Microsoft is currently investigating an issue caused by the KB5023774 March 2023 preview update, which is preventing Red Dead Redemption 2 from opening on certain devices. This issue specifically affects users who launch the game through the Rockstar Games Launcher on Windows 11 21H2 systems that have the KB5023774 optional update installed.
According to Microsoft’s recent entry to the Windows health dashboard, after attempting to open Red Dead Redemption 2 from the Rockstar Games Launcher by selecting the ‘Play’ button, the game fails to open, and the button reverts to ‘Play’ while displaying ‘Loading.’
Both Microsoft and Rockstar Games are investigating the issue and will provide more information as soon as possible. The developer and publisher of Red Dead Redemption 2 has been working on addressing launching issues with the game since November 2019. The studio recommends removing legacy AMD graphics card details, updating video card drivers or the Rockstar Games Launcher, temporarily disabling antivirus software, or clearing local Rockstar Games Launcher profile details to solve this problem.
To immediately fix the game not opening on Windows 11 21H2 devices, users can install the latest Windows update, which coincides with the workaround provided by Microsoft. This requires updating to Windows 11 22H2, the latest available version, which is not affected by this issue, as the KB5023774 update cannot trigger it.
Microsoft’s health dashboard update recommends upgrading to Windows 11, version 22H2, to mitigate this issue. Users can open Windows Update settings and select ‘Check for updates’ to see if their device is ready to download and install the update.
Red Dead Redemption 2 was launched on December 5, 2019, and has received over 350,000 ‘Very Positive’ reviews on Valve’s Steam video game digital distribution platform.
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