More often than not, video games are primarily geared towards playability on high-end, dedicated gaming consoles like Sony’s PlayStation, Microsoft’s Xbox, or Nintendo’s Wii. With that said, PC games have always been popular amongst gamers for a number of reasons. Gaming computers offer a higher number of frames per second, a far superior gaming experience especially with those games that require higher performance,
However, all of this comes at a steep price, because assembling a gaming unit with multiple monitors and rapid response accessories becomes a costly affair, and is something that is best reserved for people that have the technical know-how of the computer world. But what is relatively little known about PC-based video games is how they have a frequent tendency to crash upon starting up. In this article, we will be focusing on this issue, where the Red Dead Redemption 2 crashes upon start up while playing on PC— and also how to troubleshoot the same.
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About the Game: What is Red Dead Redemption 2?
A prequel to the 2010 game Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 is the third game in the Red Dead series created by Rockstar Games. ‘Video game as an art form’ was how it was introduced everywhere, and the game won numerous accolades and broke several records. It follows the intricate and enthralling story of an outlaw, Arthur Morgan, as he travels with the Van der Linde gang through the fictionalized West, Midwest, and Southern United States to flee from the federal authorities and bounty hunters after a botched robbery.
Red Dead Redemption 2 offers both, a first-person and a third-person perspective shooting gameplay based heavily on the player choice that consists of combats, missions, traveling, hunting, shooting, gun-slinging, and a dedicated bounty system reminiscent of the previous Red Dead Redemption. The game was released in 2018 and is available to play on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, and Microsoft Windows.
What’s the problem with Red Dead Redemption 2?
The game’s plot, gameplay, and graphics are stellar, so there are no issues on that front. However, the problem arises among some of the gamers who play Red Dead Redemption 2 on their PCs. There have been numerous reports of the game crashing without any apparent reason upon starting up, which has left users disgruntled at the experience. There are many reasons as to why this problem could have occurred, so keep on reading for troubleshooting ideas if you are facing the launch issue too.
How to troubleshoot Red Dead Redemption 2 PC Crash on Start-Up?
1. System Requirements
First, as with any game or application, you need to make sure that your hardware and software are compatible and up to date with the requirements of the program. To check your system configuration in Windows, you need to search for ‘msinfo32’ in the search toolbar and select System Information from the results that show up. To be able to play Red Dead Redemption 2, the minimum specifications were developed specifically to cater to a wide range of machines:
- Operating System: Windows 7 – Service Pack 1 (6.1.7601)
- Processor: Intel Core™ i5-2500K / AMD FX-6300
- Memory: 8GB RAM
- Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2GB / AMD Radeon R9 280 3GB
- HDD Space: 150GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX compatible
However, the game’s website also has a list of recommended specifications, which are the configurations for the best possible experience while playing the game:
- Operating System: Windows 10 – April 2018 Update (v1803)
- Processor: Intel Core™ i7-4770K / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
- Memory: 12GB RAM
- Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB / AMD Radeon RX 480 4GB
- HDD Space: 150GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX compatible
In case your system requirements don’t meet the game’s pre-requisites, it would be a good idea to enlist the help of technical professionals to upgrade your PC.
2. Administrative Permissions
Sometimes, the game fails to launch due to a lack of administrator access to the game files. To fix this issue, you need to run the game as the administrator and modify the default settings. Open File Explorer to find where the file is installed, and right-clicking the executable game file, click Properties. In the pop-up, switch to the Compatibility option, disable the full-screen optimizations and run the file as the administrator. Under the High DPI scaling override section, change the High DPI settings by checking the Override high DPI scaling behavior and selecting Application. Save and apply your changes, and try running your game again. It should launch properly if there are no further issues to be resolved.
3. Corrupted or Missing Files
Often, downloaded software files can go missing or get corrupted, as a result of which they cannot run properly. Check if this has happened to your game files by opening the Steam library and verifying their integrity under the Local Files tab of Red Dead Redemption 2. The process is automatic, and upon its completion, try running the game again.
4. Graphics Card Driver
An outdated graphics card driver might also cause your game to crash. To troubleshoot this, open your Device Manager from the Start Menu, view your graphics card by selecting ‘Display adapters’ and update it by right-clicking and choosing the ‘Update driver’ option. In the pop-up, select the option to automatically search for software updates and once the downloading and installing process is automatically completed, your game should run fine.
5. Run an SFC Scan
Sometimes, internal system files on your PC that are used to run programs can become missing or be corrupted without you having an inkling of the matter. In that case, too, you might see errors while trying to start up games like Red Dead Redemption 2. To fix the issue and play without any hassle, run the System File Checker or SFC/ scannow command which is an in-built Windows tool that automatically troubleshoots when certain PC functions stop working or Windows crashes. The tool scans files, runs checks, and replaces the erroneous files with new ones to ensure a swift addressal of the problem. Once the whole process is over, restart your computer and try rebooting your game— by now, it should be working fine.
