Troubleshoot Stardew Valley Save Not Loading [Solved]

To quickly fix the Stardew Valley save not loading issue, you can click "Full steps" to skip to one of the following available methods:

Recent years have seen a rise in the demand for simulation games, allowing players to experience a variety of situations that they might not otherwise have the opportunity to. One such game that has gained a huge following is Stardew Valley, a farming simulation game that has captured the hearts of players worldwide. However, players have encountered issues with Stardew Valley's save files not loading, which has turned out to be hectic.

Especially if you have put a lot of time and effort into your farm, this can be a frustrating experience. This article will examine some typical causes of Stardew Valley save not loading and offer several fixes. These fixes can be as basic as restarting the game or as complex as performing a Stardew Valley files transplant. We will also give you information on a good data recovery tool to assist you in recovering deleted game files on PC. So let us get to the solutions immediately rather than waiting any longer.

Why the Stardew Valley Save Not Loading

If you are experiencing issues with your Stardew Valley save not loading, there are several reasons why this might be happening. In this section, We will list 5 reasons why users may encounter this loading issue and provide insight into what might be causing them. Understanding the root cause of the problem is the first step in finding a solution, so let us take a closer look at some of the most likely culprits:

• ⚙️Corrupted save files: Corruption of save files is a common issue players may encounter in Stardew Valley. This can happen for various reasons, such as hardware failure, software bugs, or power outages. When a save file gets corrupted, the game may not be able to read it correctly, causing it to fail to load. If you suspect your saved file is corrupted, restore it from a backup or repair corrupted files to fix the issue.
• 🎮Outdated game version: Stardew Valley receives regular updates that can sometimes render old save files incompatible. If you use an outdated game version, your saved files may not load properly. In this case, the solution is to update your game to the latest version to ensure your saved files are compatible with the current version.
• 🖥️Mods or custom content: Mods or custom content are a great way to enhance your Stardew Valley experience, but they can also cause issues with save file loading. If you have installed mods or custom content that are incompatible with the current version of the game or conflict with each other, they may cause your save files to fail to load. In this case, you can try disabling the mods or custom content and see if that fixes the issue.
• ☁️Steam Cloud synchronization issues: If you are using Steam Cloud to synchronize your Stardew Valley save files across multiple devices, problems with the synchronization process can prevent your saves from loading. This can happen if there are conflicts with other files that are being synchronized or if there are issues with your network connection. To resolve this, you can disable Steam Cloud synchronization and manually transfer the saved files between devices.
• 💻Antivirus or firewall software: Some antivirus or firewall software may interfere with loading Stardew Valley save files. This can happen if the software blocks access to specific files or folders or incorrectly identifies the game as a computer virus or potential threat. To fix this, you can try disabling the software temporarily and see if that resolves the issue. If not, you may need to add exceptions for the game in the software's settings.

Fix 1. Quick Fixes to Troubleshoot Stardew Valley Save Not Loading

If you are in a hurry and need to troubleshoot Stardew Valley save files that won't load quickly, there are some basic and easy fixes you can try before resorting to more advanced solutions. In this section, we will cover some simple troubleshooting steps to get your saved files up and running again quickly so let us look into that:

Try to Switch the Windows Account to Get Authority

A Windows account is used for logging into a Windows operating system computer. It provides access to the user's personal files, applications, settings, and preferences. We may need to change administrator on Windows for various reasons, such as switching to a new user account with administrator privileges to troubleshoot issues like Stardew Valley save files not loading. Changing a Windows account can help resolve problems related to permissions or access to specific files or folders and provide a fresh start for the user.

Step 1. Open "Settings" by clicking the "Start" button and selecting it from the menu.

Step 2. Click "Accounts" and then select "Family & other people".

Step 3. Select the account you want to switch to and log in.

Step 4. Restart your computer to begin using the newly selected account.

Relaunch Steam as an Administrator and Run Stardew Valley

An administrator is a user account with elevated privileges that allows a user to perform tasks that require administrative rights. Running an application with administrative rights gives it the necessary permissions to access system files and perform advanced operations that a standard user account cannot achieve. This method also works to fix Hogwarts Legacy not saving. To run Steam as an administrator, follow these steps:

Step 1. Close Stardew Valley and exit Steam completely.

Step 2. Right-click your desktop's "Steam" icon and hit the "Run as administrator" button.

Step 3. Enter your administrator username and password if prompted.

Step 4. Once Steam opens, launch Stardew Valley from your library as you normally would and see if the error persists.

If you have already fixed Stardew Valley save not loading issue with the quick fixes, remember to share this post with more Stardew Valley game players!

Fix 2. Finding Your Missing Save Files of Stardew Valley

If you are having trouble loading Stardew Valley save files, it might be a possibility that the saved files may be missing or unintentionally deleted or might have been misplaced. You can try looking for it using the easy steps below to extract your lost saved files in these situations.

Step 1. Open File Explorer or run, then search for the "%appdata%/StardewValley/Saves folder".

Step 2. Look for a folder with your character's name (it will have an underscore and random-looking numbers). Check your Recycle Bin folder or antivirus quarantine list if it is not there.

Step 3. Check the folder for these files: one with the same name as the folder, "SaveGameInfo", and optionally, files with "_old" appended to their names.

Step 4. Confirm that File #1 is your actual save file, File #2 is only used by the "Load Game" menu, and Files 3 and 4 are backup saves, with File #3 being one day behind the actual save file in progress.

Fix 3. Repair Corrupted Stardew Valley Save Files to Fix Issues

Repairing saved files involves correcting any mistakes or corruption in the game's saved data. The "verify the integrity of game files" feature on Steam compares the game files to those stored on the server and replaces any corrupted or missing ones. This guarantees lag-free gameplay and trouble-free loading of saved game data whenever you want.

Step 1. Open Steam and right-click on Stardew Valley in your library.

Step 2. Select "Properties" from the drop-down menu and click the "Local Files" tab.

Step 3. Click on the "Verify Integrity of Game Files" option and wait for the process to complete.

Step 4. Relaunch Stardew Valley and verify if the saved files are loading now.

Fix 4. Perform a Stardew Valley Save Files Transplant

Performing a Stardew Valley Save Files Transplant is a more advanced solution for fixing loading issues. It involves replacing fragments of your corrupted save files with a backup file that you have previously created. It is important to note that this solution requires some knowledge of file management and may cause you to lose some progress in your game.

Step 1. Open the corrupt save file and navigate to the very bottom of the file.

Step 2. Bring up the search window by pressing "Ctrl+F" and selecting "Up" as the search direction. Search for "GameLocation xsi" and copy the entire fragment that appears.

Step 3. Open the working save file and use "Ctrl+F" to search for the copied fragment. Copy everything from the start of the fragment to the end of the file.

Step 4. In the corrupt save file, select everything from the copied fragment to the end of the file, including any whitespace at the end, and paste the copied content over it. Ensure that the starting point for the copy and paste operation matches exactly between the two files. Save the modified file and attempt to load it. If it doesn't work, repeat the process from step 1.

How to Recover Stardew Valley Missing Files with Software

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a software that can help users recover lost, deleted, or corrupted files from various devices, including hard drives, USB drives, and memory cards, making it an efficient, handy, and reliable tool to recover lost game save files of Stardew Valley or even other 3A games.

While playing Stardew Valley or other games, you may have accidentally deleted your save files, experienced a system crash or power outage while playing the game, or encountered a virus or malware that has corrupted your files, resulting in the loss of hours of gameplay and progress. Whatever the reason, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can help users recover Hogwarts Legacy missing saves, Atomic Heart game data, Stardew Valley files, etc.

With its intuitive and user-friendly interface and advanced scanning algorithms, this software can thoroughly scan the user's device and retrieve lost game files with a high success rate. It supports different file types, including but not limited to multimedia, documents, and game files and saves. So, if you are a fan of Stardew Valley and have lost your game save files, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard may be just the tool you need to recover them.

Conclusion

This article has provided various methods and fixes to help you troubleshoot Stardew Valley save files not loading. From launching the game as an administrator to performing a save file transplant, each solution has its benefits and can be used depending on the situation. Besides this, we recommend downloading EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard as a quick and handy backup method that retrieves all the missing files in almost no time. Its powerful and reliable recovery capabilities make it an excellent tool for recovering missing files in various situations.

Stardew Valley Save Not Loading FAQs

Are you still not sure how to recover missing game save files? This section is for you as it will answer some of the commonly asked questions to help remove any ambiguity left. Let us not wait anymore and look into it:

1. How to recover lost game data of Stardew Valley?

If you have lost game data from Stardew Valley, there are several methods you can try to recover lost game data. These methods include checking the recycling bin, verifying game file integrity, repairing corrupted files, performing a save file transplant, and using recovery software like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.

The most appropriate method will depend on the cause of data loss and the resources available. For example, if your save file has become corrupted, you may want to try repairing it before recovering it with recovery software. However, if the file has been permanently deleted, you may need recovery software to recover it.

2. How to find the file location of Stardew Valley?

To find the file location of Stardew Valley, you can follow these steps:

• Navigate to the game properties on Steam.
• Select "Browse Local Files" to open the game's directory.
• The game saves files are in the "Saves" folder.

3. Why did my Stardew Valley save file disappear?

There could be various reasons why your Stardew Valley save file disappeared, including:

• Power loss or sudden shutdown
• Antivirus software quarantine.
• Game update or patching process
• File corruption due to hardware or software failure
• Accidentally deleting the game save file.

4. How do I reinstall Stardew Valley without losing progress?

To reinstall Stardew Valley without losing progress, follow these steps:

• Back up your saved files.
• Uninstall the game.
• Reinstall the game, navigate to the game's save file location, and copy the backup save files into the saves folder.