'Pokémon Sun and Moon' Glitch: Save issue could ruin your game, but the solution is simple

Pokémon glitches have been around since Red and Blue launched in 1998, but an alleged Pokémon Sun and Moon glitch really has players freaking out. Thankfully, it turns out the "save glitch" is only affecting cheaters, so if you're just playing the regular game as intended you should be fine.

Still worried about the Pokémon Sun and Moon glitch? Here's everything you need to know to avoid it.

Pokémon Sun and Moon glitch: What is it?

The glitch in question kicks in when players save the game while inside a Pokémon Center or in some parts of the Battle Tree — that's why players call it the "save glitch." If you get affected, you may be forced to restart the game entirely.

Here's an example of the Pokémon Sun and Moon save glitch in action:

When the game is reloaded, the player's character is gone, essentially making it impossible to continue. That's a pretty frustrating glitch, but there's an easy way to avoid it.

Pokémon Sun and Moon glitch: Why does it happen?

It turns out that the "save glitch" isn't a glitch at all. Instead, it's a nasty side effect of using PKHex, an unofficial save editing tool that lets you trick the game to find better Pokémon. The program's creator even confirmed the issue on Twitter, calling out players who complained about the Pokémon Sun and Moon glitch.

In a follow-up tweet to Kotaku, PKHex creator Kaphotics confirmed that the "save glitch" was a known issue with the program. An update on Nov. 18 actually fixed the problem, so if you're running the latest version of PKHex you should be safe.

Anyone using the save-editing cheat can also simply revert to a point in the game before the Pokémon Sun and Moon glitch occurred. So there's really nothing to worry about, but if you're feeling paranoid the best solution is to simply avoid PKHex — and any other cheats — entirely.

Pokémon Sun and Moon: Everything you need to know

If you're serious about Pokémon Sun and Moon, you'll want to read up so you can be the best. Check out our guides for picking the right starter, Pokémon Sun and Moon cheats, using a damage calculator, how to catch the new legendary Pokémon, how to get Munchlax, how to customize your character, how to trade, how  to find all the evolution stones, how to use QR codes and picking between Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon.