Red Dead Redemption 2: Common Troubleshooting Guide

Here are some solutions I’ve come across through reading these forums that should lighten or eliminate the burden people have been experiencing with getting the game to work at an optimal level (or getting the game to work at all).

PLEASE NOTE:
I am in no way saying these solutions will 100% fix your problem. They are nevertheless suggestions or solutions that have been found to work in some cases with many users.

PROBLEM:
“I can’t start the game. It just crashes to the desktop every time I attempt to launch.”

SOLUTION 1:
Attempt to start the game without a controller/joypad connected. For some reason, the game will not start with certain peripherals connected at launch. You can re-enable them once you get into the game.

SOLUTION 2:
VERIFY the integrity of the files through Steam.

SOLUTION 3:
UNINSTALL Rockstar’s Launcher, download and reinstall Rockstar’s Launcher through their main site.

SOLUTION 4:
Create an EXCEPTION in your VIRUS & PROTECTION SETTINGS by searching for Virus & Protection using Windows Start Search. Scroll until you see the option to create an exception. Create an exception for Rockstar Launcher, the game file, and the entire Steam Library. Restart your computer. Attempt to launch the game.

PROBLEM:
“I’m getting low FPS. The game is technically unplayable.”

SOLUTION 1:
On higher GPUs (Nvidia Cards) lowering shadows to HIGH or even MEDIUM sees a significant boost in frames. Also Volumetric Lighting, any options pertaining to Shadows and Reflections are HUGE performance hogs so setting those to HIGH or MEDIUM will help lessen the load.

NOTE: DO NOT set the settings to LOW as this throttles the GPU by pushing the load onto the CPU in order compensate for the drop of graphic fidelity. If you most lower any settings, setting them to MEDIUM is the most ideal solution.

SOLUTION 2:
On NVIDIA cards, you have an option to enable/disable Triple Buffering. Disable this in the GPU settings and also disable the same through the in-game settings. For some reason, this setting does the opposite of what it is intended to do when VSync is enabled.

PROBLEM:
“I’m getting flickering/missing graphics!”

SOLUTION 1:
In the Graphics option, switching to VULKAN from DIRECTX12 in many cases fixes this issue.

SOLUTION 2:
In some rare cases, toggling ANTI-ALIASING settings either to on or off fixes flickering.

SOLUTION 3:
Updating graphic drivers is a simple, straight-forward solution also.

SOLUTION 4:
Disabling the RAY option in GRAPHICS SETTINGS fixes the issue as the GPU attempts to create realistic clouds but can sometimes get wonky and clash with the lighting in the game thus causes some lighting and shadows to flicker.

PROBLEM:
“I’m having trouble with the game saving/disappearing saves.”

SOLUTION:
There may be a conflict with Cloud Saving and Local Saving between Steam and Rocktar’s Launcher. Make sure to check settings.

PROBLEM:
“I launch Rockstar Launcher but it doesn’t detect Red Dead Redemption as being in my library.”

SOLUTION 1:
Make sure that the launcher and the game are installed in the SAME drive directory.

SOLUTION 2:
Start STEAM in Administrator Mode by right-clicking the Steam icon and selecting PROPERTIES>COMPATIBILITY>and ticking the checkbox that says “Run as Administrator” and restart Steam.

PROBLEM:
“The game doesn’t want to detect my gamepad.”

SOLUTION 1:
Start the game in BIG PICTURE MODE on Steam.

SOLUTION 2:
Exit Steam. Close out of any gamepad assistance application (InputMapper, DS4Windows, etc.). With everything closed out, open your gamepad application but DON’T connect your controller just yet, start Steam, launch the game, NOW connect your gamepad.
(connecting your controller before launching the game in some cases causes the game to crash to desktop. REFER to the SOLUTION to the first PROBLEM.

PROBLEM:
“There’s no sound/stuttering sound when I play.”

[This is a tricky one since this issue is unique to every user.]

SOLUTION 1:
If you’re using any type of broadcasting software (to include Discord, TeamSpeak, ShadowPlay) check your settings to make sure they are using the primary sound output device and set that primary output device as the same using the in-game options under AUDIO.

SOLUTION 2:
Plug something into the AUX port on your computer and then disconnect it. In some cases this causes the sound to work in-game.

SOLUTION 3:
Use the mouse to double click the screen or pressing WINDOWS-TAB (not ALT-TAB) to get in and out of the game sometimes fixes the audio as desktop notifications causes the in-game sound to be lost.

IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER SOLUTIONS OR PROBLEMS PLEASE LIST THEM BELOW AND I’LL DO MY BEST TO EDIT AND UPDATE THIS LIST.

I really hope this helps a lot of people experiencing some problems. The game is a masterpiece that should definitely be enjoyed by all. If I’ve helped you in any way then leave a comment below showing which solution worked for you and give me some good karma points and reference this to anyone else you’ll come across experiencing some of the same problems as listed above. Thank you and HAPPY GAMING!!