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Rockstar acknowledges big problems in Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Last week, Red Dead Redemption 2 launched on PC more than a year after its initial release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. What should have been a big moment of celebration for developer Rockstar Games quickly turned sour, however, after players ran into game-breaking bugs that often resulted in the game crashing. Rockstar has now acknowledged these issues, and it’s working to fix them as soon as possible.

In a statement posted on its official website, Rockstar Games apologized for the poor performance some PC players have been experiencing, which has included framerate drops, misuse of PC resources, and stuttering issues.

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“Over the past week, we have been working as quickly as possible to address issues that have impacted the launch of the PC version of Red Dead Redemption 2,” Rockstar said. “As a result, we have already identified and resolved a number of these issues by deploying fixes to the Rockstar Games Launcher and some to the game itself.”

Rockstar chose not to release the game on Steam at the same time as its own official launcher. Players who wait until December will be able to purchase the game on Steam instead, and could encounter fewer issues than the proprietary version.

Red Dead Redemption 2 PC Launch Trailer

“However, we are aware that a small number of Red Dead Redemption 2 players are still experiencing some ongoing problems with the game stuttering,” the studio continued. “We believe this is due to unforeseen issues related to specific combinations of Nvidia graphics drivers, Nvidia GPU cards, and certain CPU [cards.]”

Rockstar will continue to work on addressing these issues, including seeking help from Nvidia. As an apology gift to those who have been playing the game in its current state and through the rest of the holiday season, Rockstar will be giving a Red Dead Online care package that includes provisions, ammunition, and the Prieto Poncho.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is the first game in the series to release for PC. Its predecessor did not, nor did the game Red Dead Revolver, which released more than 15 years ago. Meanwhile, many games the Grand Theft Auto series — including the two most recent games — are available on PC.

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
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