KOTAMON Infinite Loading — Public Fix & Overlay Checks

September 6: the loading fix reached the public build

KotaMota Games says the loading/crash repair was released publicly after beta testing. Start with an up-to-date normal Steam installation rather than assuming the September 5 betatest branch is still required. Keep a separate copy of the complete save folder before retesting a previously broken save.

The developer explicitly says this does not solve conflicts with third-party tools such as RivaTuner. Close the conflicting overlay for a comparison; a default-branch fix is not a guarantee that every damaged save will recover.

September 5: an official loading-fix beta is available

KotaMota Games has released a separate betatest branch for players who cannot start KOTAMON, encounter crashes or endless loading, or have a broken save that will not load. The developer says the cause appears to have been found and addressed, but explicitly asks affected players to test the result.

This is an optional test build, not a confirmed repair for every save or an announcement that the fix is on the default Steam branch. Back up the entire save folder before launching it. If your game works normally, the announcement does not ask you to switch branches.

How to join the official betatest branch

The beta access code below was published by the developer. Enter it in Steam’s game-version settings, not in KOTAMON, a launch-options field, or the developer-command input.

1. Close KOTAMON. If you already have saves, copy the complete Kotamon folder to a separate location using the backup section below; keep that copy untouched.
2. In the Steam Library, right-click KOTAMON and open Properties.
3. Select Game Versions and Betas.
4. In Hidden Versions, enter KotaMotaBetaTest exactly as shown, then choose Check Code.
5. Select the newly available betatest branch. Wait for Steam to finish downloading it before starting the game.
6. Try the failure that brought you here: first launch, the endless loading screen, or the affected save. Check the loaded progress before overwriting a good slot.
7. Tell the developer whether loading works and whether any new problem appeared, using the announcement comments or official Discord linked there.

KotaMotaBetaTest

First identify which failure you have

The current KOTAMON reports describe more than one symptom. An infinite startup hang never reaches the title screen; an instant crash closes the process; a save-load failure reaches the menu but stalls or loses state after Continue or Load. Use the matching branch below instead of deleting files at random.

A September 4 thread adds a precise first-purchase symptom: the Unity splash completes, but KOTAMON’s own loading screen never reaches the menu. Several other first-time buyers report the same sequence. Older and current threads also show that verification, reinstalling, restarting Steam, or trying -dx11 does not fix every case.

Safe checklist before touching saves

1. Restart the computer, open Steam, and let every pending KOTAMON download finish.
2. Open KOTAMON → Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files.
3. Update Windows and the active graphics driver, then close non-essential overlays or software that may interfere with Steam.
4. Open Windows Security → Protection history and look for an event at the time KOTAMON stopped launching.
5. Do not disable antivirus globally. Only consider restoring or allowing a file when its path is inside the genuine Steam KOTAMON installation and you are confident the detection is a false positive.
6. Try launching once from the Steam Library. If the game still hangs, continue to the backup step instead of repeatedly reinstalling.

Back up the complete KOTAMON save folder

The September 5 developer announcement confirms the Windows save location. The shortcut below opens that folder for your own account. Close the game, copy the entire folder to a separate backup location, and keep that copy untouched before launching the beta or changing any files.

1. Press Windows + R, paste the path above, and press Enter.
2. Copy the whole Kotamon folder somewhere outside LocalLow and confirm the copied files exist.
3. Open Player.log in a text editor and read the final error block. Do not assume that one filename from another player is also yours.
4. Record whether the error names settingsSave, GlobalSave, slot 0–4, or something unrelated.

%APPDATA%\..\LocalLow\KotaMota Games\Kotamon

Reversible community isolation test

If the official beta does not help, an older community workaround isolates one suspected local file. After making the full backup, move only the file named by Player.log, launch once with Steam Cloud temporarily disabled, and restore the original state if it does not help. Keep this separate from the beta test so you can tell which change affected loading.

1. Close KOTAMON and Steam completely.
2. After the full-folder backup, move only the file implicated by the bottom of Player.log into a separate test folder. Do not delete it.
3. Start Steam with Cloud temporarily disabled for KOTAMON, then launch the game once.
4. If the title screen appears, do not overwrite an existing slot until you have confirmed which progress is present.
5. If the test fails, close the game and restore the moved file from the untouched backup before trying a different route.
6. If Cloud later reports a conflict, compare timestamps and preserve both copies before choosing; do not assume the cloud copy is newer or healthier.

Does KOTAMON require an SSD?

No. The current Steam system requirements list 3 GB of available storage at minimum and 5 GB at the recommended tier, but neither tier says that an SSD is required.

A first-launch report asks whether an HDD caused the endless loading screen. That is a player hypothesis, not an official diagnosis. The September 5 developer response is a test build for loading failures; it does not add an SSD requirement or identify an HDD as the cause.

Current patch status and what to report

The September 5 beta announcement supersedes the September 1 investigation status. A fix candidate is available on betatest, while a default-branch rollout and universal recovery are not confirmed by that post. The August 27 card-upgrade notes describe the earlier gameplay changes.

If the beta or startup checks fail, keep the backup intact. Report the selected Steam branch, operating system, GPU, whether the hang occurs before the title screen or during a save load, the final Player.log error, and any new symptom. Remove private usernames and paths before sharing log excerpts.