There is a simple version of this and a complete version, and both are below in that order.

Short answer

In most cases the straightforward approach works. The exceptions are specific and listed below.

Nothing here depends on a setting you are unlikely to have. The accepted community answer is broadly right and wrong in a specific way that matters here. Most of the disagreement you will find online is two people describing different builds.

When the usual advice fails

Edge cases are genuinely rare, which is why the simple answer is usually the correct one. Most of the disagreement online comes from people describing different versions of Red Dead Redemption 2. Where two approaches both work, the one with fewer moving parts is the one to keep. The mechanic behind it is simpler than the discussion around it suggests.

Testing this yourself takes a few minutes and settles it definitively. The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first. It is worth separating what the game does from what players have concluded it does.

What to do instead

The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time. Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work. Everything below is framed around the current state of Red Dead Redemption 2 rather than a launch-week impression.

  • Check which version any conflicting advice was written for.
  • Test it yourself where testing is cheap.
  • Keep a save or backup from before you start — it costs nothing and occasionally saves an evening.
  • Try the straightforward approach before the elaborate one.
  • Do not build a routine around an edge case.
  • Prefer the in-game option over an external tool when both exist.

The practical answer

Do the cheap check before the expensive one — that ordering alone saves most of the frustration. Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over. The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice. A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is not shy about hiding useful information two menus deep, so some of this is simply knowing where to look. There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing. If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about.

Worth knowing alongside this

If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over. The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why. Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows.

There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you. Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts. What follows assumes you are on a current install and have not modified it.

Why it works this way

Treat anything stated without a version number as provisional. None of this needs a paid tool, a third-party launcher or an account on a site you have never heard of. It helps to understand why a step exists, because then you can adapt it when your situation is slightly different.

Where people go wrong

  • Downloading a helper tool for something the game already does in its own menu.
  • Assuming a guide from an older season still describes the current version.
  • Ignoring the platform-specific note and then wondering why the steps do not line up.
  • Rushing the last step, which is usually the one with the actual requirement in it.

RDR2 FAQ

What if none of this works for me?

Then something in your setup differs from the assumption — version, region or platform. Check those three before anything else.

Does this change between platforms?

The behaviour does not. Where menu paths or prompts differ, that is noted above.

Do I need any mods or third-party tools for this?

No. Everything described here works with the base game on any supported platform.

Why do other guides describe this differently?

Most were written for an earlier version and never revisited. Compare the steps against what your build actually shows.

Bookmark it if you like, but honestly, once you have done it once you will not need to come back.