6 Ways to Fix the Starfield “Failed to Create Save Game” Error on a Windows PC

Some Starfield players have reported they can’t save games because of an error message that says, “Failed to create save game.” That bug makes it pointless for players to continue playing Starfield because the game fails to save game progress automatically or when users select to do so. The issue can arise on PCs or Xbox consoles, but it’s more common for Windows players. These are some of the confirmed ways to fix the Starfield “Failed to create save game” error on Windows 11/10 PCs.

Turn Off the Controlled Folder Access Feature

Some players confirm disabling controlled folder access fixes the Starfield “Failed to create save game” error. The controlled folder access feature can cause this issue by blocking Starfield from accessing folders it needs to save to. So, try disabling controlled folder access like this.

1. Open Windows Security by clicking on the shield icon inside your taskbar’s system tray area.
2. Click Virus & threat protection to access that tab.
3. Next, click on the Manage ransomware protection navigation option to reach the Controlled folder access option.
   
   

   The Manage ransomware option

4. Turn off the Controlled folder access setting.
   
   

   The Controlled folder access option

5. Play Starfield with controlled folder access disabled to see if the “Failed to create save game” error persists.

If there’s third-party antivirus software on your PC, that might have a similar feature to controlled folder access. The only surefire way to ensure a third-party antivirus protection feature isn’t causing the Starfield “Failed to create save game” error is to uninstall the security software. You can always reinstall the antivirus utility again if uninstalling it doesn’t work.

Disable Background Cloud Storage Apps

OneDrive and Google Drive are two cloud storage apps that can cause Starfield issues for saving files. Those apps can mess things up by changing the Starfield game save location. So, closing them when they’re running in the background could feasibly resolve the “Failed to create save game” error. This is how you can disable OneDrive.

1. Right-click on the OneDrive icon inside the system tray.
2. Click the Help & Settings cog button.
3. Select the Pause syncing menu option.
   
   

   The Quit OneDrive option

4. Click the Quit OneDrive option.

You can disable Google Drive much the same by right-clicking its system tray icon, clicking its Settings cog button, and selecting Quit. Then try playing Starfield with the cloud storage disabled. If this works, consider disabling OneDrive or Google Drive on Task Manager’s Startup tab to prevent them from starting automatically.

Create a New Starfield Saves Folder

Creating a new Starfield saves folder is a troubleshooting method for this error that’s worked for some players. You can create a new Saves folder as follows.

1. If you have OneDrive or Google Drive apps installed on your PC, first disable them as covered in the previous potential fix.
2. Right-click on the Windows logo taskbar icon that brings up your Start menu to select File Explorer.
3. Go to this user folder location: C:\Users\<user folder name>\Documents\My Games.
4. If there isn’t a Starfield folder at that location, right-click inside the My Games folder and select New > Folder. Input Starfield to be the new folder’s title.
   
   

   The New and Folder context menu options

5. Open the Starfield folder to go inside it.
6. Right-click within the Starfield directory and select the New > Folder options again.
7. Type Saves within the name text box for the folder.
   
   

   A new Saves folder Starfield

Allow Starfield Through Windows Defender Firewall

1. Press Run’s Windows logo button + R hotkey, type firewall.cpl inside the Open box, and click OK.
2. Click on Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall along the left side of the Control Panel applet.
   
   

   The Windows Defender Firewall applet

3. Press Change settings to modify the allowed app list.
4. Select the Private/Public checkboxes for the Starfield game if they’re not checked (ticked).
   
   

   The firewall permission settings

5. Click OK to set the new firewall app settings.

Verify Starfield’s Files

Corrupted or missing Starfield files are another possible cause for the “Failed to create save game” error. To remedy that, try verifying Starfield in Steam like this.

1. Start the Steam gaming client with which you launch Starfield.
2. Click Library to view your collection of Steam titles.
3. Right-click on the Starfield game shown on the left side of the Library tab to select Properties > Installed files.
   
   

   The Verify integrity of game files option

4. Select the Verify integrity troubleshooting option to run the scan.

Run a Disk Repair Scan

Finally, check your hard drive for potential issues if none of the above potential resolutions for the Starfield “Failed to create save game” error work for you. Windows includes a useful Check Disk tool for repairing file system errors on drives. This is how you check for and repair HDD issues with that tool.

1. Open File Explorer and select This PC.
2. Right-click the drive Starfield is installed on to select Properties.
3. Click the Tools tab.
4. Press the Check button.
   
   

   The Check button

5. Select the Scan drive option.

I hope (but cannot promise) one of those potential resolutions fixes the Starfield “Failed to create save game” error on your Windows PC. Many Starfield players have resolved that game-saving error on Windows PCs by applying those troubleshooting methods. So, maybe one might also fix Starfield not saving games on your PC.

There could also be more ways to resolve the Starfield “Failed to create save game” error on Windows 11/10. Any players who’ve discovered other ways to fix that issue are most welcome to share their resolutions in this page’s comments section below.