Can't load save from PC onto Series X

[ggtyler]

Hi there! I recently got the game on Series X and wanted to use my save from my PC. Unfortunately, every time I load a save from it, the game immediately crashes and boots me back to the dashboard.

Now I have used a mod that added a radio station, so I figured, maybe it was that. But I did a clean install and it still crashes. I got one that I made before I modded - still crashes. I got my oldest save that I made 30 minutes into the game and it still crashed.

I have 14.5 hours on my latest save and about 12 on my vanilla one. I really don't want to wipe it all and start from fresh, and I just spent another 60 dollars on this shit... How in god's name do I fix this?

 

[LeKill3rFou]

Well, sadly if you keep playing from a save on which mods were activated even once, there are great chances mod data will remain in your save files, no matter what you can do (remove/uninstall mods, clean-install the game,...) ans so, will crash the game on your Series X when loading it.

Just to be sure, perform a clean-install of the game on your PC, to wipe out any trace of mods, start a brand new playthrough and save as soon as possible. Then try to load this new save on your Series X.

How do I perform a clean install of the game? — Cyberpunk 2077 | Technical Support — CD PROJEKT RED

Welcome to CD PROJEKT RED Technical Support! Here you will find help regarding our games and services, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.

support.cdprojektred.com

 

[GrimReaper801]

I'm a little unclear on the chronological order of things that happened but it sounds like you will need to wipe everything clean if you want to cross play.

It's a really bad idea to have any kind of mod installed if you plan on cross-play. Everything should be entirely vanilla.

 

[ggtyler]

Well, sadly if you keep playing from a save on which mods were activated even once, there are great chances mod data will remain in your save files, no matter what you can do (remove/uninstall mods, clean-install the game,...) ans so, will crash the game on your Series X when loading it.

Just to be sure, perform a clean-install of the game on your PC, to wipe out any trace of mods, start a brand new playthrough and save as soon as possible. Then try to load this new save on your Series X.

How do I perform a clean install of the game? — Cyberpunk 2077 | Technical Support — CD PROJEKT RED

Welcome to CD PROJEKT RED Technical Support! Here you will find help regarding our games and services, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.

support.cdprojektred.com

That's the thing. I have saves where I never used any mods whatsoever and it still doesn't work. I tried using them after I clean installed, so there's literally no way mods would've affected it.

Post automatically merged: Jun 25, 2024

I'm a little unclear on the chronological order of things that happened but it sounds like you will need to wipe everything clean if you want to cross play.

It's a really bad idea to have any kind of mod installed if you plan on cross-play. Everything should be entirely vanilla.

Here's what happened:

• About 12 hours into my playthrough, I decided I want to get custom music.
• I installed CET, RED4Ext, and RadioExt.
• I played the game for a few hours.
• I got the Series X version sometime later and went to try that.
• Try the first modded save - crash.
• Clean installed and tried the modded save - crash.
• Tried a vanilla save from 12 hours in - crash.
• Tried a vanilla save from 30 minutes in - crash.

My current working theory is that somehow my modded save messed up something at CDPR's servers and won't load no natter what. Cause I genuinely don't know what else would cause this - All I did was install custom music for my radio, something that is frustratingly not in the base game and one that doesn't mess with save data whatsoever, much less so doing it to all of my saves.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

That's the thing. I have saves where I never used any mods whatsoever and it still doesn't work. I tried using them after I clean installed, so there's literally no way mods would've affected it.

Did you try what I suggested?
After a clean-install (like in the link I posted, not simply uninstall/install the game), then start a brand new playthrough (fly through character creation, it doesn't matter, it's just for trying), save as soon as possible (wait a bit to see this save uploaded on cross-progression servers) and try to load this save on your Series X.

 

[SigilFey]

Hi there! I recently got the game on Series X and wanted to use my save from my PC. Unfortunately, every time I load a save from it, the game immediately crashes and boots me back to the dashboard.

Now I have used a mod that added a radio station, so I figured, maybe it was that. But I did a clean install and it still crashes. I got one that I made before I modded - still crashes. I got my oldest save that I made 30 minutes into the game and it still crashed.

I have 14.5 hours on my latest save and about 12 on my vanilla one. I really don't want to wipe it all and start from fresh, and I just spent another 60 dollars on this shit... How in god's name do I fix this?

Just to answer this directly -- if the game is working correctly by beginning a new game, then it is very likely the modded playthrough that is causing the crash. If that is the case, then no, unfortunately there is nothing that can be done to make that save file work on the Xbox.

Details:
When you save a game (any game) with mods running, that save file will then include reference data from the mod as part of the save. This reference data is not guaranteed to cause a problem, per say, but it will be there, and it cannot be removed. Normally, on PC, it's not adding mods that causes a problem, it's removing mods that leaves holes, as now the reference data in the save file no longer "references" anything. The data from the mod is no longer there. This can result in absolutely no issue at all, weird glitches and behavior in-game, or an outright crash when you go to launch. All depends on how the mod author built the mod and what parts of the game are affected.

If, however, the mod does affect the game in such a way that the reference data must be able to connect to the modded content, there's no way to undo it. It's baked into the save file now. The only way to correct it is to restore a save that was made before the mod was installed, or you need to reinstall that same mod so the reference data connects to something. For consoles, this is not possible.

I'm not 100% sure that this is your issue, of course, but based on your description, I think it's highly likely. Sorry.

 

[ggtyler]

Did you try what I suggested?
After a clean-install (like in the link I posted, not simply uninstall/install the game), then start a brand new playthrough (fly through character creation, it doesn't matter, it's just for trying), save as soon as possible (wait a bit to see this save uploaded on cross-progression servers) and try to load this save on your Series X.

Okay. thankfully that worked. I got a fresh save and loaded it onto my console, and then brought my backed up vanilla save, and that finally worked. Saved on Series X too just in case saves shit the bed again.

Just to answer this directly -- if the game is working correctly by beginning a new game, then it is very likely the modded playthrough that is causing the crash. If that is the case, then no, unfortunately there is nothing that can be done to make that save file work on the Xbox.

Details:
When you save a game (any game) with mods running, that save file will then include reference data from the mod as part of the save. This reference data is not guaranteed to cause a problem, per say, but it will be there, and it cannot be removed. Normally, on PC, it's not adding mods that causes a problem, it's removing mods that leaves holes, as now the reference data in the save file no longer "references" anything. The data from the mod is no longer there. This can result in absolutely no issue at all, weird glitches and behavior in-game, or an outright crash when you go to launch. All depends on how the mod author built the mod and what parts of the game are affected.

If, however, the mod does affect the game in such a way that the reference data must be able to connect to the modded content, there's no way to undo it. It's baked into the save file now. The only way to correct it is to restore a save that was made before the mod was installed, or you need to reinstall that same mod so the reference data connects to something. For consoles, this is not possible.

I'm not 100% sure that this is your issue, of course, but based on your description, I think it's highly likely. Sorry.

Sorry if I'm just misunderstanding this but I really don't get what data it's adding in the first place. All I'm doing is adding a radio station, so is it just what the current/last station is when I saved? Even though I chose base game stations while I made the save, and using that same save in vanilla just works fine?

 

[GrimReaper801]

Sorry if I'm just misunderstanding this but I really don't get what data it's adding in the first place. All I'm doing is adding a radio station, so is it just what the current/last station is when I saved? Even though I chose base game stations while I made the save, and using that same save in vanilla just works fine?

It's a very common misconception about mods that's become increasingly prevalent with modding becoming more mainstream.

In your case, you may have switched back to a base game radio station when you created the save but the mod itself added a reference inside your save file that say "X radio station exists" so that you can switch to it. Even you revert back to a base radio station, that "hook" still exists and the game is looking for it.

Furthermore, it's not "just" a radio you added. CET alone is a huge framework you are adding onto your game that creates various "hooks" and references that get injected in your game and saves. Which you can't just uninstall. A clean install will not clean your save. It will clean your game but your save will still have residual references in there that are now nowhere to be found. Hence the crashes.

Your install on your Xbox does not recognize these references but your save says they exist. Ergo -> crash.

Some mods are better at being removed than others. For example, generally speaking, texture replacers wouldn't be a problem as it doesn't add/modify any reference the game points to. It changes the content of the file itself but the "path" to it remains the same.

Ultimately, it's not a very good idea to mod your game if you plan on cross-progression on any game. At least until console get better access to mods. If ever.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

Furthermore, it's not "just" a radio you added. CET alone is a huge framework you are adding onto your game that creates various "hooks" and references that get injected in your game and saves. Which you can't just uninstall. A clean install will not clean your save. It will clean your game but your save will still have residual references in there that are now nowhere to be found. Hence the crashes.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is for the same reasons that games in general do not allow you to load a save on which you had DLC(s) activated, on a game without the same DLC(s) installed/enabled.

Okay. thankfully that worked. I got a fresh save and loaded it onto my console, and then brought my backed up vanilla save, and that finally worked. Saved on Series X too just in case saves shit the bed again.

Nice

 

[ggtyler]

Ultimately, it's not a very good idea to mod your game if you plan on cross-progression on any game. At least until console get better access to mods. If ever.

Here's hoping it does then. I'd love to have my custom tunes back...

 

[GrimReaper801]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is for the same reasons that games in general do not allow you to load a save on which you had DLC(s) activated, on a game without the same DLC(s) installed/enabled.

Generally speaking, yes, but, as with everything additional added, it's largely a "it depends" kind of situation.

Some games "clean up" better than others when you remove stuff that was added and some stuff can be cleaned efficiently. There no definitive answer that applies across the board.

Here's hoping it does then. I'd love to have my custom tunes back...

Yeah, I understand that, RadioExt is one of the few mods I find essential these days. At least for my own enjoyment. With that said, you really shouldn't hold your breath for mod support coming to consoles this generation. That much isn't happening. I'm really talking about future generations. It won't happen with CP2077.

 

[ggtyler]

Yeah, I understand that, RadioExt is one of the few mods I find essential these days. At least for my own enjoyment. With that said, you really shouldn't hold your breath for mod support coming to consoles this generation. That much isn't happening. I'm really talking about future generations. It won't happen with CP2077.

I'm not, but would like to see at least custom music supported. GTA V has had this since I think its PC release, and it's nice to just be able to play whatever tunes you want (personally I listen to Virtual Self or breakcore while in game, fits so well...) I'd imagine implementation isn't too hard either.

 

[SigilFey]

Sorry if I'm just misunderstanding this but I really don't get what data it's adding in the first place. All I'm doing is adding a radio station, so is it just what the current/last station is when I saved? Even though I chose base game stations while I made the save, and using that same save in vanilla just works fine?

What @GrimReaper801 said is spot on. What a mod appears to do, what it actually does, and how it does things mechanically, under the hood and completely invisibly to the player, can be worlds of complexity apart. Like any good illusion (which is what games are), if done well, the audience will have absolutely no clue about the insane amount of work that went into it. It will appear natural and effortless.