PC Red Dead Redemption 2 players who’ve been suffering from a range of performance issues since launch may finally be in luck. The latest 1.14 update for Red Dead Redemption 2 aims to fix stuttering and more according to its lengthy patch notes. Read the full details here:
Red Dead Redemption 2 update 1.14 patch notes
Alongside the patch notes, developer Rockstar Games released a statement apologizing for the problems and offering a raft of fixes and a free poncho to everyone playing. Regarding stuttering, they also detail a workaround relating to certain graphics drivers. Here it is in full:
“We have identified an issue with certain NVIDIA graphics card drivers that cause significant stalls of several seconds on systems with 4-core and 6-core CPUs,” the statement reads. “While we work with NVIDIA to improve driver performance, a temporary work around can be added to the launch arguments of the game to re-balance workload on the CPU cores and avoid the conditions that cause this issue.”
Before we jump into the patch notes (direct from Rockstar), here are the steps Rockstar suggests if you’re still suffering from stuttering:
Rockstar Games Launcher
- Disable any custom workarounds for this issue, including Process Lasso or BES
- Start the Rockstar Games Launcher
- Select Settings
- Under My installed Games Select Red Dead Redemption 2
- Scroll down to Launch arguments
- Add the following command: -cpuLoadRebalancing
- Select Games
- Launch Red Dead Redemption 2
Epic Games Launcher
- Disable any custom workarounds for this issue, including Process Lasso or BES
- Start the Epic Games Launcher
- Select Settings
- Scroll down to Red Dead Redemption 2
- Check the box Additional Command Line Arguments
- Add the following command: -cpuLoadRebalancing
- Return to the Main Menu
- Launch Red Dead Redemption 2
Hopefully that works for anyone still suffering, though Rockstar notes that it may cause a change in performance for certain towns. The developers will be reviewing it in the coming weeks to see how it improves or affects performance. And now, on to the patch notes. Be aware that they are lengthy and tied entirely to performance and bug fixes.
Graphics & Performance Fixes
- Added an additional launch argument (-cpuLoadRebalancing) to rebalance workload on the CPU cores and avoid hitting an edge-case in certain NVIDIA graphics card drivers that causes significant stalls on 4-core and 6-core CPUs. For more information, please see this support page: https://support.rockstargames.com/articles/360038940333
- Added improvements for performance and stability on graphics cards with 4GB of VRAM or less when using Vulkan
- Fixed an issue that resulted in audio stuttering and sound drops on some CPUs when using Vulkan
- Fixed an issue that resulted in graphics problems when using Fullscreen mode on systems with multiple displays
- Fixed an issue that resulted in the game becoming stuck in Windowed Borderless mode instead of Fullscreen mode if the game lost focus or certain graphics settings were changed under DirectX 12
- Fixed issues that resulted in the incorrect detection of devices and problems switching between SDR and HDR modes. Players who previously encountered these issues should enable HDR through the Windows Display Settings prior to launching the game
- Fixed an issue that resulted in the game launching in a window larger than the maximum resolution of the attached display when using Windowed display mode
- Improved the auto-detection of system hardware so that the recommended default graphics settings will provide higher performance
- Fixed an issue that resulted in the game setting a default graphics preset that was unsupported by the amount of available VRAM on some graphics cards, preventing the game from launching
- Fixed an issue that resulted in VRAM usage estimation for pending settings changes to be slightly different to the actual usage once the settings were applied
- Added a separate option to enable tessellation on tree models within the Graphics settings menu
- Fixed an issue that resulted in reduced performance when switching between different graphics settings presets without restarting the system
- Fixed an issue that affected the brightness of Photo Mode images that were captured in HDR after editing them using the Social Club menu
- Fixed issues with some full-screen effects and Photo Mode filters when using a display aspect ratio other than 16:9
- Fixed an issue that resulted in graphics artifacts in mirror reflections when using Multisample Anti-Aliasing (MSAA)
- Fixed an issue that resulted in graphics artifacts on the Pause Menu Map when using Multisample Anti-Aliasing (MSAA )
- Fixed issues with rendering and lighting that occurred with some waterfalls
- Fixed issues with rendering that occurred with a Story Mode character
- Fixed an issue that resulted in flickering graphics artifacts on some systems using multiple graphics cards
- Fixed an issue that resulted in graphical corruption during the theater shows in Saint Denis
- Fixed an issue that resulted in graphics artifacts to appear when rendering some light reflections
- Fixed an issue that affected the rendering of the Pause Menu background after changing the display resolution
- Fixed an issue that resulted in reduced world detail at long distance when using items that allow zooming, such as scopes and binoculars
- Fixed an issue that resulted in rendering issues with shadows on some parts of the terrain
- Fixed an issue that resulted in graphics artifacts that could occur with some hair/fur rendering when using Multisample Anti-Aliasing (MSAA)
- Improved the performance rendering some in-game particle effects
- Improved the performance rendering of trails when in snowy areas of the game
- Fixed an issue that resulted in the partial rendering of the Pause Menu while some graphics settings were active
Stability Fixes
- Fixed issues that resulted in crashes during game startup and logo screen
- Fixed issues that resulted in crashes when changing graphics settings or switching back and forth between presets
- Fixed an issue that resulted in crashes during the initial boot of the game in the Windowed display mode
- Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash when switching between Windowed and Fullscreen display modes on some graphics cards
- Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash when the game window lost focus or as a result of using Alt+Tab
- Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash when attempting to load an autosave on some systems
- Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash when repeatedly transitioning between Story Mode and Red Dead Online
- Fixed issues that resulted in crashes when attempting to quit the game
- Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash on some systems when connecting and disconnecting input devices with the game running
- Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash when attempting to switch weapons in Story Mode
- Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash when opening the HDR Calibration screen with some combinations of graphics cards and displays
- Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash when using the mouse to switch between categories in the Satchel menu
- Fixed an issue that resulted in the game freezing when applying remapped keyboard inputs through the Settings menu
- Fixed an issue that resulted in an infinite loading screen when exiting the Settings menu and returning to the Landing Page
- Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash when playing Story Mode while offline
- Fixed crashes and stability issues that resulted in the error “Red Dead Redemption 2 exited unexpectedly” during gameplay
- Fixed an issue with attempting to join another player’s Red Dead Online session with a different control scheme or lock-on type that resulted in networking issues
- Fixed an issue that prevented the Red Dead Redemption 2 desktop shortcut from correctly launching the game
Control & User Interface Fixes
- Improved mouse support in some Store menus
- Fixed an issue that resulted in a black screen during the initial boot of the game rather than the loading bar
- Fixed an issue that resulted in players being unable to equip emotes in Red Dead Online while using the mouse
- Fixed an issue that resulted in the Map in the Pause Menu being cut off when changing the game resolution
- Fixed an issue that resulted in player overhead displays to appear in the incorrect position on displays other than 16:9 aspect ratio in Red Dead Online
- Fixed an issue that prevented some keyboard inputs from being remapped
- Fixed an issue that resulted in some incorrect text and warning screens to appear when when remapping keyboard inputs
- Fixed issues that resulted in problems with scrolling in parts of the user interface
- Fixed an issue that resulted in some menus not displaying input controls, including Safe Zone and Brightness Calibration screens
- Fixed issues with keyboard text input when using some languages
- Fixed issues that resulted in the red selection highlight disappearing while browsing through menus
- Fixed issues that resulted in problems with mouse selection, or erratic cursor movement when browsing some menus
- Fixed an issue with keyboard navigation of the Pause Map after selecting a blip/icon.
- Fixed an issue that resulted in players being unable to complete some actions while inspecting weapons
- Fixed an issue that resulted in save game information to be missing from the Load Game menu
- Fixed issues with text input of non-Latin characters and added support for more input methods
- Fixed an issue that resulted in the Pause Map moving position after placing a waypoint
- Fixed an issue that resulted in difficulty aiming with a mouse, especially at low DPI settings
- Fixed issues that resulted in incorrectly sized, overlapping or misaligned user interface elements under different display resolutions
- Fixed an issue that resulted in the loss of previous selections when navigating back and forth between menus
- Fixed an issue that resulted in redundant options in the Keyboard and Mouse submenu of the Controls menu
General / Miscellaneous
- Improved the stability and result consistency of the in-game Benchmark Tool
- Fixed an issue that resulted in players appearing underneath the world when in the lobby screen while playing some Red Dead Online content
- Fixed an issue that resulted in incorrect performance of the ‘Tap and Hold Speed Control’ accessibility feature while using keyboard and mouse controls in First Person camera mode
- Fixed an issue that resulted in camera stuttering when using the mouse to look around while sprinting
- Fixed an issue that caused problems with the fishing minigame when running at high framerates
That’s all for the Red Dead Redemption 2 update 1.14 patch notes. Here’s hoping you’ll now experience a smoother cowboy experience overall!