2025 Saints Row 2 PC Fix (Performance, Crashes)

This is the easiest and best way to configure your Saints Row 2 to have a solid framerate and not crash (much).

Intro

This is by far the best way to optimize your game, I've tested it on multiple systems with different specs and no other guide has come close to making the game perform this well.

Note:

Stuff like powertools and compatibility mode have been made obsolete by DXVK and SR2 Juiced

Starting a new savegame is recommended as GotR doesn't work well with ones that were started before GotR was installed.

Saints Row 2 Juiced has pretty much fixed the game for a vast majority of users now and is now included in the guide

Fixing your framerate & crashes

What you need:

• DXVK 2.4[github.com] (Recent software that is a godsend for optimizing older DX9 games for modern hardware utilizing Vulkan) NOTE* The latest tested version that doesn't break SR2 is 2.4 so that one is linked.
  
  
• Saints Row 2: Juiced[drive.google.com] (A newly released patch by a group of talented developers that modernizes the game and is the closest thing we'll get to a fix of the PC port anytime soon, highly recommended to install)
  
  
• The GOG SR2_pc.exe file[drive.google.com] (Patched .exe from the GOG version of the game that is a million times more stable than the steam versions outdated 2009 .exe)

Steps:

[STEP 3. AND STEP 4. ARE NOW AUTOMATED BY SR2 JUICED IF YOU RUN THE "JuicedSteamXDel.bat" FILE, I'M LEAVING THEM IN THE GUIDE JUST IN CASE YOU WANT TO PLAY THE GAME WITHOUT JUICED]

1. Download SR2 Juiced from the link above
2. Extract all of its' files into your Saints Row 2 directory (where SR2_pc.exe is located).
3. Download SR2_pc.exe from the link above
4. Extract it into your Saints Row 2 directory and replace the default SR2_pc.exe with it.
5. Download DXVK from the link above (dxvk.tar.gz).
6. Extract dxgi.dll and d3d9.dll from the x32 folder into your Saints Row 2 directory (where SR2_pc.exe is located).

*Note: The reloaded.ini file from Juiced is highly customizable with fixes and tweaks that suit your individual needs so open it up and see what settings you want toggled on or off but if you're unsure just leave it as it is.

*Note: THE X64 DXVK BINARIES DON'T WORK WITH SR2 AS IT IS EXCLUSIVELY AN X32 GAME, ANY PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS WITH X64 ARE PLACEBOS, YOU ARE SIMPLY RUNNING NATIVE DX9 SAINTS ROW 2 WITHOUT DXVK IF YOU USE X64 BINARIES.

Additional stability

Keep in mind that crashes will still occasionally happen but these steps reduce them to a minimum and fix the hard crashes missions such as "Burning down the House" seem to posses.

What you need:

• Gentlemen of The Row mod[www.saintsrowmods.com] by IdolNinja (RiP) - General bugfixes and stability improvements with no costs to performance or stability if you use the barebones version (highly recommended and will be referred to in this guide)
  
  
• A developed frontal lobe to install GotR.

Step by step guide for GotR installation:

1. Download the Gentlemen of the Row mod from the link above and extract it into any folder on your computer.

2. Run Create_Custom_GotR_v1.9.2.bat

3. Press Enter to continue from the first screen.

4. Press V to build the barebones patch which focuses on bugfixes and stability without compromising either with unstable addons.

5. Close the .bat

6. Navigate to the MY_CUSTOM_PATCH folder that is found in the same folder as the .bat file.

7. Copy and paste patch.vpp_pc, preload.tbl and preload_anim.tbl from MY_CUSTOM_PATCH to your Saints Row 2 directory (where SR2_pc.exe is located)

Extra Info

Xenia Emulation

If all else fails and you don't mind playing SR2 with a controller I would highly recommend looking up a guide on emulating the game's X360 version on Xenia, it runs in a near perfect state as long as you have a decent rig and also contains the DLCs that were never released on PC, also make sure to look up the 60fps patch for it if you end up using it.

Closing thoughts

This will in no way make this game run perfectly but it gets it as close as it can possibly get to it until we get the PC patch which is sadly delayed due to its spearhead Mike "IdolNinja" Watson passing away.

RiP IdolNinja, thank you for doing your absolute best in making sure we could enjoy the best Saints Row game and we hope the Volition team does right by you in releasing the patch.

Note:

If you have any questions or problems with following the guide, feel free to add me to friends or comment down below and I will do my best to help you.

Thank you for reading and I hope this helped.

[Not Red]

this and co op is amazing finally on pc

[SaintsEagle]

'' Volition team does right by you in releasing the patch.''
Volition dead

[RaveN]

@KennyWithTheHenny the x32 folder shouldn't be in there, its simply a folder containing the dxvk binaries from the dxvk .rar file you're supposed to extract into your saints row folder

[KennyWithDaHenny]

i dont have x32 folder in my saints row directory?

[El-Smole]

I had never played this game back in the day.
I missed out due to reasons beyond my control.
Now i'm enjoying it 20 years later because of you and Mr. Watson. (RiP)

Thank you.

You Saint of Saints.

[digimaster7]

this is incredible, ever since I Installed the Juiced and Vulkan patch I haven't had a single crash at all, and its been days. Also the added Xbox gamma color from Juiced is a nice touch

[SatireFeier]

@RYDER Temporary workaround for that error:

1.Go to your Saints Row 2 Directory, (where SR2_pc.exe is located)
2. Open juiced.ini in notepad (it may just say juiced in File Explorer if you have known file extension hidden, as is default)
3 Scroll down to [Audio]
4. Set UseFixedXACT=1 to UseFixedXACT=0
5. Save

Then try Saints Row 2 again.

Source: Official Saints Row 2 Juiced Patch Post [www.saintsrowmods.com]

[Comicallylargespoon]

I enabled 1920x1200 resolution and now my game wont open. When i run the game it shows a window titled saints row 2 like it always has, but then it closes and does not launch the game. Does anybody have ideas on how to fix/revert this? I was also unable to extract the files for the Gentlemen of the row mod and run the file because i would get the error code "0x8096002a" and i have tried to extract the files multiple times on different folders and they wont extract.

[warhorus]

Fantastic guide. Decided to give this a spin on a W11/RTX5000 rig and was expecting a brutal experience. Been playing all day and I haven't had it crash out once!

[moonage02]

Hi! Is it true that the RTSS (RivaTuner) application could be useful to set at 45 fps for those with a low-end PC in order to play with the Dynamic Lighting setting on All?