Red Dead

Red Dead is a series of Western-themed action-adventure games published by Rockstar Games. The first entry in the series, , was released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in May 2004. Originally developed by Capcom, Red Dead Revolver borrowed elements from their 1985 arcade title Gun.Smoke, to which it was intended to be a spiritual successor, but the game was cancelled in 2002. Subsequently, after acquiring the rights, Rockstar purchased Red Dead Revolver and expanded on it.

, developed by Rockstar San Diego (who also worked on its predecessor), was released in May 2010 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 to critical and commercial acclaim. Selling over 15 million copies by 2017 and winning many year-end accolades from multiple gaming publications, the game is considered to be one of the best games of all time. Multiple DLCs were added, including , a non-canon survival horror expansion later released as a standalone game. A Game of the Year edition of the game includes all of the additional content.

, developed by Rockstar Studios, was released on October 26, 2018, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and on November 5, 2019, for Microsoft Windows. The game was also widely acclaimed and a commercial success, generating $725 million in revenue in three days and selling 23 million copies in two weeks. , was released in beta as part of the game's bundle on November 27, 2018, to mixed reviews, with a full release on May 15, 2019, which received more positive reviews. The standalone version of Red Dead Online was later released in December 2020.

Similar to the Grand Theft Auto series, the Red Dead series is separated into three different universes, as Dan Houser confirmed that the events of Red Dead Revolver are set in a different canon, and its events are treated as legends and myths in the Redemption continuity (Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online's canon). Undead Nightmare is set in a parallel universe and is non-canon to the Redemption continuity.

Grand Theft Auto V

 * The Sasquatch Hunter shares the same appearance, voice and personality with the from Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare. Sporting the same grey (most likely an animal carcass) hat, blindness in his left eye, and a big bushy beard. However, the hunter's clothing is newer, though in the same color scheme as the sasquatch hunter.
 * The player can sometimes hear the hunter say "Gonna make my great grand-daddy proud.", another reference to Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, which is set in 1911 in a parallel universe. Despite the fact that Undead Nightmare is not set in the HD Universe and/or the Red Dead Redemption's universe, it is clearly alluded to that the hunter in GTA V is a descendant of the sasquatch hunter from Undead Nightmare.
 * Although he also tells Franklin that he has been "huntin' that beast longer than Franklin will ever know" and claims that he "spent countless lifetimes in pursuit of the hirsute", implying that he might be the same person.
 * The lines said by the Sasquatch Roleplayer when he is shot by Franklin are identical to those said by the to John Marston during the mission "" in Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare.
 * Inside the Yellow Jack Inn, there is a fridge and to the left is a wall with four trophy shields. The top two have the words 'Best Of Show 2008' and a picture of a motorbike. This refers to the release year of Grand Theft Auto IV and the expansion The Lost and Damned. The middle shield has the words 'Best Of Show 2010' with a picture of what appears to be a Stagecoach Wheel. This refers to Red Dead Redemption and its release year.
 * One of GTA V's in-game movies, Capolavoro, features footage and locations from Red Dead Redemption.
 * In Strawberry, under the freeway, there is a graffiti that resembles a silhouette of John Marston riding a horse at night time, with a full moon.
 * There is a book case in the living room of Franklin's Vinewood Hills house, with a few titles that stand out, such as the book "Red Dead", by a J. Marston. "J. Marston" could refer to John's son, who regularly reads books and stated that he may write a book himself one day.
 * There are two roads in Sandy Shores referencing towns in Red Dead Redemption, Cholla Springs Avenue and Armadillo Avenue, referencing and, respectively.
 * There is a Rent-A-Car agency named "Escalera", which could be a reference to the in Red Dead Redemption.
 * The surname "De Santa" given to Michael Townley and his family could be a reference to, a major Red Dead Redemption antagonist.
 * Café Redemption is likely a reference to Red Dead Redemption.
 * During the mission Daddy's Little Girl, the man working at the bike rental shop in Vespucci Beach can be seen wearing a John Marston T-shirt.
 * Occasionally, NPCs can spawn around the map wearing this same shirt.

Grand Theft Auto Online

 * In the GTA Online character creation menu, it is possible to select John Marston as the GTA Online Protagonist's father. This is unlikely to be canon, as it causes a huge anachronism in both games' timelines.
 * During The Diamond Casino Heist, one of the paintings that the player can steal references from Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, holding the.
 * During The Cayo Perico Heist, there are three paintings inside El Rubio's Compound that references the "Derp Horse" meme from the second Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer, the and the.
 * The island of Cayo Perico uses several assets from Red Dead Redemption 2.
 * Broken obelisks can be found on the small island to the east, in the center of the cemetery on the western island and north from the airstrip. These are broken versions of the from Red Dead Redemption 2.
 * Most of the island's flora are reused assets from, another Caribbean island in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Undead Nightmare

 * The "" achievement, awarded after killing a sasquatch in Undead Nightmare, is a reference to Bigfoot's myth from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, released six years before Red Dead Redemption.

Red Dead Redemption 2

 * 's alias "Aiden O'Malley" is a reference to a character with the same name in Grand Theft Auto IV.
 * is a time traveler in Red Dead Redemption 2. From his unique birthmark, players may deduce that he is a descendant of Kraff, a deity worshiped by the Epsilon Program from the Grand Theft Auto series.

Crossovers with the Grand Theft Auto Series
Since the first announcement trailer of Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2016, more Red Dead references were added to Grand Theft Auto Online; however, this time implying a connection between both games' universes. This also causes anachronism regarding location names, as Red Dead Redemption 2 mentions real-life locations such as California, New York and San Francisco, instead of its GTA counterparts (Southern San Andreas, Liberty City and San Fierro, respectively). While in the 3D Universe GTA games, it is confirmed that California, New York and Miami co-exist with their in-game counterparts, there is currently no evidence that the same thing applies to HD Universe locations.

Grand Theft Auto Online

 * The State of New Austin was mentioned by name in the Further Adventures in Finance and Felony update, where the player can sell their Warehouse cargo to New Austin Capital from the state. The same company later appears in the After Hours update as a buyer business for the player's Nightclub goods.
 * In the Treasure Hunt mission (a teaser mission for the forthcoming release of Red Dead Redemption 2), a random email is sent to the GTA Online Protagonist from vanderlinde@eyefind.com, showing a black and white photo of an area to search for a clue to find an unspecified treasure. The email address references, a major character in Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2. The treasure consists of the Double-Action Revolver hidden inside a Boles Overland Stagecoach Company box. Both the and the  are featured in Red Dead Redemption 2.
 * In The Diamond Casino Heist update, after killing the Los Santos Slasher, the player will be rewarded with the Navy Revolver, which uses the same model as the from Red Dead Online.
 * Killing the Slasher in GTA Online also rewards the player with a free Lowry's Revolver in Red Dead Online.
 * In The Diamond Casino Heist update, the Nazar Speaks fortune-telling machine was added for the Arcades. The machine features an animatronic version of, a major character from Red Dead Online. There are multiple fortunes the player can receive from Madam Nazar, many of which are references to events and locations from both the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption series.
 * In The Cayo Perico Heist update, multiple factors hint towards likely ancestry between Juan Strickler (aka El Rubio), a Colombian drug lord with German ancestry, and ' family, a German family in Red Dead Redemption 2.
 * During the heist, photos of Andreas of his family can be found inside El Rubio's Compound. Some feature the four family members posing, while others show them at . Another photo shows Andreas with an older woman.
 * Upon arriving in Cayo Perico for the first time in Heist Prep: Gather Intel, Strickler refers to his grandfather being German. His last name, Strickler, is a common German name.
 * While Andreas' family owns a gold mine in 1899, El Rubio is known for posessing a large amount of gold which can be stolen throughout the heist.