If your Cyberpunk 2077 save file becomes too big, it might get corrupted

I can barely go anywhere on the internet without seeing yet another wild, hilarious, or downright odd bug from Cyberpunk 2077. It’s a buggy game, and developer CD Projekt Red has already released two hotfixes to try and shore up some of the problems. One issue that’s starting to pop up, though, isn’t funny at all: some players are reporting that their Cyberpunk 2077 save files are becoming corrupted if they exceed a certain file size (via Eurogamer).

If your Cyberpunk 2077 save is corrupted, you’ll apparently see this prompt when you try and load up the game: “saved data is damaged and cannot be loaded.” Here’s what it looks like:

Image: GOG.com support document

While it’s not clear what might be causing save files to be corrupted, it seems it can happen when the saves reach 8MB in size. Crossing that 8MB threshold is when the save file corrupted for one Redditor, in their testing. There are also multiple people on CD Projekt Red’s forums reporting that their 8MB+ save files are corrupted.

In a GOG.com support document about the corrupted saves prompt, CD Projekt Red says that “unfortunately the save is damaged and can’t be recovered.” To avoid seeing the prompt, the company recommends using an older save and to “keep a lower amount of items and crafting materials.”

Theoretically, if your Cyberpunk 2077 save file is larger than 8MB, you’ve invested dozens of hours into the game and collected a lot of items. If I had a corrupted save in part because I picked up too much stuff (in a game that’s littered with stuff to pick up), I know I’d be extremely disappointed.

CD Projekt Red says in the save file size limit “might be increased in one of the future patches” in the GOG.com support document. But even if that increase happens, the save files that are currently corrupted will remain so, the document says. If you are experiencing corrupted saves, a moderator on CD Projekt Red’s official Cyberpunk 2077 forums has offered some suggestions on how to load backup saves that you can try.

The studio has promised to release two large patches for Cyberpunk 2077 next year: one in January and one in February. Perhaps the company will make changes in those patches to help prevent files from becoming corrupted. CD Projekt Red didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge.