Skyrim Xbox 360: cleared cache may increase save game load times

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 11 November, 2011

Plus: install to hard-drive if you can.

Bethesda has advised Skyrim Xbox 360 players that clearing the game cache may increase save game load times.

In a note sent to press alongside copies of the game, Bethesda also advised Xbox 360 owners install the fantasy epic to their hard-drive where possible.

"Skyrim makes heavy use of caching to the hard-drive, and the initial load could take more time if the game is not fully cached already, or installed to the hard-drive," it said.

"Caching takes place over the normal course of gameplay, but can be cleared by playing other games or manually cleared in the Xbox Dashboard. Save game load times could also potentially take longer if the cache is cleared."

The install size of Skyrim on Xbox 360 is 3.8GB. A day one patch brings all versions of the open world fantasy game to version 1.1.

Eurogamer's Skyrim review cast a stonking 10/10. "It evokes a word that's overused in reviewing of all kinds: one that's best kept in the cellar in a plainly marked box and reserved only for the most special of occasions," wrote reviewer John Bedford. "For Skyrim though, I'd like to blow the dust off it, open up the lid, and enjoy a masterpiece with you."

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

You may also like...

Comments (82) 3 weeks ago

Log in or register to post a comment!

  • CaptainQuint #1 4 weeks ago

    Only 3.8gb?! The mind boggles.

  • Nuszka #2 4 weeks ago

    playing the game since today morning, got it installed on hdd and still problems occur, textures stay in low res setting, a patch is needed for the problem to be resolved , witch oddly does not occur while playing from disk

  • GamesProgrammer Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #3 4 weeks ago

    Do 360 players randomly clear there game cache alot then?

    Seems like a random press release

    Verified

  • AdamAsunder #4 4 weeks ago

    So how do you clear the cache then?

  • gruntboy #5 4 weeks ago

    @Nuszka And such quirks are the reason why I will wait a couple of months before I buy this game. I'm really keen to play it, but Bethesda's track record of stable software at release gives me pause. Which makes me a sad panda.

  • Collymilad #6 4 weeks ago

    3.8Gb

    Bluraylol.

    Sorry :P

  • potiwilm #7 4 weeks ago

    Only play our game, or your load time will take longer?

    Shhhh, no-one tell activation

  • myiagros #8 4 weeks ago

    @GamesProgrammer - as the article says, the cache can be cleared if you play a different game.

    So if you are playing from disc, then you are being warned against playing anything else, until you are done with Skyrim.

    I'm amazed that the entire game is only 3.8GB though, most people should have the space for installing it, negating the issue.

  • captain_Carl #9 4 weeks ago

    A Bethesda game having problems at launch? Who would have thought

  • Sodding_Gamer #10 4 weeks ago

    I'm confused "cleared cache may INCREASE save game load times".

    Surely you mean it would decrease load times?!

  • Beano #11 4 weeks ago

    So the cache "issue" is only relevant if the game is not installed to HDD, or?

    I'm just a bit confused ;)

  • Dismiss #12 4 weeks ago

    Any concrete info on the infamous texture streaming thing on 360? Is it really safe to install or will there be a significant drop in quality? I'd get it on PC, but my desktop stays firmly in the den.

  • Sodding_Gamer #13 4 weeks ago

    @myiagros

    I am pretty sure the game is bigger than 3.8gb. Bethesda have just chosen a certain portion of the game to be installed rather than installing the whole lot. I have seen this before with a game that I know is 7gb but has only installed half of it. Normally because of the way they have optimised the game.

  • Beano #14 4 weeks ago

    @Sodding_Gamer No I think a save could take longer time to load if the cache is cleared and have to load completely from DVD before the game can start. It's not the save file as such that takes longer but the game assets that are all loaded from DVD.

  • CaptainQuint #15 4 weeks ago

    As long as I can't hear the disc spinning I don't care how much I need to install.

  • Sodding_Gamer #16 4 weeks ago

    @Beano

    Oh right. I got rather confused because one article which I swear I read on here about a game said to clear the cache to quicken up loading times of the game. Tbf it is pretty quick at loading up saves anyway. A few extra seconds dont really hurt. Like what CaptainQuint said, as long as my xbox don't sound like a jet taking off I'm cool with it.

  • Beano #17 4 weeks ago

    @Sodding_Gamer Agreed :) I'm also installing the game for the exact same reason. Hopefully the texture-loading-issue is a non-issue, or fixed very soon.

  • MattEdWithCheese #18 4 weeks ago

    They wouldn't have these issues if the Skyrim ran in Gamebryo. Oh wait...!

  • Sodding_Gamer #19 4 weeks ago

    @Beano

    Installing the HD is the way to go! Plus it makes your xbox live longer! I have had the texture issue quite bad. Some rocks literally just grey. But nothing that can be fixed with a patch aye.

  • Monkey_Puncher #20 4 weeks ago

    I played a good 8 hours yesterday installed on my HD and didn't notice any issues with low res textures. I'm not a tech person really, but I was more than happy with performance.

    The only open world jank I came across was when I was talking to someone and an NPC in the background seemed to be having a fit, oh and a wooly mammoth at one point spawned in the air in the distance and died on impact with the ground :/

  • Sodding_Gamer #21 4 weeks ago

    @Monkey_Puncher

    Haha the wooly mammoth glitch is the best. It does take you away from the experience but when it happened to me it was hilarious. The poor fella landed on a giant troll then slid into another mammoth that was stuck into a rock. triple kill. FATALITY!

  • abigsmurf #22 4 weeks ago

    Hearing that the PC version has major interface issues which is depressing.

  • Uncompetative #23 4 weeks ago

    Mr Postman just delivered it, but I won't be installing it for a month because I'll have nothing new to play on my birthday. I must say, I am impressed with my remarkable self-control.

  • NotSoSlim #24 4 weeks ago

    PC version with 360 pad....sorted!! Interface issues are for the keyboard users

  • alimokrane #25 4 weeks ago

    Wasnt there the same problem with cache in Oblivion, They didnt bother fixing it themselves this time AGAIN? pffft

  • homerramone #26 4 weeks ago

    Surely clearing the cache is pointless - since there was a day one patch first thing its going to do when you boot it again is put something back in there.
    And unless you either play nothing else, or play games that havent ever had a patch (good luck finding one of those) or play offline then its going to fill right up once you put other games in.

  • arcam #27 4 weeks ago

    PC version with 360 pad....sorted!! Interface issues are for the keyboard users

    What the difference? Up down, left right, select etc. Keyboard is the same as 360 pad.

    The problem is how huge it all is, and how the mouse is almost useless.

  • anonim1979 #28 4 weeks ago

    @Sodding_Gamer
    The whole game is 3.8 GB
    Nothing new.
    Sandbox games are limited by RAM in consoles.
    Far Cry 2 (~3gb), Just Cause 2 (~4gb), Burnout Paradise (~2.5gb), Borderlands (~3gb) Oblivion (~4GB).

    Skyrim PC vs X360 assets comparison in MB:
    http://www.abload.de/img/unbenannt1arubd.jpg

    Edited by 2 at 11/11/11 @ 11:57

  • Oceadge #29 4 weeks ago

    @CaptainQuint I can clearly hear the disc spinning in the drive even though it's 'installed' on my 360.

  • HL706 #30 4 weeks ago

    I want this so fucking bad it's unreal - stupid unemployment, blesses me with free time and no money to enjoy it :-/

  • Monkey_Puncher #31 4 weeks ago

    @anonim1979 - oooooooh numbers!

  • squeakyg #32 4 weeks ago

    Has an official source definitely confirmed that lower-quality textures appear if you install the game to the HD? And is it confirmed that the problem can be solved by clearing the cache? I can't wait for the Digital Foundry face-off, they have to address this.

    This is a stupid annoyance. So apparently you have to clear the cache to solve a low-texture problem, but you *shouldn't* clear the cache because it will make load times longer. Ha! A choice between shitty textures or shitty load times, thanks Bethesda.

    And 3.8GB? I thought that HD installations put the entire DVD image on the HD. I heard that a cleverer system was put into place that intelligently chose how much game data to install, but I never saw it in action... I still only see full DVD image sizes. So if the Skyrim disc is only 3.8GB, does it even *have* decent textures?

  • Beano #33 4 weeks ago

    @squeakyg The entire game is only 3.8GB :)

  • Sodding_Gamer #34 4 weeks ago

    @anonim1979 & Oceanadge

    Ok consider me flabergasted. If it only installed 3.8gb then why is my disc spinning like crazy when I'm playing it? It stopps when I'm roaming but when I start it up through and does quite loudly on the menu. I thought it was partially using the disc and partially using the HDD, therefore I thought it hadn't installed the entire game.

  • asphaltcowboy #35 4 weeks ago

    @Sodding_Gamer I imagine it's a good idea to clear your cache before playing for the first time. Then, the more it caches, the faster your load times will be.

  • Darren #36 4 weeks ago

    Post deleted at 12:40:19 11-11-2011

  • TheApologist #37 4 weeks ago

    @abigsmurf

    I'd heard on PC menu's aren't wonderful when using a mouse, but otherwise it's fine. You can always use a 360controller at which point it is the console interface.

  • Zerobob #38 4 weeks ago

    Christ I'm confused now, for the same reasons as Sodding_Gamer.

    Should the cache even be something a gamer has to consider, especially a console gamer?

    Regardless, if a cleared cache increases load times then I'm not going to clear it, or go anywhere near it. Sorted. Correct?...Incorrect?...

  • cloudskipa #39 4 weeks ago

    3.8 gb because there are no cutscenes. The original Morrowind GOTY edition on Xbox was comfortably under 1GB too (around 750mb).

    I find this article to be incorrect though, I've been playing it since yesterday o my Xbox, I have the 1.1 patch installed and I get a texture glitch when it is running from the HDD. If run from disk then the textures appear to stream ok. I wish they would just hurry up and address this issue instead of telling us to play other games.

  • SheffAl #40 4 weeks ago

    Good to know, thanks.

  • orangpelupa #41 4 weeks ago

    @sodding

    if Skyrim is using XGD3. Some XGD3 games will keep reading the DVD drive periodically to check the disc is original or not.

    from what i see, Gears 3 is not doing this checks. Resulting in silent drive
    Dorza 4 is doing this checks (only when connected to xbox live), resulting not silent drive even when game installed.

    so maybe thats what happend in skyrim. its just XGD3 protection being run

  • Sodding_Gamer #42 4 weeks ago

    @orangpelupa

    Ohhhhhh, that would explain it then! They need to clear this article up to be honest there seems to be a lot of us confused here. We are all not technical wizards! Great game anyway :D

  • Jmog #43 4 weeks ago

    Wesley, you need to correct the article. Google it. Tons of Skyrim players are reporting they only get the texture issue if the game is installed.

  • muttler #44 4 weeks ago

    I've heard that if you install to HDD it increases the texture load time rather than running it from disc (which I don't want to do because I have a noisey and potentially unreliable old school 360).

    I haven't brought Skyrim yet, how does the PS3 version stack up then? Because that's the version im leaning towards at the moment :)

  • Drygore #45 4 weeks ago

    @Sodding_Gamer

    It IS only 3.8 GB on console. PC Version is 5.1 GB so.. And DAMN them for porting it to PC! Fuck -_- Annoys the shit out of me. Lazy disrespectful bastards!

    Game is truly truly still ace though.. (PC). But could have looked even better.

  • Biker_Bob_1971 #46 4 weeks ago

    It's only 3,8GB because the textures are compressed to the max. The PS3 version is much larger. The mandatory install is 4.4 GB alone, bigger than the complete Xbox disc. And it really shows. The PS3 looks much, much better.

    Edited by 1 at 12/11/11 @ 04:52

  • tiny_Eggy #47 4 weeks ago

    @Collymilad sadly you can tell, some of the textures in the game look worse than the ones in Morrowind.

  • cloudskipa #48 4 weeks ago

    @tiny_Eggy Try playing it from the disk. It looks horrible played from the HDD.

  • orangpelupa #49 4 weeks ago

    @pop ins when game is installed in HDD

    from Bethesda word "(1)Skyrim makes heavy use of caching to the hard-drive, (2) and the initial load could take more time if the game is not fully cached already, (3) or installed to the hard-drive,"

    thats mean in simple : (sorry bad english, hopefully understandable)

    1. Skyrim heavily access HDD
    2. doing CLEAR CHACHE resulting in bad performance
    3. Installing to HDD resulting in bad performance

    and here a bit technical explanation
    Case 3 and 2 happend because explanation 1.

    so if game is INSTALLED, then Xbox 360 HDD is too busy because it serve data to DVD Emulator and Skyrim Cache (HDD 2 request)

    but if not installed, then Xbox 360 HDD only serve data to skyrim cache (HDD 1 request only)

    again, sorry bad english.

  • onyxbox #50 4 weeks ago

    @muttler

    I got the PS3 version yesterday, played it for around 3 hours and it looks and plays fine (thankfully). I don't know how it stacks up against 360 (nor do I care that much TBH).. I'm just happy the version I bought isn't borked.

  • Astro-Creature #51 4 weeks ago

    Does it fix the N64 textures in the 360 version?

  • Toothball #52 4 weeks ago

    Wait, is he talking about clearing the cache that stores updates to other games among other things? I try to do that as infrequently as possible so I don't have to update other games again. Perhaps it not a bad idea if you only want to play Skyrim forever (possible for some I'm sure), but I quite like playing other games.

    Which is actually what I'm doing tonight anyway since I don't have Skyrim. This has made the Xbox version a little less appealing though.

  • menage #53 4 weeks ago

    I can't believe it's only 3,8

  • Jmog #54 4 weeks ago

    Ok, it's official. According to Bethesda. DON'T install the game on the HDD if you want consistant high res textures on xbox. Run it off the disc:
    http://m.kotaku.com/5858743/bethesda-working-on-skyrim-graphics-problems-on-xbox-advises-not-installing-yet

  • oupe #55 4 weeks ago

    Does make quite a difference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55P2W3F26sA&hd=1

    Edited by 1 at 11/11/11 @ 23:30

  • ShiroBen #56 4 weeks ago

    A big reason I prefer console gaming is because the only time I hear the word 'cache' it's preceded by something like 'weapons'. I am a lazy person and don't want to bugger around, I just want to play some fecking games.

  • SheffAl #57 4 weeks ago

    Yay to that sentiment. Despite this issue i am still loving this game.

  • Dave52 #58 4 weeks ago

    The Xbox version seems a little broken, not least of all the texture problems. Strange that none of the reviews mentioned this...

  • Slipstream #59 4 weeks ago

    Clearing the cache is too much trouble seeing as the majority of games require updates again and for some reason it totally screws with Mass Effect 2.

    Besides I did it about a month ago, I highly recommend insta;;ing it to the HDD though, the beauty of a game that this is.

  • frazzl #60 4 weeks ago

    @Biker_Bob_1971 Actually the Lens Of Truth screen shot comparison contradicts your conclusion.

    http://www.lensoftruth.com/head2head-the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-screenshot-comparison/

    Why don't you just enjoy the game instead of being a stupid fanboy? :)

    And as someone previously mentioned you should not install the game to your HDD just yet:

    http://www.lensoftruth.com/bethesda-acknowledges-skyrim-xbox-360-texture-streaming-issue/

    Edited by 3 at 13/11/11 @ 06:00

  • Biker_Bob_1971 #61 4 weeks ago

    @frazzl: I'm the greatest PS3 hater in the world (bar geohot perhaps) and yet I recommend the PS3 version. Seems odd, no? To call me a fanboy? I've seen with my own eyes how dreadful the textures are on the Xbox compared to the PS3. I've played both version for quite some hours. The PS3 version is even more responsive in controlling the protagonist.

    And I'll wait for a patch before even trying to start to enjoy the game. It's a bit broken, you see...

  • frazzl #62 4 weeks ago

    @Biker_Bob_1971 Well I doubt the screenshots in the LOT comparison are lying and I think they're a bit more reliable than you to be honest. As to the game being broken, well it's no more broken than Dark Souls with its glitchy online component and gameplay crippling slowdown!

    In fact have a look at some comparison shots from Digital Foundary:

    http://images.eurogamer.net/2011/articles//a/1/4/2/0/4/3/9/2_360_Disc__Having_uninstalled_and_then_restarted_.bmp.jpg

    http://images.eurogamer.net/2011/articles//a/1/4/2/0/4/3/9/4_PS3__With_immediate_effect_after_loading_.bmp.jpg

    The difference between the 2 shots is minor (I doubt it would be visible during normal gameplay), but the wall textures look more detailed on the 360 version than they do on the PS3 version, which fits with the LOT screenshot comparison I linked to previously.

    Edited by 1 at 13/11/11 @ 12:27

  • frazzl #63 4 weeks ago

    @Biker_Bob_1971 Or you could just check this out. I guess you should either send your 360 for repair, your TV for repair, or renew your prescription for your eyewear ;)

    http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-11-13-skyrim-triple-format-comparison-gallery-comparison-gallery

  • FladgeMangle #64 3 weeks ago

    @frazzl

    There is a texture streaming bug on the installed 360 version. This isn't fanboyism, is a fact.

    I'm sure it will be patched soon and all will be well in the world once more. Meanwhile, I think you're showing yourself up a bit in your desparate attempts to disprove reality.

  • Kew1Melon #65 3 weeks ago

    I played for a long time yesterday, didn't really come across any texture issues if im honest. I did get stuck next to a wall behind a log though ¬.¬

    So far so good IMO and i haven't installed to hard drive :s

  • frazzl #66 3 weeks ago

    @FladgeMangle I didn't deny there was a texture streaming bug when you install the game on the HDD. In fact I explicitly said that gamers should NOT install the game on their 360 HDD.

    Biker Bob was claiming that the PS3 version looks "much, much better". Based on screenshot comparisons provided by LOT and Digital Foundary this is clearly not the "reality" of things :)