8 Years Later, Red Dead Redemption 2 Players Have Just Uncovered A Massive Secret

Published Oct 3, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT Chris is a Gaming Editor at ScreenRant. He has been a professional writer since 2009, and has written for top TV, comics, movie, and video game outlets like Engadget, Polygon, Destructoid, and more. He brings with him an expertise in every game genre, no matter how niche or mainstream. You may know him as the former Managing/Reviews Editor of Destructoid, where he published hundreds of game reviews across every genre, including MMOs, sports games, and Metroidvanias. Find Chris on Twitter @_SRChris. Sign in to your ScreenRant account If you want to feel a sense of wonder and relax for a bit, open-world games can do the trick. Although a contentious western setting might not be the most "relaxing" on paper, Red Dead Redemption 2 has plenty of gorgeous landscapes to explore and lots of hidden gems to discover. Whether you're starting bar fights, fighting legendary animals for a side quest, or even stealing a train, there's plenty of mischief to get into in Red Dead Redemption 2. Thanks to one of those discoveries on Reddit, fans have uncovered something that very few people have found, even players with hundreds of hours under their belt, and a Platinum Trophy. Try Out A New Vehicle Fans are going wild over a Red Dead Redemption 2 discovery: the existence of steamboats in the open world. For reference, steamboats already appear in the game through missions, but you can only ride them on the water near St. Denis, along the Lannahechee River. "I have 450 hours in game and the plat trophy...I have never seen this before," a fan writes. Others are familiar, and instruct people on how to find them: "Lots of them in the river outside St Denis. Take a rowboat out (not too far) and then anticipate its path to get off and jump onto it as it passes by." Another comment warns folks of the limitations: "If you're lucky, you can use it to jump onto the even bigger ships and ride around on that (not drivable, but still cool). Just be aware that eventually the ship will go beyond the boundary and start to sink. One time I got a couple friends together to roleplay pirates in online. Fun times." This fan has another useful tip: "Just a quick recommendation: if you attempt this, try to stay as close as possible to the shore while passing Thieves Landing and further down the river. If you’re out too far, the boat will automatically start to sink. And too far isn’t all that far." The next time you're in Red Dead Redemption 2's version of St. Denis, check them out. If you've never seen them beyond the campaign, it's worth checking out just to see how impressive the St. Denis area is. Red Dead Is Full Of Surprises That's not the only thing that Red Dead Redemption 2 is hiding. There's so much to unpack in the game, both mechanically and theme-wise, and the map is absolutely crammed with secrets. Fans are taking to the thread to share other discoveries: "I only just yesterday discovered “Press A to return to shore” when you’re in a canoe and snag a big fish. Don’t think I’ve ever seen that before." Another writes: "I’m 66 hours in this game and didn’t know about the steamboat or the hot-air balloon, which actually blew my mind." Red Dead Redemption 2 is great at these little hidden diversions, especially if it's the first time you're playing the game sight unseen. The world of Red Dead might be lawless, but it's also beautiful and full of excitement. Systems Released October 26, 2018 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol Developer(s) Rockstar Games Publisher(s) Rockstar Games Engine RAGE Multiplayer Online Multiplayer Cross-Platform Play N/A Cross Save N/A Franchise Red Dead Redemption