How to Fix Alan Wake 2 Stuck on Loading Screen Issue?

Alan Wake 2 getting stuck on the loading screen frequently occurs when your graphics card is unable to render the game textures. This usually happens when the video drivers on your system are not up to date with the latest Alan Wake 2 requirements.

To resolve the issue, you should update the graphics driver on your PC. The system requirements for Alan Wake 2 are quite high. Older graphics cards might not be compatible with the game. Therefore, it is critical to ensure you meet the minimum system requirements of Alan Wake 2. 

If your PC does not meet the game’s requirements, it can prevent the game from loading on your PC. However, if your system specifications do meet the Alan Wake 2 requirements, you can use the solutions below to resolve the loading screen issue with the game.

1. Run Alan Wake 2 as Admin

The first step you should take is to run Alan Wake 2 as an administrator whenever the game gets stuck on the loading screen. Granting Alan Wake 2 administrative privileges can often solve any inconsistencies encountered by the game process on your system.

To run Alan Wake 2 as admin, start the Epic Games Launcher with administrative privileges. Then, when you run Alan Wake 2 through the launcher, the game process will inherit the elevated permissions from the parent process. 

To run Epic Games Launcher as admin, follow these instructions:

1. Open the Start Menu and search for the Epic Games Launcher.
2. Next, click on the Run as administrator option on the right.

   

3. Click Yes when the User Account Control box appears.
4. Run Alan Wake 2 and see if the problem persists. 

2. Disable In-game Overlays

In-game overlays can also prevent Alan Wake 2 from loading. This common scenario occurs when a third-party app interferes with the game to provide an overlay of the software while you are in-game.

Although this feature makes accessing the app from the game convenient, it can also prevent the game from running properly. As such, you will need to disable any in-game overlays you have enabled. This includes MSI Afterburner, Discord, GeForce Experience, or any other application. 

Follow the instructions below to disable Discord and GeForce Experience in-game overlays. 

2.1. GeForce Experience

1. Search for the GeForce Experience app in the Start Menu and open it.

   

2. Switch to the Settings screen by clicking the gear icon in the top-right corner.

   

3. Disable the overlay using the In-game overlay slider.

   

2.2. Discord

1. Open the Discord client and click on the Settings icon in the bottom left.

   

2. Navigate to the Game Overlay tab.
3. Turn off the Discord overlay using the In-game overlay slider.

   

3. Repair Alan Wake 2 Files

Corrupted game files can prevent the game from loading the necessary assets when you play.

In such cases, you need to repair the game files. You can do this using the Epic Games Launcher, which comes with a scan and repair feature. This will scan the game files on your PC, repair any damaged ones, and download missing files. 

To repair your Alan Wake 2 installation files, follow these instructions:

1. Open the Epic Games Launcher.
2. Click on the three dots under Alan Wake 2.
3. From the menu, select Manage.

   

4. On the Manage screen, click the Verify option.

   

5. Wait for the game files to be scanned and repaired.
6. Once complete, see if Alan Wake 2 still fails to load. 

4. Update Windows 

Using an outdated version of Windows can be another reason why Alan Wake 2 is not loading. This can cause compatibility issues that prevent the game from loading. To resolve this, you need to update Windows. This can be done easily through the Settings app. Follow these instructions:

1. Press Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
2. Navigate to the Windows Update tab.

   

3. Click Check for updates to look for available system updates.

   

4. Wait for the updates to be downloaded and installed.
5. After your PC restarts, open Alan Wake 2 to check if the problem persists. 

5. Update Graphics Driver

Running an outdated video driver or having a corrupted driver on your machine can cause Alan Wake 2 to not load. It is crucial to have the latest graphics driver installed on your system. You need to update your graphics driver with a clean installation.

A clean installation removes all traces of the current driver, allowing you to install the new one on a clean slate. Follow these instructions:

1. Download the Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) tool from the official link here. 
2. Extract the tool on your computer.
3. Open the Display Driver Uninstaller.exe file.
4. Click Continue on the Options screen when it appears.

   

5. Select GPU from the Select device type menu.

   

6. Choose the brand of your GPU using the Select device menu.

   

7. Click Clean and restart.

   

8. When your system boots up, navigate to your GPU manufacturer’s website.
9. Download and install the latest graphics drivers for your system.
10. Check if the issue with Alan Wake 2 persists. 

6. Perform a Clean Boot

Background apps can influence the “stuck on loading screen” issue when playing Alan Wake 2. They might interfere with game processes in the Windows environment, causing malfunctions.

Executing a clean boot on your system can help identify if such an interference is occurring. A clean boot starts your PC with only necessary system services running at startup and blocks all additional programs and services.

If the issue is resolved in a clean boot environment, you will need to find and remove the culprit app from your system. To clean boot Windows, follow these instructions:

1. Open the Run dialog box using the Windows key + R shortcut.
2. Type in msconfig and press Enter to open the System Configuration window.

   

3. Go to the Services tab.
4. Check the Hide all Microsoft services option.

   

5. Click Disable all to disable the remaining services on startup.
6. Hit Apply to save the changes.
7. Now, go to the Startup tab.
8. Click the Open Task Manager link to open Task Manager.

   

9. Disable startup apps using the Task Manager window. 
10. Select one app at a time and click Disable.

    

11. Restart your computer and see if Alan Wake 2 no longer faces the loading screen issue. 

With these methods, you should be able to get past the loading screen in Alan Wake 2. If the issue continues, you can contact the support team for Alan Wake 2 for further assistance.