Returnal patch fixes corrupted save issue, but not for everyone

Returnal Review
(Image credit: Sony)

Returnal patch 1.3.4 is now live and it fixes most of the save corruption issues that players experienced as the result of a previous patch, although a few unlucky users might have lost their data permanently.

As noted in the Returnal patch notes posted on HouseMarque’s website, some users experienced issues with patch 1.3.3 which resulted in the corruption of their save data. As soon as this issue was identified, Housemarque pulled the patch and reverted the game back to an earlier state to stop more players experiencing the bug. Now the developers have released another patch that fixes the issue and uncorrupts players’ save data, but it won’t work for everyone.

Players who had their save file data corrupted, but had their save file size remain unchanged should be good to go with this latest update, but other save files will not work as they have been effectively deleted by the faulty 1.3.3 update. You can tell if this happened to you by checking the file size of your Returnal save - if it says 0KB, then you’re one of the unlucky ones.

But hope is not lost, as you might still be able to restore a previous save by reverting to a back up save from PS+ if you have one available. This will only work if your cloud save hasn’t been overwritten by the deleted save game file. It’s not an ideal situation for Returnal players who will have to start their playthroughs again from scratch, but at least the issue won’t be affecting anyone else from now on.

If you’re struggling to defeat the horde of alien monstrosities that infest Atropos, then our Returnal tips will help you through this brutal, but rewarding roguelike.

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Ian Stokes
Contributor

Ian Stokes is an experienced writer and journalist. You'll see his words on GamesRadar+ from time to time, and he works as Entertainment Editor at our sister site Space.com.