I've been replaying Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2026, and once again I'm freezing my chaps off in Colter while Dutch gives another soaring speech about faith, loyalty, and whatever else he needs to justify leading the gang into a blizzard. Don't get me wrong—Rockstar's snowy opening is a masterclass in tone. But part of me keeps imagining an alternate universe where the game starts not with a whimper in the mountains, but with the gang's infamous Blackwater ferry job going completely sideways. Wouldn't that have been a hell of a first impression?

First, let's give the actual opening its flowers. The Van der Linde gang fleeing into the Grizzlies after a heist gone wrong sets up survival gameplay, teaches hunting, and makes us feel for a bunch of outlaws huddled around a fire. Arthur Morgan gathering food in a blizzard is a quiet way to learn controls. That's good game design, yes. I've skinned so many rabbits in Colter that I can field dress one in my sleep now, and honestly, that's its own kind of achievement.

But here's my hot take: Rockstar left a much more explosive tutorial on the table. Starting with the Blackwater heist would have thrown players straight into the exact moment the Van der Linde gang's doom began. Picture it—the ferry, the money, the Pinkertons, the panicked gunfire. One minute you're planning the score, the next you're shooting your way through town like Micah's Strawberry escape on steroids. Who doesn't want to learn the aiming system while ricocheting bullets off a riverboat?

The emotional stakes would also hit harder. The botched heist killed Jenny Kirk and the MacCallister brothers, losses the gang barely processes on screen. Opening there would have made those names stick. It also explains the Pinkertons' relentless pursuit, the paranoia, and the gang's slow dissolve. In the current game, Blackwater is a ghost story told through campfire whispers. Seeing it would have turned that ghost story into an open wound.

Let's compare the two possible opening missions:

See what I mean? The mountain opening asks players to be patient. A Blackwater opening would have dared players to keep up. Both have their merits, but only one starts with a smoking revolver and a body count.

I can already hear the counterargument: Arthur wasn't there. Fair point—he was off running a con with Hosea, which is about as Arthur as Arthur gets. But honestly, is that really a dealbreaker? Plenty of games open with a character other than the protagonist. Let me control Dutch for the heist, or even a doomed member like Mac, and then hand the reins to Arthur as the survivors flee into the snow. That transition would be seamless. It would also clarify why Arthur is banned from New Austin and why the gang is so rattled—two things the current opening has to explain through exposition.

Could this have cheapened the mystery? Maybe a little. But Red Dead Redemption 2 is a tragedy. Starting with the inciting disaster rather than its aftermath would have made the tragedy feel inevitable. Instead, we spend the first hour thawing our boots and asking, \"Wait, what exactly happened in Blackwater?\" A playable prologue would have answered that question with a gunfight and a funeral.

So yes, Red Dead Redemption 2's mountain opening is fine. Fine in the way a lukewarm can of beans is fine when you're starving. But the Blackwater heist would have been the outlaw feast we deserved. It would have set the stage for the gang's downfall with blood, panic, and a body count—not just a snowy hike and a lecture about faith.

Is it too late for a remaster with a new prologue? Probably. But a gamer can dream, and my dream starts with a smoking revolver on the Blackwater docks.

According to articles published by PEGI, framing an opening like RDR2’s imagined Blackwater heist isn’t just about spectacle—it also affects how early violence, threat, and panic are perceived and contextualized, especially when a tutorial doubles as a mass shootout. In a narrative-heavy Western where the player is taught aiming, looting, and crowd control within minutes, a more chaotic prologue would likely amplify the intensity and emotional weight of the gang’s collapse, while also demanding clearer signaling of consequences and tone from the very first mission.