Red Dead Redemption 2 is arguably one of the biggest games to ever release and by today’s standards, it still leads the pack in relation to its gameplay, narrative, and overall replay value. However, a new bug in Windows 11 has left players no longer able to launch the game. According to a report by Neowin (via TechRadar) a bug present in Windows 11 with the KB5023774 update now prevents players from even starting the game. Neowin reported that Microsoft has since ceased trying to address the bug which affects players using Windows 11 21H2. Microsoft, in a webpage detailing known issues with the updates, notes that players should “mitigate this issue, you can upgrade to Windows 11, version 22H2.”
This seems to fix the issues relating to Red Dead Redemption 2 but this now means that players who have yet to upgrade to 21H2 or maybe wish to not do so are pretty much left to fend for themselves. While it’s preferable for a lot of users to upgrade to the latest version of Windows some previous updates have led to instability issues for some PC users.
If players using Windows 11 21H2 attempt to start up the game now via the Rockstar Games Launcher they’ll be met with the game loading but nothing will happen afterward. Whether Microsoft will address this issue with Windows 11 21H2 is unknown as if enough players simply migrate over the 22H2 there would be less incentive for Microsoft to address the issue at all. In a statement, Microsoft noted that “Microsoft and Rockstar Games are investigating and will provide more information when it is available.”
Needless to say, this will probably affect a number of players in the short term as Red Dead Redemption 2 continues to be one of the biggest games on Steam with it setting a new game record of over 69,000 concurrent players on Steam on January 9th, 2023.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is currently available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and PC. The game also sits on a Very Positive overall review score on Steam with over 350,000 reviews. If you’re a fan of Red Dead Redemption 2 and are looking for a new open-world title to sink your time into why not check out our ‘Top 29 Best PC Open World Games to Play in 2023‘ list?
