How To Fix Rockstar Games Launcher Not Working or Freezing on Startup on Windows 11

Reinstalling the social club or running in compatibility mod can fix the problem.

If you are a fan of GTA or Red Dead Redemption then you will need Rockstar Game Launcher. However, the Rockstar Games Launcher not working problem on Windows PC prevents players from playing these games. For some Rockstar games Launcher is stuck on the loading screen or freezing on startup. For others, the play, sign-in, and captcha options won’t work.

As a user reported through rockstar games support that “once it gets to the installation part for Social Club it freezes and just gets stuck on the animated loading R Logo”.

Corruption in Social Club or incompatibility settings can cause the Rockstar launcher not to work. But don’t worry in this article we have explained fixes that help us and many other users.

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How to Fix Rockstar Games Launcher Not Working?

Before applying the fixes make sure that you have restarted your PC and that your internet connection is stable. Now apply the fixes from the list below until you discover the one that works for you.

1. Check Rockstar Games Server

If the Rockstar game launcher won’t load or work then check if the server is down. There may be ongoing system maintenance so you should visit their page to check the server status.

2. Reinstall Social Club

This fix has resolved the Rockstar Launcher not working problem of many players, so you should give it a try first.

  • From the desktop right-click on Rockstar Game Launcher and select the open file location.
  • By default, the address will look like PC\Local Disk (C:)\Program Files\Rockstar Games.
  • Here you will see the Social club folder delete it.
  • Now run Rockstar launcher as administrator.

The Launcher will start up and search download some files and this should fix the Rockstar Games Launcher not working issue.

3. Update your Graphics Driver

The outdated graphics driver might be the cause of the Rockstar launcher’s failure to perform. You must update the graphics driver of your PC to make it work properly. You can visit the official website to manually upgrade the graphics driver of NVIDIA, and AMD.

However, if you are new then there are chances that you will end up installing the wrong versions. We suggest you download Driver Easy on your PC which will automatically scan and update your system and device drivers.

4. Run Rockstar Launcher in a Compatibility Mod

There may be some compatibility issues that are causing the Rocstar launcher not to work. You can run the launcher in a compatibility mod to fix the issue. Follow these steps;

  • Right-Click on the Rockstar Games Launcher and select the Properties.
  • Click on the Compatibility Tab. Here there are a few Checkboxes you will have to tick. These are the options you will have to select.
    • Run this program in compatibility mode for Windows 8 or Windows
    • Disable fullscreen optimizations.
    • Run this program as administrator.
  • Now click on Apply > OK and restart your PC

5. Delete the DNS Cache

If the Rockstar launcher problem is not resolved then use the following terminal commands in CMD to flush the DNS cache.

  • Type cmd by pressing the Windows key.
  • Right-click Command Prompt > Run as administrator.
  • In the popup window, type the following command and hit Enter.
    • pconfig /flushdns
    • netsh Winsock reset
  • “Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache,” the Command Prompt will state if the operation was successful.

6. Disable Firewall and Antivirus Software

Sometimes the antivirus or Windows firewall will prevent the Rockstar launcher from starting or connecting to the internet. Thus, we advise you to disable the Windows firewall and antivirus programs:

  • Press Windows + R keys to type in firewall.cpl and then press Enter.
  • Click Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off from the left menu.
  • Choose to Turn off Windows Defender Firewall (not recommended) for the public, private, and domain networks then press OK.
  • Additionally, if you have antivirus software installed on your computer, be careful to disable or terminate the application by right-clicking on it using the system trays up arrow icon.

7. Perform a Clean Boot

If the Rockstar launcher isn’t working then there is a chance that some programs are interfering with it. You can run your PC in a clean boot in order to identify the problem.

  • Press Windows + R keys> MSConfig in the run box > Enter.
  • Select the Services tab > check to Hide all Microsoft services > Disable all.
  • Under the Startup tab> Open Task Manager > right-click the item and select Disable.
  • Close Task Manager and select OK.

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