Starfield Failed to create save game on Xbox or PC

If you see the Failed to create save game error in Starfield on Xbox or PC, the solutions provided in this article will help you. This error prevents users from saving the game; hence, it is important to fix it.

Starfield Failed to create save game on Xbox and PC

If you see the Failed to create save game error in Starfield on Xbox or PC, use the following fixes to resolve the issue:

1. Run Steam as an administrator
2. Free up some space
3. Temporarily disable your antivirus
4. Turn off Controlled folder access
5. Unlink OneDrive
6. Check if the Saves folder exists
7. Restore the default location of the Documents folder
8. Delete locally saved game files
9. Remove and add our profile on the Xbox console

Let’s see all these fixes in detail.

1] Run Steam as an administrator

The first step that you can do is launch Steam as an administrator. Permission issues can also trigger this error in Starfield. To fix such types of errors, launching the affected application with administrative privileges can help. Right-click on Steam and select Run as administrator. If this fix works for you, you can make Steam always run as administrator.

2] Free up some space

Another reason why Steafield is showing the “Failed to create save game” error is insufficient disk space. Delete unnecessary files from your disk on your PC and Xbox console, and see if it works.

3] Temporarily disable your antivirus

Sometimes, antivirus software generates false positives and blocks genuine programs. Due to this, users experience errors. To check this, disable your antivirus and then check if the issue persists. If the problem disappears this time, your antivirus is causing this error. In this case, add the Starfield exe file to the exception list of your antivirus.

If you are not using any third-party antivirus, you can add the Starfield exe file to the exception list of Windows Security.

4] Turn off Controlled folder access

The Controlled folder access in Windows Security reviews the apps that can make changes to your computer or files in the protected folders. In this way, this feature prevents unauthorized changes to your system. This feature of Windows Security might be preventing Starfield from saving your game. To check this, turn off the Controlled folder access and then try again.

Controlled folder access is an essential feature of Windows Security that protects your system by blocking all unauthorized changes. Hence, if Starfield successfully saves your game after turning off this feature, whitelist it in Controlled folder access and then turn on this feature again.

5] Unlink OneDrive

If the issue still persists, we suggest you unlink OneDrive. OneDrive constantly syncs the Documents and other folders. In some cases, OneDrive sync can cause this error in Starfield. Unlinking OneDrive can confirm this. Follow the steps provided below to unlink OneDrive:

1. Click on the OneDrive cloud icon on the right side of the Taskbar.
2. Click the gear-shaped icon on the top right side and select Settings.
3. When the OneDrive Settings window appears, go to Account > Unlink this PC.
4. Click Unlink account to confirm.

Now, launch Starfield and then see if the problem persists. If this fixes the error, disable the automatic syncing for your Documents folder. You have unlinked OneDrive. Hence, first sign in to OneDrive on your PC by using your Microsoft account credentials and go through the following instructions:

1. Open OneDrive Settings.
2. Select the Sync and Backup category from the left side.
3. Click Manage backup.
4. Turn off the switch next to Documents.
5. Click Stop backup.

This should work.

6] Check if the Saves folder exists

Open File Explorer and go to the following location. Now, check if the Saves folder is located there or not.

C:\Users\username\Documents\My Games\Starfield\Saves

If you do not find the Starfield or Saves folder at the above location, create them manually. In the above path, replace the username with your user name. After doing that, save your game manually to the above location. This should help.

7] Restore the default location of the Documents folder

Installing OneDrive on your PC automatically changes the default location of Documents, Music, and other folders. Changing this location again to default can fix this error. This solution also applies to users who have uninstalled OneDrive. OneDrive changes the default location of the Documents folder which is not reverted automatically in some cases after the uninstallation of OneDrive. In this case, the location of the Documents folder is:

C:\Users\username\OneDrive\Documents

Open the File Explorer and right-click on the Documents folder. Select Properties. Now, go to the Location tab. There you can see the location of the Documents folder. If you see the location of your Documents folder the same as the above location, click on the Reset Default button to change its location to:

C:\Users\username\Documents

Click Yes in the confirmation window.

8] Delete locally saved game files

Sometimes, locally saved game files can also cause issues with the game. Delete the locally saved game files from your hard disk on your PC and Xbox console, and see if it helps. Before you delete them, make sure that all these files are successfully synced to the cloud, so you can restore them later.

Instead of deleting the files, we suggest you move them to another location or another storage device.

9] Remove and add our profile on the Xbox console

If the issue still persists, we suggest you remove and add your Xbox profile. To remove your profile from the Xbox Console, follow the steps provided below:

1. Open the Guide.
2. Go to “Profile & system > Settings > Account > Remove accounts.”
3. Select the profile that you want to remove and select Remove.

Restart your Xbox console. Now, open the Guide and select “Profile & System > Add or switch.” Select the Add new option and follow the on-screen instructions to add your profile.

That’s it.

Where are Starfield saves stored?

The default save location of Starfield for your games is inside the Starfield folder located in the default installation directory. If you have installed Starfield through the Xbox app, you will find your saved games inside the XboxGames folder. However, the save game location can differ depending on the platform you have used to install the game.

How do you save on Starfield?

Starfield has two game-saving modes, Quicksave and Save. Quicksave allows you to quickly save your current file and go back to the game. The Save option allows you to save a new file or save over an existing file. To save your game in Starfield, select System and then select the desired option.

Read next: Starfield Error Code 0xc000001d during launch.