SNES Classic: How To Use The Save States Feature | Beginner’s Guide

Some people are losing their progress on the SNES Classic Edition. The new save states feature is a lifesaver, but you’ll have to do it manually after resetting the console every single time. Save states aren’t automatically saved, and you can only save them from the Home Screen. If you’re confused by the save states system and need a little bit of guidance. we’ve got a quick guide explaining everything you need to know below.

The save state system is an awesome addition that basically removes the need for passwords completely. While many of the games save automatically like Super Mario World when you reach major milestones, other games still require antiquated password inputs. Ignore the passwords and stick with save states — every game comes with four separate save state slots, and from those save states you can rewind to the exact position you want to start the game from. Weird, right? But also very cool.

For even more information on the SNES Classic Edition, check out the full breakdown of features right here.

More SNES Classic Edition guides on Gameranx:

• SNES Classic: Star Fox – How To Access Secret Levels | Easter Eggs Guide
• SNES Classic: Mega Man X – How To Get All Upgrades (& Ryu’s Hadoken) | Locations Guide
• SNES Classic: Final Fantasy 3 – Save Everyone, Win Battles Easily & More | Secrets Guide

Save States Guide

Instead of using the in-game save features or passwords, you can now take advantage of Save States. With Save States, you can restart from the exact moment you quit the game, and there are unique Save State slots for each game — you won’t have to worry about your Castlevania 4 Save State overwriting your Final Fantasy 3 Save State.

Follow these steps to save your current state:

1. Hit the Reset button on your SNES Console to return to the Home Screen.
2. A bubble will appear with a 4:3 image of your Save State in the lower-left corner of the screen.
3. Press Down on the D-Pad and left / right to select the slot you want to save in.
4. Press Y to save the Save State. If you’re overwriting a previous Save State, you’ll need to Hold Y.

Here’s a list of quick Save State info:

• Every game has 4 Save State slots.
• If you turn off the SNES Console before resetting and saving, you’ll lose the Save State.
• If you reset and start a new game, you’ll lose the Save State.
• You can move Save States and delete them from the Home Menu.
• With a save state selected, you can “Rewind” and scroll back to a different position in the game. If you reset in a bad part of the level and want to start earlier, you can do that with the rewind feature!

And that (basically) covers everything you need to know about the Save State feature. The one big drawback to Save States is that you have to reset the console to access / save. To alleviate the problem, you can try using a Wii Classic Controller — the cord is really short, but the Home button will send you right back into the Home menu.