Many Red Dead Redemption 2 players have reported they can’t play that game fullscreen. When that issue arises, RDR2 won’t go fullscreen, and the game gets stuck in a window mode display. Selecting to switch RDR2 to fullscreen display via the game’s settings doesn’t work. Players can’t play Red Dead Redemption 2 fullscreen on their PCs as a result. This is how players can fix Red Dead Redemption 2 fullscreen not working on Windows PCs.
Set the RDR2’s Resolution to Match Your PC’s Recommended Resolution
First, check if Red Dead Redemption 2’s in-game resolution setting matches that set in Windows. Windows 11/10 has a recommended resolution that is best for your PC’s monitor. You can set RDR2’s resolution to match the recommended PC resolution like this.
- Right-click any part of the Windows desktop area to select Display settings.
- Select the recommended option in the Display resolution drop-down menu.
The Windows Display resolution
- Click Keep Changes to apply.
- Start Red Dead Redemption 2 and select Settings.
- Click Graphics to view visual settings.
- Set the game’s Resolution option to match the recommended resolution set in the Windows Settings app.
The Resolution option in Red Dead Redemption 2
- Press Enter to apply the new resolution.
- Try switching the game to fullscreen mode again.
Lower RDR2’s Graphical Settings
Do you see a message within RDR2’s in-game graphical settings that says, “Your currently selected graphics settings are currently using more memory than your system has available.”? If so, try lowering RDR2’s graphical settings to reduce video memory usage. A simple way to do this is to lower the Quality Preset Level setting in Red Dead Redemption 2. However, reducing the Texture Quality setting could be enough for some players.
Alternatively, you could try lowering the in-game resolution to reduce video memory usage. However, make sure RDR2’s Resolution option matches the resolution set in Windows Settings as instructed for the first resolution. So, that could mean lowering the PC’s general resolution as well.
Launch Red Dead Redemption 2 From GeForce Experience
Some players say configuring RDR2’s resolution and launching that game with GeForce Experience can fix RDR2 fullscreen not working. So, that could be worth trying if you have GeForce Experience installed on your PC. Try launching Red Dead Redemption 2 from GeForce Experience like this.
- Right-click the NVIDIA icon within the Windows system tray to select the GeForce Experience context menu option.
- Click on the Red Dead Redemption 2 game in GeForce Experience’s Home tab.
- Press the Custom Settings button (spanner icon).
The Custom Settings button
- Select your desired screen resolution for Red Dead Redemption 2 in the Resolution drop-down menu.
- Drag the slider on the Optimize for bar further left toward Performance.
The Resolution setting in GeForce Experience
- Click Apply to set the settings.
- Press the green Launch button for RDR2 in GeForce Experience.
Update the Driver for Your Laptop’s or Desktop’s Graphics Card
Some players might need to update outmoded or faulty graphics drivers on their PCs to fix Red Dead Redemption 2 fullscreen not working. RDR2 fullscreen game display issues can feasibly arise because of a corrupted or old graphics driver on your PC. This is how you can update an NVIDIA/AMD graphics card’s driver.
- To check what graphics card your PC has, open the DirectX Diagnostic Tool by utilizing the Windows logo + R hotkey, typing dxdiag into the Run dialog, and clicking on OK. Select Display within the DirectX Diagnostic Tool that opens to view the GPU details.
- Next, start the Edge browser software and go to the NVIDIA or AMD graphics driver download page.
The NVIDIA driver download page
- Click Download to obtain the latest graphics driver package for your GPU.
The Download option for a NVIDIA driver
- To see your downloaded files, press Ctrl + J in Edge.
- Click the downloaded graphics driver file to bring up its installer.
- Go through the NVIDIA or AMD graphics driver window to select Install.
- Finally, restart your PC to finish.
Set a Fullscreen Launch Parameter
Players confirm setting a fullscreen launch parameter in Steam or Epic Games can fix Read Dead Redemption 2 when RDR2 won’t go fullscreen. Doing so will force the game to start in fullscreen mode. You can set fullscreen launch parameters in Epic Games and Steam as follows.
Epic Games
- Run the Epic Games gaming client.
- Click the round user profile button to select Settings.
The Settings option in Epic Games
- Next, click Red Dead Redemption 2 in the game list.
- Select Additional Command Line Arguments.
The Additional Command Line Arguments checkbox
- Type -fullscreen in the command line box.
- Click Settings to go back and restart Epic Games Launcher.
Steam
- Open the Library tab in your Steam software.
- Click the Red Dead Redemption 2 game with the right mouse button and select Properties.
- Next, click in the Launch Options box on the General tab.
The launch option box in Steam
- Input -fullscreen into the box.
- Close the settings window.
Change Red Dead Redemption 2’s Graphics API Setting to DirectX 12
Another confirmed way to fix the RDR2 fullscreen not working is to change the Graphics API setting in the game to DirectX 12. To apply this possible fix, go to the Graphics tab in RDR2. Select DirectX 12 for the Graphics API option and press Enter.
Those resolutions are player-confirmed ways to fix Red Dead Redemption 2 fullscreen not working on Windows 11/0 PCs. So, they’ll probably resolve that RDR2 not fullscreen display issue on your PC, enabling you to play Red Dead Redemption 2 fullscreen again. However, if the Red Dead Redemption 2 not fullscreen glitch persists, click Contact Us on this RDR2 support page to discuss the issue with the game’s support service.
