diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwgui/savegamedialog.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwgui/savegamedialog.cpp
index 967bb23919..4957789ffd 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwgui/savegamedialog.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwgui/savegamedialog.cpp
@@ -198,12 +198,11 @@ namespace MWGui
                       << MyGUI::TextIterator::toTagsString(MyGUI::UString(className)) << ")";
 
                 const MyGUI::UString playerDesc = MyGUI::LanguageManager::getInstance().replaceTags(title.str());
-                mCharacterSelection->addItem(playerDesc, signature.mPlayerName);
+                mCharacterSelection->addItem(playerDesc, &*it);
 
                 if (mCurrentCharacter == &*it
                     || (!mCurrentCharacter && !mSaving
-                        && Misc::StringUtils::ciEqual(
-                            directory, Files::pathToUnicodeString(it->begin()->mPath.parent_path().filename()))))
+                        && Misc::StringUtils::ciEqual(directory, Files::pathToUnicodeString(it->getPath().filename()))))
                 {
                     mCurrentCharacter = &*it;
                     selectedIndex = mCharacterSelection->getItemCount() - 1;
@@ -211,6 +210,11 @@ namespace MWGui
             }
         }
 
+        if (selectedIndex == MyGUI::ITEM_NONE && !mSaving && mCharacterSelection->getItemCount() != 0)
+        {
+            selectedIndex = 0;
+            mCurrentCharacter = *mCharacterSelection->getItemDataAt<const MWState::Character*>(0);
+        }
         mCharacterSelection->setIndexSelected(selectedIndex);
         if (selectedIndex == MyGUI::ITEM_NONE)
             mCharacterSelection->setCaptionWithReplacing("#{OMWEngine:SelectCharacter}");
@@ -322,16 +326,7 @@ namespace MWGui
 
     void SaveGameDialog::onCharacterSelected(MyGUI::ComboBox* sender, size_t pos)
     {
-        MWBase::StateManager* mgr = MWBase::Environment::get().getStateManager();
-
-        unsigned int i = 0;
-        const MWState::Character* character = nullptr;
-        for (MWBase::StateManager::CharacterIterator it = mgr->characterBegin(); it != mgr->characterEnd(); ++it, ++i)
-        {
-            if (i == pos)
-                character = &*it;
-        }
-        assert(character && "Can't find selected character");
+        const MWState::Character* character = *mCharacterSelection->getItemDataAt<const MWState::Character*>(pos);
 
         mCurrentCharacter = character;
         mCurrentSlot = nullptr;
@@ -402,7 +397,7 @@ namespace MWGui
             mSaveNameEdit->setCaption(sender->getItemNameAt(pos));
 
         mCurrentSlot = nullptr;
-        unsigned int i = 0;
+        size_t i = 0;
         for (MWState::Character::SlotIterator it = mCurrentCharacter->begin(); it != mCurrentCharacter->end();
              ++it, ++i)
         {
@@ -416,8 +411,9 @@ namespace MWGui
 
         const size_t profileIndex = mCharacterSelection->getIndexSelected();
         const std::string& slotPlayerName = mCurrentSlot->mProfile.mPlayerName;
-        const std::string& profilePlayerName = *mCharacterSelection->getItemDataAt<std::string>(profileIndex);
-        if (slotPlayerName != profilePlayerName)
+        const ESM::SavedGame& profileSavedGame
+            = (*mCharacterSelection->getItemDataAt<const MWState::Character*>(profileIndex))->getSignature();
+        if (slotPlayerName != profileSavedGame.mPlayerName)
             text << slotPlayerName << "\n";
 
         text << "#{OMWEngine:Level} " << mCurrentSlot->mProfile.mPlayerLevel << "\n";
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwstate/character.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwstate/character.cpp
index 3c02311458..22d7e7ba1e 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwstate/character.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwstate/character.cpp
@@ -18,14 +18,25 @@ bool MWState::operator<(const Slot& left, const Slot& right)
     return left.mTimeStamp < right.mTimeStamp;
 }
 
-std::string MWState::getFirstGameFile(const std::vector<std::string>& contentFiles)
+bool MWState::operator<(const Character& left, const Character& right)
+{
+    if (left.mSlots.empty() && right.mSlots.empty())
+        return left.mPath < right.mPath;
+    else if (left.mSlots.empty())
+        return false;
+    else if (right.mSlots.empty())
+        return true;
+    return right.mSlots.back() < left.mSlots.back();
+}
+
+std::string_view MWState::getFirstGameFile(const std::vector<std::string>& contentFiles)
 {
     for (const std::string& c : contentFiles)
     {
         if (Misc::StringUtils::ciEndsWith(c, ".esm") || Misc::StringUtils::ciEndsWith(c, ".omwgame"))
             return c;
     }
-    return "";
+    return {};
 }
 
 void MWState::Character::addSlot(const std::filesystem::path& path, const std::string& game)
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwstate/character.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwstate/character.hpp
index 3c68d9f490..4e51301bba 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwstate/character.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwstate/character.hpp
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #define GAME_STATE_CHARACTER_H
 
 #include <filesystem>
+#include <string_view>
 
 #include <components/esm3/savedgame.hpp>
 
@@ -14,9 +15,7 @@ namespace MWState
         std::filesystem::file_time_type mTimeStamp;
     };
 
-    bool operator<(const Slot& left, const Slot& right);
-
-    std::string getFirstGameFile(const std::vector<std::string>& contentFiles);
+    std::string_view getFirstGameFile(const std::vector<std::string>& contentFiles);
 
     class Character
     {
@@ -63,7 +62,12 @@ namespace MWState
         ///< Return signature information for this character.
         ///
         /// \attention This function must not be called if there are no slots.
+
+        friend bool operator<(const Character& left, const Character& right);
     };
+
+    bool operator<(const Slot& left, const Slot& right);
+    bool operator<(const Character& left, const Character& right);
 }
 
 #endif
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwstate/charactermanager.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwstate/charactermanager.cpp
index 32f0fe0aef..6d2583776b 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwstate/charactermanager.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwstate/charactermanager.cpp
@@ -18,10 +18,8 @@ MWState::CharacterManager::CharacterManager(std::filesystem::path saves, const s
     }
     else
     {
-        for (std::filesystem::directory_iterator iter(mPath); iter != std::filesystem::directory_iterator(); ++iter)
+        for (const std::filesystem::path& characterDir : std::filesystem::directory_iterator(mPath))
         {
-            std::filesystem::path characterDir = *iter;
-
             if (std::filesystem::is_directory(characterDir))
             {
                 Character character(characterDir, mGame);
@@ -30,6 +28,7 @@ MWState::CharacterManager::CharacterManager(std::filesystem::path saves, const s
                     mCharacters.push_back(character);
             }
         }
+        mCharacters.sort();
     }
 }