Red Dead Redemption 2 Activation Required error fix

If there was an award for the most troubled launch in video game history, Red Dead Redemption 2 could be a legit contender for the top spot. The PC release has been plagued by a series of issues, with some players locked out of the game and others suffering from game-breaking bugs that hindered what was expected to be a marvelous experience. Luckily, the RDR2 community is coming up with all manners of fixes to help each other out, as Rockstar is yet to solve many of these problems, even after the release of a small day-one patch. The dreaded Red Dead Redemption 2 Activation Required error is just one of many issues.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Activation Required error | How to fix

There is nothing worse than buying a game and having it fail to launch because of a required online activation. Many players have stumbled upon this unexpected error that prevents them from launching the game and are naturally frustrated.

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However, there is a simple fix for this. The fix is so obvious and sitting right there in front of you, and that is probably the reason why some players are ignoring it. In case you get the error seen in the above picture while attempting to run Red Dead Redemption 2 from the Rockstar Games Launcher, proceed as described:

• Click your profile picture in the launcher to log out.
• Log in again.

This should get the game activated and running without further issues. Well, activation issues at least, because you may find things such as stuttering, graphical glitches, or maps and menus not showing properly, something that obviously undermines the experience.

While some of the issues may be attributed to the Rockstar Games Launcher, it can’t be blamed for all the in-game errors. In one of the many Red Dead Redemption 2 Reddit threads, some players are saying that this is what happens when Rockstar decided that a beta wasn’t essential before the launch of the game. As it turns out, a beta test would have been invaluable to iron out some of these glaring errors.