The most common reason is turning on ray tracing, especially on lower-end computers or when playing on cloud gaming services like GeForce NOW. Other possible causes include old drivers, damaged game files, or sometimes too much video memory being used after playing for a long time. Make sure you meet the minimum system requirements for Alan Wake 2. If your PC doesn’t meet the game’s requirements, it can prevent Alan Wake 2 from loading. However, if your system specifications are up to date, follow the solutions below to resolve the loading screen issue.
1. Run Alan Wake 2 as Admin
The first thing you should try is running Alan Wake 2 as an administrator if the game is getting stuck on the loading screen. Giving Alan Wake 2 admin privileges can help fix any problems with game permissions on your system. To do this, start the Epic Games Launcher as an administrator. When you launch Alan Wake 2 from the Epic Games Launcher running as admin, the game will also have these higher permissions.
2. Disable In-game Overlays
In-game overlays can sometimes stop Alan Wake 2 from loading correctly. This usually happens when a third-party app tries to display its overlay on top of the game, which might interfere with how the game runs. While overlays can be useful, they can also cause the game to malfunction. It’s best to turn off any in-game overlays from apps like MSI Afterburner, Discord, GeForce Experience, or any similar software.
2.1. GeForce Experience
2.2. Discord
3. Repair Alan Wake 2 Files
Sometimes, the game may be stuck on the loading screen because some game files are corrupted or missing. To fix this, you need to repair the game files using the Epic Games Launcher’s scan and repair feature. This checks for and replaces any damaged or missing files in your Alan Wake 2 installation.
4. Update Windows
Running an outdated version of Windows can also cause Alan Wake 2 to get stuck on the loading screen. Compatibility issues often arise with older system updates.
5. Update Graphics Driver
Having an outdated or corrupted graphics driver can cause Alan Wake 2 to fail to load. For the best performance and compatibility, you should update your graphics driver and perform a clean installation. A clean installation ensures all parts of the old driver are removed before installing the new one.
6. Perform a Clean Boot
Some background apps can interfere with Alan Wake 2, causing it to get stuck on the loading screen. Running a clean boot helps you isolate if any background program is causing the issue. A clean boot starts Windows with only the essential system services, disabling all other startup programs.
