14 Fixes for ESO Launcher Stuck on Loading Issue

Elder Scrolls Online is a very famous online multiplayer game that still holds a great audience. However, a lot of people have been getting the ESO Launcher Stuck on Loading issue with their game and in this article, we have listed all of the solutions that you can apply on your computer and have also listed the reasons due to which it is triggered in the first place.

Why is the ESO Launcher Stuck on Loading?

After investigating this issue in detail, we concluded that the following are the paramount reasons due to which the ESO Launcher gets stuck on the loading screen.

• Firewall: The Firewall installed on your computer might be blocking the Elder Scrolls Online launcher from running properly due to which it is stuck on the loading screen. Therefore, we suggest that you try to add an exception for the launcher in your Firewall or disable it entirely as we have done below.
• Outdated Drivers: Some drivers on the computer might have been outdated and outdated software rarely runs well with new games. Therefore, we suggest that you try to make sure that your GPU drivers are updated to the latest available version as we have done below.
• CPU Affinity: The CPU affinity that has been set for the ESO launcher might be low and it might not be getting the proper resources that it needs. Therefore, we suggest that you try to change it as we have done below.

Now that we have taken you through most of the reasons behind the issue, we can finally start implementing the solutions.

Fixing the ESO Launcher Stuck on Loading Issue:

Fix 1: Creating an Exception for ESO in Firewall

1. Press “Windows + R” to launch into the Run prompt, type in “Firewall.cpl” and press “Enter” to launch into the Firewall.
2. Select “Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall” from the options on the left.

   

3. Select “Change settings” and approve the action.
4. Look for “ESO” or “ESO Launcher” and tick all the checkboxes in front of it.
5. Now, click “Allow another app…” and select the following files:

   Bethesda.net_launcher (Can be found in your game install directory)
   ESO.exe (Can also be found in your game install directory)
   Steam.exe (Can be found in: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe)

6. Click “Apply”, then “OK”, restart your PC and see if the issue is resolved now.

Fix 2: Deleting Program Data for ESO

1. Closeout of ESO and all of its associated programs.
2. Navigate to the patch installation folder of ESO which by default should be.

   C:\Program Files (x86)\Zenimax Online\Launcher\ProgramData

3. Look for the “ProgramData” folder and delete it.
4. Launch ESO now and check to see if the ESO Launcher Stuck on Loading issue is resolved.

Fix 3: Reinstalling Visual C++ and DirectX

1. Press “Windows + R” to launch into the Run prompt, type in “Appwiz.cpl” and press “Enter” to launch into the application wizard.

   

2. From there, look for the “Microsoft Visual C++” and the “Direct X” software, right-click on it and select the “Uninstall” button.
3. From here, also remove any other Visual C++ or DirectX related software and uninstall them as well.
4. Now, head on over to the Microsoft Website and download the Visual C++ and the Direct X software.
5. Install them on your computer and restart them.
6. Check to see if doing so fixes the ESO Launcher Stuck on Loading issue.

Fix 4: Create Exception for ESO in Windows Defender

1. Press “Window + S”, type in “Windows Security” and press Enter on your keyboard.
2. Click “Virus & threat protection” and select “Manage settings” under “Virus & threat protection settings”.

   

3. Under “Exclusions”, click “Add or remove exclusions” and select “Add an exclusion”.
4. Add exceptions for the following files:

   Bethesda.net_launcher (Can be found in your game install directory)
   
   ESO.exe (Can also be found in your game install directory)
   
   Steam.exe (Can be found in: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe)

5. Restart your PC and see if the issue is resolved now

Fix 5: Updating Network and GPU Drivers

ESO is an online game, that requires a stable and good internet connection. If you have that then make sure that the drivers for your Network and GPU are up to date.

For GPU drivers, head over to your respective GPU manufacturer’s website i-e NVIDIA, AMD or INTEL and download the latest version of drivers available. Restart your PC once they are installed and see if the issue is resolved

For Network Drivers you need to head over to your Motherboard’s manufacturer website and look for your motherboard. Go to its support section and look for Network drivers. Download them and install them.

Fix 6: Repairing the game files using ESO Launcher

1. Launch the “ESO Launcher” as Administrator by right-clicking it and clicking “Run as Administrator”.
2. Once the launcher is ready, click “Game Options” and a drop-down menu will appear.
3. Select the option for “Repair” and wait for it.
4. If any files are missing or corrupt, the Launcher will re-download those files and your issue should be resolved as well.

Fix 7: Disabling Proxy Settings

1. Press “Window + S”, type in “Internet Options” and press Enter on your keyboard.
2. Head over to the “Connections” tab and select “LAN settings”.
3. Now, tick “Use a proxy server…” and click “OK” and “Apply”.

   

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 but this time untick “Use a proxy server…”.
5. Restart your PC and see if the issue is resolved now.

Fix 8: Launching the game directly

1. Launch “Steam” as Administrator.
2. Go to your game install directory and look for “ESO64.exe”.
3. Right-click it and select “Run as Administrator”.

Fix 9: Changing CPU Affinity

1. Launch the “ESO Launcher” on your computer.
2. Press “Ctrl + Shift + Esc” on your keyboard to open Task Manager and look for “ZeniMax Online Studios Launcher”.

   

3. Right-click it and select “Details”.
4. Now look for “Bethesda.net_Launcher”, right-click it and select “Set Affinity”.
5. Uncheck “All Processors” and check “CPU 0”.
6. Click “OK” and your game should load up now.
7. You can then head back to the task manager and set the affinity back to “All Processors”.
8. Check to see if doing so fixes the ESO Launcher Stuck on Loading issue.

Fix 10: Reinstalling Adobe Flash Player

1. Press “Window + S”, type in “Apps & features” and press Enter on your keyboard.

   

2. Look for “Adobe Flash Player” and click on it.
3. Select “Uninstall” and restart your PC.
4. Once restarted, go to Adobe’s official website, and download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player from there. Install it and see if the issue is now resolved.

Fix 11: Using a VPN to Update the Game

If you are facing issues and are unable to update the game using the launcher then it probably means that your ISP has blocked the “Akami” patch server. You can try calling your ISP and asking them if they can unblock it or you can simply use a VPN to get the latest patch.

Fix 12: Using a Different Approach

Disconnect your Internet connection from your PC and then start up the launcher. Now, in the game settings, there should be an option for auto-update. Turn that to “Never” and connect the internet again. Now after you start up the launcher, the game should start updating. It might take some time, but it should work out now.

Fix 13: Turning off 64-bit Mode

If your issue still is not resolved and you are now facing lagging issues in-game, then you can try to disable 64-bit. In the launcher, select “Settings” and at the top-right corner select the tiny circle. Now, turn the 64-bit to the off position.

Fix 14: Reinstalling the Game

If none of the fixes worked for you, then you will have to reinstall your game as there might be some irreparable damage being done to your game files which can only be recovered through a clean reinstallation. Download the game directly from ESO’s website and install it on your computer. Check to see if doing so has fixed the ESO Launcher Stuck on Loading issue.

If the issue still occurs, contact us for further troubleshooting.