Async Load Asset — load a soft reference asynchronously without blocking

Bind to 'Completed' delegate to handle loaded asset. Cast the loaded Object to your type. Use Soft Object References (not hard refs) for large assets to avoid loading everything upfront.

Save and load game data with SaveGame class

Save: CreateSaveGameObject(MySaveGameClass) → Cast → SET variables → SaveGameToSlot(Object, SlotName, 0). Load: DoesSaveGameExist(SlotName, 0) → Branch → True: LoadGameFromSlot(SlotName, 0) → Cast to MySaveGame → GET variables. Put save/load logic in GameInstance for persistence across levels.

Save and load player data using SaveGame blueprint

SAVE pattern: EventBeginPlay or custom → CreateSaveGameObject(SaveGameClass=BP_SaveGame) → CastTo<BP_SaveGame> → Set all variables on cast result → SaveGameToSlot(SaveGameObject=cast result, SlotName='SaveSlot1', UserIndex=0). LOAD pattern: DoesSaveGameExist(SlotName='SaveSlot1', UserIndex=0) → Branch → True → LoadGameFromSlot(SlotName='SaveSlot1', UserIndex=0) → IsValid → Is Valid → CastTo<BP_SaveGame> → read variables. Key pins: SaveGameToSlot inputs 'SaveGameObject' (SaveGame), 'SlotName' (string), 'UserIndex' (int). LoadGameFromSlot inputs 'SlotName' (string), 'UserIndex' (int), output 'ReturnValue' (SaveGame).

OpenLevel — load a level by name

UGameplayStatics::OpenLevel. Use OpenLevelBySoftObjectPtr for asset references.

LoadGameFromSlot — load game data from named slot

Returns nullptr if slot doesn't exist. Always check DoesSaveGameExist first.

OpenLevel — load a new level by name

bAbsolute=true reloads from scratch. LevelName is the map asset name without path.

Level transition with loading screen

Pattern: CreateWidget(WBP_LoadingScreen) → AddToViewport(ZOrder=100) → LoadStreamLevel or OpenLevel(NewMapName). For async: AsyncLoadLevel → OnCompleted → RemoveFromParent(LoadingWidget). Store persistent data in GameInstance before transition. Use Seamless Travel for multiplayer.

Level transition: save data then open new level

Pattern: custom trigger or UI button → [save player data to SaveSlot] → OpenLevel(LevelName='Level_02', bAbsolute=true, Options=''). For loading screen: SetGlobalTimeDilation(0.001) briefly while level loads (freeze world), or use AsyncLoadLevel with progress callback. Key: OpenLevel is in GameplayStatics. 'LevelName' is the map asset name (not full path). bAbsolute=true discards current level completely. Options string can pass params like '?GameMode=BP_GM'.

LoadGameFromSlot — load a SaveGame from disk

Returns null if slot doesn't exist. Always check IsValid before using the result.

GetCurrentLevelName — get the name of the currently loaded level