To look at a treasure map in Red Dead Redemption 2, open your satchel by holding Right on the D-pad (PlayStation and Xbox) or pressing B on PC, go to the Documents tab, and select the map from its treasure maps section. The sketch then opens on screen so you can study the landmarks it shows. Below we cover the exact steps, how to turn a sketch into a place on the world map, every Story Mode treasure map, and how Red Dead Online maps work differently.
This guide covers Story Mode in the current build of Red Dead Redemption 2 on PS4, Xbox One and PC. PS5 and Xbox Series X|S players run those versions through backward compatibility, so the console buttons are identical.
Step by Step: Opening a Treasure Map
- Open the satchel. Hold Right on the D-pad on PS4, PS5, Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S. On PC, community keybinding lists put the satchel on B by default, and controller players on PC use D-pad Right like consoles.
- Go to the Documents tab. Player guides describe the satchel’s tabs running from provisions and tonics through kit and valuables, with Documents holding everything Arthur can read, from letters to legendary animal maps.
- Open the treasure maps section and select the map you want. The hand-drawn sketch fills the screen.
- Close it when you have what you need using the prompt on screen, and you are back in the world.
You can open a map as often as you like, and player guides recommend doing exactly that: check it, ride toward the area, then check it again as the landmarks come into view.
One exception. Per the community wiki, the Sketched Map from Reed Cottage north of Annesburg is filed under Maps rather than Treasure Maps in the satchel, so look there if it seems to be missing.
How to Read the Clues
Story Mode treasure maps have no marker and no highlighted circle. Each one is a sketch of a real place, and your job is to match it to the world. The community wiki notes that the drawings are crude and sometimes misleading, so read them for landmarks rather than exact positions.
- Find the big shape first. Lakes, rivers, ridgelines and bends in the railroad are the easiest things to match. Open the world map from the pause menu and look for the same outline.
- Use names and symbols. Some maps label a place outright; others draw a church, a cannon, a waterfall or a rock formation that only exists in one spot.
- Read every word. A few maps carry written directions, and the community wiki notes the High Stakes map’s final clue is written in an old German script, so you lean on the drawing there.
- Search on foot when you are close. Treasure and the next map hide in tree hollows, rock piles, chimneys and lockboxes. Player guides recommend Eagle Eye (press both sticks, L3 and R3 on PlayStation or LS and RS on Xbox) to make lootable spots stand out.
Long treasure rides go faster once your camp has the lodging upgrade from our fast travel guide, and a well-bonded horse from our guide to calling your horse will find you on rough mountain trails.
Every Story Mode Treasure Map
Locations below are from the community wiki. They give away where each hunt starts, not where it ends.
| Treasure map | Where the first map is | Reward at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Hall Gang | Bought from Maximo near Flatneck Station, Chapter 2 | Gold bars |
| Poisonous Trail | Lockbox under a bed in the cabin at Cairn Lake | Gold bars |
| High Stakes | Taken from a treasure hunter between Diablo Ridge and Riggs Station, after meeting Maximo | Gold bars |
| Landmarks of Riches | Inside the obelisk northwest of Owanjila, on the map’s western edge | Gold bars |
| Le Tresor des Morts | Jail cell at Limpany (a pre-order bonus) | Gold bars |
| Torn Treasure Map (Mended Map) | Two halves, held by two hostile hermits | A unique revolver |
| Sketched Map | Chimney at Reed Cottage, north of Annesburg | A gold ingot |
| The Elemental Trail | Sea of Coronado shore, after the epilogue | Gold, supplies and a trinket |
If you miss Maximo, the wiki says a fence later sells the first Jack Hall Gang map for $1, and the High Stakes map can turn up at a fence too. Once you dig up the gold, our guide to selling valuables covers where to cash it in.
Tips Most Players Miss
- Save before a cliff climb. Several hunts end on ledges or in caves. A quick manual save, covered in our guide on how to save your game, spares you the ride back.
- The journal is not the treasure map. Arthur sketches places he discovers in his journal (hold Left on the D-pad), but treasure maps only live in the satchel’s Documents tab.
- Some hunts unlock later. The Elemental Trail map only appears after the epilogue, and the wiki says the Mended Map treasure cannot be collected until the epilogue either.
Treasure Maps in Red Dead Online
Online maps are not sketches. Per the community wiki, you still open them from the Documents section of the satchel, but selecting one zooms the in-game map to a named area highlighted in yellow, with the chest spawned in one of four fixed spots inside it. Eagle Eye shows gold sparks near the chest, and the map disappears from your list once you open it. Player reports on Steam add that you can only hold one map per location. See Rockstar’s Red Dead Online page for current treasure bonuses, and our Red Dead guides hub for the rest of the cluster.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you look at a treasure map in RDR2 on PS4 or PS5? Hold Right on the D-pad to open the satchel, go to Documents, open the treasure maps section and select the map.
How do you look at a treasure map in RDR2 on PC? Community keybinding lists put the satchel on B. Open it, go to Documents and select the map. On a controller, hold D-pad Right.
Why can’t I find my treasure map in the satchel? Check both the Treasure Maps and Maps sections of your documents. The community wiki says the Sketched Map is filed under Maps.
Do RDR2 treasure maps show a marker? Not in Story Mode. You match the sketch to the world yourself. In Red Dead Online, opening a map highlights a search area on your map.
What is the first treasure map in RDR2? For most players it is the Jack Hall Gang map, which the community wiki says Maximo sells near Flatneck Station from Chapter 2.