PS3 Help | Fix for PS3 Skyrim Problem

Whether it is on console or PC, anyone that has played The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has undoubtedly experienced game crashes and bugs. Those playing on the Playstation 3 (PS3) seems to be suffering more than most, however, because of the dreaded save file bug. It seems that once the save file for Skyrim grows past a certain size, the game slows to a crawl every time it attempts to load a new area or save, and it often causes the PS3 itself to lock up. At first restarting the Playstation seems to alleviate the problem for a hour or two, but as the save file grows in size, rebooting loses it effectiveness.

Skyrim's developers (Bethesda) are aware of the bug and said the problem will be addressed in a patch later this month. For those not willing to wait, however, I have listed step by step instructions below on how to remedy the problem. Please note that after completing these steps all autosave features will be turned off so make sure you manually save often.

Steps to fix Playstation 3 freezing when playing Skyrim

1. Navigate to the "Games" tab on the Cross Media Bar (XMB).
2. Scroll up until you reach "Saved Data Utility (PS3)". Now select it using the "x" button.
3. Delete any corrupted data you find by highlighting it and pressing the "triangle" button. Do this until no corrupted data is left. (You will know if the data is corrupted because it will look like a grey box with a crack on it).
4. Now load Skyrim and press the "Start" button to enter the menu.
5. Use the "R1" button to highlight the "System tab". Then use the D-Pad to scroll down and highlight "settings". Select it with the "X" button.
6. Now highlight and select "Gameplay".
7. Make sure the following boxes are NOT CHECKED:
1. Save on Rest
2. Save on Travel
3. Save on wait
8. Now set Save on Character Menu to "Disabled."

That's it. Please let me know if this fix worked for you in the comments and happy gaming.