To set up camp in Red Dead Redemption 2, stop somewhere in the wilderness, hold L1 on PlayStation or LB on Xbox to open the wheel, tab across to the items page and select Camp. On PC, community keybinding lists put the wheel on Tab. If the spot is allowed, Arthur builds a small camp with a campfire and bedroll where you can rest, sleep, cook, craft and save. Below we cover the controls on every platform, why the game sometimes refuses, everything your camp can do, how safe it is, and how this differs from the gang’s camp.
This guide covers Story Mode in the current build of Red Dead Redemption 2 on PS4, Xbox One and PC (Steam and the Rockstar Games Launcher). PS5 and Xbox Series X|S players run those versions through backward compatibility, so the console buttons are identical, and as of this writing Rockstar has not announced a native current-gen version.
How to Set Up Camp, Step by Step
| Platform | Open the wheel | Switch to the items page |
|---|---|---|
| PS4 and PS5 | Hold L1 | R1 |
| Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S | Hold LB | RB |
| PC, keyboard and mouse | Hold Tab (default binding) | The key shown at the bottom of the wheel |
- Pick a spot in the wild. Ride well away from towns, roads and rivers (the full list of no-go areas is below). Fairly open ground works best.
- Hold the wheel button from the table above to open the weapon wheel.
- Tab to the items page. Player guides place the camp option at the bottom of the items wheel, so push the stick down (or move the mouse down) to highlight it.
- Release to select Camp. If the spot qualifies, Arthur sets up camp right there. The community wiki notes that the camp can end up a short distance from where you chose it, since the game looks for a usable patch of ground nearby.
Once the camp is up, walk to the fire or the bedroll and the available actions appear as prompts in the bottom right corner of the screen.
Why the Game Will Not Let You Camp
Most failed attempts come down to location. Per the community wiki, you cannot camp close to towns, settlements or gang hideouts, or near roads, train tracks or bodies of water. Move further into open country and try again.
The other common blocker is a message saying there is activity nearby. Player reports describe it showing up after a mission ends or right after tearing down a previous camp. The fixes players suggest:
- Give it a moment. Waiting a little before trying again lets the game catch up after you pack up a camp.
- Move away. Ride a short distance in any direction and select Camp from the wheel again.
- Clear the area. Player guides add that you cannot make camp in the middle of a fight, so deal with any hostiles first.
What You Can Do at Your Camp
A wilderness camp is far more than a save point. Per the community wiki, you can:
- Set up a tent and sleep. Sleep skips time and, per the wiki’s sleep page, even the shortest nap fully restores Arthur’s cores along with his health and stamina bars. You can sleep up to three times in a row.
- Rest by the fire to pass time without a full sleep.
- Cook and craft. The campfire handles cooking meat and crafting tonics and similar items. Per the wiki, your own camp also gets a grill for seasoning meat once you complete the mission “Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego”.
- Brew coffee, once you have bought a Coffee Percolator from a general store’s catalogue.
- Save your game. The wiki says saving while sitting in the tent puts you back on that exact spot when you load the save. Our guide on how to save your game covers manual saves and autosaves in full.
- Fast travel, after you buy the Arthur’s lodging upgrade from the gang camp’s ledger. Our fast travel guide explains that upgrade. Per the community wiki, Colter can only be reached by fast travel from a wilderness camp.
There is one more perk for upgraders: the wiki’s sleep page says sleeping in your tent at a wilderness camp can fortify Arthur’s stamina core, but only after Arthur’s lodging has been upgraded at the gang camp.
Is Your Camp Safe?
Mostly, with a few exceptions worth knowing.
- Wild animals leave you alone. Per the community wiki, animals will not attack once your camp is set up, even in cougar and bear country. If you wander off and draw an animal’s attention, though, the rest, sleep and cook options do not come back until you deal with it.
- Bounty hunters do not respect the campfire. The wiki warns that with any price on your head, however small, bounty hunters can attack while you rest or craft. They watch from a distance first, and the music shifts to a tense theme before they strike. Clearing your name first is the real fix; our guide to removing a bounty walks through it.
- Some gangs guard their turf. Per the wiki, camping in Roanoke Ridge or Tall Trees for the first time can trigger a warning from the Murfree Brood or the Skinner Brothers. Ignore it and camp there again, and they attack.
Packing Up and Moving On
When you are done, player guides describe tearing the camp down from its prompts after you wake, then riding on. If your horse has wandered while you slept, a whistle brings it back; our guide to calling your horse covers what to do when it does not come. Keep in mind the wiki’s warning that staying away from the gang for more than about three in-game days costs Arthur some Honor when he returns.
The Gang’s Camp Is a Different Thing
You cannot place the Van der Linde gang’s camp yourself. It moves with the story, and per the community wiki the gang lives in six camps over the course of the game. The gang camp is where you donate money and valuables in the box next to Dutch’s tent, buy upgrades and supply restocks from the camp ledger beside it, hand pelts and carcasses to Pearson at the butcher table, and do chores for Honor. Our perfect pelts guide explains why a clean kill matters for those donations. The satchel camp in this guide is your personal, portable stop for the nights between.
Camping in Red Dead Online
Red Dead Online works differently. Per the community wiki, your main Online camp is placed in the region you choose rather than on an exact spot, and you pay a small daily fee to keep it. The Story Mode-style wilderness camp is not available by default: the wiki says it is a Naturalist role unlock, bought from Harriet once you reach the required rank, and it has no bedroll, since nobody sleeps in Online.
For more help on Arthur’s travels, browse our Red Dead guides hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you set up camp in RDR2? Stop in the wilderness, hold L1 on PlayStation or LB on Xbox, tab to the items page with R1 or RB, and select Camp. Arthur sets up a campfire and bedroll if the spot is allowed.
How do you set up camp on PC? Community keybinding lists put the wheel on Tab by default. Hold it, switch to the items page with the key shown at the bottom of the wheel, and select Camp.
Why can’t I set up camp in RDR2? You are probably too close to a town, settlement, gang hideout, road, railway or water, or the game sees activity nearby. Ride further into open country, wait a moment and try again.
Can you fast travel from a camp you set up? Yes, once you buy the Arthur’s lodging upgrade from the camp ledger at the gang’s camp.
Do animals attack your camp in RDR2? Per the community wiki, wild animals do not attack once the camp is set up. Bounty hunters and some territorial gangs still can.
Can you set up camp in Red Dead Online? Your main Online camp is set up in a region you choose. The small wilderness camp is a Naturalist role unlock in Online, per the community wiki.