Rockstar Launcher ruins Red Dead Redemption 2 launch on the PC

Rockstar's launch of Red Dead Redemption 2 on the PC has been nothing short of a joke, with thousands of gamers filling website comments, social posts, and Reddit with issues of not being able to even load up Red Dead Redemption 2. If you can get it to work, there are over 40 graphical options to tweak in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Red Dead Redemption 2 launched just a day ago for the Epic Games Store and Rockstar Launcher, but not Steam -- if the Steam version had launched, I'm sure it would've worked while the others choked in a puddle on the ground. I have been trying for over 24 hours to get the Rockstar Launcher and RDR2 to even load, and I can't.

I've tried a million different things starting with (as always) having the latest GPU drivers, the latest Windows Updates, and a near-fresh install of Windows 10. I've scoured Reddit and Twitter and everything in between for tips on how to get the Rockstar Launcher and Red Dead Redemption 2 to play nice, to no avail. Red Dead Redemption 2's launch on the PC is an epic fail.

I'm trying to get Red Dead Redemption 2 to work so I can thrash my stack of graphics cards in it in a benchmark article... but I just can't. I'm currently packing my entire office right now to move it (again) and this is happening in the middle of it. The launch has been a joke and Rockstar Games should be ashamed of it, and addressing gamers' concerns right now.

Why are gamers paying $60-$100+ for Red Dead Redemption 2 on the PC and not even being able to play it?