Returnal patch 1.3.4 arrives to fix the mess caused by 1.3.3

Earlier this week, Housemarque pulled an update to its new PlayStation 5–exclusive roguelike shooter Returnal, after the community discovered the patch could corrupt save files. Now, Housemarque has rolled out a new patch, version 1.3.4, designed to undo that damage.

For the most part, this patch is not about changing or adding anything new to the game, but instead reverting to a previous stable version of the game. However, Housemarque also added in a fix for an unspecified issue with trophies and removing the ability to access debug cheat codes by plugging a keyboard into your PS5.

If you didn’t have your save corrupted by the 1.3.3 patch, you should be fine to play now. And if you did lose your save, there might still be hope for you, though some saves might be lost forever. Here’s what Housemarque has to say on that front:

  • Some game saves will have become corrupted with Patch 1.3.3, but maintained their file size. Players with those save games are able to safely continue their progress after installing Patch 1.3.4, without the need for using a backed up save game.
  • Unfortunately other save games will have been effectively “deleted” by Patch 1.3.3, with their file size reducing to 0KB. These save games are not directly salvageable by Patch 1.3.4, without a backup save game available.
  • In those cases, please try using a backed up save from PS+ if available, after installing Patch 1.3.4. With an intact save game from PS+, players can safely restore and continue playing with Patch 1.3.4 installed.
  • Depending on the console settings, the cloud save may have been overwritten by the “deleted” save game noted above. If this is the case, progress will remain unsalvageable, even with Patch 1.3.4.

Since this reverts the version of the game, you may still notice some of the bugs version 1.3.3 originally attempted to fix, like rare crashes and hangs, issues with custom controller mappings, and a bug where players with the pre-order suit equipped found themselves unable to pick up items or open doors. No doubt these fixes will be back in a future patch.

For more on Returnal, check out the four-star EGM review.

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