What to do if LA Noire crashes, freezes

By Robert Purchese Published 19 May, 2011

On either PS3 or Xbox 360.

Both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of L.A. Noire have been reported to crash and freeze.

Here's what Rockstar suggests doing should this happen to you.

  1. Delete L.A. Noire Game Data (not save data) from the PS3 Game Data Utility. On Xbox 360, clear the cache (My Xbox, System Settings, Device Options, Clear System Cache).
  2. Create a temporary PS3 profile to ensure new save files are created. On Xbox 360, create a Silver Xbox Live Gamertag.
  3. Launch L.A. Noire and try again. Try playing while signed out of PSN.
  4. Check L.A. Noire disc for scratches, dust, dirt or other damage. Clean if necessary.
  5. Check other game-discs on your PS3 or Xbox 360 to test whether it's L.A. Noire or the console playing up.
  6. Try your L.A. Noire disc in a different console

If you're still not convinced, Rockstar suggests you "try a different L.A. Noire disc in your console to determine with certainty whether the issue could be with the disc or console" and not the game.

Then, if all else fails, submit a support request to Rockstar with as much information about your game and console as you can: where you bought it, how much it cost, did Billy put you up to it, etc.

Those of you with L.A. Noire on PS3 can send your saved game to Rockstar by saving the file on to a USB stick and transferring it to a PC.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (84) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ligurmatic #1 1 year ago

    7. Wait for a patch before buying the game.

  • Architect_z #2 1 year ago

    Or wait for a patch?

    Blast you ligurmatic! Getting in there first!
    Edited by Architect_z at 19/05/11 @ 14:17

  • Iain815 #3 1 year ago

    Was tempted to buy it, but this is putting me right off.

  • waggy79 #4 1 year ago

    Is it benificial to ever buy a game on release anymore?

  • TheNinkyNonk #5 1 year ago

    Was this game secretly developed by Sony?

    Oh ffs, I was only joking!!
    Edited by TheNinkyNonk at 19/05/11 @ 17:32

  • Hunam #6 1 year ago

    My copy is already on it's way. Wanted the game a lot but I was more than happy to wait if there was problems and pick it up cheaper down the line. Never mind.

  • TopKatt #7 1 year ago

    7. Buy something else.
    8. Add LA Noire to Christmas list.

  • ShiftyGeezer #8 1 year ago

    I don't believe so. too many bugs at launch. I miss the days when gaming consoles were really consoles and game were released only when QA'd and working.

  • joelstinton #9 1 year ago

    8. Blame Sony

  • Smudge1983 #10 1 year ago

    WTF!!! This is fucking terrible. Red Dead buggered up my last xbox and i brought an elite if it happens again then rockstar (even though their games are awesome) are on my shit list and thats one customer gone for future releases.

  • thiagots85 #11 1 year ago

    "Is it benificial to ever buy a game on release anymore?"

    if you get some exclusive bonus, I think yeah... or not... I don't know anymore

  • DozyKipper #12 1 year ago

    Pull the other one Smudge. I bet you said exactly the same thing about RDR. :D

  • Lotos8ter #13 1 year ago

    What? Create a silver account?
    Fuck off will ya!

  • FuzzyDuck #14 1 year ago

    7. Buy Dirt 3 next Tuesday instead.

    Edit - being serious for a minute, i was torn between this and Dirt 3. I'll probably wait a week or 2 to see if Dirt has any issues, but if it doesn't, Rockstar has lost my money in much the same way i backtracked on buying Fallout: NV at launch.

    It's reached a point where i've no interest in playing NV now, but damn i was looking forward to LA Noire.
    Edited by FuzzyDuck at 19/05/11 @ 14:41

  • thiagots85 #15 1 year ago

    "8. Blame Sony"

    I saw what you did there

  • Gunhappy23 #16 1 year ago

    Step 6??????? Didn't work in my wii????????
    Edited by Gunhappy23 at 19/05/11 @ 14:25

  • roquey Verified Lead Quality Assurance Tester and Compliance Specialist, Universally Speaking #17 1 year ago

    so when will companies realise they cant release bugged out games? something like this shoulda got seen in cert. then agian so should alot of the other games that have been buggered. more strict cert please, stricter than it is, and its very strict already (supposedly).

  • Ryze #18 1 year ago

    ...or - don't buy the game yet.

  • tachometer #19 1 year ago

    I wouldn't rule out DiRt 3 from having it's fair share of bugs, it is codemasters after all!!

  • the_dudefather #20 1 year ago

    7. Blow on the contacts in the cartridge
    8. Put your console upside down
    9. Replace the batteries in your VMU

  • Ryze #21 1 year ago

    @Smudge1983

    Where did you bring an Elite to?

  • oceanmotion #22 1 year ago

    Piss off Rockstar. Don't deserve money with crap quality.

  • nazzyq #23 1 year ago

    9. Wait for Infamous 2 instead.

  • ZizouFC #24 1 year ago

    Please don't crash. I have the day off and everything....

  • randompanda #25 1 year ago

    Bi-line translated - "Honestly, we report on negative stuff happening to the 360 too!"

  • tomkuryakin #26 1 year ago

    So much for the convenience and ease of console gaming. If I wanted to faff around for ages trying to get my games to work, I'd buy a gaming PC.

    Just joking, PC gamers! But remember the days when you had to edit your autoexec.bat file to get games to run?

  • StooMonster #27 1 year ago

    Anyone know if it's possible to install the three discs to HD on the Xbox 360?

  • Sodding_Gamer #28 1 year ago

    @Gunhappy

    LOL You beat me too it. I think step 6 is really not a good thing to advise people. From the whole "adopted thing" with Portal 2 I can see some right pillocks trying to fit the disc into their PSP and then blame Sony for cutting themselves.

  • TheDudesRug #29 1 year ago

    Doesn't clearing the system cache clear all patches for all games?

    Create a new gamertag? Try it in a different console? Seriously? I'm looking forward to this enormously but I can't be arsed to do any of that. That's a QA problem, I'll skip until it's sorted - thanks for the heads-up.

  • SpookyTang #30 1 year ago

    Cancelled my order on Amazon last night, will wait for the GoTY edition as i'm not paying full whack for beta testing.

  • Murton #31 1 year ago

    The issue being described sounds an awful lot like a memory leak (anyone who has played Fallout 3 or New Vegas will be familiar with the symptoms) in which case I can categorically say that the checklist given will make bugger all difference and is little more than damage control from RockStar trying to make any issue encountered sound like an isolated case (disc or console) rather than a known issue with the software.

    Got this on pre-order and I intend to pick it up, but I might hold off on playing it straight away if I'm going to be encountering regular freezes and crashes. Here's hoping this is just a smoke screen to hide the work on patch that fixes the underlying issue, I'd hate to think that after all of the work Bondi has put into creating LA Noire they skipped on the quality control and released a broken game that is going to stay broken, that would be a seriously Bethesda thing to do.

  • Snake_2011 #32 1 year ago

    working fine for me.

  • WiseNail #33 1 year ago

    Is the first case you need to solve why did Rockstar release an untested game?

  • orangpelupa #34 1 year ago

    "Those of you with L.A. Noire on PS3 can send your saved game to Rockstar by saving the file on to a USB stick and transferring it to a PC."

    why the xbox 360 cant send save file to rockstar?

    if i remember correctly, since around kinect dash xbox can save to USB Flashdisk too.

  • PixelPirate #35 1 year ago

    Is it benificial to ever buy a game on release anymore?

    It would seem not I bought all these recent games on release and had problems:

    Portal 2 - got stuck on the game lift loading sequence. Cant get past it till they patch it.
    GT 5 - online pretty much broken on release.
    Fallout New Vegas: constant crashing, failing and broken game.
    Crysis 2 - online broken on release, got returned.

    Developers/publishers are pushing the games out when they aren't ready, then complaining about the used game market taking all their cash.

    Make the games work on release and we will buy them. But if you keep churning out broken games, don't expect us to pay full RRP. Pre-owned or bargain bin is where it will get picked up, if at all.

    Edited by PixelPirate at 19/05/11 @ 15:16

  • Flabio #36 1 year ago

    360 saves can only be loaded using the gamer profile that created them.

  • dingo75 #37 1 year ago

    Yeah console gaming:
    Put in the disc and play on your couch!
    Fuck PC gaming with all those patches and fiddling with configurations.

  • Bigglesworth #38 1 year ago

    Just joking, PC gamers! But remember the days when you had to edit your autoexec.bat file to get games to run?

    Remember them?? Back then, I was the guy on the end of the phone trying to explain to frustrated kids and their parents why such things were necessary... =(

  • tiddex #39 1 year ago

    or translated into proper english:

    we have no idea what the problem is!

    send us a bug report, but pleeeeeease ONLY if you have ruled out everything from scratches on your disc to athmospheric interferences caused by a butterfly in south-china!

  • mooseti #40 1 year ago

    Why would I want to create another gamertag and lose all my achievements?

  • mukki #41 1 year ago

    wow
    the game is not out we are talking about problems starting the game....
    maaaaah!

  • Tyronne #42 1 year ago

    7.Profit

  • bratmandu #43 1 year ago

    Yes, back in the day console games worked fine out of the box, but on the flipside - the software and hardware are far more complicated now than they were then. Also, if there was a bug back then - it never got fixed.

    Bugs are to be expected, but a quick patch to fix them should also be expected. For companies with such vast resources, the QA departments need a shake and maybe some extra bodies testing the damn things. If rockstar need testers I'm sure there'd be no shortage of applicants.

  • kangarootoo #44 1 year ago

    So we've gone from Rockstar incorrectly blaming firmware 3.6.1 (possibly due to ropey QA), to Rockstar adivising users on a bug they don't quite seem to be able to reproduce and fix that slipped out the door (possibly due to ropey QA)?


    I heard a good saying the other day, that I think can be applied to Rockstars investigation of this.

    "Absence of evidence is not the same as evidence of absence" - when they tested two systems and found that only the 3.6.1 system froze, they stopped looking (despite there clearly being other differences between the two systems 0 the older system could literally have had more dust in its grills than the 3.6.1 system, who knows).

  • Darren #45 1 year ago

    That list does read a bit like Rockstar are trying to pass the blame for potentially game-breaking bugs doesn't it? "Hey, it's not my fault, honest!".

    Still can't wait to play the game. I hope mine doesn't crash though!

  • Olemak #46 1 year ago

    Idiots. I have no time for their broken gimmick crap.

  • Biker_Bob_1971 #47 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 16:59:10 06-02-2012

  • -cerberus- #48 1 year ago

    7. Don't buy the DLC.

  • DefendoCroc #49 1 year ago

    How about FO and get your money back ...

  • DavoTheDiv #50 1 year ago

    was gonna wait for a patch before buying as I've been let down by games with unfixed bugs in the past, but gave in to the £29.99 offer from Bestbuy :(

    Hope this game isn't broken.

  • azic #51 1 year ago

    I think ill be leaving this one in the Shrink Wrap (assuming it has arrived today) till its sorted. I am not jumping through hoops to play a game anymore, shit I don't even have to do that on my gaming PC anymore, buy and Download from steam. Install - set all graphic options to MAX and play....simple.

    Next it will be "turn off console/ remove power plug/ wait 20 Min's/ reconnect power/ turn it on/ delete all content/ create a new profile/ dim the lights/ draw the curtains/ stand on one leg/ hold down all buttons on the pad/ boot the game/ reset the console/ delete game save/ delete new profile/ remove all your friends/ delete game data/ have a short wank whilst the game installs (AGAIN)/ finally worship your god, and go try and play the fucking game"

    Cant wait for Dirt3 even more now, will have a blast with that and my G25 and then when I'm done with that ill see where LA Noire is. Maybe keep it for quieter times and hopefully nice DLC and all bugs patched.
    Edited by azic at 19/05/11 @ 15:23

  • chrisjm #52 1 year ago

    and this got missed by testing how?

  • jablonski #53 1 year ago

    First it was the "how to enter my password on the PS3" guide.
    Now it's "how to blow dust off your game disc" guide.

    Can I expect a "how to wipe your bum" guide tomorrow?

  • Disco_Stu360 #54 1 year ago

    Like most stories like this I'm sure its isolated and very much a storm in a tea cup! It shouldn't ditract from what looks like an amazing game.

  • SYS64738 #55 1 year ago

    "6. Try your L.A. Noire disc in a different console"

    Like, putting the PS3 disc into an Xbox? You sure that'll work?

  • [TR] #56 1 year ago

    If this is happening regularly to a lot of people, how about you test your games properly next time on a variety of different console models?
    We don't pay to be beta testers, you know?

  • geeza2020 #57 1 year ago

    Fuck all that, If I get back from work tomorrow night and LA Noire crashes or doesnt work for any reason, I'm not gonna bugger about with your stupid checklist, It's getting returned to the shop for a fucking refund and my money will go on a different game instead, I'm not being your QA for you.

  • -cerberus- #58 1 year ago

    @[TR] #52: "We don't pay to be beta testers, you know?"

    The Epic Edition of Bulletstorm begs to differ!

  • DiamondIce #59 1 year ago

    The opening of the game was quite stuttery for around 10 seconds (360 version) but since then I haven't had any problems, fingers crossed.

  • Inmediasress #60 1 year ago

    @waggy79

    Nope not really. I don't do that anymore it's too much of a gamble only game I preordered was the Witcher 2 a long time ago but nothing in between and certainly not in the future not even the Witcher 3 I jsut don't have faith in any dev/publisher anymore.

  • Penguinzoot #61 1 year ago

    The opening of the game was quite stuttery for around 10 seconds (360 version)

    Yeah, I got that too. I've done a few cases but haven't got much further yet and personally haven't had any other problems. Yet.

  • Raconteur #62 1 year ago

    7. Phone your power company and complain the electricity they are supplying is of poor quality.

  • Tryhard #63 1 year ago

    Oh dear,here we go again.Sadface.

  • Murton #64 1 year ago

    "why the xbox 360 cant send save file to rockstar? "

    Because 360 saves have to be accessed by the gamertag that created them whereas PS3 saved can accessed using developer debug consoles for playtesting. I suspect they want the save files so that they can acquire crash dumps and from there find out more about this problem, which is likely a memory leak attached to a particular asset or script change that was added late in development making it difficult to pin down.

    Shame that MS and Sony don't actually use their teeth in cert testing, if you're an established publisher you can push any old rubbish onto the consoles now as neither will run the risk of telling you to finish your game in case the other doesn't and they hand over an exclusive.

  • jablonski #65 1 year ago

    7. Write something unfunny about the 7th point on Eurogamer

    (I just did)

  • mss99 #66 1 year ago

    You would think before announcing the DLC release date they would at least make sure people could play the game now. All of the suggestions are ridiculous and even if they worked are not acceptable workarounds. I mean who wants to play offline on another account after clearing their system out. Half baked solutions, it is like getting helpdesk staff that just have a script to follow and can't deviate as they have no idea.

  • coomber #67 1 year ago

    *Looks up from his copy of Yakuza 4. Sees angry faces. Returns to Kamurocho.*

  • molekiller #68 1 year ago

    wtf... not buying this until next year

  • Zozzilla #69 1 year ago

    I got the game in the post today and kinda don't want to play it now. =/

    I'll stick to Portal 2 and RIFT.

  • siallen #70 1 year ago

    hahaha i will be waiting till its patched

  • siallen #71 1 year ago

    hahaha i will be waiting till its patched

  • abot #72 1 year ago

    Why can't game devs and publishers do proper QA.

  • davisorle #73 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 20:44:35 16-04-2012

  • kangarootoo #74 1 year ago

    I should say for balance, to those asking "how could this be missed?!?", that despite my initial post slating QA, this could be quite an obscure bug. Clearly the severity of it is bad when it does occur, but we don't yet know how many systems are affected and it might simply have not cropped up reliably during QA (the two parts of all bug priority being severity and frequency).

    My issue is not that the bug got out the door - my issue is that Rockstar were so quick to jump to an incorrect cause without proper due diligence (even though the two may be symtoms of the same lack of diligence).

  • darc #75 1 year ago

    All the fun of PC gaming, now on your console! ;)

  • Bluetooth #76 1 year ago

    Sony should sue Rockstar for libel

  • chessboxer #77 1 year ago

    @Murton

    I can't talk about MS but Sony (SCEE specifically) have been known to delay games which don't pass their QA. When they do this, insults from gamers fly in (many can be found within the EG pages) demanding to know why SCEE is delaying yet another game.

    Now we see the other side of the coin, where bugs get through QA and gamers ask how and why the release wasn't delayed.

  • metalangel #78 1 year ago

    This is waiting at home for me (missus confirmed it). I have had nine (consecutive) shitty days in work, four trips to the doctor, one car accident, a £700 builder's bill and more over the course of those days. LA Noire is what I have been remembering to keep me going.

    If this game fucks up on me I am quite prepared to smash it and my 360 to tiny bits. I have two broken controllers and three broken headsets as proof of intent.

  • Murton #79 1 year ago

    @chessboxer - I'm aware of a few PSN titles being blocked/delayed by Sony and it happens quite often with patches, but I have yet to hear of a big name retail release being vetoed the same way. I'll agree that platform holders are damned no matter what they do, at the moment games are being released broken so as not to give away exclusives and lose revenue, but by the same token those of us who only own one console would be mightily pissed if a game was delayed by the platform holder, even on grounds of quality.

    "Why can't game devs and publishers do proper QA." - as a former tester myself I find remarks like this offensive. QA testers as a general rule do absolutely stellar work, they test according to a strict plan to make sure any issues that do exist are found and reported to the developers, if a game is released with a bug it's simply not right to blame the testers who likely don't even work there any more after the now customary release date +1month dismissal. Blame the developers who read those reports and either did not act upon or tried and failed but didn't see fit to publish it as a "known issue" Another good practice that has been lost this generation.

    To be fair to Bondi though, while a memory leak is plain to see, finding the root cause can be difficult if not impossible. It could be triggered by a particular asset or script, even one that is not being used at the time the game crashes. The memory leak in Fallout 3/NV is particularly bad as it the player's interaction with any and every ingame asset is recorded in the save data, so as you can imagine tracking down the one bad one that causes the problem is nigh on impossible unless you can collect a literal shit-ton of crash dumps and sift through them looking for the offending article, which as RockStar are asking for save data it would appear that they may intend to do so, which is commendable.

  • jabberwoky #80 1 year ago

    It simply isn't worth buying games till they are 6 months old, half the price and fully patched. By the way, on a related note I'm thinking of buying fallout new vegas, is it fit to play yet??

  • Rack #81 1 year ago

    @Murton Isn't actualy fixing bugs testers find a rather critical element in the QA process? It's going to be a different department but when people complain of poor QA it's because bugs weren't fixed, whether or not they were discovered isn't a factor. Also if it's at least sometimes the case that poor QA is just not giving testers time to find bugs or scheduling tests at all.

  • asho #82 1 year ago

    What a bloody carry on, this game was 7 years in the making and its fucked. Didnt they test it on the consoles, I mean how did they not see it was fucked up. This is very worrying indeed for the future of advanced game making.

  • xakmad #83 1 year ago

    0. Return it to shop for full refund, as it aint fit for purpose...

  • kwarive #84 1 year ago

    So we could actually summarise this advice in 3 points:

    1. Turn the machine off and on again (duh)
    2. Check the disk isn't broken (duh-duh)
    3. Check your machine isn't broken (duh-duh-DUH)

    Brilliant.