If Elden Ring reaches its own loading screen but never enters the game, verify its files in Steam first. Then clear Elden Ring's Steam Launch Options and test without mods or ReShade. If another character or New Game loads but one existing character does not, preserve that save and contact Bandai Namco instead of reinstalling the whole game.
Confirm that Elden Ring reaches its loading screen
Start Elden Ring from Steam and select Continue or choose a character under Load Game. Use this guide only when Elden Ring shows its loading screen but never reaches gameplay. If Steam returns to the Play button before the title screen appears, use the Elden Ring not-launching guide instead.
Open Steam > Library, right-click ELDEN RING, and select Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files. Let Steam finish and reacquire any files it reports before opening the game again.
3
Restore the normal Elden Ring launch
In Elden Ring's Steam Properties, open General and leave Launch Options empty. Disable Elden Ring mods through the tool that installed them, and remove ReShade from this game if you added it. Launch from Steam; do not replace DLL or save files with downloads from a fix site.
4
Check whether one character is affected
At the title screen, open Load Game and try a different existing character. If you have no other character, start New Game only as a test and do not overwrite the original save. When another character reaches gameplay, keep the failing save and send Bandai Namco Support the affected character name and the point where loading stops.
5
Retest the same save
If every character was affected, confirm that the PC meets Elden Ring's current Steam requirements, install the current graphics driver, and retry the original character. The fix is confirmed when that character reaches gameplay twice without remaining on the loading screen.
If it does not work
If Steam says files failed validation, wait for its download to finish before retesting Elden Ring; the first result is not a completed repair.
If the loading screen appears only after Easy Anti-Cheat reports an initialization error, repair that named error first rather than changing graphics settings.
If all characters still stop on the same loading screen after a clean verified launch, preserve the save and report the exact area, character, and last successful load to Bandai Namco Support.
ⓘ Sources and verification
Checked against official documentation on . Scope: Windows PC.
Source-checked against current Steam and Bandai Namco support. The loading failure was not reproduced on a test PC.
