Every Theory That Suggests Red Dead and Grand Theft Auto Take Place on the Same Timeline

gamerant.com:

Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto are arguably the most popular and defining franchises that come under the Rockstar name. With both franchises rigorously adhering to the third-person and open-world Rockstar formula, the games are inherently similar in many ways.

However, putting core gameplay aside, there is one element of the two massively popular series' that has always fascinated fans and bred mass amounts of discussion and theories over the years. Despite taking place in different eras, it is very plausible that Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto actually share a timeline, and there is quite a bit of evidence to substantiate the theories that suggest this.

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One of the most direct and overt theories that link both Red Dead and Grand Theft Auto comes with the wildly successful Grand Theft Auto 5. Throughout the game, there is a book that can be found on different shelves in numerous locations that conveys an extremely clear link between both franchises.

The book is titled «Red Dead,» with the authorship given to a J. Marston. Of course, many may assume that this is a throwaway reference to John Marston, the iconic protagonist of the first Red Dead Redemption, however the theory developed by fans is slightly more intricate. Within the Red Dead franchise, John has a son called Jack, with the theory attributing the authorship to Jack, who may have written a book about growing up among the Van Der Linde gang, as well as the exploits of his father.

In both Red Dead and its sequel, Jack is shown to be a keen learner and avid reader with a passion for writing, further lending credence to the theory that he wrote the book in question.