GTA 6 Might Be Connected to Red Dead Redemption — Fans Are Losing It

It’s been 87 years since Rockstar first teased GTA 6 (okay, maybe not that long), but now that we finally have the trailer 2—oh boy, the internet detectives are out in full force. And we’re not just talking about the usual easter eggs and nods to old GTA titles. Nope. Fans think Grand Theft Auto 6 might actually share DNA with Red Dead Redemption. Yes. You read that right.

The theory started with one eagle-eyed Reddit user, cph2001, who went full Zapruder film on the trailer. At 2 minutes and 7 seconds, an NPC is seen throwing a stack of $10 bills into the air. That’s not weird—what is weird is who’s on the money. The faces? None other than Thaddeus Waxman and Franklin Hardin, former presidents from Red Dead Redemption 2.

How did we go from cowboy shootouts to high-speed heists in Vice City? That’s what the internet is now obsessing over.

GTA 6: Same Universe or Just a Rockstar Joke?

Presidents on the cash match the presidents from RDR2
byu/cph2001 inGTA6

This discovery lit a fire under the GTA subreddits. Some fans are totally on board with the idea that Red Dead and GTA are connected across time. Others? Not so much. The skeptics are chalking it up to Rockstar’s usual habit of tossing in cheeky easter eggs with no deeper meaning. After all, Red Dead is all about the Wild West, while GTA’s world is firmly planted in places like Liberty City and San Andreas.

But here’s the thing—this is Rockstar. They’ve been known to drop layered references and world-building breadcrumbs before. Whether this is a clever nod or the first sign of a shared Rockstar universe, it’s got fans spinning theories faster than Lester can build a getaway plan.

One Year to Speculate

Let’s not forget, GTA 6 isn’t hitting shelves until 2026, so we’ve got time. A lot of time. And in that time, expect more clues, debates, wild YouTube videos with red string, and maybe even official nods to connections we didn’t see coming.

Until then, keep your eyes peeled. If Rockstar really is tying together its most iconic franchises, this could be the start of something huge in the lore department.

For more wild theories, trailer breakdowns, and Rockstar mayhem, stick with Total Apex Gaming.