Can you purchase Game Saves? (buy a save file)

I am a casual gamer because I don't have a lot of free time at the moment. I only play my PS3 a few times a week, only for an hour usually. I've been thinking about getting a PS4, but realized I'd have to start all over on GTA IV!

Because I only play games a little bit, I wouldn't want to spend my gaming time re-playing something for weeks just to get back where I was.

Then I had a thought... do people sell Game Saves?

If I could spend $5-10 and get a save file that put me roughly in the same area of the story (I know lots of little details of the game would be different, which is fine) that would be totally worth it for me.

To be clear, I am not soliciting anyone for this service or any sort of transaction in these forums. I am just wondering if this concept is something that happens in the gaming community. I can't help but feel I am not the first person who would be interested in someone elses game save!

That's actually not a bad idea

Well, as far as PC saves go, you generally will be able to find them without having to pay anything. No clue as to whether or not such is available for console games, though.

Yeah, theres several websites with plenty of PC save game files that you can download from other users. As far as selling it? Thats probably very unlikely to happen. From user to user, involving money, gets into seriously gray legal areas considering the code generated to create those saved files have way more proprietary intellectual property content than original content. Companies would likely sue to either stop or demand sharing of profits.

If its endorsed by the gaming company and they provide a service/DLC for downloading a game save? It would likely cause a shitstorm of negative PR. I can already see the headlines: "Pay $5 For XXXX Game To Not Have To Play it!"

No. Probably not without modding the console.

PC games tend to have free saves available on most modding websites. And even then, many games have save file editing tools available, so you can just give yourself whatever you want.

Isn't this what programs like xploder and game genie have evolved into? I think they let you use other people's saves and activate exploits as well. I don't know about xploder but I think Game Genie is actually approved by Sony for use on their system...at least on the PS3. I don't know if they're actually working on PS4 version.

sounds like i might be able to find someone that would be willing to just send me a game save on some forum. there is probably a GTA forum just dedicated to that game that someone might be able to help me on.

(I imagine you can still transfer a save file on USB with a PS4?)

sounds like there isnt a real community for this particular thing at the moment

Don't most devs lock console game saves to the original player or make them untransferable nowadays? You're more or less screwed on consoles, especially PS4/X1 when it comes to using other people's saves, unless the dev allows it. I'm pretty sure someone is already working on an app or service of for downloading saves on new gen consoles. When it comes to technology, if you can think of it, someone else is probably already working on a way to do just that.

@HipHopBeats: you can still transfer game saves to USB drives on PS4. http://www.ign.com/wikis/playstation-4/How_to_Transfer_PS4_Saves

i guess the answer is just finding someone that has a save at around the same time in the story that would be willing to send me the file