Get all Cowboys & Aliens as we show you where to find the Red Dead Redemption 2 UFO at the end of the special flying saucer quest.
Where is the Red Dead Redemption 2 UFO, and how do you find it? Is there more than one to find? Red Dead Redemption 2 is out now, and players all over the world are combing through the game for secrets. Rockstar always pack interesting Easter eggs into their games and this is no exception, such as the creepy Ghost of Bluewater Marsh.
But what about aliens? Much like the big Grand Theft Auto V UFO mystery that took ages to solve and ended in a fair few close encounters, Red Dead Redemption 2 also seems to have a number of flying saucers buzzing over the Old West. We’re here to help you track down those alien varmints.
The first part of the secret UFO quest in Red Dead Redemption 2 in to head to a special shack just north of Emerald Station in New Hanover. Just above Emerald Ranch (and Station) on the map is a small lake. Head there, and you’ll find a little shack that looks rather worse for wear. Go in and you’ll find a rather creepy scene: a lot of dead bodies in bed, many burnt-out candles, and a skeletal cultist sat behind an altar. The fireplace behind the skeleton, at the end of the shack, is hiding a note called the “mysterious sermon.” Read it, and it will tell you where and when to go to find the UFO.
The note mentions two clues: Mount Shann, and “the second hour under the half moon.” This is the time and the place where the flying saucer will appear. Mount Shann is to the north of Strawberry, in the center of Big Valley in West Elizabeth. You can probably get a train to nearby Riggs Station or a stagecoach to Strawberry itself, if you don’t fancy riding that far. Once you do, head up to the top of the area, and at the tip of one the lower peaks of Mount Shann will be a small stone monolith within a stone circle.
You’ll notice that nothing happens. The cultists didn’t stay there, did they? After visiting Mount Shann they went back to the shack, which is what you have to do. Go back to the area you came from, now marked on your map as “Hani’s Bethel.” Make sure you arrive at night-time around 2:00, so set up camp and take a sleep until nightfall if you have to. If you’ve followed these steps correctly, the shack will be engulfed in a mysterious green light, and buzzed by a flying saucer! That’s not the only one in the game though…
To find the second Red Dead Redemption 2 UFO, you’ll want to head back to Mount Shann once more. On the other hand, you could just stick around when you head there the first time since this one doesn’t seem to be part of the actual UFO quest, and can be seen at any point in the game.
You’re probably thinking that the Mount Shann UFO will presumably appear at the stone ritual site you found earlier. That would make a lot of sense, but then Rockstar doesn’t always follow the obvious path. In actuality it’s on probably the tallest peak of Mount Shann, right above the area where you can find the remains of a Bigfoot. We’ve marked the exact point on the map above.
Head to this location, and wait until around 1am to 2am. If you’re at the right spot, look south over the forest and get your binoculars out. Without warning, a small flying saucer should descend vertically from the clouds above. It’ll stick around long enough for you to examine it with the binoculars, then it will head straight back up again and disappear.
Are there more UFOs to be found in the game? Very probably, and we’ll update this guide when more are discovered. Also note that the cultist letter you found in the shack mentions that they would return in “the two thousandth year.” Could this be the same UFO that can be found hovering over Mount Chiliad in Grand Theft Auto 5? Knowing Rockstar, that’s probably the intention.
