[SOLVED] Red Dead Redemption 2 Stuttering and FPS Issues

Red Dead Redemption 2 was released in 2018, and 2 years later there’re many players complaining about the FPS issues. Some experience lag in specific scenes, and for some the game stutters all the time.

But don’t worry if you’re on the same boat. In this post, we’ll show you some working fixes that could boost your FPS in no time.

Try these fixes:

You might not need to try them all. Simply work your way down until you find the one that gives you luck.

1. Install all Windows updates
2. Change power plan to Ultimate performance
3. Update your graphics driver
4. Enable HAGs
5. Disable all mods
6. Fine tune in-game graphics settings

Fix 1: Install all Windows updates

The latest Windows updates give you bug fixes and some boost of overall performance. Usually Windows updates automatically, but it’s best for you to make sure your system is up to date.

1. On your keyboard, press Win+I (the Windows logo key and the i key) to open the Windows Settings app. Click Update & Security.
   
2. Click Check for updates. Windows will then download and install the available patches. It might take some time (up to 30 mins).
   

After installing all the updates, restart your PC and check the gameplay.

If RDR2 still stutters on your latest system, you can try the next fix below.

Fix 2: Change power plan to Ultimate performance

Power plan is a setting that allows you to manage how your system consumes energy. In addition to the existing High performance power plan, Microsoft rolled out a hidden one named Ultimate performance a while ago. You can try this plan and see if things work out for you.

1. On your keyboard, press Win+R (the Windows logo key and the r key) at the same time. Type or paste powercfg.cpl and press Enter.
   
2. Select Ultimate Performance. (If you don’t see this power plan, simply continue to the next step to unhide it.)
   
3. On your keyboard, press Win (the Windows logo key) and type cmd. Select Run as Administrator.
   
4. In the command prompt, type or paste the following command and press Enter.
   

   powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61

   If you see a prompt similar to this, return to step 2 to enable the Ultimate Performance power plan.
   

Now you can start RDR2 and check if it stutters again.

If this fix doesn’t give you luck, you can continue to the next one below.

Fix 3: Update your graphics driver

Game stuttering can be triggered by a faulty or outdated graphics driver. Manufacturers keep updating drivers to enhance in-game performance, especially for popular & award-winning titles like RDR2. That’s why we always recommend keeping your drivers up to date.

You can update the graphics driver manually, by visiting the graphics card manufacturer’s website (NVIDIA/AMD), finding the latest installer for your model and installing step by step. But if you don’t have the time or patience to update drivers manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy.

1. Download and install Driver Easy.
2. Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
   
3. Click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system.
   (This requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All. If you don’t want to pay for the Pro version, you can still download and install all the drivers you need with the free version; you just have to download them one at a time, and manually install them, the normal Windows way.)
   

Once you’ve updated your graphics driver, restart your computer and test the gameplay in RDR2 again.

If the latest GPU driver doesn’t do the trick for you, you can move on to the next fix.

Fix 4: Enable HAGs

HAGs is short for hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling. It’s a feature that comes with a recent Windows update designed to boost in-game FPS. There’re reports showing that HAGs might help with the FPS in RDR2, so you can try it and test the results.

1. In the empty area of your desktop, right-click and select Display settings.
   
2. Under the Multiple displays section, click Graphics settings.
   
3. Under the Default settings section, click Change default graphics settings.
   
4. Turn on Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling.
   
5. Restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

Now you can launch RDR2 and check if there’s any improvements.

If HAGs doesn’t work for you, you can try the next method.

Fix 5: Disable all mods

The Red Dead Redemption series is also famous for the large number of mods. There’s a mod that allows players to turn themselves into animals, and one with which gamers can fly in a hot air balloon. Though fun, it’s worth noting that mods might be the culprit of your FPS issues. So if you’re using any mods in RDR2, turn them off and see how it goes.

Fix 6: Fine tune in-game settings

There’re reports showing frame-drops at certain scenes can be fixed by changing game settings. So after trying the fixes above to make the most of your hardware, you can also play with the in-game graphics settings to get the most FPS.

1. Launch Red Dead Redemption 2 and go to SETTINGS > GRAPHICS.
2. Set TAA to medium. Turn off FXAA and MSAA.
   
3. Set Water Refraction Quality and Water Reflection Quality to High or lower. (You can also try disabling TAA sharpening and open image sharpening in the NVIDIA control panel instead.)
   
4. Also set Reflection MSAA to X4.
   

You can now test your gameplay and see if the game lags again.

So these are the fixes for your FPS issues in Red Dead Redemption 2. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to leave them down below.

• Red Dead Redemption 2