diff --git a/lib/module.js b/lib/module.js
index e418a1a3e08440..b9de9c3edfb782 100644
--- a/lib/module.js
+++ b/lib/module.js
@@ -120,6 +120,9 @@ function readPackage(requestPath) {
     return false;
   }
 
+  if (!/"main"/.test(json))
+    return packageMainCache[requestPath] = undefined;
+
   try {
     var pkg = packageMainCache[requestPath] = JSON.parse(json).main;
   } catch (e) {
diff --git a/test/fixtures/packages/invalid/index.js b/test/fixtures/packages/invalid/index.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 014fa39dc365d1..00000000000000
--- a/test/fixtures/packages/invalid/index.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-exports.ok = 'ok';
diff --git a/test/fixtures/packages/invalid/package.json b/test/fixtures/packages/invalid/package.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 004e1e20324524..00000000000000
--- a/test/fixtures/packages/invalid/package.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-{,}
diff --git a/test/sequential/test-module-loading.js b/test/sequential/test-module-loading.js
index 47916d352d729a..790331a37b9d80 100644
--- a/test/sequential/test-module-loading.js
+++ b/test/sequential/test-module-loading.js
@@ -100,14 +100,6 @@ const d2 = require('../fixtures/b/d');
   assert.notStrictEqual(threeFolder, three);
 }
 
-console.error('test package.json require() loading');
-assert.throws(
-  function() {
-    require('../fixtures/packages/invalid');
-  },
-  /^SyntaxError: Error parsing .+: Unexpected token , in JSON at position 1$/
-);
-
 assert.strictEqual(require('../fixtures/packages/index').ok, 'ok',
                    'Failed loading package');
 assert.strictEqual(require('../fixtures/packages/main').ok, 'ok',