Red Dead Redemption 2 guidebooks don't wanna hurt nobody but will take your money

The Red Dead Redemption 2 Complete Official Guide is available for pre-order in two flavors: Standard and Collectors. They can be found in the Rockstar Warehouse and other retailers.

As par usual, this guide is packed with information about every mission, character, and feature in Rockstar's American Heartland. There's an at-a-glance walkthrough, a dedicated maps chapter, comprehensive reference sections, and an all-encompassing index.

In addition, the Collectors Edition is a premium hardcover book printed on superior art quality paper. It also includes and exclusive character art gallery.

I've only bought two video game guides in my life. One was for Morrowind, the other for Red Dead Redemption. I guess I never got much use out of the second one, because reading walkthroughs just wasn't how I played games anymore. Which is fine. If you like to read about your games as well as play them, and if you like to squeeze every last bit of juice out of things, then official guides are the way to go.

I appreciate what gaming guides stand for, though. They bring an electronic narrative into the world of books. And only a few decades from now—maybe sooner—when Red Dead Redemption 2 is no longer playable because we're four technological generations removed from the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, those books will still be around and serve as a testament to the years of blood, sweat, and tears Rockstar employees poured into this game. These guides will sit on some folks' library shelves for the rest of their lives and be worth flipping through once in a while, and maybe even leaving out as a coffee table book, or incorporating into a D&D campaign when you and your middle-aged buddies are tired of the same ol' Forgotten Realms setting. 

But I digress. If nothing else, an official guide makes a statement about the done-ness of the game. In a world of Early Access and endless betas, an official guide says, "Hey, it is finished."

Red Dead Redemption 2 launches October 26 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. I can't wait. 

Pre-Order the Red Dead Redemption 2 Complete Official Guide

The essential companion to the furthest corners of the deepest and most detailed Rockstar world yet, the Red Dead Redemption 2 Complete Official Guide is packed with information about every aspect of Rockstar Games’ epic tale of outlaw life in America's unforgiving heartland.

Published by Piggyback and available for pre-order now via the Rockstar Warehouse and other retailers, the Red Dead Redemption 2 Complete Official Guide is presented in two distinct variations:

Standard Edition
Packed with essential information about every mission, character and feature of this vast and detailed world, the Standard Edition includes an at-a-glance walkthrough, dedicated maps chapter, comprehensive reference sections, and an all-encompassing index.

Collector’s Edition
The premium hardcover Collector’s Edition features everything from the Standard Edition, printed on superior quality art paper, and also includes an exclusive character art gallery.

Both editions of the Red Dead Redemption 2 Complete Official Guide will be available at game launch on October 26.