diff --git a/crates/server/src/main.rs b/crates/server/src/main.rs
index 6e8d1e4..710db45 100644
--- a/crates/server/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/server/src/main.rs
@@ -86,6 +86,25 @@ fn main() {
     let mut schedule = Schedule::default();
     schedule.add_systems(stream_chunks);
 
+    // Loading phase: dispatch the initial region and wait for the worker pool to finish before granting control.
+    info!("Streaming initial region");
+    loop {
+        schedule.run(&mut world);
+
+        let server_world = world.resource::<ServerWorld>();
+        let resident = server_world.loaded_count();
+        let in_flight = server_world.in_flight_count();
+        // Loading progress is simply the resident fraction of all known chunks.
+        let total = resident + in_flight;
+        debug!(resident, in_flight, total, "loading progress");
+
+        // The region is ready once at least one chunk has been generated and none remain in flight.
+        if server_world.streaming_idle() && resident > 0 {
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+    info!("Initial region ready; granting player control");
+
     // Drive several ticks, marching the dummy one chunk along +X between each. The manual movement stands in for network-driven player input and exists only to exercise load/unload as the anchor moves.
     for step in 0..5 {
         info!(step, "tick");
diff --git a/crates/server/src/world_server.rs b/crates/server/src/world_server.rs
index bd278b7..b6eac45 100644
--- a/crates/server/src/world_server.rs
+++ b/crates/server/src/world_server.rs
@@ -104,6 +104,18 @@ impl ServerWorld {
         self.chunks.len()
     }
 
+    /// Number of chunks dispatched to the worker pool but not yet returned.
+    #[must_use]
+    pub fn in_flight_count(&self) -> usize {
+        self.in_flight.len()
+    }
+
+    /// Returns `true` when the worker pool has no outstanding generation work, i.e. every dispatched chunk has been returned. A loading gate can poll this to decide when an initial region has finished streaming.
+    #[must_use]
+    pub fn streaming_idle(&self) -> bool {
+        self.in_flight.is_empty()
+    }
+
     /// Reconciles resident chunks against a desired set without blocking the caller: finished chunks are drained from the worker pool, resident chunks absent from `desired` are evicted, and still-missing chunks are dispatched to the pool.
     pub fn reconcile(&mut self, desired: &HashSet<ChunkPos>) -> StreamStats {
         // Drain: absorb every chunk the workers have finished since the last pass.