Plants vs. Zombies: Game of the Year – How to Fix “Failed Reading File” Error (2024)

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This will delete your previous save game data, so be warned you will need to create a new save game after this fix. If you open the game and you get the error message “Failed reading file”, this guide will help you to get the game working again.

 

READ FIRST!

1. This fix will delete your previous PvZ save data and disable cloud saving for PvZ! You will be required to start a new game save after this fix and will not be able to create saves to the Steam Cloud (ONLY for PvZ), but your new local machine saves will work.

2. This is a guide for Windows, as I’m unsure if this error occurs on Mac &/or Linux. If it does, follow the first step. The second step will have you navigate to a separate file path, but should be wherever your steam userdata is located on your device. Please let me know in the comments if you encounter this error on a Mac/Linux device and the fix works, so I can update the guide for Mac/Linux users.

STEP 1: Turn off Steam Cloud for PvZ

Right click “Plants vs. Zombies” in your library and select “Properties”.

Next, you’ll navigate to “General” on the left-tab, and slide the “Keep game saves in the steam cloud for Plants vs. Zombies” to the off position (gray).

STEP 2: Delete the “Remote” Folder on your PC

On Windows, open up File Explorer and navigate to the following directory:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\<your user id>\3590

You should now see a folder named “Remote” and a VDF file named “remotecache.vdf”. All you need to do is select the “Remote” folder and delete it. That can be done either by selecting the folder and then “Delete” in the top ribbon of File Explorer, or you can right click the folder and select “Delete”.

STEP 3: Success!

You should now be able to load Plants vs. Zombies without the error coming up! It will require you to create a new profile/game save, but at least you can now play Plants vs. Zombies. Your future saves should be fine on the same machine, as long as you keep Steam Cloud disabled for this game.

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