Are you a passionate gamer who can’t wait to immerse yourself in the wild world of Red Dead Redemption 2, but are struggling with a frustrating issue preventing the game from launching? This problem has been reported by many players who have eagerly anticipated this epic adventure game.
Despite many attempts, the game simply refuses to launch, leaving you with a blank screen and a sense of frustration. You’re not alone in this situation, and fortunately, there are ways to resolve this issue and get back to playing the game you love.
The issue of Red Dead Redemption 2 not launching can be caused by various factors. The most common reason is outdated or corrupted drivers, especially graphics card drivers, compatibility issues with the operating system/other software installed on the computer, insufficient system resources such as low RAM or a slow processor, corrupt game files/an incompatible game version could be causing the problem. In some cases, the issue may be related to security software or firewalls that block the game’s access to the internet.
In this article, we have come up with all the working solutions that can easily solve your problem. So, let’s take a look.
How to Fix Red Dead Redemption 2 Not Launching
To resolve your Red Dead Redemption 2 not launching issue on PC, you need to
- Check System Requirements.
- Update the Game & windows.
- Install the latest Visual C++ Redistributables and restart your PC.
- Update Rockstar game launcher.
In case the problem still exists, then try the below potential fixes;
1. Update Video Drivers
An outdated display driver is a common culprit for Red Dead Redemption 2 Not Launching on your PC. This can prevent the game from launching problems. Updating your display driver is an effective solution to this problem. To update the Video drivers, follow the below steps;
To Update the driver Manually;
To manually update your driver, go to the driver manufacturer’s official site (NVIDIA, AMD) and download the driver compatible with your Windows version (64-bit or 86-bit). Once downloaded, open the downloaded file and follow the onscreen instructions to install it on your system.
To Update the driver Automatically;
You can update the video drivers automatically by using third-party software. There are multiple driver updating software available, however, we suggest downloading Driver Easy software to update your video driver quickly and efficiently. Unlike the device manager, it can update all drivers with a single click and has a broader database for detecting the latest drivers.
2. Add the game to the Exclusion list
If Red Dead Redemption 2 is not launching on Steam, epic games, or steam deck, then it may be that your Windows Defender might block your game from launching. So if that’s the case for you, try adding it to the list of scan exclusions.
Here are the steps;
- In the Search box, type windows security and click Windows Security from the results.
- Click on the tab Virus & threat protection and scroll down to the Virus & threat protection settings section, and click Manage Settings.
- Scroll down and under the Exclusions section, click Add or Remove exclusions.
- Click Add an Exclusion and select File.
- Navigate to Windows (C:) and click on the folder Program Files.
- Scroll down and click on the folder Rockstar Games.
- Click on the folder Red Dead Redemption 2.
- Scroll down and select RDR2.exe.
- Now run your game.
3. Change In-Game Graphics API from Vulkan to DirectX 12
Red Dead Redemption’s API is initially set to Vulkan. However, this may not always provide optimal results, so changing it to DirectX 12 can help resolve the issue of the game not launching. Similarly, switching the in-game graphics API can fix the Uknown Error FFFF that may occur when launching the game. Here are the steps to change the API:
- Go to the Settings menu in the game.
- Click on Graphics.
- Scroll down to the Advanced Settings section and make sure the Advanced Settings option is set to Unlock.
- In the Graphics API section, change it to DirectX 12 by clicking on the arrow button.
- Press Enter to apply the changes.
- Restart your launcher and run your game to check if it fixes the issue.
4. Run the Game in Compatibility Mode
Running a game in compatibility mode is a technique used to help resolve issues related to compatibility with different versions of Windows or other software. This method allows the game to run as if it were running on an earlier version of Windows, which can sometimes help to overcome compatibility issues that are preventing the game from launching or running properly.
To run Red Dead Redemption 2 in compatibility mode, follow these steps:
- Right-click on the game’s shortcut or executable file and select “Properties“.
- Click on the “Compatibility” tab.
- Check the box that says “Run this program in compatibility mode for:”.
- Select an earlier version of Windows from the drop-down menu.
- Check the box that says “Run this program as an administrator“.
- Click “Apply” and then “OK“.
- Try launching the game again to see if the issue has been resolved.
If the game still doesn’t launch, you can try selecting a different compatibility mode or reverting the changes you made by unchecking the “Run this program in compatibility mode” box.
5. Delete the Settings Folder
Your game’s Settings folder may be corrupted and this may cause the issue. So you should delete it.
Here’s how to do this:
- Press the Windows logo key and R together on your keyboard. Head to Documents and then click on the folder Rockstar Games.
- Click on the folder Red Dead Redemption 2.
- Delete the folder Settings.
After deleting the settings folder, you’re supposed to be able to run your game. If that didn’t work, move on to the next fix.
6. Delete Launcher Profile Details
If none of the above solutions helps you, then you need to delete the launcher profile details to get rid of the Red Dead Redemption 2 won’t launch issue. Suppose your profile details get corrupted; it won’t allow you to launch the game. For doing so, follow these steps,
- Firstly, open Rockstar Game Launcher and click on its Settings button.
- Select Account Information from the left side of the screen and click on the Delete button beside the Delete local profile option.
- Then click on Confirm button to continue.
- Once done, restart the PC and check whether the said issue persists or not.
7. Repair Corrupted System Files
Red Dead Redemption 2 may fail to launch due to missing or damaged system files. In such cases, utilizing the System File Checker (sfc /scannow command) can help rectify the problem by repairing any corrupted system files. To do so, just follow the below steps;
- Open the Command Prompt as an administrator. You can do this by typing “cmd” in the Windows search bar, right-clicking on “Command Prompt” and selecting “Run as administrator”.
- Type “sfc /scannow” in the Command Prompt window and hit Enter. This will start the System File Checker scan.
- Wait for the scan to complete. It may take some time depending on the size of your hard drive and the number of files on it.
- If the scan finds any corrupted system files, it will attempt to repair them automatically. You may be prompted to restart your computer to complete the repairs.
- Once the repairs are complete, try launching Red Dead Redemption 2 again to see if the issue has been resolved.
However, some users have reported receiving error messages while performing this process, indicating that running sfc /scannow does not always solve the issue. In this case, you may need a more powerful tool to help you do this work. Here we recommend Restoro, a computer repair software that helps you scan for damaged or missing files in Windows.
- Download and install Restoro.
- Run the software. Restoro will start a deep scan of your system. The process may take a while.
- Once the scan is complete, you can review the summary. If Restoro detects any missing or corrupted system files that may have triggered the program issues, click Start Repair to fix them.
8. Disable Intel HD Graphics
Disabling the Intel HD Graphics can resolve your Red Dead Redemption not launching on PC issue. To do so, just follow the below steps;
- Press Win + X on the keyboard and then click on Device Manager and expand Display adapters.
- Right-click on your Intel HD Graphics and select Disable Device.
9. Disable Anti-virus/Firewall Software
Try disabling Anti-virus/Firewall Software to resolve your not launching issue. To do so, just follow the below steps;
- Open the settings or control panel of your anti-virus or firewall software.
- Look for options related to real-time protection, scanning, or firewall rules.
- Disable or turn off any features that may be blocking or interfering with the game’s launch. If you’re not sure which features to disable, you can try temporarily disabling the entire anti-virus or firewall software.
- Save the changes and close the settings or control panel.
- Try launching Red Dead Redemption 2 again to see if the issue has been resolved.
If you’ve any anti-virus software like Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky, Bitdefender, Avast, AVG, & Malwarebytes, then try to disable them.
10. Use a Third-party Program to Prioritize the Game’s Launch
Some of the game users suggest using a program called Process Lasso to manage CPU usage and prioritize the game’s launch. This can help you to resolve your Red Dead Redemption not launching problem on PC.
11. Check the Windows Event Viewer
Here are the steps to check the Windows Event Viewer to help resolve the issue of Red Dead Redemption 2 not launching:
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Type “eventvwr” and press Enter. This will open the Windows Event Viewer.
- In the left pane, navigate to “Windows Logs” and then “Application“.
- Look for any error or warning messages that may be related to Red Dead Redemption 2 not launching. You can filter the log to show only errors or warnings by clicking “Filter Current Log” in the right pane and selecting the appropriate options.
- Click on the error or warning message to view more details about the issue.
- Try to identify the cause of the issue based on the details provided. This may include missing system files, graphics driver errors, or other issues.
- Once you have identified the cause, try the appropriate solutions such as repairing corrupted system files, updating the graphics card driver, or running the game in compatibility mode.
Using the Windows Event Viewer can provide valuable insight into what might be causing the issue with Red Dead Redemption 2 not launching, and can help you troubleshoot and resolve the issue more effectively.
In case the problem still exists, then try to re-installing the Red Dead Redemption 2 game.
