Updated November 2, 2023, by Christopher Norman Worcester: Red Dead Redemption 2 is still massively popular, with players around the world continuing to enjoy the story of Arthur Morgan and the Van Der Linde gang. With this in mind, we will continue to do our best to constantly improve the quality of our guides. This update will add a video guide explaining how to remove bounties in the game, as well as how they work.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, players may well find themselves getting into trouble rather easily. The game is jam-packed with things to do - many of these activities being criminal. From taking people down using the improved Dead Eye feature to holding up lonely travelers on horseback, opportunities for mischief are all over the place.

However, there may be times when players don't get away with it. If they're unable to convince a witness to stay quiet using the new dialogue system to threaten them into silence or if they're spotted by a group of lawmen, then they'll wind up with a bounty on their head. And unfortunately, this can make exploring and conducting business within the game extremely difficult.

Related: Red Dead Redemption 2: How to Unlock Fast Travel

What Happens When You Get a Bounty?

red dead redemption 2 horses

Immediately after players commit a crime (and are caught doing so), lawmen in the area will usually start looking for them. Similar to how it worked in the previous Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 puts a red splotch on the map to indicate the search area. Players must escape that area and wait for the Wanted level to deplete in order to stop the lawmen for looking for them - if they catch up with you, then they'll gun you down.

In committing a crime, a bounty will be placed on Arthur and it will be active for the area where he committed the crime. So, shoot someone in broad daylight in Valentine and that's where the bounty will be active. Upon entering an area, the game will remind players when they have a bounty, using a pop-up on the HUD to tell you how much it is worth.

If a lawman sees you and you have a bounty on your head, expect them to get you to surrender. Though for more severe crimes and higher bounties, bounty hunters may try to hunt you down (these are indicated by red dots on the map). The bounty hunters will only look for you in the area in which the bounty is live.

How Do You Get Rid of a Bounty?

close up of Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2

You can pay off a bounty at any Post Office in the game as it lists all of your bounties according to the area. So, even if you're in Valentine, you can still pay off a bounty you earned in Strawberry. Just talk to the clerk and select the option. Once you've paid, the bounty will be off your head.

At the moment it seems that paying is the only way to get a bounty removed. Players have already identified some cheat codes for the game and past Rockstar games have included cheats to lower Wanted levels, but a cheat for removing bounties/wanted levels hasn't been found for Red Dead Redemption 2 (yet).

Red Dead Redemption 2 is available on PS4 and Xbox One.