I'm also having this issue... with PC hardware that can run this game without blinking. All the research I've done leads to 2 things.

1.) Corrupt Files (Likely if you didn't have the problem before and it recently started)

or

2.) Bad or Failing HDD.

My current plan of action is to first reinstall the game with a fresh install, if that doesn't work I do intend to replace my HDD (Hard Drive) soon. It's now 5 years old and could quite possibly be failing despite being capable hardware.

I'm interested in what you try and any results you get as I will keep you posted on my findings.