Spurred to Victory is the only missable Story Mode goal. Start its 20-mission run early and don't switch to a new horse at a hitching post. Gold Medal needs a qualifying combat-mission replay, and Redeemed waits for 100% Game Completion. Most of the rest pop during regular play.
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Story
Spoiler warning: these goals are named after story missions, and a few of the names hint at late-game events. Each one pops when its mission ends, so you don't need to chase them. Nurture or Nature? is the exception, since its mission starts from a Stranger question mark in Blackwater rather than a story marker.
Side activities and strangers
Strange Things are Afoot pops on the first Stranger task you finish, so it's the quick one. People are Still Strange is the long haul. Its progress builds across many Stranger encounters, so pick up question-mark tasks whenever they show up.
Exploration, animals and gear
A few of these need a purchase or a specific action, and the rest fill in as you explore. Manifest Destiny needs the most care, because buffalo you kill don't respawn, so that hunt only moves one way.
Combat and challenges
Axe Master and Master Exploder don't open until you buy the weapon that unlocks their challenges, so plan that shop trip before you chase them.
100% completion
The Game Completion stat tracks story missions, Stranger tasks, hideouts, challenges, and exploration. Check Stats to see what remains.
Which version and mode this covers
Everything here is a base-game Story Mode goal on PC and PS4. Undead Nightmare has its own goals, and they aren't mixed in. Axe Master and Master Exploder began as 2010 add-on challenges, but both can be finished in ordinary Story Mode, so they count here. Later releases on other platforms exist, but their achievement criteria aren't covered here.
Plan your Story Mode achievement run
- Pick your horse first. Spurred to Victory can reset on you, so choose a durable horse and keep a backup save before you start its 20-mission count.
- Let the story run. Story goals pop when their named missions end, and the kill counters fill in during regular fights.
- Clear Strangers and hideouts as you cross the map. Hideouts sit on both sides of the Mexico border, so plan your clears by region using the Red Dead Redemption gang hideouts. For Stranger tasks, see Red Dead Redemption stranger missions.
- Work the purchase goals in. Axe Master, Master Exploder and Exquisite Taste all need you to buy something first. For the suit, see Red Dead Redemption outfits, and for ambient challenge ranks, see Red Dead Redemption challenges.
- Replay the Gold Medal on its own. It's a separate replay from the Missions menu, so it doesn't need to fit into the story run.
- Check the Game Completion stat last. Finish the remaining story, Stranger, hideout, challenge, and exploration requirements until Redeemed unlocks.
Which achievement is missable
Spurred to Victory is the only goal here marked missable. Losing your horse, switching to another horse deed or swapping at a hitching post during the 20-mission run restarts the count. A horse a mission hands you doesn't reset it on its own, so you can ride what the story gives you without starting over.
The hardest goals: Gold Medal, kill counters and Redeemed
Gold Medal needs a Gold rank on a combat mission. Replay Old Swindler Blues from Stats > Missions. Skip cutscenes and use Dead Eye for four headshots with 100% accuracy; finish within 2 minutes 20 seconds. You can improve each medal target on separate replays. A mission with no fighting won't count, even if it has a time target, so don't pick one just because it's short.
The kill counters fill up through ordinary fights, but they're slow. The mounted, pistol and long-gun counters each track one kind of weapon, so the gun you're holding decides which one moves. Bullseye counts headshots instead.
Redeemed is the 100% goal. It has no separate mission or challenge. It unlocks when the Game Completion stat reaches 100%.
FAQ
Can I earn these in multiplayer?
Not on the modern PC or PS4 versions, which have no multiplayer achievements. The original 2010 PS3 and Xbox 360 releases had their own multiplayer achievements and add-on sets, and those aren't covered here.
Do I need Undead Nightmare for any of these?
No. The goals here can all be finished in base Story Mode. A few kill counters can also tick over in Undead Nightmare, and Unnatural Selection has an ordinary Story Mode hunt, so you don't need that expansion for it.
Is Legend of the West one of these goals?
No. Legend of the West is the PS4 Platinum, and it needs every other PS4 trophy, including the Undead Nightmare ones. Finishing the goals here won't earn it alone.
Does Switch support achievements?
Yes. The Switch release has in-game achievements.