Baldur’s Gate 3 Failed to Save Game Error Code 516

When it comes to the story-rich part-based role-playing game inspired by the universe of Dungeons & Dragons, there is nothing better than Baldur’s Gate 3. The title has already received thousands of positive reviews, and more interested players are jumping into it. Though the players have been going through many bugs and errors with this title since it was released, there are some other conflicts troubling a lot. Meanwhile, the specific Baldur’s Gate 3 Failed to Save Game Error Code 516 seems to be a hot topic.

Nevertheless, even after having better development support & latest patch updates, several players have encountered occasional hiccups and in-game interruptions in the last couple of months. We can’t also deny that PC games are more prone to experience errors or issues than any other gaming platforms, unfortunately. Recently, affected players have started reporting the “Failed to save game – ErrorCode(s): 516” error message whenever they try to save the game progression manually.

Reasons of BG3 Failed to Save Game Error Code 516

If we take a deep look at the potential reasons behind the failed saving game error on Baldur’s Gate 3, the chances are high that an insufficient disk drive space might trouble you a lot. Whereas issues with the outdated game version, issues with the installation game directory, corrupted game files, conflicts with the system files, in-game glitches, corrupted temporary files on the system, issues with the cross-save option, and more can also cause the Error Code 516 on your PC.

Fix Baldur’s Gate 3 Failed to Save Game Error Code 516

Fortunately, here we’ve shared with you some workarounds that should come in handy. If you’re one of the victims to encounter this error, make sure to follow this troubleshooting guide. So, without further ado, let’s jump into it.

1. Restart the PC

We recommend you manually restart your computer to fix any kind of potential system glitches or cache data issues. In case, you haven’t updated your system for a while or the restart is pending after installing a Windows update then make sure to reboot the system.

2. Run BG3 as an Administrator

You’ll need to manually run the Baldur’s Gate 3 game on your computer by following the steps below to grant the system administrative privilege. Without admin access, most PC games might not run properly or fail to save the game progress data.

Right-click on the Baldur’s Gate 3 application on your PC.
Select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.

Turn On the Run this program as an administrator box.
Click on Apply and select OK to save changes.

3. Check for Baldur’s Gate 3 Updates

Mostly an outdated game patch version might trouble you a lot with the errors. You can check for the game updates to the latest version to ensure there is no issue. Make sure to follow the steps below to do so:

Open the Steam client > Go to Library.
Click on Baldur’s Gate 3 from the left pane.
If there is an update available, click on Update.
Wait for it to complete and then restart the computer.

4. Scan and Repair the Game Files

In some cases, you’ll need to manually check for the corrupted or missing game files on the system by following the steps below. By doing so, you’ll be able to scan and repair the installed game files to ensure there is no issue at your end.

Launch the Steam client > Click on Library.
Right-click on Baldur’s Gate 3.
Click on Properties > Go to the Local Files files.

Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
You’ll have to wait for the process until it gets completed.
Once done, restart your computer.

5. Free Up Storage Space on the Local Drive

Make sure to free up some storage space on your local drive (C:) where you’ve installed Windows OS. If the available disk space becomes low enough on the system drive, you’ll encounter multiple issues with the game running as well as saving game data processes. Try deleting unnecessary files from the Downloads section on your computer. Additionally, you can open other disk drives/partitions & then delete big files which are not useful.

6. Change the Game Save Location

Try changing the game save location on your Windows PC by following the steps below to ensure there is no conflict with the game save directory.

Open the Baldur’s Gate 3 installation directory (Larian) on the PC.
- By default, C:\full\path\to\original\Appdata\Local\Larian Studios.
Now, open the Start menu > Search for cmd.
Select Run as administrator for Command Prompt.
Then input the following command and hit Enter:

mklink /d "C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Larian Studios" "F:\Larian Studios"

Note: The mklink /d command can be used to create a directory junction which is a hard link. The game will use the Larian Studios directory in the new location assuming the original location.

7. Disable Cross-Save in BG3

You should also try disabling the cross-save option in Baldur’s Gate 3 which might come in handy. Several reports claim that turning off the cross-save feature might avoid the game progression saving issues.

Launch Steam > Click on Library.
Click on Baldur’s Gate 3 > Click on Play.
Go to Options from the game menu.
Head over to the Gameplay tab.
Now, Turn Off the Cross-Save option.

8. Try Using Trade & Barter Multiple Times

Another thing you should do is to try using Trade and Barter several times which can also fix conflicts with the vendor transactions. To do so, check for the following steps.

Run Baldur’s Gate 3 > Click on the Trade button on the left side.
Click on the Trade and Barter buttons multiple times.
Make sure to leave the store in the Barter mode.
Now, you can attempt to save the game.

9. Use the System File Checker

You should manually run the SFC scan on your PC to fix multiple issues or find bad sectors on the disk drives. SFC (System File Checker) tool is useful to check whether any program file or a disk drive has some issues not on a Windows system.

Open the Start menu > Search for cmd.
Right-click on Command Prompt from the search result.
Click on Run as administrator > If prompted, click on Yes to give admin privileges.
Type the following command in the cmd window and hit Enter to execute it:

sfc /scannow

Now, wait for the process to complete it.
Once done, reboot the PC.

10. Disable Steam Cloud Save

Another thing you can do is disable the Steam cloud save option on the Steam client to ensure there is no conflict with the online cloud saving. Sometimes Steam cloud saving feature can cause several issues with the local game progress save. As players still prefer to save the game progress on the storage locally, no need to turn on the Steam cloud option. You can turn it off by following the steps below.

Launch the Steam client > Click on Library.
Right-click on Baldur’s Gate 3.
Go to Properties > Click on General.
Now, navigate to Steam Cloud.
Turn Off – Keep game saves in the Steam Cloud for Baldur’s Gate 3.
Once done, relaunch Steam & check for the game save error.

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For additional queries, you can comment below.