However, if you don't mod the game and want to prevent the possibility of not being able to load a save game at some point well into your gameplay, consider the following: After a while, the game will fail to "Continue" from your last save whether the save is one you explicitly created or an auto-save. The workaround is to create an explicit save sometime very early in your gameplay -- immediately after character creation is a good option for several reasons. Then, sometime into your gameplay (perhaps after a forced restart because of an attempt to "Continue" which never completes or exits), get in the habit of loading your early save each time you start the game. As soon as the game starts from the save, you can then hit the escape key, load your most recent save, and continue on. This workaround has yet to fail for me after hundreds of hours of gameplay. No guarantee you might not have other problems at some point, but this workaround will "solve" one of the bigger problems with playing this game past the early stages. While the preceding will help and creating the early explicit save as recommended is always a good idea, following the Viva New Vegas (https://vivanewvegas.moddinglinked.com/intro.html) modding guide to install the New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE) as well as the first two recommended "bug fix" mods will go a long way towards providing a more stable and enjoyable experience. While even minimal modding may be a pain, the benefit of nearly 14 years of "bug fixes" is well worth the effort. And then, it becomes easy to improve upon and extend the base game and DLCs in ways which add tremendous value to a game which is now available for a very modest initial investment...
