A patch for Returnal launched on May 5, and many players are noticing their save data disappearing. To combat this, developers Housemarque reverted the patch, telling all players who experienced this to re-download the game. The save-wiping issues have been addressed, however, many player's saves are permanently wiped, with no way to get them back.
The patch was intended to fix various bugs in the game, as well as missing trophies. However, when players downloaded the patch and opened the game, many noticed that their save data had disappeared. Loading Returnal would lead to a pop-up message stating that 'something went wrong'. Housemarque is also facing complaints about the game's save system. Runs can last several hours, however, the game does not allow you to save mid-run. The lack of saving combined with save data being erased is creating a lot of frustration.
On May 6, a 1.3.4 patch was released - this new patch still reverts the build to the 1.3.1 version of the Returnal but maintains the bug fixes and trophy issues.
Patch 1.3.4 will no longer wipe save data, but players who have already lost their saves are out of luck. Save data cannot be recovered in most cases, so if you were affected by this, there is no way to get it back. If you backed up your save to the cloud, the data may have been overwritten by the corrupted data as well. Housemarque mention patch 1.3.5 in a post on their website, but currently, there is no additional information.
Don't forget to check out our review of Returnal. Here at TheGamer, we gave Returnal 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "gorgeous, frenetic, and endlessly replayable". If you are struggling through the game, be sure to check out our guides and some tips for beginners.
You can play Returnal now on PS5 for $69.99.
Source: Housemarque/Twitter