Why does my Chrono Trigger save data keep corrupting on SNES cartridge?

[Brandon33]

I just got a copy of Chrono Trigger for my SNES, but my save file keeps getting corrupted on the original cartridge. I’m not sure if it’s the battery or something else, and I’m worried about starting a long playthrough only to lose my progress again. Has anyone else dealt with this and found a reliable fix?

[Nathan.P]

Yeah, I had the same with a Chrono Trigger cart back in the day. The save would get corrupted after a few cycles and it turned out the battery was fading. Replacing the battery fixed it for me.

[JosephW]

Opening a cart is risky but doable, and I would not rush to solder until you confirm the battery is dead; sometimes the issue is just corrosion on the contacts.

[ZacharyQS]

I cleaned the edge contacts with a little isopropyl and reseated the cartridge; it bought me months of clean saves.

[JosephTM]

I tried copying the save to another cart to test, but it didn’t really work and both saves got corrupted anyway.

[Chloe.G]

I’ve wondered if the problem could be the save RAM itself wearing out, not just the battery.

[Elizabeth41]

If you have another SNES or a fresh battery on hand, swapping it and testing could show if the battery is the culprit.

[Scott_R]

Do you think the trouble is really the battery, or could something else be triggering the corruption?