What you need to know
- Baldur's Gate 3 recently launched on Xbox Series X|S, following the launch of the Windows PC and PlayStation 5 versions in August and September 2023, respectively.
- Some players on Xbox are running into a problem where they are losing save progress, some reporting up to 80 hours of progress lost completely.
- Microsoft has recommended a workaround with the auto-save feature, as well as Larian pushing out a stability patch, though some players are still reporting issues.
Baldur's Gate 3 shadow dropped on Xbox after its The Game Awards win to much fanfare on December 7, but despite all the fun players have been having in Faerun, a select few have been left baffled by lost saves on the Xbox Series X|S.
The bug which deleted hours of player's progress was addressed quickly by both Larian and Microsoft with a temporary workaround and later a stability patch, but players are still taking to social media in dismay after losing up to 80 hours of gameplay despite the 'fix'.
Reddit user complains "This is some bulls**t"
Lost 75 hours of progress in Baldur’s Gate 3, AMA from r/XboxSeriesX
Yes, I'd be cursing too if I lost 75 hours of progress in Baldur's Gate 3, which is exactly what happened to Reddit user Valus22. This post is just one of many from players still losing entire saves despite following the advice on limiting saves, and exiting the game completely upon finishing a session. " I did everything I thought I needed to do to prevent it".
We awarded Baldur's Gate 3 our best Windows PC game and Story Direction in our 2023 The Game Awards, following which a few of us have been tagged in posts about the save issue and that it's still ongoing for many Xbox players trying to enjoy the game over the holidays. An enjoyment both Microsoft and Larian have celebrated in this recent ad for the game on Xbox.
@JezCorden @Jenbox360 @WinC_Gaming Baldurs Gate 3 save file bug on Xbox is alive and well. I just lost all my saves for a 60 hour playthrough. That's a really bad bug. I loved the game but I don't know if I'll ever go back to it after that. I poured a lot into and took off work.December 25, 2023
The issue appears to be 'firmware side' according to Larian
As recently as December 27, Larian devs have addressed the save bug and confirmed that Microsoft is still working hard on a fix. Unfortunately, as Michael Douse states here, it's currently the holidays within which many are off work and finding a solution may take some time. "We’ll sort it. It’s an ongoing discussion I see movement on daily during working hours (EU/US). It’s a complicated one."
How you can avoid losing your Baldur's Gate 3 save
Initially, Microsoft recommended always making sure that after saving, players exit the home screen of Baldur's Gate 3. From there, it's best to quit the game entirely and not keep in auto-resume.
Additionally, we advise that you turn off auto-saving completely in the gameplay settings as shown in my screenshot above, and limit your quick saves to 5 only. I've been following this and had no issues on the Xbox Series S so far. That's not to say I won't lose my save, as some players have still had issues, but it's working for me personally.
Larian also stated on Twitter (X) that a small update was pushed on December 11 to fix save issues, and while most people are still reporting lost progress we'd recommend making sure your game is definitely up to date to minimize any risk.
I'd also suggest signing up and syncing your Xbox account with an official Larian Studios account. This helps if you want to use your save on another platform, and also if you need to get in touch with Larian's customer service.
We await more news from both Microsoft and Larian on this ongoing issue.
