God of War Ragnarök, the highly anticipated 2022 action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, has finally made its way to PC. While the game’s release brings excitement to many, some players have encountered an issue where God of War Ragnarök gets stuck on loading screens during launch. This problem can be frustrating, especially for players expecting the smooth, immersive experience that the game is known for. Fortunately, there are steps players can take to troubleshoot and resolve this issue, restoring the seamless gameplay that God of War Ragnarök promises.
Fix: God of War Ragnarök is Stuck on the loading screen
Here are some troubleshooting methods to resolve the issue of being stuck on the loading screen while playing the latest God of War Ragnarök. Let’s dive into the guide below.
1. Check-out System Requirements
Before playing the game, check the system requirements to avoid issues with launching and gameplay.
Minimum System Requirements:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit
- Processor: Intel i5-4670k or AMD Ryzen 3 1200
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 1060 (6GB) or AMD RX 5500 XT (8GB) or Intel Arc A750
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 190 GB available space
Recommended System Requirements:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit
- Processor: Intel i5-8600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 2060 Super or AMD RX 5700 or Intel Arc A770
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 190 GB available space
2. Increase Virtual RAM
Virtual memory combines RAM with temporary space on the hard disk. If your computer runs out of RAM, increasing the virtual memory manually might help.
- Press the Windows logo key on your keyboard.
- Start typing “advanced system settings” and click “View Advanced System Settings.”
- Click on “Settings,” then on the “Advanced” tab, and then on “Change.”
- Uncheck the box next to “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.”
- Select your C: drive (where you’ve installed Windows) and click the “Custom size” option.
- Please type “4096” in the text box for both “Initial size (MB)” and “Maximum size (MB).”
Note: It is always better to increase your virtual memory three times higher than your current RAM size (1 GB = 1024 MB). - Click “Set” and then “OK” to save changes.
- Restart your computer and your game for better performance.
3. Properly Place the Storage and RAM in the slot
If you’re having trouble with God of War Ragnarök getting stuck on the loading screen, there is a simple solution you can try. First, remove the side panel of your CPU cabinet. Then, unplug the HDD/SSD and RAM components from their slots, being careful not to damage them. Next, gently clean the slots and components, ensuring they are free of debris or dust. Finally, replace the components in their slots properly, making sure they are securely in place. This should help resolve the issue and get God of War Ragnarök running smoothly again.
4. Update GPU Drivers
If you haven’t updated your graphics driver on Windows, install the latest patch version by following the steps below:
- Press the Windows + X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
- Now, click on Device Manager from the list > Double-click on Display adapters.
- Right-click on the dedicated graphics card that you’re using.
- Next, select Update driver > Choose to Search automatically for drivers.
- If an update is available, the system will automatically download & install it.
- Once done, restart the computer to apply changes immediately.
5. Close Unnecessary Background Tasks
One way to optimize your PC’s performance is to close unnecessary background tasks, preventing additional resource usage. To clear out these tasks:
- Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open Task Manager.
- Click on the Processes tab > Select the task you want to close.
- Once selected, click on End Task. Make sure to do the steps for each task individually.
- Once done, restart your computer to change effects immediately.
6. Update God of War Ragnarök
If you haven’t recently updated your God of War Ragnarök game, follow these steps to check for updates and install the latest patch (if available).
- Open the Steam client > Go to Library > Click on God of War Ragnarök from the left pane.
- It’ll automatically search for the available update. If an update is available, make sure to click on Update.
- Installing the update > and closing the Steam client may take some time.
- Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes, and then try launching the game again.
7. Check for Windows Updates
Over time, your Windows operating system build may become outdated or corrupted. If you suspect this is the case, you can follow the steps below to check for available updates for your system. It is recommended that you install any available update as soon as possible. This will ensure that your system has the latest bug fixes and improvements. Follow the steps given below to check for and install Windows updates:
- Press Windows + I keys to open up the Windows Settings menu.
- Next, click on Update & Security > Select Check for updates under the Windows Update section.
- If there is a feature update available, select Download and Install.
- Wait for some time until the update gets completed.
- Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes immediately.
8. Try Disabling Overlay Apps
It seems that certain commonly used applications come with their overlay program, which can operate in the background and hurt gaming performance or even cause issues when launching the game. To solve this problem, you can disable these overlay programs by following the steps provided below:
- Launch the Discord app > Click on the gear icon at the bottom.
- Click on Overlay under App Settings > Turn on the Enable in-game overlay.
- Click on the Games tab > Select God of War Ragnarök.
- Finally, turn off the Enable in-game overlay toggle.
- Make sure to reboot your PC to apply changes.
- Press the Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings.
- Click on Gaming > Go to Game Bar > Turn off Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using the Game Bar option.
If you’re unable to find the Game Bar option, search for it from the Windows Settings menu.
Disable Nvidia GeForce Experience Overlay
- Launch the Nvidia GeForce Experience app > Head over to Settings.
- Click on the General tab > Disable the In-Game Overlay option.
- Finally, restart the PC to apply changes and relaunch the God of War Ragnarök game.
Also, remember to always disable other overlay apps, such as MSI Afterburner, Rivatuner, RGB software, or any other third-party overlay apps that run in the background.
9. Perform a Clean Boot
Certain applications and their associated services may initiate automatically upon system startup. This may lead to the unnecessary consumption of internet bandwidth and system resources. Should this issue arise, you may wish to consider performing a clean boot on your computer. This process can aid in identifying the underlying cause of the problem. The following steps outline how to perform a clean boot:
- Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
- Now, type MSConfig and hit Enter to open System Configuration.
- Go to the Services tab > Enable the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox.
- Click on Disable all > Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
- Now, go to the Startup tab > Click on Open Task Manager.
- The Task Manager interface will open. Here go to the Startup tab.
- Then click on the particular task which has a higher startup impact.
- Once selected, click on Disable to turn them off from the startup process.
- Do the same steps for each program that has a higher startup impact.
- Once done, make sure to restart your computer to apply changes.
Following these steps will ensure that only the necessary services and applications are running at startup. This, in turn, can help to optimize your computer’s performance by reducing the burden on its resources.
10. Verify Game Files
If, in case, there is an issue with the game files and somehow it gets corrupted or missing, then make sure to perform this method to check for the issue easily.
- Launch Steam > Click on Library.
- Right-click on God of War Ragnarök from the list of installed games.
- Now, click on Properties > Go to Local Files.
- Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
- You’ll have to wait for the process until it gets completed.
- Once done, restart your computer.
I hope this guide helped resolve God of War Ragnarök stuck on the loading screen on your PC.