Resident Evil 7 has two separate save systems that can make it confusing to tell exactly when your game is saved. The checkpoint system uses an autosave function to save your game at certain parts automatically. However, there is also a save points system which can be activated by visiting the Cassette Recorders you find scattered throughout various areas of the game. To make things even less clear, how many checkpoints you get in each game is influenced by which difficulty you select.

Below is our guide on how to save in Resident Evil 7, and how to tell when the game is autosaving.

Checkpoints

At certain times, Resident Evil 7 will autosave your game. There is only one autosave slot, so at any given time you can only select from the most recent autosave. There’s no cue as to when the game is autosaving except for a small rotating icon in the upper right of the screen.

Additionally, the higher difficulty you play on, the less often you’ll receive checkpoints. A rule of thumb, at least on Normal Difficulty, is that the game will autosave before and after every major event. So boss fights, discovering essential items, making it to a save room, and entering new areas all usually trigger a checkpoint.

Saving at Cassette Recorders

When you want to choose when to save in Resident Evil 7, you can visit a Cassette Recorder. Rooms that contain Cassette Recorders are safe, and almost always also include an item box. When saving via Cassette Recorder, you can select multiple save slots, and this method is the only way to keep a save with a position of your choosing.

In Easy and Normal Mode Difficulties, you can save an unlimited amount of times at Cassette Recorders. However, on Madhouse Mode difficulty, you must discover Cassette Tapes to use with the Cassette Recorder to save. There is a limited amount of Cassette Tapes scattered throughout the game in Madhouse Mode, so you’ll have to use discretion when choosing when and where to save.

For more on Resident Evil 7, take a look at our First Aid and Weapons Guides. If you want to get the best experience possible with Resident Evil 7, make sure to check out our walkthrough and guide hub for more info.