Fix for RDR2 Input Freeze & Texture Load Issues on High-End CPUs (i7-14900K, 9th Gen+)

[Nika]

Red Dead Redemption 2 Issue: Unresponsive Inputs & Texture Loading Problems (High-End CPUs)

Howdy folks,

If you’ve found your way here, chances are you’re wrangling with a frustrating issue where Red Dead Redemption 2 becomes unresponsive to inputs (except for walking), and textures refuse to load, forcing a game restart. I’ve been riding through this same storm and wanted to share a workaround while calling out for a proper fix.

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The Problem

This seems to hit players with 9th-gen or newer Intel CPUs, particularly high-end models like the i7-14900K. The game essentially stalls, leaving you unable to interact properly or load new textures. From what I’ve gathered, it might have something to do with how the game handles these newer CPUs.

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Temporary Workaround

After much digging and tinkering, I’ve found a workaround that might help keep your wagon rolling:

[] Enable "Efficiency Mode" in Task Manager:
[] Start the game as usual.[] Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).[] Go to the "Details" tab and find RDR2.exe.
1. Right-click it and select Efficiency Mode.

This clears up the unresponsive inputs and texture loading issues for me, allowing the game to run without crashing or freezing.

Downsides

The catch? Running in Efficiency Mode introduces micro-stutters. They’re not deal-breakers but can certainly chip away at the immersion in a game as detailed as this one.

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Seeking a Permanent Solution

I’d like to throw my hat into the ring and ask if anyone has found a proper fix—one that doesn’t involve using Efficiency Mode or putting up with stutters. If you’ve managed to solve this issue, your advice would be a big help not just to me but to others out on the trail dealing with the same problem.

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What I’ve Tried (No Success So Far)

Here’s a list of everything I’ve tried that hasn’t worked:

[] Adjusting BIOS settings (e.g., disabling Hyper-Threading).[] Deleting game and DXCache files.[] Verifying game files via Steam.[] Reinstalling the game entirely.[] Updating all drivers and disabling overlays.[] Limiting CPU core usage.[] Switching between Vulkan and DirectX 12.[] Disabling NVIDIA Reflex Boost.
• Experimenting with power plans.

System Specs

[] GPU: GeForce RTX 4080[] CPU: Intel i7-14900K
• RAM: 32GB DDR5

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Closing Thoughts

I hope this workaround helps someone keep playing, even if it’s not perfect. If you’ve got any advice or solutions beyond what I’ve listed, please share—let’s work together to get this sorted for everyone who’s stuck in the same boat.

Thanks in advance for any tips or ideas. Here’s hoping we can fix this and ride into the sunset, stutter-free.

Cheers,

[catch22atplay]

I use an I5 13600kf+RTX 4080 and never have these issues. Some people have this very issue in other games as well and i never do in those either. And i use several overlays while gaming. NZXT, RTSS, Steam, HWInfo64 etc. Here's a pic i took a few days ago to check cpu usage. And as it seems perfect i'd rule out the game as being the issue.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3412526616

Oddly some fix it by changing power plan which you tried and some by changing the following;

Windows Performance options/advanced tab/adjust for best performance of: Change this to background services. Note i don't do this as i don't need to.

Note i'm using Win11 and I have core parking disabled. Updating to 24H2 changed power options and removed my core parking control ie core parking was reenabled. So went back into registry and added it back. And reset min and max to 100% again in power plan processor core parking options. And note you need to set min and max to 100% to fully disable core parking.

You could ensure you're running all the needed Intel drivers. Not that it matters but I turned on the option in bios for Intel Gaussian and Neural Accelerator (GNA). And this requires a driver just for that. Just some cpu stuff i really don't need. But if you turned it on i'd highly suggest you install the driver. Use msi_util_v3.exe to verify the driver is installed. It'll show as follows

Intel(R) GNA Scoring Accelerator module

While there ensure you also see the following

Intel(R) Innovation Platform Framework Processor Participant

And ofc all the chipset drivers like for example

Intel(R) Management Engine Interface #1

In windows add/remove programs in search when i type in Intel i get the following

Intel chipset device software
Intel Extreme Tuning Utility
Intel HID Event Filter
Intel Management Engine Components
Intel Serial IO
Intel Wireless Bluetooth

The last only if you need it ofc. And even if you don't use it i'd highly suggest downloading and installing the Extreme Tuning Utility mainly as it installs more drivers and oddly this has helped some people just having it installed else they were just confused.

If i look for programs running in services for Intel i see the following

Intel Dynamic application loader host interface service (running)(automatic)
Intel dynamic tuning technology telemetry service (running)(automatic)
Intel Innovation platform framework service (running)(automatic)
Intel management engine WMI provider registration (running)(automatic)
Intel platform license manager service (not running) (automatic)

I know you tried DX12 and Vulkan but Vulkan games do require a bit of work though. And gsync can cause issues with Vulkan. But i have fixes for those as well.

To fix gsync set Vulkan/Open GL Present Method to Prefer layered on DXGI swapchain. And oddly removing fps limit in Control Panel seems to fix gsync issues as well. I don't use gsync so i can't test it. Should also fix Alt/Tab issues and Overlays for gsync and no gsync.

Control panel/Manage 3d settings/Program Settings/selectprogram/scroll down to last option Vulkan/OpenGL present method/set this to Prefer layered on DXGI swap chain

And i certainly hope you updated your bios and hit load Intel defaults or whatever instructions the mobo manufacturer gave. And double check PL0 and PL1 and make sure they not at 4,095 watts like my cpu was. Make sure it's at 253 watts or whatever your cpu is supposed to be. 13th-14th gen cpu issue mainly.

Trust me i went thru and tried so many things. Twas the most unstable cpu i've owned in 40 years. Took me hours and hours to finally fix my rig. Tried disabling e-cores and disabling hyperthreading. Tried downclocking and so many other things. Now it's amazingly stable. Everything is turned on and no downclocking.

If i was to guess i'd say your issue is bios related. And specifically to Vcore Voltage min value. I would guess that it parks a core and or a core goes to 1% or less and so sets Vcore voltage to min. Not sure at what % it sets min voltage. Updated bios fixes this issue and sets the correct Min voltage now supposedly. That's just a guess based on your issues and known 13th-14th gen issues. But it's one of many possibilities.