Update: Rockstar has just patched the Rockstar Games Launcher to fix this bug for gamers running Windows 11 21H2, so all is well now (as spotted by Bleeping Computer).
Original story follows below...
Red Dead Redemption 2 remains one of the best PC games ever, so when Microsoft introduced a bug in Windows 11 with the KB5023774 update that prevented the game from launching, gamers were understandably upset.
However, as Neowin reports, it seems like Microsoft has given up trying to fix the mess, which affects people using Windows 11 21H2. Instead, on a web page detailing known issues with the update, Microsoft suggests that to “mitigate this issue, you can upgrade to Windows 11, version 22H2.”
While upgrading to Windows 11 22H2 appears to fix the issue, and allows Red Dead Redemption 2 to run, it does feel like Microsoft isn’t sorting out the mess it’s made.
While I’d recommend making sure that you’re using the latest version of Windows 11, there are legitimate reasons why you may not want to upgrade. Installing a major update for an operating system always introduces and element of risk, especially if the update breaks more things than it fixes – which has sometimes been the case with Microsoft.
Giving up?
Rather than fixing the issue in Windows 11 21H2, Microsoft’s suggestion to upgrade to 22H2 kind of feels like the company is shrugging its shoulders, and not trying sort things out for people who want to stay on 21H2.
To be fair to Microsoft, this is a rather strange bug that seems to only affect this one game. If you use the Rockstar Games Launcher to try to play Red Dead Redemption 2 by clicking the Play button, it says it’s loading… but nothing happens.
It’s understandably frustrating, and while Rockstar’s cowboy simulator is a good few years old now, it remains very popular, especially the online part of the game.
So there will be plenty of would-be gunslingers who will be annoyed to learn that Microsoft is simply telling them to update Windows 11. While the company claims that “Microsoft and Rockstar Games are investigating and will provide more information when it is available,” if enough people update to 22H2, Microsoft may be less inclined to bother fixing the issue in 21H2.
