In Red Dead Redemption 2, players follow the adventures of the Van Der Linde Gang as they try to find their place in a newer, more civilized world. However, they're not the only group of outlaws causing havoc in the West.

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Many nefarious groups are operating in the five American regions of Red Dead Redemption 2. Each of them has its own objectives, territories, and ways of surviving. As they all harm innocent people, none of the gangs can be considered truly honorable. Yet, certain crews are a lot more wicked than others. But which gang is the most despicable of the bunch?

Updated on October 26th, 2021 by Hodey Johns: Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game that is bigger than a world map. Years after release, people are still discovering new conversations, hidden documents, and secret areas. As players flip through Arthur's Journal and notes left around the world, they learn more about the world the protagonists inhabit. After publishing this list, there was still more to discover and learn about the gangs in question. This new knowledge has been applied, calling for a fresh update to reorder the gangs based on their evils (and limited goodness). Aside from being reordered, some key deeds that have shaded this list are sprinkled in.

14 The Foreman Brothers

Red Dead Online Anthony Foreman Sitting Down

The Foreman Brothers are the first of only two gangs that have no accredited deaths on their hands. It's heavily implied that Malcolm Foreman attempted to rape Tilly Jackson, a move that cost him his life. This misunderstanding is likely misogynistic, but they get the lowest spot on this list because it does appear genuine.

Anthony goes to great lengths the take revenge for Malcolm's justifiable death. However, he does not murder Tilly (like some other gangs on this list would do). He also keeps his word, leaving Tilly alone and even outright disbanding the gang by 1907.

13 Watson Boys

Red Dead Redemption 2 Mama Watson Serving Soup

The Watson Boys and their mother have an optional and brief encounter in Red Dead Redemption 2. What is gathered is that the boys are robbing people in order to get their mother to a more comfortable place. Their methods are wrong, but their cause is at least just.

Mama Watson is a character who sends players on conquests in Red Dead Online. Her motives aren't known, but even if it's to get herself to safety, there are less violent means of doing so. Even so, she certainly has a lower body count than anyone on the list above her, though she does ask for an occasional assassination.

12 Van Der Linde Gang

Red Dead Redemption 2 Van Der Linde Gang In A Showdown

The Van der Linde gang likely has the highest body count on this list, so why would they be ranked so low? After some debate, their motivations must be taken into account. They desperately want to be left alone and their most violent actions are spurred on by those who won't let them be.

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Are they murderers and thieves? Absolutely. But it's reasonable to say that, in the right situation, they wouldn't feel the need. Those higher up on the list have much more choice in their crimes, but the Van der Linde gang seems content to find a nice camp with lots of food, great views, and plenty of money to own the land legally.

11 The Anderson Boys

Red Dead Redemption 2 Anderson Boys Escape From Custody

According to some anecdotes through notes and passing conversations, the Anderson Boys kidnapped three wealthy individuals and held them for ransom. The ransom was paid off, but two of the people they released were needlessly mutilated.

Torturing people when it's avoidable doesn't endear them to the public. When Arthur tracks the escaping Andersons down, the chase is comical, but there's nothing humorous about how they treat their victims.

10 Laramie Boys

Red Dead Redemption 2 Laramie Gang Bullying A Farmhand

The Laramie Boys are hired corporate guns, tasked with bullying, robbing, and murdering farmhands to intimidate rival ranches from competing with their employers. As hired guns, they manage to keep a low, but not insignificant, body count.

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Still, everyone is responsible for their own actions, so the Laramie Boys don't get a pass on their crimes, even if they are somewhat small-time compared to those higher up on the list. Picking on people just looking for their goats is a dastardly way to run a business.

9 Del Lobo Gang

Red Dead Redemption 2 Del Lobos Prison Break

In the epilogue, the Del Lobos take advantage of the minimal Law enforcement around New Austin to cause all sorts of carnage. They raid towns, rob trains, and are generally a constant menace in the region, so look out while visiting Dutch's mother's grave.

While their specialty is thieving, they're not above executing anyone who gets in their way. Their willingness to use lethal force is evident if John Marston travels down to their domain as they always attack him. The only admirable trait the group has is their loyalty to each other, as evidenced when a bunch of them risk their lives to break fellow member, Ramon Cortez, out of jail.

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7 O'Driscoll Boys

Red Dead Redemption 2 The O'Driscolls Meeting

These boys are the long-standing rivals of The Van der Linde Gang. Both groups are similar in what they do, however the O'Driscolls are far crueler. Their leader, Colm, has no loyalty to any of his underlings as he sees them all as expendable.

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Yet, he treats deserters very harshly, that's clear when the group decapitates former member, Kieran Duffy. The violence isn't just saved for old allies; the gang slaughters anyone who interferes in their business, regardless of age or gender. Players will kill plenty of O'Driscolls as they track down the meteorite.

6 Micah's Gang

Red Dead Redemption 2 Joe on Mount Hagan

After the Van der Linde Gang falls, Micah starts his own group named after himself. With a cruel leader like Bell, it's no surprise that the crew is an evil bunch, who murder and rob indiscriminately.

The unsavory leader even attempts to kill a little girl at one point, before fellow gang member Cleet stops him. Cleet then becomes a target of the gang, all because he saves a child's life. If the gang was around for longer, who knows what atrocities they would've committed.

5 Night Folk

Red Dead Redemption 2 Night Folk With Victim

There was some thought about putting the Night Folk lower on this list because they seem mindless. In-game they are treated like zombies with their mannerisms and attack styles. But it's clear by the corpses they leave, they're capable of higher thought, art, and empathy.

Not able to blame their atrocities on mental illness, the Night Folk are therefore responsible for the senseless violence conducted against innocent travelers. Try to avoid them when hunting down the legendary bull gator.

4 Murfree Brood

Red Dead Redemption 2 Murfree Brood Boat

Like the Night Folk, the Murfree Brood also resembles savages more than a conventional outlaw gang. Murfrees are even more depraved, though, as along with killing people, they also torture them. Plus, they capture women to keep in cages and assault at their leisure.

Adding apparent sexual assault to the usual murder and thieving is a good way to move up this list. The army is afraid to enter their territory due to their viciousness. Some gangs have higher body counts, but only because the Murfree Brood is known and feared. Watch out for them when hunting little brown bats.

3 Skinner Brothers

Red Dead Redemption 2 Black and White Photo Of Skinner Brothers

Most of the gangs in the game murder for financial gain, yet the Skinner Brothers seem to do it for fun. The beasts move from place to place and brutalize every person they can find, then use their body parts as decorations.

Victims don't even receive quick deaths. The gang sadistically tortures them in various ways before they die, such as dragging them around using a wagon or roasting them on top of a fire. Every one of them seems to get a sick pleasure from hurting people. They truly are monsters and not even finding the medieval knight helmet can save their victims from their gruesome experiments.

2 Lemoyne Raiders

Red Dead Redemption 2 Lemoyne Raiders Black And White Photo

Confederate soldiers already carry the stench of racism and slavery with them, so it doesn't take much to see why they're so high on the list. But it's not just these ideologies, it's their barbaric practices disguised as some kind of sick "free" world that gets them even higher on this list.

They are frequently shown executing and extorting every kind of person on the roads. They act like people are on their territory, but they know full well that they are the ones who fled here, escaping their defeats. Good luck avoiding them when finding the Amputated Arm mission.

1 Angelo Bronte/Guido Martelli's Mob

Red Dead  Redemption 2 Angelo Bronte Playing Nice

More simply called the Mob, Angelo Bronte has an entire city under his control. He takes the crimes of many others on this list and adds a bit of slavery and political corruption on the side.

Smuggling and racketeering all look glamorous when done "legally." The Mob controls the law in Saint Denis and, therefore, people who commit heinous crimes are welcome and honored guests at parties. But Bronte is a monster and Guido Martelli's Mob is the dirtiest of them all, no matter how nice the suits are that they wear.

Red Dead Redemption 2 was released on October 26, 2018, and is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

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