Ready or Not Freezing? How To Fix The Loading Screen Issue

Ready or Not, the intense, tactical first-person shooter developed by VOID Interactive, has gained a significant following due to its realistic gameplay and detailed mechanics. However, many players have recently reported issues where the game freezes or becomes stuck on the loading screen. These occurrences can be both frustrating and mysterious, especially when no obvious fix seems to work. If you’re among those affected, you’re not alone — but more importantly, you’re not without options.

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If your Ready or Not game is freezing on the loading screen, it’s likely due to corrupted game files, incompatible software, or outdated drivers. Try verifying game files on Steam, updating your graphics drivers, and disabling overlays or third-party software. In some cases, reinstalling the game or changing specific settings can resolve the issue. This guide walks you through step-by-step methods to identify and fix the problem efficiently.

Common Causes of Loading Screen Freezes

Understanding what can cause the issue is the first step to solving it. The loading screen freeze in Ready or Not often stems from a handful of key areas:

  • Corrupted or missing game files
  • Outdated GPU drivers or DirectX versions
  • Incompatible third-party software or overlays
  • Insufficient hardware or thermal throttling
  • Modifications or custom content causing conflicts

The key to resolving the issue is determining which culprit is causing your specific problem.

Step-by-Step Fixing Guide

1. Verify the Integrity of Game Files

This is perhaps the most successful fix for the majority of players. Verification helps identify and replace any corrupted or missing game files.

  1. Open your Steam client.
  2. Right-click on Ready or Not in your Library.
  3. Click Properties.
  4. Go to the Installed Files tab and select Verify integrity of game files.

Allow Steam to complete the process. If any files are found to be corrupted or missing, Steam will re-download them automatically.

2. Update GPU Drivers

Outdated or faulty GPU drivers are often the root cause of compatibility issues with modern games.

Always perform a clean installation and restart your PC afterward.

3. Disable Third-Party Overlays

Overlays such as those from Discord, Steam, NVIDIA GeForce Experience, or RivaTuner can interfere with graphics loading.

Disable them by following these steps:

  • Discord: Go to User Settings → Game Overlay → Turn off “Enable in-game overlay”.
  • Steam: Right-click the game → Properties → Uncheck “Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game”.
  • GeForce Experience: Settings (gear icon) → General → Turn off “In-game overlay”.

4. Launch the Game as Administrator

Permissions can sometimes prevent the game from writing certain cache or configuration files correctly. Running the executable as an administrator can resolve this.

  1. Navigate to the Ready or Not installation directory.
  2. Right-click on ReadyOrNot.exe and select Run as administrator.

5. Check System Requirements

Although uncommon, some freezes may stem from running the game on hardware that barely meets or doesn’t meet system requirements. Make sure your system falls within the following:

  • Minimum: Intel Core i5-4430, 8 GB RAM, GTX 960
  • Recommended: Intel Core i7-9700K, 16 GB RAM, GTX 1060 or better

If your hardware is underpowered, especially on laptops, consider lowering in-game graphics settings or upgrading components.

6. Reinstall DirectX and Visual C++ Redistributables

The game relies heavily on system-level components. If these are outdated or corrupted, the game might fail to load properly.

7. Remove Problematic Mods

Although Ready or Not has a modding community, unofficial mods can introduce bugs. If you’re using mods:

  1. Remove all mods from the game’s folder.
  2. Try launching the game again.

If the game launches fine, reintroduce mods one at a time to identify the problematic one.

8. Reinstall the Game

If none of the above methods work, a clean game reinstall may be your best option. This ensures that all core files are newly installed and eliminates corrupt data.

  1. Uninstall from Steam.
  2. Navigate to the installation folder and delete any remaining files manually. Usually located at:
    C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Ready Or Not
  3. Reinstall via Steam and launch the game.

Advanced Troubleshooting (Optional)

If you’re technically inclined or want to dive deeper, you can try these steps:

  • Check Event Viewer: Look for any error logs related to Ready or Not during the time of the crash.
  • Adjust Launch Parameters: Add -dx11 or -dx12 in Steam launch options to switch DirectX versions.
  • Disable Fullscreen Optimizations: Right-click the exe file → Properties → Compatibility tab → Check “Disable fullscreen optimizations”.

Contacting Support

If you’ve exhausted all possible solutions and still find the game freezing, it’s time to seek official support. VOID Interactive is known for being responsive, especially via their official Discord and forums.

Before contacting support, make sure to:

  • Document your issue clearly.
  • Include system specs, crash logs, and any troubleshooting steps you’ve taken.

Final Thoughts

No gaming experience should be hindered by stagnation at the loading screen, especially in a premium title like Ready or Not. These freezes are typically software-based and can often be resolved with careful diagnostics and a systematic approach. With the steps outlined above, most users will find a quick resolution to the problem.

For best results, always keep your system up-to-date, avoid unnecessary modifications, and consider maintaining a mostly vanilla installation until the game becomes more stable with future updates.

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