GTA 6 & Red Dead Crossover? Trailer 2 Features RDR2 President on Dollar Bills

For years, passionate fans have argued over whether Rockstar Games' flagship franchises exist within the same fictional universe. Now, a tiny detail involving dollar bills in a strip club scene in the second Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer seems to have provided the smoking gun many have been searching for - unless it is just an easter egg.

A blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment from the new trailer shows cash featuring President Thaddeus Waxman's distinctive face and frowning mustache. If that name sounds familiar, it should. Waxman was explicitly named as the president during the events of Red Dead Redemption 2, which takes place in 1899.

This connection establishes a direct timeline continuity that strongly suggests these beloved titles share the same fictional America. The presidential currency isn't isolated evidence, either. The new trailer also features weapons from the "Duke" gun brand. This fictional firearms manufacturer is prominently featured throughout the Red Dead series.

The fact that this brand has survived from the Wild West era into modern-day Vice City provides another thread connecting these seemingly separate worlds.

This isn't the first time fans have spotted a connection between these two universes. Grand Theft Auto V contained numerous nods to the Red Dead series, including bookshelves lined with novels by "J. Marston". Grand Theft Auto Online even allows players to select Marston as their character's father, further cementing the connection.

Location names provide additional links between the two series. Shared place names like Armadillo and Cholla Springs appear in both franchises, though in different contexts. There's even a MacFarlane's Ranch reference in Grand Theft Auto, a callback to a prominent location from Red Dead Redemption.

However, Red Dead Redemption frequently mentions real-world locations like New York and San Francisco, while GTA uses fictionalized versions like Liberty City and San Andreas. Then again, Grand Theft Auto 4, which is reportedly being remastered at the moment, directly references Florida even though GTA 6 is set in Leonida, a clear stand-in to Florida.

Red Dead Redemption 2 also features the fictional Grizzlies mountain range while also directly mentioning the real-life Rocky Mountains within the same world. Across its multiple eras, the Grand Theft Auto IP hasn't exactly maintained spotless consistency with the degree if fictionalization they put their world through, so some of the discrepancies may just come down to time.

While it's unlikely Rockstar will ever make these connections explicit in the main storylines of either franchise, the mounting evidence points to an intentionally constructed shared reality. Of course, we also can't rule out the possibility that Rockstar is doing this simply because it can. It wouldn't be the first time Rockstar has added Easter Eggs in their games for the sake of it.

Dare to remember the Mount Chiliad Mystery that was apparently just a red herring all along? It's only been barely a week since the record-setting second GTA 6 trailer came out and we're already getting these theories. A few months from now, who knows what else the more eagle-eyed fans can come up with?

For now, believers of the shared Rockstar Games universe might want to pay close attention to the next Take-Two Interactive earnings call on May 15. GTA 6 is currently scheduled for May 26, 2026 release. However, one insider believes that a second GTA 6 delay is still on the table.