diff --git a/src/hardware/hw_main.c b/src/hardware/hw_main.c
index 1d1b9cbfe..4aa6ebfdb 100644
--- a/src/hardware/hw_main.c
+++ b/src/hardware/hw_main.c
@@ -6147,13 +6147,14 @@ void HWR_AddSessionCommands(void)
 // --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 void HWR_Startup(void)
 {
-	INT32 i;
 	static boolean startupdone = false;
 
 	// do this once
 	if (!startupdone)
 	{
+		INT32 i;
 		CONS_Printf("HWR_Startup()...\n");
+
 		HWR_InitPolyPool();
 		HWR_AddSessionCommands();
 		HWR_InitTextureCache();
@@ -6161,16 +6162,17 @@ void HWR_Startup(void)
 #ifdef ALAM_LIGHTING
 		HWR_InitLight();
 #endif
+
+		// read every custom shader
+		for (i = 0; i < numwadfiles; i++)
+			HWR_ReadShaders(i, (wadfiles[i]->type == RET_PK3));
+		HWR_LoadShaders();
 	}
 
 	if (rendermode == render_opengl)
 		textureformat = patchformat = GR_RGBA;
 
 	startupdone = true;
-
-	for (i = 0; i < numwadfiles; i++)
-		HWR_LoadShaders(i, (wadfiles[i]->type == RET_PK3));
-	HWD.pfnInitCustomShaders();
 }
 
 // --------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -6466,7 +6468,12 @@ static inline UINT16 HWR_CheckShader(UINT16 wadnum)
 	return INT16_MAX;
 }
 
-void HWR_LoadShaders(UINT16 wadnum, boolean PK3)
+void HWR_LoadShaders(void)
+{
+	HWD.pfnInitCustomShaders();
+}
+
+void HWR_ReadShaders(UINT16 wadnum, boolean PK3)
 {
 	UINT16 lump;
 	char *shaderdef, *line;
@@ -6497,9 +6504,6 @@ void HWR_LoadShaders(UINT16 wadnum, boolean PK3)
 	size = W_LumpLengthPwad(wadnum, lump);
 
 	line = Z_Malloc(size+1, PU_STATIC, NULL);
-	if (!line)
-		I_Error("HWR_LoadShaders: No more free memory\n");
-
 	M_Memcpy(line, shaderdef, size);
 	line[size] = '\0';
 
@@ -6518,7 +6522,7 @@ void HWR_LoadShaders(UINT16 wadnum, boolean PK3)
 			value = strtok(NULL, "\r\n ");
 			if (!value)
 			{
-				CONS_Alert(CONS_WARNING, "HWR_LoadShaders: Missing shader type (file %s, line %d)\n", wadfiles[wadnum]->filename, linenum);
+				CONS_Alert(CONS_WARNING, "HWR_ReadShaders: Missing shader type (file %s, line %d)\n", wadfiles[wadnum]->filename, linenum);
 				stoken = strtok(NULL, "\r\n"); // skip end of line
 				goto skip_lump;
 			}
@@ -6537,14 +6541,14 @@ skip_lump:
 			value = strtok(NULL, "\r\n= ");
 			if (!value)
 			{
-				CONS_Alert(CONS_WARNING, "HWR_LoadShaders: Missing shader target (file %s, line %d)\n", wadfiles[wadnum]->filename, linenum);
+				CONS_Alert(CONS_WARNING, "HWR_ReadShaders: Missing shader target (file %s, line %d)\n", wadfiles[wadnum]->filename, linenum);
 				stoken = strtok(NULL, "\r\n"); // skip end of line
 				goto skip_field;
 			}
 
 			if (!shadertype)
 			{
-				CONS_Alert(CONS_ERROR, "HWR_LoadShaders: Missing shader type (file %s, line %d)\n", wadfiles[wadnum]->filename, linenum);
+				CONS_Alert(CONS_ERROR, "HWR_ReadShaders: Missing shader type (file %s, line %d)\n", wadfiles[wadnum]->filename, linenum);
 				Z_Free(line);
 				return;
 			}
@@ -6575,7 +6579,7 @@ skip_lump:
 
 					if (shader_lumpnum == INT16_MAX)
 					{
-						CONS_Alert(CONS_ERROR, "HWR_LoadShaders: Missing shader source %s (file %s, line %d)\n", shader_lumpname, wadfiles[wadnum]->filename, linenum);
+						CONS_Alert(CONS_ERROR, "HWR_ReadShaders: Missing shader source %s (file %s, line %d)\n", shader_lumpname, wadfiles[wadnum]->filename, linenum);
 						Z_Free(shader_lumpname);
 						continue;
 					}
diff --git a/src/hardware/hw_main.h b/src/hardware/hw_main.h
index 6e3e7d2b0..aedfa9cd6 100644
--- a/src/hardware/hw_main.h
+++ b/src/hardware/hw_main.h
@@ -69,7 +69,8 @@ void HWR_DrawScreenFinalTexture(int width, int height);
 void HWR_Lighting(FSurfaceInfo *Surface, INT32 light_level, extracolormap_t *colormap);
 UINT8 HWR_FogBlockAlpha(INT32 light, extracolormap_t *colormap); // Let's see if this can work
 
-void HWR_LoadShaders(UINT16 wadnum, boolean PK3);
+void HWR_ReadShaders(UINT16 wadnum, boolean PK3);
+void HWR_LoadShaders(void);
 
 extern CV_PossibleValue_t granisotropicmode_cons_t[];
 
diff --git a/src/w_wad.c b/src/w_wad.c
index 1684af2a4..9ff082aa5 100644
--- a/src/w_wad.c
+++ b/src/w_wad.c
@@ -788,6 +788,15 @@ UINT16 W_InitFile(const char *filename, boolean mainfile)
 	wadfiles[numwadfiles] = wadfile;
 	numwadfiles++; // must come BEFORE W_LoadDehackedLumps, so any addfile called by COM_BufInsertText called by Lua doesn't overwrite what we just loaded
 
+#ifdef HWRENDER
+	// Read shaders from file
+	if (rendermode == render_opengl && hwrenderloaded)
+	{
+		HWR_ReadShaders(numwadfiles - 1, (type == RET_PK3));
+		HWR_LoadShaders();
+	}
+#endif // HWRENDER
+
 	// TODO: HACK ALERT - Load Lua & SOC stuff right here. I feel like this should be out of this place, but... Let's stick with this for now.
 	switch (wadfile->type)
 	{