Is there a perferred method for handling scene loading?

It depends a lot on what your scene management looks like. The fastest method will be to load the next scene directly SceneManager.LoadScene("YourScene", LoadSceneMode.Single) w$$anonymous$$ch will unload the current scene first, so memory isn't a concern. However, t$$anonymous$$s severely limits the amount of control you have. Loading an empty scene, and then the scene you're trying to get to will similarly lack control and won't be any more flexible so there's no reason for the extra step. Typically, you want to asynchronously load a lightweight loading scene (preferably with some sort of animated component so the player knows the game hasn't simply frozen up), activate it, asynchronously unload the original scene, asynchronously load in the next scene, activate it, and finally asynchronously unload the loading scene. How you $$anonymous$$de the transitions at each step is flexible, especially since you're doing it all asynchronously and not freezing up the game. Of course, that's just for a simple case where you aren't merging scenes additively or trying to stream parts of large, open-world levels. That would require an entirely different set of approaches. As you get more complex requirements, the simple rules of thumb start to break down.