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Crashes & Saves

Moon Sweepers Crashes, Loading Freezes and Save Backups

The developer reports fixes for recurring freezes shortly after loading in 1.0.5, tool-switching freezes in 1.0.4 and loading failures in some heavily cleaned worlds in 1.0.3. The 1.0.4 Windows/AMD notes make DirectX 11 the default to prevent AMD GPU crashes and describe per-slot backups, automatic load repair and save checks after a crash. These are documented changes, not guaranteed remedies for every case.

Checked 2026-11-01

Match your symptom to a documented fix

Compare the failure with the developer's description before assuming it has the same cause:

Symptom or affected configurationDeveloper-reported change
Recurring Not Responding freeze roughly half a minute after loading some worlds, on DirectX 11 or DirectX 12Fixed in 1.0.5
Freezing while switching tools with many robots workingFixed in 1.0.4
Windows with an AMD GPUDirectX 11 made the default in 1.0.4 to prevent AMD GPU crashes
Some heavily cleaned, large worlds failing to load and appearing corrupted1.0.3 says the save files were intact and those worlds load normally after the fix

These are developer reports, not independently tested guarantees. In particular, the DirectX 11 default change is separate from the later post-load freeze fix, which explicitly covers both DirectX versions. Source: official patch notes.

Check the release context

As checked on October 31, 2026, the newest released patch visible in the official feed is 1.0.5, dated October 28, 2026. Compare the build involved in your problem with the patch covering the matching symptom. Source: official developer feed.

Update 1.1 is not an available fix in this evidence. The October 30 announcement schedules it for December 2026 and says its announced content remains in development and may change. Source: developer's October 30 announcement.

Where Windows backups are stored

The developer gives this Windows backup directory:

C:\Users\[user-name]\AppData\LocalLow\DragDropGames\MoonSweepers\Backups

These backups are stored outside Steam Cloud. This is a documented backup location, not a verified primary-save directory or a Linux or Steam Deck path. Source: 1.0.4 backup notes.

When backups are created

Patch 1.0.4 describes up to five full world backups for each save slot:

  • The first is taken one minute into each session.
  • Further backups are taken every 30 minutes.

The documented first backup is therefore not taken immediately when a session begins. Source: developer backup-timing notes.

What automatic repair does

The developer describes two checks:

  1. When loading a world, the game restores damaged save data from backups and notifies the player.
  2. On the next start after a crash, the game checks save files and repairs damaged files.

These mechanisms are described in the 1.0.4 developer notes. The evidence does not establish recovery behavior when backups are missing or damaged, and it does not provide a verified manual file-replacement procedure.

Do not overlook the save-version warning

The explicit warning is that saves made in 1.0.4 cannot be opened in older game versions. Do not use an older build as a recovery step for a 1.0.4 save. The source does not establish a complete compatibility matrix for later patches. Source: developer compatibility warning.

For stalled machines without a crash or freeze, use the automation checks instead. Return to getting started for the basic progression guide.

Sources and verification