diff --git a/apps/essimporter/importer.cpp b/apps/essimporter/importer.cpp
index c610224b33..3fac21ec8b 100644
--- a/apps/essimporter/importer.cpp
+++ b/apps/essimporter/importer.cpp
@@ -373,7 +373,7 @@ namespace ESSImport
         profile.mInGameTime.mMonth = context.mMonth;
         profile.mInGameTime.mYear = context.mYear;
         profile.mTimePlayed = 0;
-        profile.mPlayerCell = ESM::RefId::stringRefId(header.mGameData.mCurrentCell.toString());
+        profile.mPlayerCellName = context.mPlayerCellName;
         if (context.mPlayerBase.mClass == "NEWCLASSID_CHARGEN")
             profile.mPlayerClassName = context.mCustomPlayerClassName;
         else
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwgui/savegamedialog.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwgui/savegamedialog.cpp
index 595591a78b..1e963a0348 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwgui/savegamedialog.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwgui/savegamedialog.cpp
@@ -414,7 +414,7 @@ namespace MWGui
         text << Misc::fileTimeToString(mCurrentSlot->mTimeStamp, "%Y.%m.%d %T") << "\n";
 
         text << "#{sLevel} " << mCurrentSlot->mProfile.mPlayerLevel << "\n";
-        text << "#{sCell=" << mCurrentSlot->mProfile.mPlayerCell << "}\n";
+        text << "#{sCell=" << mCurrentSlot->mProfile.mPlayerCellName << "}\n";
 
         int hour = int(mCurrentSlot->mProfile.mInGameTime.mGameHour);
         bool pm = hour >= 12;
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwstate/statemanagerimp.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwstate/statemanagerimp.cpp
index b4da73c9da..8718b7853c 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwstate/statemanagerimp.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwstate/statemanagerimp.cpp
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ void MWState::StateManager::saveGame(const std::string& description, const Slot*
         else
             profile.mPlayerClassId = classId;
 
-        profile.mPlayerCell = ESM::RefId::stringRefId(world.getCellName());
+        profile.mPlayerCellName = world.getCellName();
         profile.mInGameTime = world.getEpochTimeStamp();
         profile.mTimePlayed = mTimePlayed;
         profile.mDescription = description;
diff --git a/components/esm3/formatversion.hpp b/components/esm3/formatversion.hpp
index 9ef945d14d..2824ced3ec 100644
--- a/components/esm3/formatversion.hpp
+++ b/components/esm3/formatversion.hpp
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@ namespace ESM
     inline constexpr FormatVersion MaxOldCreatureStatsFormatVersion = 19;
     inline constexpr FormatVersion MaxLimitedSizeStringsFormatVersion = 22;
     inline constexpr FormatVersion MaxStringRefIdFormatVersion = 23;
-    inline constexpr FormatVersion CurrentSaveGameFormatVersion = 24;
+    inline constexpr FormatVersion MaxSavedGameCellNameAsRefId = 24;
+    inline constexpr FormatVersion CurrentSaveGameFormatVersion = 25;
 }
 
 #endif
diff --git a/components/esm3/savedgame.cpp b/components/esm3/savedgame.cpp
index add3df02b3..1cf0ea033c 100644
--- a/components/esm3/savedgame.cpp
+++ b/components/esm3/savedgame.cpp
@@ -13,7 +13,10 @@ namespace ESM
         mPlayerClassId = esm.getHNORefId("PLCL");
         mPlayerClassName = esm.getHNOString("PLCN");
 
-        mPlayerCell = esm.getHNRefId("PLCE");
+        if (esm.getFormatVersion() <= ESM::MaxSavedGameCellNameAsRefId)
+            mPlayerCellName = esm.getHNRefId("PLCE").toString();
+        else
+            mPlayerCellName = esm.getHNString("PLCE");
         esm.getHNTSized<16>(mInGameTime, "TSTM");
         esm.getHNT(mTimePlayed, "TIME");
         mDescription = esm.getHNString("DESC");
@@ -37,7 +40,7 @@ namespace ESM
         else
             esm.writeHNString("PLCN", mPlayerClassName);
 
-        esm.writeHNRefId("PLCE", mPlayerCell);
+        esm.writeHNString("PLCE", mPlayerCellName);
         esm.writeHNT("TSTM", mInGameTime, 16);
         esm.writeHNT("TIME", mTimePlayed);
         esm.writeHNString("DESC", mDescription);
diff --git a/components/esm3/savedgame.hpp b/components/esm3/savedgame.hpp
index fb946742f3..0777b2498b 100644
--- a/components/esm3/savedgame.hpp
+++ b/components/esm3/savedgame.hpp
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ namespace ESM
         // Name of the class. When using a custom class, the ID is not really meaningful prior
         // to loading the savegame, so the name is stored separately.
         std::string mPlayerClassName;
-
-        ESM::RefId mPlayerCell;
+        // Name of the cell. Note that this is not an ID.
+        std::string mPlayerCellName;
         EpochTimeStamp mInGameTime;
         double mTimePlayed;
         std::string mDescription;