How to Fix Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Save Files Disappearing
Clair Obsur: Expedition 33 is one of the best games released in the last 20 years. It's priced fairly, looks and runs fantastically, and the story is an emotional rollercoaster you can actually feel yourself getting affected by. It's also surprisingly stable for a new release game, but there seems to be a weird problem with the Xbox Game Pass version, which causes Save Files to disappear in rare instances. For some people, they completely vanish, but they aren't necessarily lost.
The Problem: Save Files Disappear, Progress Still Recognised
This issue seems to mostly affect players using Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 through the Xbox app on Windows, and possibly those on Xbox consoles as well. Steam users don't seem to have any issues with this problem. Whenever you close the game like normal, come back later, and suddenly it behaves as if you’ve never played before. All manual saves are missing, the continue option is gone, and yet your achievements and time played remain intact.
It usually happens after a system reboot, app crash, or improper shutdown. Some users report that even cloud saves fail to appear, which makes the issue even more infuriating. If your game saves are missing but your account still shows progress, there’s a good chance the files are still on your system, they’ve just become disconnected from the current game session or profile.
Why It Happens?
Based on community feedback and testing, there are several likely causes:
- Improper game or Xbox app shutdowns can interrupt the save sync process
- Network interruptions during saving may cause corrupted or partial uploads
- Cloud saves may fail to sync properly when the app closes too quickly
- The Xbox app may overwrite or ignore older saves if local data becomes corrupted
- Some players believe it may also be an issue with how Game Pass handles cached data, particularly with temporary folders and delayed cloud uploads
How to Fix Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Save Files Disappearing
There are two main recovery options depending on how you’re playing the game. If you bought the PC version directly, use the backup folder method. If you’re playing through Game Pass or the Xbox app, you’ll want to try the cloud sync folder method.
If you are using the standalone PC version (non-Game Pass), your save files may be recoverable from the backup folder:
- Start a new game and skip the opening cutscene
- Open the menu, then return to the title screen without clicking Continue
- Press ALT and TAB to return to your desktop, leaving the game running
- Open File Explorer and go to
C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\Sandfall\Saved\SaveGames\YourGameFolder
- Open the backup folder
- Find the most recent save file, rename it to EXPEDITION_0.sav
- Copy both EXPEDITION_0.sav and SavesContainer.sav from the backup folder
- Paste and overwrite these files in the main SaveGames directory, one level up
- Return to the game and select Continue
- The game may appear to load the new save, but once the file loads, you should see your original progress restored.
Recover the Cloud Save Using the Game Pass Folder
If you’re using the Game Pass version, the local sync folder may still contain your old save file.
- Start the game from the Xbox app and begin a new game
- Once the Prologue starts, exit the game immediately
- Open File Explorer and go to
C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\Packages\KepplerInteractive.Expedition33…\SystemAppData\wgs
- Find the most recently modified folder that contains a file called container.1 (or possibly container.2)
- Browse through older folders in the same directory
- Look for another folder that also contains a file named container.1
- Copy the files from the older folder and paste them into the newer folder
- When prompted, replace the existing container.1 file
- Reopen the game and choose Continue
- If it loads into the Prologue, press the button to browse previous saves
- You should now see your original save file available again
Preventing Future Issues
Until the developers release an official fix or patch, you can reduce your risk by following a few precautions:
- Always exit the game properly using in-game menus rather than force-closing
- Avoid shutting down your system or restarting immediately after quitting the game
- Ensure your network connection is stable while playing and especially while exiting
- Consider backing up your local save files manually if you’re deep into the game