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  1. Games
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  4. Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 players almost finished solving a mystery that lay hidden for 7 years before realizing they missed the actual start, even though it involves a bright red pentagram

News
By Anthony McGlynn published 15 January 2026

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If you're a fan of Red Dead Redemption 2, you may be aware of the ongoing spider web mystery that somehow went unnoticed since launch. Well, there's been another important discovery in the ongoing investigation: people started the puzzle a couple of steps late.

This all started when players realized spider webs appear on certain telegraph poles at particular times of night. Those poles have the outline of an arachnid on them, leading you to other clues on a bizarre and elusive quest that remains ongoing.

As part of this elaborate jigsaw, it's been uncovered that those poles aren't actually the first pieces. Instead, as YouTuber Strange Man explains below, you're meant to start towards the eastern side of the map, at Butcher's Creek. There, a pentagram shows up between the hours of 4am and 6am, sending you to five outhouses, where you gradually get signposted to the webbed poles.

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I Found the ACTUAL Starting Point of the Spider Web Mystery (RDR2) - YouTube I Found the ACTUAL Starting Point of the Spider Web Mystery (RDR2) - YouTube
Watch On

It's all very convoluted and strange. As it stands, this leads toward mountainside question marks, and the shape of a reverse question mark on the world map, and a pair of telegraph machines. But that's where the trail goes cold, yet again.

We still don't know where this is all leading. Wherever it's going has lay, waiting for someone to find, for seven whole years. Literally since Red Dead Redemption 2 first released. Even former Rockstar employees weren’t sure if anyone would manage to figure this all out.

The goal remains to get to the end here before GTA 6 arrives. That certainly seems plausible, but who knows how nebulous this truly is. At this rate, moving in the right direction is an accomplishment in itself.

Red Dead Redemption 2 fan tests Rockstar's historical accuracy by conducting a literal census in the open-world game, concludes it's "a pretty amazing representation" of the era.

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TOPICS
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Anthony McGlynn
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Contributing Writer

Anthony is an Irish entertainment and games journalist, now based in Glasgow. He previously served as Senior Anime Writer at Dexerto and News Editor at The Digital Fix, on top of providing work for Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PC Gamer, and many more. Besides Studio Ghibli, horror movies, and The Muppets, he enjoys action-RPGs, heavy metal, and pro-wrestling. He interviewed Animal once, not that he won’t stop going on about it or anything.

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