# Save Systems

Design save/load for game state, choosing what to serialize, file formats, save slots...

- Repository: https://github.com/gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills (6445 stars)
- Category: Design
- License: Apache-2.0
- Last updated: 2026-10-28
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills --skill save-systems -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills --skill save-systems -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills --skill save-systems -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills --skill save-systems -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills`

## Description

Design save/load for game state, choosing what to serialize, file formats, save slots, atomic crash-safe writes, schema versioning and migration, and autosave. Engine-neutral. Use when the user mentions save system, save/load, game state persistence, save slots, autosave, save file corruption, or migrating old saves to a new version.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Save systems

A save file is a **serialized snapshot of game state** that survives restarts.
The hard parts aren't writing bytes, they're choosing *what* to save, writing it
so a crash mid-save can't corrupt it, and reading *old* saves after you ship a
patch. Get those three right and the rest is plumbing.

## When to use

- Use to persist progress: player stats, inventory, world flags, settings,
  positions, across sessions and game updates.
- Use to design save slots, quicksave/autosave, and crash-safe writes.
- Use when old save files break after a content/code change (versioning &
  migration).

**When *not* to use:** for Roblox cloud persistence specifics, use
`roblox-datastores`. For the data model the save serializes (resources/SOs), use
`godot-resources` / `unity-scriptableobjects`. For Godot's `FileAccess`/
`ResourceSaver` and `user://` paths, defer to the Godot engine skill while
applying the patterns here.

## Core workflow

The rest: https://github.com/gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills/blob/HEAD/skills/disciplines/save-systems/SKILL.md