There is no single confirmed fix for every Fallout: New Vegas infinite loading screen. First identify whether the game hangs at launch, while loading one save, or during a door or fast-travel transition. Then use the steps for your platform and setup; avoid changing several things at once.
First, identify where the loading screen hangs
“Infinite loading” describes several different problems, not one confirmed diagnosis. Before changing files or mods, note your platform, whether the game is modded, and what action triggers the hang.
- At startup: the game does not reach its menu.
- When loading one save: the menu works, but a particular save will not load.
- During a transition: the game hangs after entering a door, fast-traveling, or otherwise changing locations.
Bethesda’s documented guidance covers launch failures and freezes when loading a save, but it does not establish one universal infinite-loading fix. Its steps are a useful baseline for those symptoms, not a diagnosis for every transition hang. Bethesda Support: Fallout: New Vegas troubleshooting. Community posts use the same phrase for varied symptoms, but anecdotes do not confirm a common cause. Community reports.
If the game will not launch on PC
For a launch failure, Bethesda’s baseline is to remove the game’s configuration file and verify the installed files through the launcher. Back up files before deleting or changing them.
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- Find
Fallout.ini, usually inDocumentsMy GamesFalloutNV, and delete it. The game can recreate its configuration file. - Use the relevant launcher’s option to verify the game files. Verification checks the installation; it is not a guaranteed cure. Steam may report local configuration files that it does not alter.
- If the game still will not start, Bethesda also lists running it in Windows 7 compatibility mode and running it as an administrator as possible troubleshooting steps. Treat these as options to test, not assured fixes.
See Bethesda’s launch troubleshooting instructions for the supported guidance.
If one save freezes while loading
Preserve your progress before troubleshooting. Bethesda recommends keeping multiple save copies and trying an earlier save; if the problem persists, starting a new game may be necessary. Use that only after testing earlier saves, since it can mean losing access to the affected playthrough.
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- Back up your save files before experimenting.
- Load an earlier save and check whether it works.
- If earlier saves also fail, consider whether the problem began after a specific change, such as installing or updating a mod, and investigate that separately.
- Consider starting a new game only as a last resort if the issue persists.
Bethesda’s advice addresses save-loading freezes, not every kind of loading transition hang. Bethesda Support.
If you use mods on PC
Do not apply an executable patch or add a collection of fixes based solely on an old forum post. Match instructions to your game edition and check the maintained Viva New Vegas guide, which documents separate patcher setup for Steam/GOG and Epic. The guide says its patchers allow the game to use up to 4GB of RAM and automatically load xNVSE; follow the instructions for your edition rather than assuming the procedures are interchangeable.
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Find a conflicting mod systematically
- Back up saves and note your current mod setup before changing it.
- Disable mods in groups, then test the same action that caused the hang.
- If disabling a group resolves the problem, re-enable or disable smaller subsets until you narrow down the likely conflict.
- Change one group at a time so you can tell which change affected the result.
Viva New Vegas recommends narrowing down problematic mods this way. Its changelog says New Vegas Heap Replacer was removed because possible crashes were not worth its often-small performance gain; do not treat it as a default fix simply because older advice mentions it. Viva New Vegas.
Does installing the game on an SSD fix it?
Not necessarily. Viva New Vegas says an SSD improves ordinary loading times and reduces stuttering, but that is different from evidence that it cures an infinite loading screen. An SSD is not an established fix for this symptom.
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- If you've played Fallout 3, you won't miss a step when transitioning over to New Vegas since it's largely the same in terms of gameplay.
- RPG
- Play in first-person or third-person perspective
What to do if it still hangs
Keep the troubleshooting focused on the symptom you can reproduce. Record whether the hang occurs at startup, with one save, or during a transition; note the platform and, on PC, whether mods are installed. For modded PC play, use the edition-specific guide and isolate mod groups. For launch or save-loading problems, follow the relevant Bethesda steps. The cause and remedy for an individual setup cannot be determined from the phrase “infinite loading” alone.
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