A game such as Elden Ring had a critical reception comparable to those of Breath of the Wild or Skyrim from the start. Within minutes of its release, Elden Ring had already been hailed as the best video game experience of the year.
Some unfortunate players, however, may encounter an Elden Ring Failed to Load Save Data Error at any time.
In most cases, this error occurs on Elden Ring during startup for users of PCs and Xbox consoles. The developers haven’t received an official acknowledgment or patch release yet, so it has become one of the more annoying issues.
In other words, players can’t create new save files either. There are a couple of possible workarounds that advanced Elden Ring players have found that may help you.
How To Fix Elden Ring Failed to Load Save Data Error?
So, let’s get right to it. To resolve the Elden Ring failed to load save data error, follow all the methods one by one. If your game still refuses to launch properly, you should contact support for further assistance.
Fix 1: Force Restart Elden Ring
It would be best if you force restart the game to start. Therefore, you should close both Elden Ring and Steam’s background processes. Here’s how it can be done:
- To start, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to launch Task Manager.
- Next, click the End Task button for EldenRing.exe in the Background Process section.
- In the same way, make the same adjustments to Steam, Steam Client Service, and Steam Client WebHelper.
- Afterward, relaunch Elden Ring and see if the error has been fixed.
Fix 2: Verify the Integrity of Game Files
A few KBs of corrupt or missing game files can damage the whole game. In order to re-verify that all game files are present in their correct state, you should re-check all the game files. Here’s how to do it:
- Open Steam and click on Library.
- Right-click Elden Ring and choose Properties.
- To verify the integrity of game files, click on Verify Integrity of Game Files in the Local Files tab.
- If the Elden Ring failed to load save data issue on your PC has been resolved, wait for the process to complete.
Fix 3: Power Cycle the Xbox Console (Console)
To fix temporary system glitches or cache data issues, it is also recommended to perform a power cycle on the Xbox console manually. Here’s how:
- To start, hold down the Xbox button for around 10 seconds to switch off your Xbox console.
- After that, long-press on the Xbox button on the console to turn it back on.
- Make sure you see the green boot-up animation when you restart the console. Hold the power button for several seconds if you want to shut down the Xbox console completely.
Fix 4: Reconnect the power cable (console)
You could fix the Elden Ring failed to load save data problem by disconnecting and reconnecting the power cable of the Xbox console if none of the methods above worked. In order to do so:
- Long-press the Xbox button on the console for 10 seconds to shut it off.
- Unplug the console’s power cable once it has completely shut down.
- You will need to wait around 10 seconds for the power supply to be reset.
- It would be best if you reconnected the console’s power cable.
- On your console, press the Xbox button to turn it on.
Fix 5: Disable Steam Cloud Save Feature (PC)
To ensure the cloud save option on the PC is working, we recommend you disable Steam Cloud Save by following the steps below. Although it is one of the useful features on PCs, it can conflict with game saves sometimes. Here’s how:
- Initially, open the Steam client and go to the Library.
- Right-click Elden Ring and select Properties.
- Select the General tab > Uncheck Steam Cloud.
Fix 6: Overwrite Save Game File
- Use Windows+E shortcut keys to launch File Explorer.
- Next, navigate to the directory where Elden Ring saves its games.
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\EldenRing\[Folder with 17-digit number]
- Steam configuration file, ER0000.sl2.bak, and ER0000.sl2.sl2 should be found there.
- If the ER0000.sl2 file exists, delete it and then rename ER0000.sl2.bak to ER0000.sl2.
- You will now have access to the saved game file you backed up.
- Now that Elden Ring is launched, check if the Failed to Load Save Data error has been resolved.
Fix 7: Try the Local Save Method
In some cases, you might find that you can save your data locally by following these steps. Here’s how:
- Turn off your PC’s internet connection.
- Navigate to the Elden Ring save game directory.
[C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\EldenRing\*****]
- Back up all the data files in the folder now.
- Once you have finished, make sure to remove all the files from Elden Ring’s save game directory.
- After that, connect to the internet and start the game Elden Ring.
- It will basically ask you whether to use a local or cloud save in your Steam client.
- When prompted, select Local Save.
- Afterward, play Elden Ring to check for the game save error.
So, that’s how you can fix the Elden Ring failed to load save data error. It is our hope that this article will be helpful to you. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please let us know in the comments.