Red Dead Redemption 2: How To Fix ERR_GFX_STATE Crashes

A very weird new bug has been preventing players from jumping into Red Dead Redemption 2, causing a crash that forces you to close the program after loading into the game. Some players are only experiencing this bug once they reach Beecher’s Hope — so not until at least Act 2. It’s weird that such a game-breaking bug is popping up months after the game’s release, but at least there are a few ways to fix it now.

The error is related to Vulkan API — an alternative graphics API. If you’re using DirectX 12 you probably aren’t experiencing this issue. The easiest fix is to go to the settings and select DirectX 12. You can swap back later, but that’s the simplest fix. Below, I’ll cover more alternate solutions you can use if you want to continue using Vulkan API.

More Red Dead Redemption 2 guides:

How To Fix ERR_GFX_STATE Crashes | PC Bug Guide

If your game is crashing with from fullscreen and displaying a ‘ERR_GFX_STATE‘ message, it is most likely caused by the Vulkan API. For whatever reason, this is a widespread bug, and there’s a few things you can do to fix it.

Switch From Vulkan To DirectX 12

In the graphics settings menu, switch to DirectX 12 instead of Vulkan rendering. It might not be compatible with your graphics card, so you may get more stuttering / slowdown during gameplay. If you want to continue using Vulkan, there’s more tricks you can try.

This crash seems to only occur when loading. Swap to DirectX 12, load your file, then swap back to Vulkan to continue using it.

Add A Launch Parameter

On Steam or through the launcher shortcut, right-click the title of the game and select ‘Properties‘ — under [Launch Parameters] type in the following:

-ignorepipelinecache

Exit and launch the game with Vulkan still running. This is Rockstar’s current (temporary) solution to the problem, and it is reported to work. But, there are more fixes you can try if it doesn’t.

Delete SGA Files

For this fix, you’ll need to navigate to the installation folder, accessing the [Settings] folder, and delete all files starting with ‘SGA’ in the title. That seems to fix whatever is causing these crashes.

Navigate here to find the [Settings] folder:

Go To: Documents/Rockstar Games/Red Dead Redemption 2/Settings
Delete all files starting with ‘SGA’

Change Settings In The Nvidia Control Panel

If Vulkan is causing your game to launch in Borderless Windowed Mode instead of Fullscreen, you can try this fix.

Right-click and select [Nvidia Control Panel]
Go to [Change Resolution] on the left tab.
Select a lower resolution than your native resolution. Click apply.
Next, select your native resolution again. Click apply.

Anything below 1920×1080 should work.

That’s all the community and official fixes I’ve seen for this annoying graphics bug. If there are more tested tricks, I’ll update this article with new entries.