Rockstar fixes Red Dead Redemption 2 game broken by Windows update

Microsoft says Rockstar Games has addressed a known issue affecting its launcher, causing the Red Dead Redemption 2 (RRD2) game to no longer launch on some Windows 11 systems.

The issue affects only gamers who launch RRD2 via the Rockstar Games Launcher on Windows 11 21H2 systems after installing the KB5023774 March 2023 optional preview update.

"After installing KB5023774 or later updates, Red Dead Redemption 2 might not open," Microsoft said on the Windows health dashboard one week ago when it acknowledged the issue.

"When attempting to open it from the Rockstar Games Launcher by selecting the 'Play' button, it will switch to 'Loading,' but Red Dead Redemption 2 might not open, and the button will revert to 'Play'."

The video game published has now fixed the launcher bug triggering the issue with the launch of Rockstar Games Launcher version 1.0.71.1428, released earlier today.

"Improvements have been made to the stability of the Rockstar Games Launcher," the update notes explain.

Workaround also available

Microsoft also provides a workaround for customers who don't have automatic updates toggled on or cannot immediately install the launcher patch.

However, it requires updating compatible systems to Windows 11 22H2, the latest available Windows release, which is not impacted by this known issue.

"If you are interested in moving to Windows 11, version 22H2, open Windows Update settings and select Check for updates. If your device is ready, you will see the option to Download and install," Microsoft said.

Red Dead Redemption 2 was launched in December 2019 and it now has over 350,000 'Very Positive' reviews on the Steam video game digital distribution platform.

Rockstar Games has also addressed a Grand Theft Auto Online bug that allowed attackers to alter other players' stats and have them kicked or banned from servers.

In September, the game publisher also confirmed that hackers stole Grand Theft Auto 6 early development gameplay videos and source code after breaching its network.