Windows 11's recent update made it impossible to launch Red Dead Redemption 2, but the solution came quickly. Once realizing the issue, Microsoft and Rockstar Games got together to provide a quick solution for the players of Red Dead Redemption 2.When Microsoft rolled out Windows 11, the reception was mixed. Critics were divided on whether the OS was good or not, with some praising the design, while others compared it to an unfinished house and further criticized its features. Among users, Windows 11 was at times equated to Windows Vista or Windows 8, and still, even in recent times there are plenty of people who deny the offered update from Windows 10. Equally, there are plenty of users who buy new PCs which arrive with Windows 11 by default and generally experience no issues with the OS. Red Dead Redemption 2 was released on PC a year after its arrival on console. It received universal acclaim and became one of the highest-rated PC games with critics praising the visuals, although noting some technical issues which were reported as fixed within a week. Windows 11's KB5023774 optional update was launched on March 28, which is part of Windows 11 21H2, an earlier version of the current iteration. It fixed some issues and enhanced users' experience with the taskbar search box. However, once installed, if a player tried to start Red Dead Redemption 2 using the Rockstar Game Launcher, they were unable to start the game. In a raised ticket Microsoft explained that once the play button was chosen, it swapped to "loading," as it should, but instead of starting the game, it swapped again back to "play." This would disable the game from actually booting up. After the problem came to light, Rockstar Games and Microsoft started working together in the hopes of resolving the issue. But in the meantime, there is still a very easy fix available.
Players can just update their Windows 11 from the 21H2 version to the 22H2 version, which should immediately resolve the issue. So the problem will only linger for those gamers who don't want to update their Windows 11 to the latest version. Even though Red Dead Redemption 2 is five years old now, it still pulls in a great number of players as proven by 70,914 simultaneous running games on Steam. So there are a lot of players who eagerly waited for a fix.
So while this small update no doubt caused players plenty of headaches, it's good to know the fix is very simple. Once the update is installed, all faithful players can return to the lawless lands of Red Dead Redemption 2.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.