Infinite loading / Stuck in the loading screen

[purple-hearted]

UPD: It helps to reinstall GeForce Experience in my case.

Hey,

I have a problem with loading the game. It happens with every save of the Witcher 3, so I assume it's not the problem with the saves. I will be glad if someone can help with that.

After I choose the save and start loading, it shows a loading screen with the story text, then it becomes a black screen and the loading "snake" is stuck, and the game is not responding.

Imporant information:
I haven't installed any mods ever.
I haven't installed any other programs or updates manually to my PC, so crushes happened unexpectedly.

What I've tried and what didn't help:
- Reinstalling the game
- Deleting the last autosaves and manual saves
- Deleting all the saves and starting the new game
- Deleting user.settings, input.settings, etc
- Loading old saves
- Checking local files
- Turning off SteamCloud
- Closing all the apps with overlays (Geforce Experience, Steam overlay, Discord overlay, XBox Gamebar)
- Switching to windowed view and low quality and resolution
- Turning off all NVIDIA settings in the game
- Updating Windows and my graphics drivers

I had such a problem a few months ago, but it was fixed by turning off the overlay from Geforce Experience. Now it doesn't work.

I haven't found any solution to this problem.

Let me know if you have any ideas or need any other information

Thank you!

[V_]

Originally posted by purple-hearted:

Hey,

I have a problem with loading the game. It happens with every save of the Witcher 3, so I assume it's not the problem with the saves. I will be glad if someone can help with that.

After I choose the save and start loading, it shows a loading screen with the story text, then it becomes a black screen and the loading "snake" is stuck, and the game is not responding.

Imporant information :
I haven't installed any mods ever.
I haven't installed any other programs or updates manually to my PC, so crushes happened unexpectedly.

What I've tried and what didn't help :
- Reinstalling the game
- Deleting the last autosaves and manual saves
- Deleting all the saves and starting the new game
- Deleting user.settings, input.settings, etc
- Loading old saves
- Checking local files
- Turning off SteamCloud
- Closing all the apps with overlays (Geforce Experience, Steam overlay, Discord overlay, XBox Gamebar)
- Switching to windowed view and low quality and resolution
- Turning off all NVIDIA settings in the game
- Updating Windows and my graphics drivers

I had such a problem a few months ago, but it was fixed by turning off the overlay from Geforce Experience. Now it doesn't work.

I haven't found any solution to this problem.

Let me know if you have any ideas or need any other information :komsad:

Thank you!

I've had this happen before, I know you mentioned that you loaded old saves. I had to load old saves but not all old saves worked, I probably tried with around 30 saves before one finally worked. When it does work make sure to save again once it works. Hoping this works and you don't lose too much progress.

[purple-hearted]

Originally posted by V_:

Originally posted by purple-hearted:

Hey,

I have a problem with loading the game. It happens with every save of the Witcher 3, so I assume it's not the problem with the saves. I will be glad if someone can help with that.

After I choose the save and start loading, it shows a loading screen with the story text, then it becomes a black screen and the loading "snake" is stuck, and the game is not responding.

Imporant information :
I haven't installed any mods ever.
I haven't installed any other programs or updates manually to my PC, so crushes happened unexpectedly.

What I've tried and what didn't help :
- Reinstalling the game
- Deleting the last autosaves and manual saves
- Deleting all the saves and starting the new game
- Deleting user.settings, input.settings, etc
- Loading old saves
- Checking local files
- Turning off SteamCloud
- Closing all the apps with overlays (Geforce Experience, Steam overlay, Discord overlay, XBox Gamebar)
- Switching to windowed view and low quality and resolution
- Turning off all NVIDIA settings in the game
- Updating Windows and my graphics drivers

I had such a problem a few months ago, but it was fixed by turning off the overlay from Geforce Experience. Now it doesn't work.

I haven't found any solution to this problem.

Let me know if you have any ideas or need any other information

Thank you!

I've had this happen before, I know you mentioned that you loaded old saves. I had to load old saves but not all old saves worked, I probably tried with around 30 saves before one finally worked. When it does work make sure to save again once it works. Hoping this works and you don't lose too much progress.

Thank you, I will try!
However, according to this logic, I could start new game and everything might be good, didn't it? :(

[V_]

Originally posted by purple-hearted:

Originally posted by V_:

I've had this happen before, I know you mentioned that you loaded old saves. I had to load old saves but not all old saves worked, I probably tried with around 30 saves before one finally worked. When it does work make sure to save again once it works. Hoping this works and you don't lose too much progress.

Thank you, I will try!
However, according to this logic, I could start new game and everything might be good, didn't it? :(

I'm not sure if a new game would fix it. Last time it happened to me if I remember correctly the explanation I found was that it was corrupted and a non corrupted save fixed it. I would guess a new game would fix it but not 100% sure.

I've also heard deleting DLC folders and re-installing them has fixed it for some.

I would also delete the configurationfolder should be found in (%USERPROFILE%\Documents\The Witcher 3\). Don't delete your gamesave folder yet, I'll test it out by deleting mine and see if steam restores them.

[V_]

If you delete the gamesave folder, steam doesn't seem to restore the cloud saves so I wouldn't delete that. I would try the ones I mentioned above, hopefully one or a combination of them fix it for you.

[purple-hearted]

It's no problem with experiments of deleting my saves, because I've already made some copies of them. But it seems like every save in the game, even starting a new game, don't solve the problem.

[Kyota]

If OP is using SSD's make a habit out of running a memory diagnostics test EVERY TIME you simultaneously perform an install AND an uninstall of ANY application in your directory.

The black screen can be due to a memory leak from your system - SSD's, though great, are terrible at retaining memory when said memory is being moved around (if you're using HDD ignore this entire post)

Type: "Window Memory Diagnostic" in your Windows Search Bar (next to the START button).

The test will require anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes and will then re-boot your system. An activity log will then be recorded for any serious faults in memory. Even if you have no errors found, the test will re-organize your memory by optimising it; thereby reducing leaks or file misplacement in general.

It's a pain, but if you want to preserve your SSD's ability to retain memory do this routinely right after you install/un-install any sizeable application (like a whole game).

[purple-hearted]

Hello guys,

Thanks everyone for your help <3

It wasn't easy, but finally! It helps to reinstall GeForce Experience.

[Nublit]

Originally posted by purple-hearted:

Hello guys,

Thanks everyone for your help <3

It wasn't easy, but finally! It helps to reinstall GeForce Experience.

currently have the black screen going now. all you did was reinstall GeForce?

[purple-hearted]

Originally posted by Nublit:

Originally posted by purple-hearted:

Hello guys,

Thanks everyone for your help <3

It wasn't easy, but finally! It helps to reinstall GeForce Experience.

currently have the black screen going now. all you did was reinstall GeForce?

I tried a few other things but they didn't work, so yes, I'm sure the problem was with GeForce.

[SoullessRider]

sorry for the necro but to Whomever it may be of help:
Had the same issue since i tried to load a game today.

- Thought it must have happen because I've uninstalled NordVPN from my desktop prior to starting games exe, since that installed VC++, so did a re-install for both x32 and x64 = That did not help.

- Did a gpu drivers update = that did not help

- Did GeForce Experience (3.28.something) uninstallation and did a 3.27.0.120 installation (restarted my desktop for both) = that did not help

- deleted confing from documents / the witcher 3 = that did not help

- uninstalled all mods = that did not help

- backed up saves, uninstalled game, deleted documents / the witcher 3, re-installed game
= that did not help

- tried loading save game in dx11 and dx12 version = that did not help

- did all the mods installation all over again and tried loading save game in dx11 and dx12 version = that did not help

- Tried a new game (it started) and saved.
loaded that save ok.

so i checked my saves in the save folder in documents / the witcher 3, because i saw the steam restored synched saves but was missing the latests somehow.....in comparison to my manualy backed up folder and saw inconsistency....
deleted the by steam restored save folder, pasted my manual backup = that did not help

But tried an older (yesterday's) save file and it worked !!!

so i lost few hours of ingame progress + many hours by troubleshooting to come to a conclusion that "corrupted saves" is to blame ?!

[teraplexor]

Originally posted by SoullessRider:

sorry for the necro but to Whomever it may be of help:
Had the same issue since i tried to load a game today.

- Thought it must have happen because I've uninstalled NordVPN from my desktop prior to starting games exe, since that installed VC++, so did a re-install for both x32 and x64 = That did not help.

- Did a gpu drivers update = that did not help

- Did GeForce Experience (3.28.something) uninstallation and did a 3.27.0.120 installation (restarted my desktop for both) = that did not help

- deleted confing from documents / the witcher 3 = that did not help

- uninstalled all mods = that did not help

- backed up saves, uninstalled game, deleted documents / the witcher 3, re-installed game
= that did not help

- tried loading save game in dx11 and dx12 version = that did not help

- did all the mods installation all over again and tried loading save game in dx11 and dx12 version = that did not help

- Tried a new game (it started) and saved.
loaded that save ok.

so i checked my saves in the save folder in documents / the witcher 3, because i saw the steam restored synched saves but was missing the latests somehow.....in comparison to my manualy backed up folder and saw inconsistency....
deleted the by steam restored save folder, pasted my manual backup = that did not help

But tried an older (yesterday's) save file and it worked !!!

so i lost few hours of ingame progress + many hours by troubleshooting to come to a conclusion that "corrupted saves" is to blame ?!

Could try checking your saves that get uploaded to steam, maybe there's still a auto save you can download.