diff --git a/quakespasm/Quake/common.c b/quakespasm/Quake/common.c
index 9fc07658..3899154d 100644
--- a/quakespasm/Quake/common.c
+++ b/quakespasm/Quake/common.c
@@ -1872,6 +1872,56 @@ byte *COM_LoadMallocFile (const char *path, unsigned int *path_id)
 	return COM_LoadFile (path, LOADFILE_MALLOC, path_id);
 }
 
+byte *COM_LoadMallocFile_OSPath (const char *path, long *len_out)
+{
+	FILE	*f;
+	byte	*data;
+	long	len;
+	
+	f = fopen (path, "rb");
+	if (f == NULL)
+		return NULL;
+	
+	len = COM_filelength (f);
+	if (len < 0)
+		return NULL;
+	
+	data = (byte *) malloc (len + 1);
+	if (data == NULL)
+		return NULL;
+	if (fread (data, 1, len, f) != len)
+	{
+		free (data);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+	data[len] = '\0';
+	
+	if (len_out != NULL)
+		*len_out = len;
+	return data;
+}
+
+const char *COM_ParseIntNewline(const char *buffer, int *value)
+{
+	int consumed = 0;
+	sscanf (buffer, "%i\n%n", value, &consumed);
+	return buffer + consumed;
+}
+
+const char *COM_ParseFloatNewline(const char *buffer, float *value)
+{
+	int consumed = 0;
+	sscanf (buffer, "%f\n%n", value, &consumed);
+	return buffer + consumed;
+}
+
+const char *COM_ParseStringNewline(const char *buffer)
+{
+	int consumed = 0;
+	com_token[0] = '\0';
+	sscanf (buffer, "%1023s\n%n", com_token, &consumed);
+	return buffer + consumed;
+}
 
 /*
 =================
diff --git a/quakespasm/Quake/common.h b/quakespasm/Quake/common.h
index 5fc97b6b..1edf88bc 100644
--- a/quakespasm/Quake/common.h
+++ b/quakespasm/Quake/common.h
@@ -255,6 +255,23 @@ void COM_LoadCacheFile (const char *path, struct cache_user_s *cu,
 byte *COM_LoadMallocFile (const char *path, unsigned int *path_id);
 	// allocates the buffer on the system mem (malloc).
 
+// Opens the given path directly, ignoring search paths.
+// Returns NULL on failure, or else a '\0'-terminated malloc'ed buffer.
+byte *COM_LoadMallocFile_OSPath (const char *path, long *len_out);
+
+// Attempts to parse an int, followed by a newline.
+// Returns advanced buffer position.
+// Doesn't signal parsing failure, but this is not needed for savegame loading.
+const char *COM_ParseIntNewline(const char *buffer, int *value);
+
+// Attempts to parse a float followed by a newline.
+// Returns advanced buffer position.
+const char *COM_ParseFloatNewline(const char *buffer, float *value);
+
+// Parse a string of non-whitespace into com_token, then tries to consume a
+// newline. Returns advanced buffer position.
+const char *COM_ParseStringNewline(const char *buffer);
+
 /* The following FS_*() stdio replacements are necessary if one is
  * to perform non-sequential reads on files reopened on pak files
  * because we need the bookkeeping about file start/end positions.
diff --git a/quakespasm/Quake/host_cmd.c b/quakespasm/Quake/host_cmd.c
index 626dc8d7..cfb428da 100644
--- a/quakespasm/Quake/host_cmd.c
+++ b/quakespasm/Quake/host_cmd.c
@@ -1105,13 +1105,13 @@ Host_Loadgame_f
 */
 void Host_Loadgame_f (void)
 {
+	static char	*start;
+	
 	char	name[MAX_OSPATH];
-	FILE	*f;
 	char	mapname[MAX_QPATH];
 	float	time, tfloat;
-	char	str[32768];
-	const char  *start;
-	int	i, r;
+	const char	*data;
+	int	i;
 	edict_t	*ent;
 	int	entnum;
 	int	version;
@@ -1142,30 +1142,38 @@ void Host_Loadgame_f (void)
 //	SCR_BeginLoadingPlaque ();
 
 	Con_Printf ("Loading game from %s...\n", name);
-	f = fopen (name, "r");
-	if (!f)
+	
+// avoid leaking if the previous Host_Loadgame_f failed with a Host_Error
+	if (start != NULL)
+		free (start);
+	
+	start = (char *) COM_LoadMallocFile_OSPath(name, NULL);
+	if (start == NULL)
 	{
 		Con_Printf ("ERROR: couldn't open.\n");
 		return;
 	}
 
-	fscanf (f, "%i\n", &version);
+	data = start;
+	data = COM_ParseIntNewline (data, &version);
 	if (version != SAVEGAME_VERSION)
 	{
-		fclose (f);
+		free (start);
+		start = NULL;
 		Con_Printf ("Savegame is version %i, not %i\n", version, SAVEGAME_VERSION);
 		return;
 	}
-	fscanf (f, "%s\n", str);
+	data = COM_ParseStringNewline (data);
 	for (i = 0; i < NUM_SPAWN_PARMS; i++)
-		fscanf (f, "%f\n", &spawn_parms[i]);
+		data = COM_ParseFloatNewline (data, &spawn_parms[i]);
 // this silliness is so we can load 1.06 save files, which have float skill values
-	fscanf (f, "%f\n", &tfloat);
+	data = COM_ParseFloatNewline(data, &tfloat);
 	current_skill = (int)(tfloat + 0.1);
 	Cvar_SetValue ("skill", (float)current_skill);
 
-	fscanf (f, "%s\n",mapname);
-	fscanf (f, "%f\n",&time);
+	data = COM_ParseStringNewline (data);
+	q_strlcpy (mapname, com_token, sizeof(mapname));
+	data = COM_ParseFloatNewline (data, &time);
 
 	CL_Disconnect_f ();
 
@@ -1173,7 +1181,8 @@ void Host_Loadgame_f (void)
 
 	if (!sv.active)
 	{
-		fclose (f);
+		free (start);
+		start = NULL;
 		Con_Printf ("Couldn't load map\n");
 		return;
 	}
@@ -1184,50 +1193,25 @@ void Host_Loadgame_f (void)
 
 	for (i = 0; i < MAX_LIGHTSTYLES; i++)
 	{
-		fscanf (f, "%s\n", str);
-		sv.lightstyles[i] = (const char *)Hunk_Strdup (str, "lightstyles");
+		data = COM_ParseStringNewline (data);
+		sv.lightstyles[i] = (const char *)Hunk_Strdup (com_token, "lightstyles");
 	}
 
 // load the edicts out of the savegame file
 	entnum = -1;		// -1 is the globals
-	while (!feof(f))
+	while (*data)
 	{
-		qboolean inside_string = false;
-		for (i = 0; i < (int) sizeof(str) - 1; i++)
-		{
-			r = fgetc (f);
-			if (r == EOF || !r)
-				break;
-			str[i] = r;
-			if (r == '"')
-			{
-				inside_string = !inside_string;
-			}
-			else if (r == '}' && !inside_string) // only handle } characters outside of quoted strings
-			{
-				i++;
-				break;
-			}
-		}
-		if (i == (int) sizeof(str) - 1)
-		{
-			fclose (f);
-			Sys_Error ("Loadgame buffer overflow");
-		}
-		str[i] = 0;
-		start = str;
-		start = COM_Parse(str);
+		data = COM_Parse (data);
 		if (!com_token[0])
 			break;		// end of file
 		if (strcmp(com_token,"{"))
 		{
-			fclose (f);
 			Sys_Error ("First token isn't a brace");
 		}
 
 		if (entnum == -1)
 		{	// parse the global vars
-			ED_ParseGlobals (start);
+			data = ED_ParseGlobals (data);
 		}
 		else
 		{	// parse an edict
@@ -1239,7 +1223,7 @@ void Host_Loadgame_f (void)
 			else {
 				memset (ent, 0, pr_edict_size);
 			}
-			ED_ParseEdict (start, ent);
+			data = ED_ParseEdict (data, ent);
 
 		// link it into the bsp tree
 			if (!ent->free)
@@ -1252,7 +1236,8 @@ void Host_Loadgame_f (void)
 	sv.num_edicts = entnum;
 	sv.time = time;
 
-	fclose (f);
+	free (start);
+	start = NULL;
 
 	for (i = 0; i < NUM_SPAWN_PARMS; i++)
 		svs.clients->spawn_parms[i] = spawn_parms[i];
diff --git a/quakespasm/Quake/pr_edict.c b/quakespasm/Quake/pr_edict.c
index 9c6fc94f..5c8fc2f0 100644
--- a/quakespasm/Quake/pr_edict.c
+++ b/quakespasm/Quake/pr_edict.c
@@ -691,7 +691,7 @@ void ED_WriteGlobals (FILE *f)
 ED_ParseGlobals
 =============
 */
-void ED_ParseGlobals (const char *data)
+const char *ED_ParseGlobals (const char *data)
 {
 	char	keyname[64];
 	ddef_t	*key;
@@ -725,6 +725,7 @@ void ED_ParseGlobals (const char *data)
 		if (!ED_ParseEpair ((void *)pr_globals, key, com_token))
 			Host_Error ("ED_ParseGlobals: parse error");
 	}
+	return data;
 }
 
 //============================================================================
diff --git a/quakespasm/Quake/progs.h b/quakespasm/Quake/progs.h
index 429f9d3d..dfcb6639 100644
--- a/quakespasm/Quake/progs.h
+++ b/quakespasm/Quake/progs.h
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ void ED_Write (FILE *f, edict_t *ed);
 const char *ED_ParseEdict (const char *data, edict_t *ent);
 
 void ED_WriteGlobals (FILE *f);
-void ED_ParseGlobals (const char *data);
+const char *ED_ParseGlobals (const char *data);
 
 void ED_LoadFromFile (const char *data);