4 Ways to Fix the Baldur’s Gate 3 “Failed to Load the Main Menu” Error

The Baldur’s Gate 3 “Failed to load the main menu” error is a widely reported bug. That error arises for some players when they try to access Baldur’s Gate 3’s in-game menu. Consequently, players can’t access the menu and play Baldur’s Gate 3. The full error message is a long-winded one that states:

Failed to load the main menu from the current game mod. The main menu in that mod requires the level. Make sure to clear any local mods and try again. If the problem persists, please contact Larian support.

This message highlights the error has something to do with mods. However, the error can occur irrespective of whether players have tried utilizing mods or not. This is how you can resolve the Baldur’s Gate 3 “Failed to load the main menu” error on a Windows PC.

Read also: 8 Ways to Fix Baldur’s Gate 3 Not Launching on a Windows PC

Verify the Game Files

First, try verifying Baldur’s Gate 3’s file integrity. Although that’s not especially widely confirmed to work, it’s a straightforward potential resolution for this issue to apply. You can run a verification scan for Baldur’s Gate 3 in Steam and GOG like this.

Steam

1. Start the Steam software and click Library.
2. Right-click the Baldur’s Gate 3 game shown in the Library tab to select Properties > Local Files.
3. Press the Verify Integrity of Games Files button to check Baldur’s Gate’s 3 files.
   
   

   The Local Files tab in Steam

GOG Galaxy

1. Open the GOG Galaxy software.
2. Click Installed to view your games.
3. Right-click Baldur’s Gate 3 and select Manage Installation.
   
   

   The Verify/Repair option in GOG

4. Select the Verify/Repair option.

Delete the PlayerProfiles Folder

Deleting the PlayerProfiles folder is a very widely confirmed method for fixing Baldur’s Gate 3 “Failed to load the main menu” error. The issue is often caused by corrupted data in the PlayerProfiles folder. This is how you can delete the PlayerProfiles folder.

1. Utilize the Windows logo + E hotkey to access File Explorer.
2. Go to this Baldur’s Gate 3 directory: C:\Users\<user name folder>\AppData\Local\Larian Studios\Baldurs Gate 3.
   
   

   The PlayerProfiles folder you need to delete.

3. Right-click the PlayerProfiles folder inside the Baldur’s Gate 3 directory and select Delete.
4. Restart your PC after erasing the PlayerProfiles directory.

Note that deleting this directory will erase your saved game progress. You can back up your saved game progress for Baldur’s Gate 3 by copying the Savegames subfolder in this directory C:\Users\<user name folder>\AppData\Local\Larian Studios\Baldurs Gate 3\PlayerProfiles\Public. Right-click the Savegames folder to select Copy. You can paste the copied data into another folder by pressing Ctrl + V.

When you’ve done that, you’ll need to restore the saved game data in the recreated Public folder after applying the resolution. You can do that by copying and pasting the Savegames folder back into its original location.

Erase the Larian Studios Folder

Some Baldur’s Gate 3 players have also confirmed they’ve resolved the “Failed to load the main menu” error by deleting the Larian Studios folder. That’s a variation of resolution two since the Larian Studios folder within the path specified above includes the PlayerProfiles subfolder. Thus, erasing that folder will also delete its PlayerProfiles subfolder. However, doing that will also erase the modsettings.lsx files in two subdirectories, which can also fix the issue.

The Larian Studios folder you need to delete.

Erase Mods Folders

Erasing Mods folders will delete mods. Early access mods are known to cause Baldur’s Gate 3 issues. So, try erasing Mods folders like this.

1. Open the Windows folder navigator tool (Explorer) and bring up this directory: C:\Users\<user name folder>\AppData\Local\Larian Studios\Baldur’s Gate 3.
2. Right-click the Mods subdirectory and click Delete on Explorer’s context menu.
3. Steam users should also go to this folder path: C:\Program Files\x86\Steam\Steamapps\Common\Baldur’s Gate 3\Data.
4. Erase the Mods folder there by right-clicking it and selecting Delete.

There aren’t many known ways to fix Baldur’s Gate 3 “Failed to load the main menu” error. However, the potential solutions outlined above have resolved that bug for many Baldur’s Gate 3 players. If they don’t work for you, consider sending a support ticket to the game’s help service by clicking the Contact Support option on this Larian webpage.