Pausing (to the Pause screen) randomly in Max Payne 3 for PC

Last Updated: January 19, 2024

Question: Whenever I play Max Payne 3, it pauses randomly.  When I say pause, I mean it actually pauses to the pause screen and I have to press escape or dismiss the menu to continue.  What can I do?

Answer: We have received some reports about Max Payne 3 randomly entering the Pause screen and we are looking into this now.  Here are some first things to try in the meantime:

Disable Background Processes:  To disable processes in Device Manager, go to Control Panel->System->Device Manager and disable non-essential processes that may be trying to refresh in the background periodically.

Unplug all Peripherals/Controllers: Try unplugging all USB devices: controllers, steering wheels, cameras, phones, hubs, etc. USB hubs in particular may attempt to refresh frequently to search for new connected devices.  If you are using a fancy third-party gaming keyboard/mouse, try a different one just to test which might be causing the issue.