Game won’t save? New save battery, £15.
Older cartridges keep their saves on a small coin-cell battery, and after decades those cells run flat. We fit a new one by post: £15 for the first cartridge and £8 for each extra cart in the same booking, with tracked UK return included.
Save battery pricing
Up to 20 cartridges per booking. Choose how many when you book and the total updates as you go.
From our repair customers
Read the full customer reviews →“Excellent communication throughout and a fast turnaround time. Highly recommended.”
Andrew Wade · Google · September 2026
Signs the save battery has gone
The game still plays. It just can’t remember anything.
Won’t save
The game plays fine but forgets your progress as soon as it’s switched off. That’s the classic sign of a flat save battery.
“File is corrupted”
A message on start-up that the save file is corrupted or missing, every time you power on, usually means the battery can no longer hold the save.
Pokemon Gold, Silver or Crystal
Won’t keep a save, or the in-game clock keeps losing its time. On these carts the save and the clock both run from the battery.
“The internal battery has run dry”
That’s Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire or Emerald. Here the battery only runs the clock and time-based events; the save sits on a separate flash chip.
SNES, N64 and Mega Drive
Battery-backed games on these systems lose saves the same way. If the cart keeps its save on a coin cell, we can replace it.
Not every cart has a battery
Many GBA carts and later cartridges save to flash or EEPROM chips that need no battery. Not sure about yours? Send us a photo before booking.
About your current save. The save is held by the old battery, so it is lost when the battery is changed unless it is backed up first. If a save matters to you, say so in the booking notes. We confirm before starting whether we can back it up for that cartridge. We can’t promise a backup, and a battery that has already run flat may have taken the save with it.
If opening a cartridge shows damage beyond the battery, corroded contacts or a cracked board for instance, we photograph it and quote before any extra work.
£15 for the first cart, £8 for each extra
Paid in full when you book. Tracked UK return is in the price.
Save battery replacement
Any cartridge that keeps its save on a coin-cell battery.
£15
- Old battery removed, new cell fitted
- Tested against the original fault before return
- Save backup only where we confirm it first
- Tracked UK return included
- 90-day warranty on the work
Each extra cartridge
Every further cartridge in the same booking, up to 20 in total.
+£8 each
- Two cartridges £23, three £31
- One parcel in, one tracked parcel back
- List the games in the booking
- Tell us which saves matter to you
What the price includes
A small job, done carefully, with a straight answer about your save.
| Battery out | The old cell is removed from the cartridge board |
| New battery | A new cell fitted in its place |
| Your save | Lost with the old battery unless backed up first. We only back up where we have confirmed with you that we can |
| Anything else | Damage beyond the battery is photographed and quoted before any extra work |
| Postage | A few cartridges fit a padded envelope, so sending them to us costs little. Tracked UK return is included |
| Turnaround | 5 to 7 working days from arrival on the bench |
90-day warranty on the work. This service is paid in full when you book.
Four steps, one padded envelope
Book online
Choose how many cartridges and pay in full. We email the postal address straight away.
Post them in
Cartridges in a padded envelope, sent tracked at your cost.
New batteries
A new cell in each cart. Saves backed up only where we confirmed it first.
Back to you
Posted back tracked, return included. 90-day warranty on the work.
More retro on the bench
Game Boy & Game Gear recaps
Dim screen or no sound on the console itself? See our Game Boy and Game Gear recap service, plus IPS screen fitting for GBA SP and Game Boy Color.
Board & component soldering
Broken power switches, snapped headphone jacks and other faults go through our board-level repair service.
Capacitor replacement
Home consoles, monitors and vintage PCs get the same careful treatment on our general recap service.
Common questions
Why has my cartridge stopped saving?
Many older cartridges keep their saves in memory that needs constant power from a small coin-cell battery inside the cart. After decades the cell runs flat, and the game forgets your progress as soon as it is switched off. A new battery fixes that.
How much does a cartridge save battery replacement cost?
£15 for the first cartridge and £8 for each extra cartridge in the same booking, so three cartridges are £31. Tracked UK return is included. This service is paid in full when you book, for up to 20 cartridges per booking.
Will I lose my save?
Usually, yes. The save is held by the old battery, so it is lost when the battery is changed unless it is backed up first. If a save matters to you, say so in the booking notes and we confirm before starting whether we can back it up for that cartridge. We cannot promise a backup, and a battery that has already run flat may have taken the save with it.
Which cartridges have a save battery?
Carts that keep saves on a coin-cell battery: many Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, some Game Boy Advance games, and battery-backed SNES, N64 and Mega Drive games. Many GBA carts and later cartridges store saves on flash or EEPROM chips and need no battery at all. If you are not sure, send us a photo on WhatsApp before booking.
Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire or Emerald says the internal battery has run dry. Is my save at risk?
That message is about the clock battery. On those games the save is stored on a separate flash chip that does not rely on the battery, so the battery only runs the in-game clock and time-based events. A new battery brings the clock back.
How do I post my cartridges?
Cartridges are small and light, so a few fit in a padded envelope, which keeps postage to us cheap. Send them tracked at your own cost; tracked UK return is included in the price. We email you the postal address as soon as you book, and the work takes 5 to 7 working days from arrival on the bench.
Get your saves sticking again
£15 for the first cartridge, £8 for each extra, paid in full when you book. Tracked UK return included and a 90-day warranty on the work.