To gain weight in Red Dead Redemption 2, eat at least 10 calories’ worth of food right before you sleep or fast travel: Arthur wakes up, or arrives, one weight point heavier. Big game meat is the quickest way to hit that mark, since a single cooked serving is worth 10 calories on its own, and you can repeat the meal-then-sleep routine until he reaches the weight you want.
Below we cover how the weight scale works, what extra weight actually does to Arthur, how many calories common foods carry, the fastest routine step by step, how to keep gaining while you play, where to stop, and how John, horses and Red Dead Online fit in.
Which Version This Covers
This guide covers Story Mode in Red Dead Redemption 2 on PS4, Xbox One and PC. PS5 and Xbox Series X|S players run those versions through backward compatibility, so everything below works the same there.
How Weight Works
Arthur’s weight sits on a hidden scale from 0 (skinny) to 20 (overweight), with 10 as his ideal weight and his starting point. His body shape changes a little with every point, while his face switches between just three models: thin, average and chubby. New weight is not shown in real time: it is applied after a loading screen, such as waking from a sleep or arriving from a fast travel.
Two forces move the scale:
- Food adds weight. Every 10 calories you eat is worth a point.
- Active play burns it off. Arthur loses about one point for every 12 in-game hours you actually spend playing, roughly 24 real minutes.
The detail that makes gaining easy is that skipped time does not count as burning. Time you skip by sleeping or fast traveling is left out of the calculation, so a meal eaten right before a sleep turns into weight without any burn-off against it.
What Extra Weight Does to Arthur
Weight is not just a look. Heavier means tougher but shorter of breath:
| Weight | Damage taken | Stamina drain |
|---|---|---|
| Overweight | 5.25 to 7.5 percent less | Faster |
| Heavier than ideal | 0.75 to 4.5 percent less | Slightly faster |
| Ideal | No change | No change |
| Lighter than ideal | 0.75 to 4.5 percent more | Slightly slower |
| Underweight | 5.25 to 7.5 percent more | Slower |
There is one more rule that decides where to stop: at the very top (or very bottom) of the scale, all of Arthur’s cores drain 25 percent faster. So the best spot for a gunfighter is a point or two short of the maximum. You keep nearly all of the damage reduction without the faster drain on every core.
How to Check Arthur’s Weight
The Player section of the pause menu describes Arthur’s current weight and what it is doing to him. You will also see small arrows on the health core icon after a sleep or a fast travel, showing that weight went up or down. Since changes only apply after a loading screen, check after you wake rather than right after eating.
Calories in Common Foods
| Calories | Foods |
|---|---|
| 10 | Big game meat, and Pearson’s stew made with it |
| 5 | Chocolate, saloon meals, high quality meat, and Pearson’s stew made with good meat |
| 3 | Most store-bought food, medium quality meat, saloon drinks and unopened bottles, and stew made with poor meat |
| 1 | Tonics, coffee, herbs and other foraged food, opened alcohol, bread chunks, candy, and low quality meat |
| 0 | Cigars and cigarettes |
Big game meat comes from large animals and has to be cooked at a campfire before you eat it. Two servings of chocolate or high quality meat (prime beef, venison, pork or exotic bird) also add up to 10. When you cross 10 calories in a stretch, the game plays a small crunch sound, which is a handy confirmation.
The Fastest Way to Gain Weight, Step by Step
- Stock up on heavy food. Hunt something big and cook the meat, or buy chocolate and saloon meals in town.
-
Eat at least 10 calories’ worth. One serving of big game meat does it alone. Listen for the crunch.
- Sleep or fast travel straight away. A short nap is enough. You can sleep at the gang’s camp, rent a hotel room, or set up camp almost anywhere and use the bedroll. Our guide on how to wait and pass time covers every way to skip ahead.
- Check the result when you wake. Look for the up arrow on the health core.
- Repeat. One meal and one sleep per point. Going from ideal to near the top of the scale takes about eight or nine rounds.
Our video at the end of this guide shows us eating to gain weight on PS4. The screenshots in this guide come from the same recording.
The same trick works with fast travel: eat, then travel, and the point is added when you arrive. Our fast travel guide covers how to unlock it.
If Arthur has dropped very low, it is even easier: when he is extremely underweight, even a short nap on an empty stomach adds a point.
Gaining Weight While You Play
If you would rather not keep napping, eat on the move. Eating 10 to 19 calories in each 12 in-game hours of play just holds Arthur’s weight steady, because it cancels out the point he burns. Eat 20 or more in the same stretch and the scale climbs. In practice, that means two servings of big game meat, or four of chocolate and saloon meals, for every half day you spend riding and shooting.
Physical activity itself has no real effect on weight, so running everywhere does not slim him down faster. The clock and the food are what matter.
Gaining Weight as John, and in the Late Chapters
The same weight system follows John Marston through the Epilogue, so the eat-then-sleep routine works exactly the same for him.
For Arthur, plan around the late story. From Chapter 5, a story development makes his cores drain faster and food less effective at refilling them, so you will be eating more just to stay healthy. If you want a heavier, tougher Arthur, bulk him up before that point. We will not spoil the reason here.
Making Your Horse Gain Weight
Horses gain and lose weight too, to a lesser degree. A horse’s weight is described as malnourished, thin, fit or obese, the stable owner usually comments on it when you walk in, and a horse that is too thin or too heavy loses a little top speed. To bulk up a thin horse, feed it proper meals like hay, oatcakes and apples rather than just treats. Our guide on how to feed your horse covers what each food does.
Losing It Again
Overshot the mark? Weight comes off the opposite way: eat lightly and keep playing, because sleeping it off does not work. Our guide on how to lose weight covers the full routine.
Weight in Red Dead Online
Red Dead Online plays by different rules. Your online character’s body type is set at character creation, and weight changes it only slightly. Online also has a shortcut Story Mode lacks: a Weight Gain Tonic that changes your weight directly, which Rockstar has handed out as a login and event reward in its weekly updates. Rockstar’s Red Dead Online page has the latest on the mode.
For more on keeping Arthur in shape, browse our Red Dead guides hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you gain weight fast in RDR2? Eat at least 10 calories, such as one serving of cooked big game meat, then sleep or fast travel. Each round adds one weight point.
How long does it take to gain weight in RDR2? One point per meal-and-sleep round. Going from the ideal weight to near the top takes about eight or nine rounds.
Is it better to be overweight in RDR2? Heavier means less damage taken but faster stamina drain. At the very top of the scale all cores drain faster, so stop a point or two short.
What food makes you gain weight in RDR2? Big game meat and Pearson’s stew made with it are worth 10 calories. Chocolate, saloon meals and high quality meat are worth 5.
Can John gain weight in RDR2? Yes. The same weight system applies to John in the Epilogue.
How do you gain weight in Red Dead Online? Weight barely changes your character’s shape online. A Weight Gain Tonic changes it directly, and Rockstar has given them out as rewards.