This issue often happens due to conflicts with extensions or outdated settings. Try the following steps:

Disable any ad-blockers or privacy extensions (like DuckDuckGo movie box) and test YouTube again.

Clear Opera’s cache and cookies.

Make sure your Opera browser is updated to the latest version.

If the issue persists, test in a private window or reset Opera settings to default.

Since the videos work fine in other browsers, it’s likely an extension or browser-specific setting causing the loop with ads.

It sounds like the issue is likely related to a browser extension or outdated settings in Opera, as YouTube seems to work fine elsewhere. Disabling privacy tools or ad-blockers, clearing cache and cookies, and ensuring Opera is fully updated are all effective first steps. If the problem continues, testing in a private window or resetting the browser often resolves such playback loops.

Disable any ad-blockers or privacy extensions (like DuckDuckGo) and test YouTube again.

Clear Opera’s cache and cookies.

Make sure your Opera browser is updated to the latest version.

If the issue persists, test in a private window or reset Opera settings to default.

Since the videos work fine in other browsers, it’s likely an extension or browser-specific setting causing the loop with ads.

In the end, YT videos will play in a window where I'm signed in, if I bypass ad blocking for YT, but the same videos will play in a private window or as embeds, even if ad blocking is enabled for YT. Argh!

Re: Youtube videos not working in Opera

I've found that in Linux Mint, Opera has difficulties playing videos from a number of sources.

If you copy the libffmpeg.so file from /lib/chromium to /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/opera (replacing the one that's there), videos will spin up and play from any (so far) tested source.

@retarded-geezer123 ok so i tried stuff cause i had the same problem, i disabled the add blocker, disabled vpn, added yt to allowed for java script in site settings in the privacy and security column and pretty much did everything that others have mentioned above

I did all this, disabled all extensions, cleared all browsing data, yet it continued to buffer on a black screen. Logged out of my account, started a random video and it did the same thing for about 3 minutes before the video finally started playing. Played a few more videos before logging back in, enabling extensions and it's been fine for a few days. Also worked on another laptop.

It's likely not an issue with your internet connection or YouTube itself.
One thing you can try is clearing your browser's cache and cookies, as this can sometimes resolve loading issues. You can also try disabling any extensions or plugins you have installed in Opera to see if one of them is causing the problem.

If the issue persists, you may want to check for updates to Opera to ensure you're running the latest version, as well as reaching out to Opera's support team for further assistance. They may be able to provide more insight into what's causing the issue and how to fix it.

Also, YT Music didn't work in the Opera Side bar plug in.

It is not an Opera issue. It is an YouTube issue. Basically, if you don't allow YT to show you adds and to track you via the Privacy Protection settings that are shown in the post from Noobie18, then YT will not work on your Opera Browser, because YT basically blocks you unless you allow it to track you.

Use this info at your leisure, as soon as I added Youtube to the Privacy Protection exception part, it worked.

I use AdBlockPlus extension to remove ads anyways so nothing lost doing this