Cyberpunk 2077 has more than its fair share of problems. Not only is there a litany of random bugs that can draw players out of the experience, but the game is also plagued with instability and crashing issues, particularly on the base PS4 and Xbox One systems. PC players seem to be free from many of these issues, but a new one regarding crafting has just been discovered on all platforms that may cause Cyberpunk 2077 saves to become unreadable.
This week, a duplication glitch was discovered in Cyberpunk 2077 that allows players to buy or craft expensive items and then duplicate them infinitely, and then sell them back for unlimited eurodollars. This glitch seems like an easy way to farm for money or duplicate rare or expensive items, but apparently it may lead to other issues.
Players who have been utilizing this duplication glitch, and even those who did not and simply craft a lot of items, have been trying to troubleshoot an error they have been receiving that reads “Saved data is damaged and cannot be loaded.” A troubleshooting FAQ on GOG.com, the PC game distribution platform owned by CD Projekt, added the following response to the issue:
"Unfortunately the save is damaged and can't be recovered.
Please use an older save file to continue playing and try to keep a lower amount of items and crafting materials. If you have used the item duplication glitch, please load a save file not affected by it.
The save file size limit might be increased in one of the future patches, but the corrupted files will remain that way."
A Reddit post regarding the issue has over 8,000 upvotes and multiple awards as of this writing, and naturally features upset replies. Some users have determined that if the save grows over 8MB in size, that is when the save will read as corrupt. Many in the replies to the post mock the save file size limitation, referencing 8MB PS2 memory cards and game saves for other massive RPGs like Skyrim and Deus Ex having far larger saves with no issue.
While the FAQ makes it sound as if the save files will never be recoverable even after future patches, Reddit user JustAnotherF suggests there may be hope for those with corrupted saves once save game editors become available for Cyberpunk 2077. External programs allowing users to modify their game saves on PC are common and could potentially save some Cyberpunk saves by allowing users to delete excess inventory items.
There is still a possibility the issue could be fixed via a patch, as there are more than a few on the way for Cyberpunk 2077, with the most recent fix having released less than 24 hours ago.
Cyberpunk 2077’s developer CD Projekt Red is in a great deal of hot water after the rather messy launch of the game. Not only has the company’s stock value and reputation plummeted, but apparently developers within the company are furious with their own management for how they feel the company mishandled Cyberpunk’s launch.
Cyberpunk 2077 is out now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions also in development.
