diff --git a/forms/loadingscreen.ui b/forms/loadingscreen.ui
index d6f52430..4ed06b9f 100644
--- a/forms/loadingscreen.ui
+++ b/forms/loadingscreen.ui
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
  <class>LoadingScreen</class>
  <widget class="QWidget" name="LoadingScreen">
   <property name="windowModality">
-   <enum>Qt::ApplicationModal</enum>
+   <enum>Qt::WindowModality::ApplicationModal</enum>
   </property>
   <property name="geometry">
    <rect>
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
    <cursorShape>BusyCursor</cursorShape>
   </property>
   <property name="contextMenuPolicy">
-   <enum>Qt::NoContextMenu</enum>
+   <enum>Qt::ContextMenuPolicy::NoContextMenu</enum>
   </property>
   <property name="windowTitle">
    <string>Form</string>
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
       <string>porymap</string>
      </property>
      <property name="alignment">
-      <set>Qt::AlignCenter</set>
+      <set>Qt::AlignmentFlag::AlignCenter</set>
      </property>
     </widget>
    </item>
@@ -50,14 +50,14 @@
       <string>Version X.x.x</string>
      </property>
      <property name="alignment">
-      <set>Qt::AlignCenter</set>
+      <set>Qt::AlignmentFlag::AlignCenter</set>
      </property>
     </widget>
    </item>
    <item>
     <spacer name="verticalSpacer">
      <property name="orientation">
-      <enum>Qt::Vertical</enum>
+      <enum>Qt::Orientation::Vertical</enum>
      </property>
      <property name="sizeHint" stdset="0">
       <size>
@@ -70,16 +70,16 @@
    <item>
     <widget class="QFrame" name="frame_2">
      <property name="frameShape">
-      <enum>QFrame::NoFrame</enum>
+      <enum>QFrame::Shape::NoFrame</enum>
      </property>
      <property name="frameShadow">
-      <enum>QFrame::Raised</enum>
+      <enum>QFrame::Shadow::Raised</enum>
      </property>
      <layout class="QHBoxLayout" name="horizontalLayout">
       <item>
        <spacer name="horizontalSpacer_4">
         <property name="orientation">
-         <enum>Qt::Horizontal</enum>
+         <enum>Qt::Orientation::Horizontal</enum>
         </property>
         <property name="sizeHint" stdset="0">
          <size>
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@
       <item>
        <spacer name="horizontalSpacer_3">
         <property name="orientation">
-         <enum>Qt::Horizontal</enum>
+         <enum>Qt::Orientation::Horizontal</enum>
         </property>
         <property name="sizeHint" stdset="0">
          <size>
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@
    <item>
     <spacer name="verticalSpacer_2">
      <property name="orientation">
-      <enum>Qt::Vertical</enum>
+      <enum>Qt::Orientation::Vertical</enum>
      </property>
      <property name="sizeHint" stdset="0">
       <size>
@@ -134,23 +134,16 @@
    <item>
     <widget class="QFrame" name="frame">
      <property name="frameShape">
-      <enum>QFrame::NoFrame</enum>
+      <enum>QFrame::Shape::NoFrame</enum>
      </property>
      <property name="frameShadow">
-      <enum>QFrame::Plain</enum>
+      <enum>QFrame::Shadow::Plain</enum>
      </property>
      <layout class="QFormLayout" name="formLayout">
-      <item row="0" column="0">
-       <widget class="QLabel" name="labelLoading">
-        <property name="text">
-         <string>Loading.....</string>
-        </property>
-       </widget>
-      </item>
       <item row="0" column="1">
        <widget class="QLabel" name="labelText">
         <property name="text">
-         <string>TextLabel</string>
+         <string>Loading....</string>
         </property>
        </widget>
       </item>
diff --git a/include/core/parseutil.h b/include/core/parseutil.h
index aae86a88..09cc1ecb 100644
--- a/include/core/parseutil.h
+++ b/include/core/parseutil.h
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ class ParseUtil
 public:
     ParseUtil();
     void setRoot(const QString &dir) { this->root = dir; }
+    void setUpdatesSplashScreen(bool updates) { this->updatesSplashScreen = updates; }
     static QString readTextFile(const QString &path, QString *error = nullptr);
     bool cacheFile(const QString &path, QString *error = nullptr);
     void clearFileCache() { this->fileCache.clear(); }
@@ -105,6 +106,8 @@ private:
     QHash<QString, int> globalDefineValues;
     QHash<QString, QString> globalDefineExpressions;
 
+    bool updatesSplashScreen = false;
+
     int evaluateDefine(const QString &identifier, bool *ok = nullptr);
     int evaluateExpression(const QString &expression);
     QList<Token> tokenizeExpression(QString expression);
@@ -114,6 +117,7 @@ private:
     void recordErrors(const QStringList &errors);
     void logRecordedErrors();
     QString createErrorMessage(const QString &message, const QString &expression);
+    void updateSplashScreen(QString path);
 
     struct ParsedDefines {
         QHash<QString,QString> expressions; // Map of all define names encountered to their expressions
diff --git a/include/ui/loadingscreen.h b/include/ui/loadingscreen.h
index df55b01c..ff88e87c 100644
--- a/include/ui/loadingscreen.h
+++ b/include/ui/loadingscreen.h
@@ -18,8 +18,10 @@ public:
     explicit PorymapLoadingScreen(QWidget *parent = nullptr);
     ~PorymapLoadingScreen();
 
-    void setPixmap(QPixmap pixmap);
-    void showMessage(QString text);
+    void setPixmap(const QPixmap &pixmap);
+    void showMessage(const QString &text);
+    void showMessage(const QString &prefix, const QString &text);
+    void showLoadingMessage(const QString &text);
 
     void start();
     void stop ();
diff --git a/src/core/parseutil.cpp b/src/core/parseutil.cpp
index cba8c223..80252c13 100644
--- a/src/core/parseutil.cpp
+++ b/src/core/parseutil.cpp
@@ -56,9 +56,17 @@ QString ParseUtil::createErrorMessage(const QString &message, const QString &exp
     return QString("%1:%2:%3: %4").arg(this->file).arg(lineNum).arg(colNum).arg(message);
 }
 
+void ParseUtil::updateSplashScreen(QString path) {
+    if (!this->updatesSplashScreen)
+        return;
+
+    if (path.startsWith(this->root)) {
+        path.remove(0, this->root.length());
+    }
+    porysplash->showLoadingMessage(path);
+}
+
 QString ParseUtil::readTextFile(const QString &path, QString *error) {
-    // splash screen message
-    porysplash->showMessage(path);
     QFile file(path);
     if (!file.open(QIODevice::ReadOnly)) {
         if (error) *error = file.errorString();
@@ -80,6 +88,8 @@ QString ParseUtil::readTextFile(const QString &path, QString *error) {
 // Note that this doesn't insert any parsed files into the file cache, and we don't
 // want it to (we read a lot of files only once, storing them all is a waste of memory).
 QString ParseUtil::loadTextFile(const QString &path, QString *error) {
+    updateSplashScreen(path);
+
     auto it = this->fileCache.constFind(path);
     if (it != this->fileCache.constEnd()) {
         // Load text file from cache
@@ -89,6 +99,8 @@ QString ParseUtil::loadTextFile(const QString &path, QString *error) {
 }
 
 bool ParseUtil::cacheFile(const QString &path, QString *error) {
+    updateSplashScreen(path);
+
     this->fileCache.insert(path, readTextFile(pathWithRoot(path), error));
     return !error || error->isEmpty();
 }
@@ -732,6 +744,8 @@ QStringList ParseUtil::getLabelValues(const QList<QStringList> &list, const QStr
 }
 
 bool ParseUtil::tryParseJsonFile(QJsonDocument *out, const QString &filepath, QString *error) {
+    updateSplashScreen(filepath);
+
     QFile file(pathWithRoot(filepath));
     if (!file.open(QIODevice::ReadOnly)) {
         if (error) *error = file.errorString();
diff --git a/src/mainwindow.cpp b/src/mainwindow.cpp
index 3fc7d4bd..e422cfc8 100644
--- a/src/mainwindow.cpp
+++ b/src/mainwindow.cpp
@@ -657,13 +657,15 @@ bool MainWindow::openProject(QString dir, bool initial) {
     this->statusBar()->showMessage(openMessage);
     logInfo(openMessage);
 
+    porysplash->start();
+
+    porysplash->showLoadingMessage("config");
     userConfig.projectDir = dir;
     userConfig.load();
     projectConfig.projectDir = dir;
     projectConfig.load();
 
-    porysplash->start();
-
+    porysplash->showLoadingMessage("custom scripts");
     Scripting::init(this);
 
     // Create the project
@@ -681,6 +683,7 @@ bool MainWindow::openProject(QString dir, bool initial) {
     this->editor->setProject(project);
 
     // Make sure project looks reasonable before attempting to load it
+    porysplash->showMessage("Verifying project");
     if (!checkProjectSanity()) {
         delete this->editor->project;
         porysplash->stop();
@@ -719,6 +722,7 @@ bool MainWindow::openProject(QString dir, bool initial) {
 }
 
 bool MainWindow::loadProjectData() {
+    porysplash->showLoadingMessage("project");
     bool success = editor->project->load();
     Scripting::populateGlobalObject(this);
     return success;
@@ -745,6 +749,12 @@ bool MainWindow::checkProjectSanity() {
 }
 
 void MainWindow::showProjectOpenFailure() {
+    if (!this->isVisible()){
+        // The main window is not visible during the initial project open; the splash screen is busy providing visual feedback.
+        // If project opening fails we can immediately display the empty main window (which we need anyway to parent messages to).
+        restoreWindowState();
+        show();
+    }
     RecentErrorMessage::show(QStringLiteral("There was an error opening the project."), this);
 }
 
@@ -766,6 +776,8 @@ bool MainWindow::isProjectOpen() {
 }
 
 bool MainWindow::setInitialMap() {
+    porysplash->showMessage("Opening initial map");
+
     const QString recent = userConfig.recentMapOrLayout;
     if (editor->project->mapNames.contains(recent)) {
         // User recently had a map open that still exists.
@@ -1184,6 +1196,8 @@ void MainWindow::onLayoutSelectorEditingFinished() {
 
 // Update the UI using information we've read from the user's project files.
 bool MainWindow::setProjectUI() {
+    porysplash->showLoadingMessage("project UI");
+
     Project *project = editor->project;
 
     this->mapHeaderForm->setProject(project);
diff --git a/src/project.cpp b/src/project.cpp
index 978f94ff..0e845048 100644
--- a/src/project.cpp
+++ b/src/project.cpp
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ bool Project::sanityCheck() {
 }
 
 bool Project::load() {
+    this->parser.setUpdatesSplashScreen(true);
     resetFileCache();
     this->disabledSettingsNames.clear();
     bool success = readGlobalConstants()
@@ -116,6 +117,7 @@ bool Project::load() {
         initNewMapSettings();
         applyParsedLimits();
     }
+    this->parser.setUpdatesSplashScreen(false);
     return success;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/ui/loadingscreen.cpp b/src/ui/loadingscreen.cpp
index 9b60cf92..18642afb 100644
--- a/src/ui/loadingscreen.cpp
+++ b/src/ui/loadingscreen.cpp
@@ -43,18 +43,37 @@ void PorymapLoadingScreen::stop () {
     this->hide();
 }
 
-void PorymapLoadingScreen::setPixmap(QPixmap pixmap) {
+void PorymapLoadingScreen::setPixmap(const QPixmap &pixmap) {
     if (!this->isVisible()) return;
     this->ui->labelPixmap->setPixmap(pixmap);
 }
 
-void PorymapLoadingScreen::showMessage(QString text) {
+// Displays the message 'prefixtext...'. The 'text' portion may be elided if it's too long.
+void PorymapLoadingScreen::showMessage(const QString &prefix, const QString &text) {
     if (!this->isVisible()) return;
-    this->ui->labelText->setText(text.mid(text.lastIndexOf("/") + 1));
+
+    // Limit text (excluding prefix) to avoid increasing the splash screen's width.
+    static const QFontMetrics fontMetrics = this->ui->labelText->fontMetrics();
+    static const int maxWidth = this->ui->labelText->width() + 1;
+    int prefixWidth = fontMetrics.horizontalAdvance(prefix);
+    QString message = fontMetrics.elidedText(text + QStringLiteral("..."), Qt::ElideLeft, qMax(maxWidth - prefixWidth, 0));
+    message.prepend(prefix);
+
+    this->ui->labelText->setText(message);
 
     QApplication::processEvents();
 }
 
+// Displays the message 'text...'
+void PorymapLoadingScreen::showMessage(const QString &text) {
+    showMessage("", text);
+}
+
+// Displays the message 'Loading text...'
+void PorymapLoadingScreen::showLoadingMessage(const QString &text) {
+    showMessage(QStringLiteral("Loading "), text);
+}
+
 void PorymapLoadingScreen::updateFrame() {
     this->frame = (this->frame + 1) % this->splashImage.frameCount();
     this->setPixmap(QPixmap::fromImage(this->splashImage.frame(this->frame)));