a different make than the shack UFO, perhaps implying that there are two sets of alien observers in the game.

9 Is There A Third Meteorite?

The Evidence Behind This Undiscovered Valuable Item

Sticking to the theme of outer space, RDR2 includes two meteorite crash sites that Arthur can discover across the map. They are both located north of Roanoke Valley, one inside a collapsed shed, the other in a crater in a clearing. Picking both meteorite shards up will grant the player a fun buff, but many fans have noticed that their inventories specifically state that they are holding "2 out of 3" meteors.

A glitch involving the second meteorite can give the player three of the item, though this is obviously not intended.

This alone inspired the belief that a third meteor exists somewhere, or at least, it was intended to at some point. The best theory out there is that the meteor originally crashed at a site fittingly named "moonstone pond," given both the name and the broken trees and disturbed ground in the area. Other players have found a newspaper article that claims a young girl fished a strange rock out of a pond, which would line up with the idea that the meteorite was at this location, but is no longer there.

8 What Do Francis Sinclair's Rock Carvings Mean?

How These Murals Relate To The Time Traveling Man

Francis Sinclair is one of the stranger folks the player can meet while completing "stranger" side missions. The red-headed man speaks with an undoubtedly 20s dialect, dresses differently than everyone else in the game, and completely vanishes at the end of his quest line. He tasks the player with locating several rock carvings around the map, which all depict odd and almost futuristic imagery.

The common belief is that Francis is a time traveler, based on what he says, how he acts, and his connection to 20th-century imagery. Though exactly how he accomplished this feat, as well as how these rock carvings helped him return to his own time, remains unknown. His true nature may never be understood, but hopefully, he managed to get back home safe.

7 Who Are The Night Folk?

The Mysterious Murderers Lurking In Lemoyne's Swamps

The Night Folk are mysterious enemies the player can encounter in the swamps outside Saint Denis. They largely feature in one mission, "A Fine Night For It," where the player helps an old man retake his home from the murderers. But they also appear in random encounters and as surprise enemies at night in Bayou Nwa.

One theory posits the Night Folks are actually from the high society city of Saint Denis, aristocrats who spend their free time engaging in murder.

The Night Folk use exclusively archaic weapons like axes and bows, and many of them have white paint covering parts of their faces. They kill without reason and seem to take joy in it, but nobody knows exactly who they are. It's possible they are just a group of vicious folk living in the swamp, but one theory posits they are actually from the high society city of Saint Denis, aristocrats who spend their free time engaging in murder.

6 When Did Micah Become A Rat?

When Did This Trigger-Happy Traitor Turn His Cloak?

By the end of the game, if not earlier than that, players will certainly have reached the conclusion that Micah was the rat who sold the gang out to the Pinkertons after getting back from Guarma. The timeline adds up, and Micah's backstabbing nature fits the crime. But it's harder to say when exactly this rapscallion first betrayed the Van Der Linde gang, as it could have been much earlier.

The game's writing purposefully obscures the true nature of Micah's betrayal, with the only sure confirmation of his nature as a traitor coming from agent Milton, a Pinkerton who would have a vested interest in causing paranoia with the gang.

Some players suspect Micah has been a rat since before the start of the game, given his involvement in the disastrous Blackwater boat heist. Others think he agreed to turn on Dutch when he was arrested in Strawberry, perhaps after a visit from agents Milton and Ross. Whenever it was that Micah went turn cloak, players will be sure he gets his comeuppance by the end of the epilogue.

5 Who And Where Is Gavin?

Rockstar's Joke About Their Own Game's Conspiracies

While the rest of these mysteries have plausible theories and answers, the question of where Gavin is likely does not. Gavin is apparently a British tourist, visiting the U.S. with his friend Nigel. But he's never actually seen in-game. Only Nigel is, as he can be found searching aimlessly for his lost friend and calling his name. No matter what players do, Nigel can never find Gavin, and even by the time of the epilogue, he can still be found wandering the map in a disheveled and almost mindless state.

Players have drafted dozens of theories on who Gavin is and where he went. Some believe Nigel killed his friend and his search is a result of a psychotic break; others believe Gavin never existed and Nigel is insane; still others think Gavin ended up in Tahiti. But Rockstar probably made this mystery unsolvable on purpose: there is no Gavin and never was. The players searching for him are like Nigel, endlessly calling out a name that will never be answered.

4 Who Is Speaking From Inside This Cave?

The Giant Behind The Rock

Out in eastern Ambarino, a closed-off cave can be found with a giant inside. Not that players will ever see him, as the cave is impossible to enter; however, that doesn't stop the giant from speaking through its rocky walls. He tells the player that he is "lonely" and "too big," implying that he is stuck in the cave with no way of leaving. The big fellow seems kind if a bit shy, but there isn't any way to help him.

There's also no explanation provided for what exactly he is. The Red Dead franchise already includes some fantastical creatures, from vampires to zombies to Bigfoot himself, so a giant existing isn't necessarily that far-fetched. His connection to animals is a bit strange, though, as players can only find him after studying a certain number of different species, and they are led to his cave by a flock of birds.

3 What Really Happened At Emerald Ranch?

A Location With Lots Of Setup But Little Payoff

Emerald Ranch is one of the first populated areas players will visit in RDR2, since the main quest requires that they go there towards the middle of the second act. It's a small community of farmers living along one street, all seemingly working for the same old rancher that owns the land. Besides working with the local fence and pawning off stolen carts, there isn't a lot for players to actually do in Emerald Ranch.

Several random encounters have Arthur or John escorting injured townsfolk to Emerald Ranch, who will fill the player in on the town's secrets.

However, there are a ton of weird, seemingly connected plot threads that tell a story about his area's recent past. A saloon in town is abandoned, its interior covered in blood and bullet holes. And the rancher's daughter never leaves the house, only ever appearing staring out the window at certain hours. Fans have put together that, at some point recently, the rancher shot and killed his daughter's lover in the saloon before locking her up, but beyond, it's anyone's guess.

2 Where Is Princess Isabeau Katharina Zinsmeister?

The Search For A Missing Monarch

This mystery exists both among the fandom and inside the game itself. Princess Isabeau Katharina Zinsmeister of Luxembourg is missing, and has been for 15 years. This princess was only a child when she disappeared somewhere in the region, and while so much time has ed that she would likely be unrecognizable, there are still those that search for her. Her missing poster is even up at the Van Horn Trading Post.

While a chest containing some of her belongings and her family crest can be found at the Van Horn fence, no clues beyond that have been found, and it's likely that any intended story featuring the princess was cut during development. But oddly enough, there is still a character model for Isabeau in the game's files, as shown on Reddit, though it can only be seen if players use commands. Still, it's entirely possible that this princess is out there somewhere, hiding or waiting to be found.

1 Who Is The Strange Man?

The Figure Who Haunted John Marston Returns

Finally, we come to a mystery that has pervaded the Red Dead Franchise since RDR1: that of the identity of the Strange Man. This was an NPC that showed up on several occasions to speak to John Marston during that first game, often knowing things he shouldn't and saying things that imply a certain level of omnipotence. He is also seemingly immortal, as he is unaffected when John shoots him several times in the back.

He never shows up in person in RDR2, though he does have several cameos in the form of portraits. A shack at Bayal Edge contains what appear to be his belongings and an unfinished painting of him, which becomes finished if the player goes there as John. Not only that, but there is talk of his existence in and around the town of Armadillo, implying what many players already believe: that he is the devil, watching over John Marston as he continues his quest for revenge in Red Dead Redemption.

Source: RDR2/Reddit