Returnal: How to Save Your Game

Returnal is an unforgiving game from the get-go. Throwing you into loops that change slightly each time you take them on. There is some permanence in the upgrades you earn while playing however, and main objectives to complete in order to further the story. As such, you won’t want to lose any progress if you don’t have to. In this Returnal saving guide we’ll explain how to save your game. We’ll take a look at what you can do instead of saving, and instances where the game will autosave.

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How to Save Your Game in Returnal

Each loop in Returnal can last anywhere between seconds and hours, depending on how you do. The game is only saved at the start of each loop, with no way to manually save while you’re out fighting. There are certain things that will save however, mainly your progress in the main story. If you complete a main objective, you won’t have to do it again. The Xeno-tech barrier that you destroy at the start is a good example of this. For more info on destroying that barrier, head here.

What to Do to Save Your Progress

Given that manual saving isn’t really an option in Returnal you’ll want to make use of the PS5’s suspend feature. As long as you keep the game open, you’ll be able to do other things and return to the game in the same spot. You can also pause the game when you want, so make use of this if you need a break.

Saving Exceptions

One exception we’ve found to Returnal’s saving system is when spending Ether in the starting area. We spent Ether at the monolith before heading out, quit the game, and found that this was still spent when we loaded back in.

That’s all you need to know about saving in Returnal. For more on the game be sure to check out our guide on how to melee. Elsewhere there’s our look at how Adrenaline Works.