To address random startup lag, freezing, and launch failures in , several troubleshooting methods have been established by the community and official support channels as of April 2026. 1. Toggle Graphics API (Vulkan vs. DirectX 12)
: In Steam or your preferred launcher, add -dx12 or -dx11 to the launch options to force the game into a specific API. 2. Administrative and Compatibility Settings Rdr 2 All Lag & Freezing Random Startup Launch...
: Right-click RDR2.exe in the installation folder, select Properties , then the Compatibility tab. Check Run this program as an administrator .
Corrupted cache files frequently cause "ERR_GFX_STATE" errors or infinite loading. To address random startup lag, freezing, and launch
: Navigate to Documents\Rockstar Games\Red Dead Redemption 2\Settings . Open system.xml with Notepad and change kSettingAPI_Vulkan to kSettingAPI_DX12 , or vice versa if already on DX12.
: In the same Compatibility tab, check Disable fullscreen optimizations to prevent Windows 10/11 display management from interfering with the game's startup. 3. Clear Temporary Game Data DirectX 12) : In Steam or your preferred
Granting the game full permissions can bypass launch blocks related to security protocols.
Conflict with the default Vulkan API is a leading cause of startup crashes.