diff --git a/dCommon/ZoneFile.cpp b/dCommon/ZoneFile.cpp
index a1c95f1c9..3efdf63a8 100644
--- a/dCommon/ZoneFile.cpp
+++ b/dCommon/ZoneFile.cpp
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 #include <algorithm>
 #include <cctype>
 #include <istream>
+#include <stdexcept>
+#include <string>
 
 #include "BinaryIO.h"
 #include "Game.h"
@@ -10,6 +12,10 @@
 
 void ZoneFile::ReadHeader(std::istream& file) {
 	BinaryIO::BinaryRead(file, fileFormatVersion);
+	// Before PrePreAlpha a scene is only its ID, with no file to load it from (LuzReader::ReadScenes)
+	if (fileFormatVersion < FileFormatVersion::PrePreAlpha) {
+		throw std::runtime_error("Zone file version " + std::to_string(static_cast<uint32_t>(fileFormatVersion)) + " is older than " + std::to_string(static_cast<uint32_t>(FileFormatVersion::PrePreAlpha)) + ": its scenes have no files");
+	}
 
 	if (fileFormatVersion >= FileFormatVersion::Alpha) BinaryIO::BinaryRead(file, mapRevision);
 
@@ -68,10 +74,8 @@ void ZoneFile::ReadScene(std::istream& file) {
 
 	BinaryIO::ReadString<uint8_t>(file, scene.filename, BinaryIO::ReadType::String);
 
-	if (fileFormatVersion >= FileFormatVersion::LatePreAlpha || fileFormatVersion < FileFormatVersion::PrePreAlpha) {
-		BinaryIO::BinaryRead(file, scene.id);
-	}
 	if (fileFormatVersion >= FileFormatVersion::LatePreAlpha) {
+		BinaryIO::BinaryRead(file, scene.id);
 		BinaryIO::BinaryRead(file, scene.sceneType);
 
 		BinaryIO::ReadString<uint8_t>(file, scene.name, BinaryIO::ReadType::String);
diff --git a/tests/dCommonTests/ZoneFileTests.cpp b/tests/dCommonTests/ZoneFileTests.cpp
index 1b60a06ee..739efd7fb 100644
--- a/tests/dCommonTests/ZoneFileTests.cpp
+++ b/tests/dCommonTests/ZoneFileTests.cpp
@@ -138,6 +138,16 @@ TEST(ZoneFileTests, LateAlphaSceneCountIsAU32) {
 	EXPECT_EQ(zone.zoneRawPath, "zone.raw");
 }
 
+// Before version 30 a scene is only an ID, with no file to load
+TEST(ZoneFileTests, VersionsBeforePrePreAlphaThrow) {
+	ZoneBytes w;
+	w.Put<uint32_t>(20).Put<uint32_t>(53).Put<uint8_t>(1).Put<uint32_t>(53).Put<uint8_t>(0).Text(".raw");
+	std::istringstream stream(w.data);
+	ZoneFile zone;
+	EXPECT_THROW(zone.Read(stream), std::runtime_error);
+	EXPECT_TRUE(zone.scenes.empty());
+}
+
 TEST(ZoneFileTests, ShortFilesThrowOrFail) {
 	const auto zone = SampleZone();
 	for (const size_t length : { size_t{ 3 }, size_t{ 40 }, zone.size() / 2, zone.size() - 1 }) {