XCOM 2 post-mission loading can be skipped, but not without risk

You may have heard recently that hitting the caps lock key during the XCOM 2 post-mission screens can cause the game to load much more quickly than it normally does. And it's true! I can't confirm this personally because I don't have XCOM 2, but developer Firaxis recently told Eurogamer that it is in fact a real thing: Hitting caps lock at the proper time will cause the game to advance almost immediately. But every yin has a yang, as they say, and in this case those dramatically improved loading times could lead to crashes.

It's a risk that some players are willing to take, because despite the fact that XCOM 2 is an extremely good game, it does suffer from a number of rather significant technical and performance issues. Publisher 2K told us last week that it is “looking into” the complaints, and committed (albeit with no specifics) to improving the game in future patches. For now, you have the option to roll the dice if you just can't stand all the waiting, and you may want to give the “Stop Wasting My Time” mod a look as well. It speeds up the in-game action by removing most of the brief-but-cumulatively-annoying pauses that occur after firing weapons, killing enemies, or going into cover.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.