Home Gaming The Witcher 3’s Xbox One save bug, and how to fix it

The Witcher 3’s Xbox One save bug, and how to fix it

2 min read
93

Jesus Saves. He also does incremental backups.

The Witcher 3 is, by all accounts, an incredible game. It’s expansive; the sort of thing that will take you hours and hours to play through, to explore, and to wholly consume. Losing any amount of progress would be heart-breaking. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what’s happening to many Xbox One owners who’re finding their copies of The Witcher 3 not saving games – and in some instances, corrupting saved games completely. There’s also another Xbox One bug that prevents the game from even loading up.

Gamers have been playing for hours, only to find their consoles says “unable to save,” or later, when they load up a save, to have it stuck at a “now loading” screen. CD Projekt RED is aware of both issues, and says a fix is coming – but they’re not quite sure when. They have, however, said it’s a priority.

The problem seems to largely stem from the Xbox One’s suspend and resume feature.

“We are aware of this issue and we are working to address it as soon as possible,” said the company in a statement. “Everyone affected should contact our consumer service as there’s a temporary solution which can help them.”

What might those temporary solutions be? According to Game Informer’s Andrew Reiner, who’s been having these issues, he was sent the following fixes:

One: avoid suspending the game.

Two: perform a hard reset of the Xbox One, which involves removing the power cable:

  • Power down your console
  • Unplug the power cable from the back of the Xbox One.
  • Wait for two minutes
  • Plug the power cable back into the back of the Xbox One
  • Monitor the power brick, waiting for it to cycle from a white light to an orange light
  • Turn the power on.
  • This will perform a hard reset of the system.

Three: swap your local saves with your cloud saves:

  • WARNING! There is another possible solution, however, this may result in losing progress if cloud saving s not on (for more information on cloud saving please consult http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-360… )
  • Go to the console’s settings / system / clear local saved games.
  • Upon re-starting the game should re-sync, become functional, and progress should be retained as long as the cloud is on.

Have you experienced game-braking – or worse, game wiping – glitches? To be safe, you may want to switch your Xbox One off properly until CDPR issues a patch.

Last Updated: May 25, 2015

93 Comments

  1. WitWolfy

    May 25, 2015 at 12:02

    Not that game breaking, but I did experience that pesky never ending loading screen last night.

    Now I save with every new screen.

    Reply

  2. Kromas,powered by windows 10.

    May 25, 2015 at 12:02

    Just a few quest bugs. That being said I HATE it when I have a quest in my log that I can’t finish due to a bug. Hoping they fix it sometime.

    Reply

  3. Hammersteyn

    May 25, 2015 at 12:04

    “Wait for two minutes” Two minutes of peace for the support staff.

    Reply

    • Trevor Matrix

      May 25, 2015 at 12:07

      Why exactly two minutes though? If you unplug the power cord, does it bleed electicity first before giving up the ghost?

      Reply

      • Geoffrey Tim

        May 25, 2015 at 12:08

        Capacitors store charge. You need to wait for them to discharge.

        Reply

        • Trevor Matrix

          May 25, 2015 at 12:09

          Oooohhhh One of them science thingy’s!

          Reply

  4. ReaperOfSquirrels

    May 25, 2015 at 12:05

    LOL! That alt text!

    Reply

  5. GooseZA

    May 25, 2015 at 12:05

    Only one bug so far had my horse 20 feet above me in the air when I called him. Had to run quite a distance from him and call him again to get him back on the ground 😀

    Other than that, the game is amazing. Looks like RyanZA was right.

    Don’t support DRM. The Witcher 3 is amazing.

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      May 25, 2015 at 12:06

      Pegasus?

      Reply

    • Kromas,powered by windows 10.

      May 25, 2015 at 12:07

      I keep running past new areas and then the bandits on those areas despawn. So I got a guy trapped in a cage and no way to get a key cause #missingbandits.

      Oh well.That is why you have second playthroughs.

      Reply

      • GooseZA

        May 25, 2015 at 12:08

        Ah i remember that guy. Managed to free him. Bandit Archers are annoying as hell though when you’re trying to dispatch a few other guys at the same time.

        Reply

        • Kromas,powered by windows 10.

          May 25, 2015 at 12:10

          Yeah I just ran at them on Roach. Usually insta-kill if well timed. I actually cleared out a few bandit areas on horseback.

          Reply

          • Hammersteyn

            May 25, 2015 at 12:11

            Blinders helps a lot

          • Kromas,powered by windows 10.

            May 25, 2015 at 12:11

            Did not know that although I did win some from the races.

          • Trevor Matrix

            May 25, 2015 at 12:12

            I just threw the horse at them…

          • Admiral Chief's Adventure

            May 25, 2015 at 12:14

            Or you coold through the hoarse at thems

          • Trevor Matrix

            May 25, 2015 at 12:15

            No. I do not work for Lazygamer. I can spell most of the time…

    • RinceTheElfRoot

      May 25, 2015 at 12:21

      We haven’t seen him in a while I think it’s because of the day one patch…

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief's Adventure

        May 25, 2015 at 12:22

        I thought it was because of indigestion of all the humble pie?

        Reply

        • RinceTheElfRoot

          May 25, 2015 at 12:23

          XD I also found your ‘t’. It was hiding behind the couch…

          Reply

          • Admiral Chief's Adventure

            May 25, 2015 at 12:24

            xD

        • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

          May 25, 2015 at 12:23

          Oomph…In the groin bone…

          Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          May 25, 2015 at 12:24

          Stop typing like I do.

          Reply

  6. Hammersteyn

    May 25, 2015 at 12:06

    “Monitor the power brick”
    *Looks at console…. (It said look at the brick)

    Reply

  7. kuuu(UMAR)rrrr

    May 25, 2015 at 12:08

    How do you fix having an Xbox One?

    Reply

    • Geoffrey Tim

      May 25, 2015 at 12:08

      OH ZING.

      Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      May 25, 2015 at 12:09

      hahahaha

      Reply

    • Trevor Matrix

      May 25, 2015 at 12:09

      LoL.

      Reply

    • Admiral Chief's Adventure

      May 25, 2015 at 12:11

      Oh you!

      Well, you can throw it off a second story and cause a micro-singularity with the weight impact?

      Reply

    • Kromas,powered by windows 10.

      May 25, 2015 at 12:12

      By covering up with a tablecloth.

      Reply

    • GooseZA

      May 25, 2015 at 12:16

      But… I love my XB1.

      *sniff

      Reply

      • Trevor Matrix

        May 25, 2015 at 12:17

        You also “love” your cousin, right?

        Reply

        • Ruqi

          May 25, 2015 at 12:21

          I haven’t been here long, but from what I’ve seen you really shouldn’t be allowed in any kind of public space. There is something fundamentally wrong with you. In all sincerity, you should see someone about that.

          Reply

          • Trevor Matrix

            May 25, 2015 at 12:22

            “I haven’t been here long…” Nailed it!

          • Ruqi

            May 25, 2015 at 12:23

            Swing and a miss. Seriously, go see a doc.

          • Admiral Chief's Adventure

            May 25, 2015 at 12:23

            You sir, are spot on!

        • Hammersteyn

          May 25, 2015 at 12:22

          • Trevor Matrix

            May 25, 2015 at 12:23

            Sorry Hammersteyn. That was one of those Higher Grade jokes. Above your paygrade I’m afraid…

          • Admiral Chief's Adventure

            May 25, 2015 at 12:23

            More like a trailer grade joke

          • Hammersteyn

            May 25, 2015 at 12:24

            LOL okay, sure.

          • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

            May 25, 2015 at 12:25

            You mean a “Proto-Hipster” kind of joke?

          • Trevor Matrix

            May 25, 2015 at 12:26

            LoL. Yeah. But seriously though. It seems that the Monday grumpiness has grabbed Lagz by the balls.

          • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

            May 25, 2015 at 12:28

            I’m sure it’s because everyone is recovering from sleep deprivation thanks to TW3….

          • GooseZA

            May 25, 2015 at 12:29

            Nah, no grumpiness here. Just wasn’t funny 🙂

          • Trevor Matrix

            May 25, 2015 at 13:10

            Life isn’t always a joke! 😛

          • Hammersteyn

            May 25, 2015 at 12:29

            You SHURRUP!

      • kuuu(UMAR)rrrr

        May 25, 2015 at 12:19

        Hehehe we only keed 😀 😀 Don’t cry, nooooooo.

        Reply

      • RinceTheElfRoot

        May 25, 2015 at 12:29

        Nothing wrong with it 🙂

        Reply

    • Kensei Seraph - Terran Ghost

      May 25, 2015 at 12:36

      Buy the Xbox 0/0 when it releases in 8 or 9 years?
      Of course then you have an entirely new problem.

      Reply

      • Lord Chaos

        May 25, 2015 at 12:40

        You just divided by 0…

        Reply

        • Kensei Seraph - Terran Ghost

          May 25, 2015 at 12:55

          I believe that once I figure out how to successfully divide by 0 in my head I will have learnt how to use the skill Blink.

          Reply

          • Admiral Chief's Adventure

            May 25, 2015 at 12:59

            A noble quest

          • Lord Chaos

            May 25, 2015 at 13:01

            Or spawn another Dutch…

          • Kensei Seraph - Terran Ghost

            May 25, 2015 at 13:02

            Oh god no.
            I’d rather implode the universe.

          • Trevor Matrix

            May 25, 2015 at 13:13

            Now that just makes me sad… Can you sad sacks not feel the love I am giving you all on a daily basis????

          • Lord Chaos

            May 25, 2015 at 13:21

            Feels forced

  8. Trevor Matrix

    May 25, 2015 at 12:08

    How to fix the Xbox One Save Bug: Buy a PS4. Or a PC.

    Reply

  9. Lord Chaos

    May 25, 2015 at 12:08

    “award of both issues”??

    Reply

    • Trevor Matrix

      May 25, 2015 at 12:10

      Editing is something that happens to the other gaming site…

      Reply

      • Lord Chaos

        May 25, 2015 at 12:13

        At least we know it’s original. 😛

        Reply

  10. HairyEwok

    May 25, 2015 at 12:12

    I’m not sure if it’s the game or my xbox that’s the problem here (refresh)

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      May 25, 2015 at 12:14

      Almost missed the five on the case XD

      Reply

  11. Ruqi

    May 25, 2015 at 12:15

    So all that remains is to see how long it’ll take before people realise that their beloved CDPR has done what every other hated dev has done – released a bug-ridden game into retail.

    How much hate do gamers really have?

    Reply

    • Trevor Matrix

      May 25, 2015 at 12:16

      Oh we are very selective in our hate:
      CDPR: We worship and adore you!
      EA: Burn it with Acid! Kill it with fire!

      Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      May 25, 2015 at 12:17

      Next patch contains DRM apparently

      Reply

    • The Sten

      May 25, 2015 at 13:31

      I think its more like, “How much hate do people who comment on the internet (about games they dont play no less) really have?”

      Reply

  12. WitWolfy

    May 25, 2015 at 12:18

    http://i.imgur.com/SPCR3Ey.gif

    Oh wait it was just all smoke and mirrors YET AGAIN!

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief's Adventure

      May 25, 2015 at 12:19

      That GIF is GOLD!

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        May 25, 2015 at 12:20

        XBOX Live Gold?

        Reply

        • Trevor Matrix

          May 25, 2015 at 12:21

          Half Life 3 confirmed!

          Reply

      • Brady miaau

        May 25, 2015 at 14:58

        Or green or whatever

        Reply

  13. Nikola

    May 25, 2015 at 12:19

    Buy a PS4 an immediate fix to the save bug, trust me it works;)

    Reply

    • Pieter Kruger

      May 25, 2015 at 13:16

      Same issues on PS4……

      Reply

      • Nikola

        May 25, 2015 at 13:35

        hahahaha:))

        Reply

      • Nikola

        May 25, 2015 at 13:36

        I thankfully didn’t have any issue’s bcuz I might cry if my save gets deleted;)

        Reply

  14. RinceTheElfRoot

    May 25, 2015 at 12:20

    Eish!

    Reply

    • HairyEwok

      May 25, 2015 at 12:23

      It’s too cold for eish!

      Reply

  15. Greylingad[CNFRMD]

    May 25, 2015 at 12:33

    One thing about this game that is a little bit annoying is that bloody horse…How many times it’ll just stop running where there is an open field in front of it…Oigh….

    Reply

    • Johann

      May 25, 2015 at 12:56

      Yeah have that same issue, runs at full speed and then for no reason at all hits the breaks and stands still. Also running into invisible walls, usually when trying to go over a bridge.

      Annoying as hell

      Reply

      • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

        May 25, 2015 at 13:01

        Yep…. It is annoying as hell, otherwise, having little annoyances here and there is okay, but for the rest of the game, just looking at it’s scope…my jaw is still on the floor, it’s bloody impressive…

        Reply

        • Lord Chaos

          May 25, 2015 at 13:03

          Horse says no.

          Reply

  16. Rus74

    May 25, 2015 at 12:36

    The irony of the article is that the CD Projekt Red Support forums have the same issue reported on PC and PS4.
    *A long known RPG rule – saving in different save slots saves you headaches.*

    Reply

    • Kensei Seraph - Terran Ghost

      May 25, 2015 at 12:40

      *Looks at the hundreds of NWN2, Skyrim, The Witcher, etc saves*
      I need to clean out my saves sometime…

      Reply

      • Lord Chaos

        May 25, 2015 at 12:43

        I generally keep 3 saves per play. Then overwrite the oldest one.

        Reply

        • Kensei Seraph - Terran Ghost

          May 25, 2015 at 12:49

          I try to keep it at around 5 ~ 10 saves and also overwrite the oldest but sometimes (almost always) it’s just a hassle and I create a new save.

          Reply

  17. Blood Emperor Trevor

    May 25, 2015 at 12:41

    I feel like I’m the only person who hasn’t experienced a single bug with Galaxy or W3. (yet)

    Reply

    • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

      May 25, 2015 at 12:49

      I’ve only had one crash (PC) and a few minor glitches, like a blacksmith who doesn’t want to help me, no matter how many times I run around him, he just stands there, beating this poor little piece of iron to a pulp with that gigantic hammer of his, a real bastard that guy… And that damned Roach, I find having to run in a straight line with that horse more daunting than slaying a level 25 Gri…(Spoiler stopped)

      Reply

    • Kensei Seraph - Terran Ghost

      May 25, 2015 at 12:50

      I haven’t.
      Although that may be because I’ve only opened Galaxy once after installing it and haven’t installed The Witcher 3 yet.

      Reply

  18. CuddlesaurusRex

    May 25, 2015 at 12:58

    one thing I do really love about this game is that I can really see the love and passion the developers have for this franchise. Very much of awesome!

    Reply

  19. Revan

    May 29, 2015 at 06:10

    -.- none of todays saves saved… >.< i just lost like 8 hours of my playtime -.-

    Reply

  20. Xylomancer

    June 5, 2015 at 15:44

    I have tried all above fixes…with no luck. So sad after 2 weeks of play. Can anyone tell me if it is just some copies of the game disc or a more widespread problem? I had been saving as advised prior to my game loading problems…with no drama. This is a deal breaker for me. The game simply does not work now. I am returning it tomorrow. The lack of support from ms xbox and witcher 3 have left me no other option. From now on my rule for game purchases will be no new releases…only buy after all issues resolved. I think the whole industry needs to recognise when consumers spend their hard won cash, they have a right to expect basic functionality from the product without frustrating drm/syncing/save issues…especially with cd installed solo game like this.

    Reply

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