diff --git a/tests/_boot_to_anaconda.pm b/tests/_boot_to_anaconda.pm
index 91f1572d..cc62c3d3 100644
--- a/tests/_boot_to_anaconda.pm
+++ b/tests/_boot_to_anaconda.pm
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ sub run {
     }
     if (get_var("ANACONDA_TEXT")) {
         $params .= "inst.text ";
+        # we need this on aarch64 till #1594402 is resolved
+        $params .= "console=tty0 " if (get_var("ARCH") eq "aarch64");
     }
     # inst.debug enables memory use tracking
     $params .= "debug" if get_var("MEMCHECK");
diff --git a/tests/_do_install_and_reboot.pm b/tests/_do_install_and_reboot.pm
index 53396a89..84ed133d 100644
--- a/tests/_do_install_and_reboot.pm
+++ b/tests/_do_install_and_reboot.pm
@@ -104,6 +104,23 @@ sub run {
     # serial console. we don't want this, it messes up decryption
     # (as plymouth will expect the passphrase on the serial console,
     # not the virtual console). Let's go fix this up now.
+    if (get_var("ARCH") eq "aarch64") {
+        $self->root_console();
+        # somehow, by this point, localized keyboard layout has been
+        # loaded for this tty, so for French and Arabic at least we
+        # need to load the 'us' layout again for the next command to
+        # be typed correctly
+        console_loadkeys_us;
+        # stick 'console=tty0' on the end of GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX in
+        # the grub defaults file, and 'quiet' so we don't get kernel
+        # messages, which screws up some needles. RHBZ#1661288
+        assert_script_run 'sed -i -e "s,\(GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX.*\)\",\1 console=tty0 quiet\",g" /mnt/sysimage/etc/default/grub';
+        # regenerate the bootloader config
+        assert_script_run "chroot /mnt/sysimage grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/efi/EFI/fedora/grub.cfg";
+        # let's just reboot from here, seems simplest
+        type_string "reboot\n" unless (get_var("MEMCHECK"));
+        return;
+    }
     # for the memory check test, we *don't* want to leave
     unless (get_var("MEMCHECK")) {
     # If the variable for system-wide ABRT is set to system, switch 
diff --git a/tests/rescue_mode_encrypted.pm b/tests/rescue_mode_encrypted.pm
index 565571f4..30b7a5d8 100644
--- a/tests/rescue_mode_encrypted.pm
+++ b/tests/rescue_mode_encrypted.pm
@@ -19,7 +19,24 @@ sub run {
         # select "rescue system"
         if (get_var('UEFI')) {
             send_key "down";
-            send_key "ret";
+            # we need this on aarch64 till #1661288 is resolved
+            if (get_var('ARCH') eq 'aarch64') {
+                send_key "e";
+                # duped with do_bootloader, sadly...
+                for (1 .. 50) {
+                    send_key 'down';
+                }
+                sleep 1;
+                send_key 'up';
+                sleep 1;
+                send_key 'up';
+                send_key "end";
+                type_safely " console=tty0";
+                send_key "ctrl-x";
+            }
+            else {
+                send_key "ret";
+            }
         }
         else {
             type_string "r\n";