In Red Dead Redemption 2, players are often drawn to the mystery and detail scattered across the massive open world. One curious point of interest is the taxidermist house located north of Strawberry. Though seemingly a minor structure, this eerie building has gained attention not only for its macabre contents but also due to a strange and persistent taxidermist house glitch that players have encountered. From disappearing walls to broken interiors and AI behavior issues, this glitch has confused and fascinated players looking for hidden secrets or just exploring the world. This topic will explore what the taxidermist house is, the glitch itself, how it manifests, and what players can do to experience or avoid it.
What Is the Taxidermist House?
Location and Description
The taxidermist house is a small, secluded building found in the northwest portion of the map, near the base of Mount Shann and just above the town of Strawberry. From the outside, it looks like a normal log cabin, but upon entering, players will discover something far more unsettling. The interior is filled with mounted animal heads, stuffed creatures, and bizarre human-animal hybrid sculptures that strongly suggest someone with disturbing hobbies once lived there.
Not Linked to Any Main Quest
One of the unique aspects of this house is that it’s not tied to any story mission or side quest. There’s no known occupant, no journal entries, and no obvious explanation for the grotesque interior. As a result, it has become a subject of community speculation, often linked to urban legends within the RDR2 community.
The Taxidermist House Glitch Explained
Common Glitch Effects
The taxidermist house glitch comes in several forms, but most commonly it causes the following:
- Interior walls and objects not loading correctly
- Floating or invisible furniture
- Clipping issues where Arthur or John can walk through walls
- Flickering textures and broken lighting inside the cabin
- Sometimes the entire house appears sunken into the ground
These glitches can occur randomly or after certain in-game events. Players who return to the house multiple times during different chapters or weather conditions often notice new visual bugs appearing.
Platform Differences
The glitch appears across all major platforms PlayStation, Xbox, and PC but is more frequently reported on PC, likely due to the wider range of hardware and mod compatibility. Mods and graphics settings may exacerbate or trigger the glitch, especially those that affect weather, lighting, or LOD (Level of Detail) rendering.
Possible Causes of the Glitch
Map Streaming and LOD Issues
Because RDR2 uses a complex streaming system to load map assets based on the player’s proximity, sometimes textures and models fail to load properly. This is especially noticeable in remote or rarely visited locations like the taxidermist house. If you approach the house too quickly such as on horseback or after fast travel the game may fail to fully render the interior.
Unfinished Development Content
Some players believe the glitch might be connected to unfinished or removed content. The house feels like it was intended to be part of a larger story or mission that was later scrapped. The instability in the design and the broken visuals suggest that the house may have been left in a semi-complete state.
Corrupted Game Files or Mods
On PC, corrupted save files or third-party mods can cause problems with world objects. If you have mods installed that change textures, interior assets, or NPC behavior, these may interfere with how the game loads this particular building. Running the game with mods disabled can sometimes resolve the glitch.
Experiencing the Glitch
How to Find the House
To visit the house and possibly witness the glitch for yourself, head northwest of Strawberry. The exact coordinates are near the river above the Strawberry label on the map. Ride north from the town and look for a solitary cabin hidden among the trees.
Tips for Triggering the Glitch
While the glitch isn’t guaranteed to happen, players who want to trigger it can try the following:
- Visit the cabin during different times of day (morning vs. night)
- Return to the cabin after major story events
- Enter the house from different angles or at high speed
- Save and reload near the cabin to see if assets fail to appear
Keep in mind, though, that triggering a glitch can cause instability or crashes. Always back up your save file before experimenting.
Community Reactions and Theories
Secret Mission or Hidden Character?
Some fans speculate that the taxidermist house was once intended to be part of a mission or random encounter. The strange and sinister decorations inside suggest that someone with a dark story may have lived there. Reddit threads and YouTube videos have speculated about a taxidermist NPC who may have been removed from the game late in development.
Connection to Mount Shann?
Interestingly, the house’s proximity to Mount Shann another location surrounded by mystery has led some players to theorize a supernatural or cult connection. The oddities inside the house, combined with the nearby strange lights and symbols found on the mountain, make for a compelling if unconfirmed link.
Just a Buggy Location?
Others believe the glitch simply reflects how certain areas in RDR2 were deprioritized for polish. Since the taxidermist house serves no mechanical function in the game, it’s possible it was never fully optimized or tested under all gameplay conditions. The result is an area that loads inconsistently and often breaks immersion.
Fixing or Avoiding the Glitch
Console Players
On PlayStation and Xbox, the only real fixes are restarting the game or reloading an earlier save. If the glitch persists, try entering the house after restarting your console or approaching the location more slowly.
PC Players
For PC users, more troubleshooting options exist:
- Verify game file integrity through the launcher
- Disable mods and see if the glitch continues
- Lower graphics settings temporarily to improve loading
- Reinstall the game as a last resort
Keep in mind that if this is a persistent design flaw rather than a corrupt file, even clean installs may not fully resolve the issue.
The taxidermist house glitch in Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of many examples of how the game’s detailed open world sometimes creates unpredictable outcomes. Whether due to streaming issues, unfinished content, or mod conflicts, this strange bug has made the location even more intriguing to fans. Despite its broken appearance, the house continues to be a talking point in the community, often celebrated as a place where the lines between intentional design and unexpected error blur together. If you’re looking for something odd or hoping to experience a piece of RDR2’s strange side, the taxidermist house is definitely worth a visit even if it’s not working quite as Rockstar intended.