PSA: Here’s how to fix Elden Ring load times for Shadow of the Erdtree

If long Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree load times are keeping you out of the RPG’s excellent expansion, there’s an easy fix for that. Reports of players staying on infinite loading screens started popping up  the day FromSoftware launched Elden Ring’s DLC, alongside similar issues where players saw the load progress bar stuck at 25 percent or 75 percent for several minutes.

It turns out the fix for that is the equivalent of unplugging something and plugging it back in. Uninstall Elden Ring, and reinstall it. That should solve the issue.

It did for me, anyway. I was doing just fine during the game’s review period, and then come launch day, it took upwards of 10 minutes just to see any progress from the loading bar. The game originally lived on my external SSD, and I installed it on my onboard SSD the second time. It worked flawlessly afterwards, though folks on the Elden Ring subreddit say any SSD is fine. If you don’t have room on your PC’s main drive, an external one should work just fine.

I also tested it on my Steam Deck and Asus Rog Ally, and reinstalling solved the issue on both handhelds as well. It won’t fix the game’s other performance issues on PC, including the stubborn stutter and occasional framerate problems. But hey, at least you can play the game without spending all your free time just waiting for it to load.

If you're after more help, head over to our guides for every Nameless Mausoleum location and tips for the Bayle boss fight if you're struggling with the big boy.