diff --git a/renderdoc/driver/d3d11/d3d11_context.cpp b/renderdoc/driver/d3d11/d3d11_context.cpp
index ce1d38547..7d833f76a 100644
--- a/renderdoc/driver/d3d11/d3d11_context.cpp
+++ b/renderdoc/driver/d3d11/d3d11_context.cpp
@@ -145,6 +145,7 @@ WrappedID3D11DeviceContext::WrappedID3D11DeviceContext(WrappedID3D11Device *real
   }
 
   m_ScratchSerialiser.SetUserData(GetResourceManager());
+  m_ScratchSerialiser.SetVersion(D3D11InitParams::CurrentVersion);
 
   m_SuccessfulCapture = true;
   m_FailureReason = CaptureSucceeded;
@@ -1109,6 +1110,7 @@ ReplayStatus WrappedID3D11DeviceContext::ReplayLog(CaptureState readType, uint32
 
   ser.SetStringDatabase(&m_StringDB);
   ser.SetUserData(GetResourceManager());
+  ser.SetVersion(m_pDevice->GetLogVersion());
 
   if(IsLoading(m_State) || IsStructuredExporting(m_State))
   {
diff --git a/renderdoc/driver/d3d11/d3d11_device.cpp b/renderdoc/driver/d3d11/d3d11_device.cpp
index 0ccbb14fa..aeffb049c 100644
--- a/renderdoc/driver/d3d11/d3d11_device.cpp
+++ b/renderdoc/driver/d3d11/d3d11_device.cpp
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ WrappedID3D11Device::WrappedID3D11Device(ID3D11Device *realDevice, D3D11InitPara
     flags |= WriteSerialiser::ChunkCallstack;
 
   m_ScratchSerialiser.SetChunkMetadataRecording(flags);
+  m_ScratchSerialiser.SetVersion(D3D11InitParams::CurrentVersion);
 
   m_StructuredFile = &m_StoredStructuredData;
 
@@ -983,6 +984,8 @@ ReplayStatus WrappedID3D11Device::ReadLogInitialisation(RDCFile *rdc, bool store
 
   m_StoredStructuredData.version = m_StructuredFile->version = m_SectionVersion;
 
+  ser.SetVersion(m_SectionVersion);
+
   int chunkIdx = 0;
 
   struct chunkinfo
diff --git a/renderdoc/driver/d3d12/d3d12_commands.cpp b/renderdoc/driver/d3d12/d3d12_commands.cpp
index 7c5e7c19d..863f1877f 100644
--- a/renderdoc/driver/d3d12/d3d12_commands.cpp
+++ b/renderdoc/driver/d3d12/d3d12_commands.cpp
@@ -533,6 +533,7 @@ ReplayStatus WrappedID3D12CommandQueue::ReplayLog(CaptureState readType, uint32_
 
   ser.SetStringDatabase(&m_StringDB);
   ser.SetUserData(GetResourceManager());
+  ser.SetVersion(m_pDevice->GetLogVersion());
 
   if(IsLoading(m_State) || IsStructuredExporting(m_State))
   {
diff --git a/renderdoc/driver/d3d12/d3d12_device.cpp b/renderdoc/driver/d3d12/d3d12_device.cpp
index cd5efb7b0..31d2bbb33 100644
--- a/renderdoc/driver/d3d12/d3d12_device.cpp
+++ b/renderdoc/driver/d3d12/d3d12_device.cpp
@@ -2059,8 +2059,8 @@ WriteSerialiser &WrappedID3D12Device::GetThreadSerialiser()
     flags |= WriteSerialiser::ChunkCallstack;
 
   ser->SetChunkMetadataRecording(flags);
-
   ser->SetUserData(GetResourceManager());
+  ser->SetVersion(D3D12InitParams::CurrentVersion);
 
   Threading::SetTLSValue(threadSerialiserTLSSlot, (void *)ser);
 
@@ -2522,6 +2522,8 @@ ReplayStatus WrappedID3D12Device::ReadLogInitialisation(RDCFile *rdc, bool store
 
   m_StoredStructuredData.version = m_StructuredFile->version = m_SectionVersion;
 
+  ser.SetVersion(m_SectionVersion);
+
   int chunkIdx = 0;
 
   struct chunkinfo
diff --git a/renderdoc/driver/d3d12/d3d12_device.h b/renderdoc/driver/d3d12/d3d12_device.h
index 153361666..08b924c0a 100644
--- a/renderdoc/driver/d3d12/d3d12_device.h
+++ b/renderdoc/driver/d3d12/d3d12_device.h
@@ -418,6 +418,7 @@ public:
     m_InitParams = params;
     m_SectionVersion = sectionVersion;
   }
+  uint64_t GetLogVersion() { return m_SectionVersion; }
   CaptureState GetState() { return m_State; }
   D3D12Replay *GetReplay() { return &m_Replay; }
   WrappedID3D12CommandQueue *GetQueue() { return m_Queue; }
diff --git a/renderdoc/driver/gl/gl_driver.cpp b/renderdoc/driver/gl/gl_driver.cpp
index 62ab8fee5..bd0712b5f 100644
--- a/renderdoc/driver/gl/gl_driver.cpp
+++ b/renderdoc/driver/gl/gl_driver.cpp
@@ -499,6 +499,7 @@ WrappedOpenGL::WrappedOpenGL(const GLHookSet &funcs, GLPlatform &platform)
     flags |= WriteSerialiser::ChunkCallstack;
 
   m_ScratchSerialiser.SetChunkMetadataRecording(flags);
+  m_ScratchSerialiser.SetVersion(GLInitParams::CurrentVersion);
 
   m_SectionVersion = GLInitParams::CurrentVersion;
 
@@ -2344,6 +2345,8 @@ ReplayStatus WrappedOpenGL::ReadLogInitialisation(RDCFile *rdc, bool storeStruct
 
   m_StoredStructuredData.version = m_StructuredFile->version = m_SectionVersion;
 
+  ser.SetVersion(m_SectionVersion);
+
   int chunkIdx = 0;
 
   struct chunkinfo
@@ -3931,6 +3934,7 @@ ReplayStatus WrappedOpenGL::ContextReplayLog(CaptureState readType, uint32_t sta
 
   ser.SetStringDatabase(&m_StringDB);
   ser.SetUserData(GetResourceManager());
+  ser.SetVersion(m_SectionVersion);
 
   SDFile *prevFile = m_StructuredFile;
 
diff --git a/renderdoc/driver/vulkan/vk_core.cpp b/renderdoc/driver/vulkan/vk_core.cpp
index 2f7564adf..8f1420440 100644
--- a/renderdoc/driver/vulkan/vk_core.cpp
+++ b/renderdoc/driver/vulkan/vk_core.cpp
@@ -458,6 +458,7 @@ WriteSerialiser &WrappedVulkan::GetThreadSerialiser()
 
   ser->SetChunkMetadataRecording(flags);
   ser->SetUserData(GetResourceManager());
+  ser->SetVersion(VkInitParams::CurrentVersion);
 
   Threading::SetTLSValue(threadSerialiserTLSSlot, (void *)ser);
 
@@ -1588,6 +1589,8 @@ ReplayStatus WrappedVulkan::ReadLogInitialisation(RDCFile *rdc, bool storeStruct
 
   m_StoredStructuredData.version = m_StructuredFile->version = m_SectionVersion;
 
+  ser.SetVersion(m_SectionVersion);
+
   int chunkIdx = 0;
 
   struct chunkinfo
@@ -1711,6 +1714,7 @@ ReplayStatus WrappedVulkan::ContextReplayLog(CaptureState readType, uint32_t sta
 
   ser.SetStringDatabase(&m_StringDB);
   ser.SetUserData(GetResourceManager());
+  ser.SetVersion(m_SectionVersion);
 
   SDFile *prevFile = m_StructuredFile;
 
diff --git a/renderdoc/serialise/serialiser.h b/renderdoc/serialise/serialiser.h
index 0ce6ebd19..74f78d5b6 100644
--- a/renderdoc/serialise/serialiser.h
+++ b/renderdoc/serialise/serialiser.h
@@ -126,6 +126,12 @@ public:
   // jumps to the byte after the current chunk, can be called any time after BeginChunk
   void SkipCurrentChunk();
 
+  //////////////////////////////////////////
+  // Version checking
+
+  void SetVersion(uint64_t version) { m_Version = version; }
+  // assume that we always write the latest version, so on writing the version check always passes.
+  bool VersionCheck(uint64_t req) { return IsWriting() || m_Version >= req; }
   // enable 'streaming mode' for ephemeral transfers like temporary I/O over sockets, where there's
   // no need for the chunk length - avoids needing to seek internally in a stream that might not
   // support seeking to fixup lengths, while also not requiring conservative length estimates
@@ -1566,6 +1572,7 @@ private:
   }
 
   void *m_pUserData = NULL;
+  uint64_t m_Version;
 
   uint64_t m_StructArg = 0;