10 Ways to Solve Red Dead Redemption 2 Keyboard and Mouse Not Working

Rockstar Games is a popular game developer known for releasing some of the best video games in the market for years. One of its most successful games is RDR2 (Red Dead Redemption 2), an open-world adventure story-rich video game that has received thousands of positive reviews on Steam since its release. However, several unfortunate players have reported experiencing issues with their keyboard and mouse not working while playing RDR2 on their PC.

As per multiple reports available online, players of RDR2 on PC are facing a persistent issue with their mouse cursor disappearing from the screen abruptly. This issue is causing some players to experience keyboard malfunctions, leading to further gameplay issues and frustration. Additionally, the default mouselook behavior when riding a horse is also proving problematic for some players.

Fix: Red Dead Redemption 2 Keyboard and Mouse Not Working

It seems that various issues can arise while playing a game on a PC if the external peripheral devices are not connected properly, the game is not running with admin access, the mouse acceleration settings or mouse trails are incorrect, or the game menu has incorrect settings. To help you overcome these issues, we have shared some possible workarounds that have proven to be helpful for several RDR2 players. So, let’s dive into the guide without any further delay.

1. Run the Game File as an Administrator

Before running the game, try opening the application file with administrator access to avoid any issues with user account control. Follow the steps below to do so:

• Right-click on the RDR2 exe shortcut file on your PC.
• Now, select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.

• Make sure to click on the Run this program as an administrator checkbox to checkmark it.
• Click on Apply and select OK to save changes.
• Now, you can just double-click on the game exe file to launch it.

Once done, you should also follow the same steps for your specific game launcher if you launch the game via a client.

2. Disconnect Unnecessary Peripherals

Make sure to disconnect all of the unnecessary external devices (peripherals) from the computer such as USB flash drives, external disks, printers, webcams, etc. It seems that the connectivity issue with the system and peripheral devices may trigger some conflicts.

3. Disable Mouse Acceleration

It seems that the mouse acceleration option is enabled by default which can trigger several issues with the gameplay. So, you can try disabling the mouse acceleration feature manually to check for the issue. To do that:

• Click on the Windows icon on the taskbar to open the Start menu.
• Now, search for Control Panel and open it.
• Click on Hardware and Sound > Click on the Mouse under Devices and Printers.
• Under the Mouse Properties section, head over to the Pointer Options tab.
• From the Motion section, make sure to uncheck the Enhance pointer precision checkbox to disable it.
• Click on Apply and then click on OK to save changes.

4. Enable Constrain Mouse Pointer Setting in RDR2

We’ll highly recommend you to turn on the constrain mouse pointer setting in the RDR2 settings menu by following the steps below. Some players did find this trick helpful. To do so:

• Launch the Red Dead Redemption 2 game > Head over to the game Settings menu.
• Click on the Graphics Settings menu > Make sure to Enable the Constrain Mouse Pointer option.
• Once done, exit Settings and reboot the game to check for the issue again.

5. Enable Mouse Trails on Windows

You should also turn on the mouse trails option on Windows PC to check if the problem has been fixed for you or not. To do this:

• Close Red Dead Redemption 2 from launcher and taskbar.
• Now, press Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Select Devices > Click on Mouse > Select Additional Mouse Options.
• Select Display Pointer Trails under the Pointer Options tab.
• Click on Apply and then reboot the game.

6. Adjust Keyboard & Mouse Horse Control

Sometimes adjusting the keyboard and mouse control from the in-game settings menu can fix multiple issues. To do so:

• Open Red Dead Redemption 2 > Go to Settings menu.
• Click on the Controls pane > Select the Keyboard and Mouse option.
• Head over to the Third Person section.
• Now, you’ll have to select Horse Relative for the Keyboard & Mouse Horse Control option.
• Once done, press the backspace key on the keyboard to go back.

7. Update Keyboard and Mouse Drivers

You should try checking for the keyboard and mouse driver update on your Windows PC and installing the latest version to ensure no update is pending at your end. An outdated or corrupted mouse & keyboard driver on the system can eventually trigger issues with the gameplay controls. To do so:

• Right-click on the Start Menu to open up the Quick Access Menu.
• Click on Device Manager from the list to open the interface.
• Now, you’ll need to double-click on Keyboards to expand it.
• Then right-click on the active keyboard device that you’re using.
• Next, click on Update driver > Choose Search automatically for drivers.
• The system will automatically check for the available update.
• If an update is available, it’ll automatically download and install the latest version.
• Once done, make sure to restart your PC to apply the changes.

You’ll have to follow the same steps again but for the Mice and other pointing devices adapter this time. While the rest of the steps will be the same.

8. Verify and Repair Game Files

The chances are high that somehow your installed RDR2 game files become corrupted or missing on the PC due to unexpected reasons. You should try verifying and repairing the installed RDR2 game files properly on the PC via your specific game launcher by following the steps below. It’ll ensure that there is no issue with the game files. Make sure not to run this process for multiple games at the same time. Don’t run other heavy programs during this process.

For Rockstar Games Launcher:

• Open the Rockstar Games Launcher on your PC.
• Next, make sure to sign in to the account > Go to Settings.
• Select the Red Dead Redemption 2 game from the list under My installed games on the left pane.
• Click on Verify Integrity under the Verify game file integrity option on the right pane.
• Wait for the process to be completed and a pop-up message will appear that your game is verified and ready to play.
• Launch the RDR2 game and check for the keyboard or mouse issue again.

For Epic Games Launcher:

Sometimes verifying and repairing your installed game files may resolve the corrupted or missing game files on the PC that basically prevents you from being able to play the game until you fix it.

• Open the Epic Games Launcher on your PC > Go to the Library section.
• Click on the three dots icon next to RDR2 > Click on Verify from the drop-down menu.
• It may take some time depending on the size of the game. Once done, reboot the launcher and play the game.

For Steam Client:

If in case, you’re missing out on in-game textures or facing startup crashes or any kind of error while launching the game then make sure to verify and repair the game files properly on the computer. To do so:

• Open the Steam client > Go to Library.
• Here right-click on the RDR2 game from the left pane.
• Make sure to click on Properties from the drop-down menu.
• Next, select the Local Files tab > Click on the Verify integrity of game files… button.
• The Steam launcher will verify the game files now and this process may take several minutes depending on the game file size.
• Once done, reboot the PC to apply changes > Launch the Steam client and play the game now to check for the issue.

Note: One or more game files may fail to verify in this process but that’s normal. You don’t need to worry about it. The failed files are local configuration files that shouldn’t be replaced as part of this process. You can just skip this message.

9. Enable V-Sync in-game and Set Renderer to Vulkan

It’s also recommended to try turning on the V-Sync (Vertical Sync) option for the RDR2 game via the settings menu. Also, make sure to set the Renderer option to Vulkan because some players did find this trick useful. Whereas setting DirectX 12 (DX12) may affect the gameplay experience in terms of peripheral controls.

10. Contact Rockstar Support

If none of the methods worked for you then make sure to contact Rockstar Support for RDR2 to submit a report. Just create a ticket to get a faster resolution. We’re hoping that the Rockstar Games team will deeply investigate this issue and try fixing it asap.

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.