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Fix a Corrupted Save File: 5 Ways to do it
Expert tips to fix game saves and prevent future corruption
4 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Imagine all your in-game progress lost in a matter of seconds. Hours of playthrough lost due to agamesave corruption! Though not that common, corrupted game save files is still a possibility, and you will need to fix them.
And if that’s not a good enough reason to act with caution, we don’t know what it is. Either way, if that happens and youcan’t play games, you can still (sometimes) fix a corruptedgamesave file in Windows.
What causes a save file to corrupt?
Here are a few reasons the saved files corrupt:
How do I fix corrupted game saves?
1. Scan for malware
Often malware or virus affects the game files and leads to a corrupted state. To fix things, your primary approach should be eliminating or quarantining the threat. Remember, this will not fix the file but will prevent further issues.
To perform this, you most probably need an effective antivirus with strong detection tools. Hence, it’s advised to use professional antivirus technology like the one below.
⇒Get ESET Internet Antivirus
2. Verify the integrity of game files (Steam)
When facing corrupted game save files on Steam, a quick solution is to verify their integrity. It will help restore any critical files triggering the issue and should get things running.
3. Re-establishing mods
The other reason falls to mods. Many games have an active community that puts out tons of mods. This makes it harder for the game to configure a save file. Much harder than the vanilla version.
So, removing and re-establishing mods might help. This also helps fix a broken save file in Sims 4.
4. Run the SFC scan
Corrupt system filesmay also lead to issues with game saves by either conflicting with the process or preventing it altogether. A quick solution here is torun the DISM tooland the SFC (System File Checker) scan.
5. Save game data locally
A slow Internet connection or intermittent loss of network connectivity can affect the game saves done on the cloud. When you lose connectivity, some files may not be uploaded, corrupting the entire game save.
So, if you don’t have a reliable Internet connection, we recommend saving the game data locally on the PC. This will also help load things quickly, though it takes up significant disk space.
To avoid this problem in the future, make sure not to pile up saves for a singlegame(20 should be the top limit). Furthermore, backup saves regularly and avoid relying on the autosavefeature. Creating game saves manually is the way to go!
Before you leave, do check some quick tricks toboost gaming performance in Windows.
Don’t forget to tell us about the exactgamethat is bothering you with the corrupted save, and we’ll do our best to help you. The comments section is just below.
More about the topics:game fix,windows 10 fix
Aleksandar Ognjanovic
Aleksandar’s main passion is technology. With a solid writing background, he is determined to bring the bleeding edge to the common user. With a keen eye, he always spots the next big thing surrounding Microsoft and the Windows OS.
Focused on Windows errors and how to solve them, he also writes about the OS’s latest features as well as its interface.
In his free time, he likes to read, listen to music, and enjoy the nature. Hiking is one of his newly found passions.
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