Start RDR2 in Windows Efficiency Mode

Start-RDR2.ps1 launches Red Dead Redemption 2 through Steam, waits for RDR2.exe, and asks Windows to enable Efficiency Mode for that process. It is intended to automate the same per-launch change available from Windows Task Manager.

Why this project exists

This project was inspired by a Steam Community discussion describing this manual workaround for RDR2 crashes on Windows 11.

This project has two goals.

First, it removes a frustrating manual step for players whose RDR2 experience improves when Windows Efficiency Mode is enabled. Instead of launching the game, opening Task Manager, finding RDR2.exe, and remembering to enable the setting every time, the launcher performs that work automatically and confirms the result.

Second, it is meant to be a practical introduction to PowerShell automation. Learning examples are much easier to understand when they solve a real problem you recognize and care about. This script is deliberately documented so a curious player can inspect it and see a useful automation pattern in action: launch something, wait for the right process, make a targeted change, verify the result, and provide clear feedback. If it sparks an interest in using PowerShell to remove other small frustrations, it has succeeded beyond its immediate purpose.

What the script changes

The script does not modify game files, registry settings, Steam settings, or Windows' permanent configuration. It applies the two process-level settings that Task Manager uses for Efficiency Mode: an Idle base priority and Windows EcoQoS. Both changes end when the game process ends.

Note Efficiency Mode asks Windows to favor efficiency over execution speed and lowers the process priority. Its behavior and effectiveness can vary across Windows versions and hardware. Use it only if it improves your own system's RDR2 experience.

Requirements

• Windows 11 (supported)
• Windows 10 is unsupported and not guaranteed to provide the required Efficiency Mode behavior or verification APIs.
• Steam with Red Dead Redemption 2 installed and signed in
• Windows PowerShell 5.1 or newer (included with supported Windows versions)

No administrator rights should normally be needed. If Windows reports that the game process could not be opened, start the script at the same privilege level as Steam and the Rockstar Games Launcher. Do not run it as administrator unless those applications are also running as administrator.

Quick start

1. Download this repository with Code > Download ZIP on GitHub.

2. Extract the ZIP somewhere permanent, for example C:\Scripts\Start-RDR2. Do not run it from inside the ZIP file.

3. Choose one launcher, then double-click it:

   • Start-RDR2.bat — plays the result sound and closes the console window when finished.
   • Start-RDR2-Keep-Window-Open.bat — plays the result sound and leaves the console window open until you press Enter. Choose this one if you want to read the final message or cannot rely on an audible notification.

4. Steam starts RDR2. The script waits for RDR2.exe, keeps the setting applied for 30 seconds while the game initializes, verifies it, then plays a Windows success sound. The first launcher closes its console window; the second one leaves it open.

If Steam or the Rockstar Games Launcher needs longer than two minutes, fix its sign-in/update issue and run the launcher again. The script times out after 120 seconds rather than waiting indefinitely.

Run directly from PowerShell

If you are comfortable using PowerShell, you can skip the batch launchers. Open PowerShell in this folder and run:

.\Start-RDR2.ps1

Because you launched the script from an interactive PowerShell session, that window remains open after the script finishes. You can read the final result there without using -KeepWindowOpen.

If your execution policy prevents the script from starting, use this one-time command instead. It bypasses the policy only for this new PowerShell process; it does not change your system-wide or user-level execution-policy setting:

powershell.exe -NoLogo -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Start-RDR2.ps1

Keep the result window open

The default launcher communicates its result with a sound because RDR2 usually opens full screen. Visual confirmation is equally important: some players may be unable to hear that sound, may have a hearing impairment, may be playing without speakers or headphones, or may simply prefer to read the outcome.

Start-RDR2-Keep-Window-Open.bat was included specifically for those players. Double-click it for a launch with visual confirmation; no editing is needed. It leaves the console open until you press Enter and shows whether Efficiency Mode was successfully confirmed or why the attempt failed.

-KeepWindowOpen is useful only when the script is launched from a console that would otherwise close as soon as it finishes. For example, you can pass it to the standard batch launcher from Command Prompt:

Start-RDR2.bat -KeepWindowOpen

With -KeepWindowOpen, the same success or failure sound plays and the window stays open until you press Enter. You can also change the startup timeout when running directly from PowerShell, for example:

.\Start-RDR2.ps1 -TimeoutSeconds 300

If you create your own batch launcher, keep the script path and its parameters separate. This is correct:

powershell.exe -NoLogo -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%~dp0Start-RDR2.ps1" -KeepWindowOpen

This is not correct, because PowerShell treats the parameter as though it were part of the file name:

powershell.exe -File "%~dp0Start-RDR2.ps1 -KeepWindowOpen"

The script applies and verifies the setting for 30 seconds after the game is first detected. This accommodates RDR2 changing its own process settings during startup. You can adjust that window when needed:

.\Start-RDR2.ps1 -StabilizationSeconds 60

What the script does

1. Opens Steam's official RDR2 launch URI (steam://rungameid/1174180).
2. Checks once per second for RDR2.exe.
3. When it finds the process, it sets the process base priority to Idle and calls the Windows SetProcessInformation API with the ProcessPowerThrottling policy and the execution-speed flag (EcoQoS).
4. Reapplies those settings during the 30-second startup stabilization window, then reads them back from Windows.
5. Plays a success sound only when the final state is confirmed, or a failure sound and a readable error message if any step fails.

The script chooses the newest RDR2.exe process if Windows reports more than one while an earlier instance is shutting down.

Troubleshooting

What you see	What to try
Failure sound after two minutes	Confirm Steam and Rockstar Games Launcher are signed in, then start the launcher again with -KeepWindowOpen to read the error.
“Could not open RDR2.exe” or “Access is denied”	Run Steam, Rockstar Games Launcher, and this script at the same privilege level. Close an older RDR2 instance before retrying.
No sound	Use -KeepWindowOpen to read the result. Check Windows volume/output settings independently.
Game is already running	The script applies Efficiency Mode to the newest running RDR2.exe; restart the game if you need Steam to launch a fresh session.

Safety and transparency

The launcher batch file uses -ExecutionPolicy Bypass only for the PowerShell process that it starts. This avoids asking users to weaken their machine-wide execution-policy setting; it does not change that setting. Both launcher files are plain text and can be inspected in Notepad before use.

As with any downloaded script, read the files before running them and download releases only from the repository you trust.

Technical reference

Windows documents SetProcessInformation with ProcessPowerThrottling as the API used to control the power-throttling policy. Opting into the execution-speed flag classifies a process as EcoQoS. Task Manager's Efficiency Mode combines EcoQoS with a lower process priority. See Microsoft's SetProcessInformation documentation and Microsoft's Efficiency Mode overview.