Fix: ‘Failed to Save Game – Error 516’ in Baldur’s Gate 3

The Failed to Save Game Error Code 516 occurs when attempting to save game progress in Baldur’s Gate 3. This issue often appears when engaging in transactions with merchants and can be a bug resulting from a game update.

Lack of available space where the game saves its progress can also lead to this error. Applications and games typically use the C drive to save files. Ensuring that there is sufficient free space on the C drive to facilitate game saves is critical.

Interference from mods, using the cross-save feature, or corruption within game files are additional potential causes known to trigger error code 516.

Identifying the potential causes is just the first step. Next, we’ll look at how to resolve these issues.

Before delving into the troubleshooting steps, it is advisable to restart your system. Restarting can often resolve issues by refreshing the services, client, and data in memory. This simple action can sometimes fix the bugs associated with error 516 in Baldur’s Gate 3.

1. Toggle the Trade Barter Button a Few Times

In many cases, transactions with vendors trigger error code 516. To avoid this, use the button on the left side to trade rather than selecting the buy option during conversations. Toggle the Trade and Barter buttons at the top a few times, ensuring you exit the store on “Barter” mode.

1. Click the “Trade” button on the left side.
2. Then, toggle the Trade and Barter buttons a few times.
3. Ensure you leave the store on Barter mode.
4. Attempt to save the game and check if the error 516 in Baldur’s Gate 3 has been resolved.

2. Free Up Some Space

Insufficient space on the C drive necessitates clearing out enough room for game saves. Disk Cleanup is a helpful utility in Windows for this purpose; it helps you delete temporary files, cache files, and items in the recycle bin, among others. Alternatively, you can move or delete data to create space.

1. Press the Win key, type Disk Cleanup, and press Enter.
2. Select the C drive and click OK.
3. In the pop-up window, tick all the boxes under Files to delete.
4. Click OK and Delete Files to execute disk cleanup and remove the selected files.

3. Rename the Temp Folder

The “Temp” folder within the game’s AppData directory is used to store temporary files, which may become corrupted and cause error code 516. As a workaround, you can either delete or rename this folder, prompting Baldur’s Gate 3 to create a new one upon the next startup:

1. Right-click the Start Menu and select Run.
2. Type %appdata% and click OK to proceed.
3. Navigate to Local\Larian Studios\Baldur’s Gate 3 and rename the Temp folder.
4. Go to Documents\Larian Studios\Baldur’s Gate 3 and rename the Temp folder there as well.
5. Relaunch Baldur’s Gate 3 and verify if the error has been resolved.

4. Disable Mods

Mods like “Party Limit Begone” in Baldur’s Gate 3 may contribute to error code 516 if they are outdated. Disable them or update them to rectify this issue.

5. Disable the Cross-Save Feature

The cross-save feature, while convenient for game progression on different platforms, might impede the ability to save the game.

1. Launch Baldur’s Gate 3 and select Options from the Main Menu.
2. In the Gameplay tab, locate the Cross-Save option and turn it Off.
3. Check if the error persists after this change.

6. Change Save Game Directory

While you can’t change the save game directory from within the game, you can create a symbolic link to a new directory using the Mklink command:

1. Use the Win + E shortcut to open File Explorer and navigate to a disk other than C.
2. Create a new folder named “Larian Studios.”
3. Launch Command Prompt as admin from the Start Menu.
4. Type in the Mklink command substituting in your desired directories for the “savedDirectory” and “Targeted Directory” placeholders.

   mklink /d "[Larian Studios savedDirectory]" "[Targeted Directory]"

5. For example:

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

   [Ensure to replace directories with your specifics before executing.]
6. Check if the error has been rectified after making this change.

7. Verify Game Files

Corrupted game files can cause error code 516. To check and repair game files, use Steam’s built-in feature.

1. Launch Steam and go to the Library section.
2. Right-click on Baldur’s Gate 3, select Properties, and click on Local Files.
3. Choose Verify the integrity of game files.
4. Wait for Steam to complete the verification process.
5. Attempt to play the game again to see if the issue has been resolved.

8. Delete Your Save Files

Deleting saved game files should be a last resort due to the risk of losing progress. If no other methods have remedied the problem, proceed cautiously:

1. Press Win + R, type %appdata% into the Run Window, and click OK.
2. In the Local folder, delete the Larian Studios folder.
3. Restart Baldur’s Gate 3, which will recreate a new Larian Studios folder.

Many players have successfully fixed error code 516 by using the Trade button rather than the Buy option. If you’ve tried all the methods above without success, consider reinstalling Baldur’s Gate 3 as a final step.