You’re tearing down the North West 200 at 180 mph, the engine is screaming, and you’ve finally unlocked that dream Ducati. Then it happens. The game crashes. Or maybe you switch from your PS4 to a PS5, thinking your hard-earned trophies and credits will just "be there."
But they aren’t.
Dealing with a RIDE 4 save file is notoriously finicky. Milestone didn't exactly make it a "plug and play" experience for everyone. Honestly, if you aren't backing up your data manually, you are basically playing Russian Roulette with hundreds of hours of career progress.
Where is the RIDE 4 Save File Actually Hidden?
If you're on PC, finding the file is the first hurdle. It isn't in your Steam folder. It isn't even in the Documents folder where most games hide their stuff.
Basically, you need to head into the depths of your AppData. Most people have this folder hidden by default, which makes the whole thing even more annoying. To find it, press the Windows Key + R and type %localappdata%.
From there, follow this path:Ride4 \ Saved \ SaveGames
Inside, you’ll see files like PlayerProfile.sav. This is the holy grail. This is your career, your bikes, and your credits. If you’re planning to mod the game or just want to make sure a sudden power outage doesn't wipe your progress, copy this entire folder to a USB drive or a cloud service like Dropbox immediately. Seriously.
Why PC Users Get the "Corrupt Save" Error
It usually happens during an auto-save. The game tries to write data, the engine hitches, and the file gets "stuck" in a temporary state. You’ll know it’s happened because the game will boot up and act like you’ve never played before.
Kinda soul-crushing, right?
Sometimes you can find a .tmp file in that same folder. If you see one with a timestamp that matches your last session, you might be able to save your life by renaming it to PlayerProfile.sav. It's a long shot, but it works more often than you'd think.
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The PS4 to PS5 Save Transfer Nightmare
You’d think in 2026 this would be seamless. It isn't.
Many players have discovered that even if you download the PS5 version of RIDE 4, your PS4 save data doesn't just magically appear. This is because the PS5 treats the "enhanced" version as a completely separate game.
Here is what you have to do:
- Make sure your PS4 save is uploaded to the PS Plus Cloud.
- On your PS5, go to Settings, then Saved Data and Game/App Settings.
- Download that PS4 data to your console storage.
- Launch the PS5 version.
Wait! Even after doing this, some users report the game still doesn't see the progress. Milestone actually implemented a specific "Import Save" function in the main menu for certain versions, but it’s been buggy since launch. If it’s not working, you might be stuck playing the PS4 version on your PS5 via backwards compatibility just to keep your bikes.
Can You Just Download a 100% Save File?
Yes. You can. But should you?
If you've lost everything and just want your bikes back, downloading a RIDE 4 save file from a site like Nexus Mods or SaveGame.pro is a tempting shortcut. These files usually have millions of credits and every bike unlocked.
But there’s a massive catch.
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RIDE 4 uses account-binding for its save files. If you just drop someone else’s PlayerProfile.sav into your folder, the game will likely tell you the data is corrupted or belongs to another user. You often need a "Save Editor" or a "Hex Editor" to change the SteamID inside the file to match your own.
It’s a headache. Unless you’re comfortable editing code, it might be easier to just use a trainer to give yourself the credits back and "rebuy" your career.
Steam Cloud: The Fake Safety Net
Don’t trust Steam Cloud blindly.
I’ve seen dozens of threads where players relied on the cloud, only for it to sync a corrupted 0kb file over their healthy local save. It’s a mess.
Go into your Steam settings and actually check if "Enable Steam Cloud" is toggled on for RIDE 4, but even then, treat it as a backup of a backup. The most reliable way to handle your RIDE 4 save file is the old-school way:
- Copy the folder.
- Paste it somewhere else.
- Do it every Friday.
Pro-Tips for Managing Your Data
Don't wait until the "File Corrupted" message pops up. By then, it's usually too late.
- Turn off Steam Cloud if you are playing offline frequently. The mismatch between "Local" and "Cloud" data is what triggers most wipes.
- Check your storage. If your SSD is nearly full, RIDE 4 might fail to write the save file correctly, leading to a crash.
- Avoid Alt-F4. I know, the race went bad and you're tilted. But force-closing the game while the "loading" icon is spinning is the #1 cause of dead saves.
If you’re on Xbox, you’re actually in the best position. The Xbox Smart Delivery system handles save syncing much better than the PlayStation ecosystem. Usually, you just log in and it works. Usually.
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Actionable Next Steps
If you want to keep your bikes safe today, do this:
- Navigate to
%localappdata%\Ride4\Saved\SaveGames. - Right-click the folder and select "Compress to ZIP file."
- Move that ZIP to your Google Drive or a physical USB.
- If you’re on console, trigger a manual "Upload to Cloud" in the system menu right now.
The reality is that Milestone's engine is built for speed, not necessarily data redundancy. A little bit of manual file management goes a long way in ensuring you don't have to win the Suzuka 8 Hours all over again.
Next Steps for You: You should verify your current save file size. A healthy RIDE 4 save is usually between 500KB and 2MB. If you see a file that is 0KB or 1KB, your data is already corrupted and you should attempt to restore from a Windows "Previous Version" shadow copy immediately.