Let’s just agree that 2020 was a very odd year, to say the least. Aside from the escalation of a global pandemic, plenty of unusual occurrences took place. There was an outbreak of wildfires, a taste of World War III, and WAP by Cardi B. No, what we really refer to here is the absolute unpredictability of popular games. A relatively obscure game like Among Us managed to take the world by storm within a few short weeks. And another twist, even more surprisingly, is when developer miHoYo released a AAA game for free. Genshin Impact sure made its mark on the world of gaming.
The free-to-play model isn’t new by any means. However, the scale of the open-world game, with physics and graphics borrowing heavily from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild, raises the bar significantly. The game, considered a weeb essential, uses gacha mechanics to encourage players to spend money to avoid grinding. The model works, apparently, since the PC/console/mobile game is extremely successful. What’s more, the developers maintain support for the game, adding content expansions and plot to the running story.
However, that doesn’t change the fact that Genshin Impact is far from perfect. The game has come under fire for its gacha-style consumerism, becoming extremely difficult without the purchasable boosts. Other than that, some note how the game requires a strong internet connection, and still experiences performance issues. Several errors also abound, potentially breaking the game if not resolved.
Players report encountering Genshin Impact Data Error when trying to launch the game
For the past few months, a common issue experienced by several players is the Genshin Impact Data Error. This bug often pops up when trying to load into their game. A long load time, unusually lengthy, often results in a System Notification bearing bad news. The news? An error code, usually something along the lines of ‘31-4302‘. This code is highly persistent, meaning it keeps recurring no matter how many times you try to log in. It seems to occur equally commonly across PC, console, and mobile versions.
Players facing the issue report long load times, often leading to the game itself crashing. In other instances, the error leads to the game unable to go online. That means all you can do is access menus, but miss out on all the gameplay. Understandably, players grow frustrated that the issue doesn’t have an automatic fix just yet. They expected miHoYo to have issued a patch or update by now to eliminate the Genshin Impact Data Error 31-4302.
hey mihoyo how can I fix this error? pic.twitter.com/ocyESI1fTB
— Dean. (@OkayDeanSiya) February 3, 2021
However, this isn’t an unreasonable expectation, since most developers address issues as the game continues. Considering the game is still relevant and popular, it is fair to assume a patch is due. Until then, we have compiled the most effective, reliable fixes known to resolve the Genshin Impact Data Error.
1) Restart your PC, console, or mobile device, and launch the game again
Like all computer systems, a gaming device is essentially a fast-working processor wrapped with special hardware. The computer essentially comprises countless complex processes, all working in tandem. However, it is always possible that a process starts up abnormally and gets a data bug. This can lead to the process malfunctioning, and overtime as the computer runs, others can go haywire too. When many processes fail to work correctly at once, you get a systemic error. This can ruin game performance, cause crashes, and lead to errors.
The fix? The tried-and-tested, age-old ‘turn it off and on again’ fix. Doing this cliched method actually works wonders. It kills off misbehaving processes, and corrupted data, and launches them properly. Restart your PC, console (avoiding Standby Mode), and your mobile phone. Then, launch Genshin Impact again.
2) On PS4, rebuild the game database
On the PS4, you get access to a useful tool the Xbox lacks. This is the ability to rebuild game databases, tucked away in the hidden advanced settings. To do this, power off your console completely (making sure to bypass the default Standby Mode). Then, hold down the Power button till you hear a distinct audio cue, indicating Safe Mode. From here, you can navigate to game settings. Look for rebuild game database.
This process works wonders and spares your saved game storage. It essentially repairs missing files in the game memory and reorganizes the HDD for your game. This ensures a smoother experience and optimized hardware to run your game, preventing Genshin Impact data errors.
3) Mobile players can clear their Genshin Impact cache
On Android phones, you have the ability to select any app installed, and manage its storage and memory settings. This includes the ability to clear caches. To do this, navigate to app settings, then head to the storage section. This should show you options to Clear Data (DO NOT SELECT THIS!) and Clear Cache. Choose the latter, unless you want to delete the entire game needlessly.
This process helps by deleting any residual, faulty or redundant data present in the game’s files. This often kills off bugs and helps keep things running smoothly. After this is done, relaunch your game.
4) For PC players, update your drivers to the latest versions
Making sure game drivers stay up-to-date is paramount for having an error-free gaming experience. Too many veteran players forget to check for new driver updates, missing out on performance optimizations, bug fixes, and improvements. Therefore, depending on if you have an Nvidia or AMD GPU, your sources will vary. Always check your driver sources regularly, as they can even contain a fix for a Genshin Impact Data Error.
For Nvidia GPUs, check the GeForce Experience app. For AMD cards, click here.
5) Reinstall the game
We get it – no one likes deleting and reinstalling a major game. While it certainly is easy and quick enough for a small app file, Genshin Impact is several GB in size on mobile. On the console and PC, it is even larger. This could take a significant amount of time depending on your internet bandwidth.
However, reinstalling your game becomes essential when issues arise in your game files themselves. Due to corrupted memory, missing files or an obsolete build of the game (make sure to update your game always!), these data errors may arise. Reinstalling will give you the latest version, delete buggy data caches and provide you with only fully-intact files. This will help resolve the Genshin Impact Data Error.