diff --git a/source/duke3d/src/menus.cpp b/source/duke3d/src/menus.cpp
index c7b0fcd36..7a9c9283a 100644
--- a/source/duke3d/src/menus.cpp
+++ b/source/duke3d/src/menus.cpp
@@ -4191,13 +4191,13 @@ int Menu_Change(MenuID_t cm)
 
 
 
-void G_CheckPlayerColor(int32_t *color, int32_t prev_color)
+int G_CheckPlayerColor(int color)
 {
     for (int i : MEOSV_PLAYER_COLOR)
-        if (*color == i)
-            return;
+        if (i == color)
+            return color;
 
-    *color = prev_color;
+    return -1;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/source/duke3d/src/menus.h b/source/duke3d/src/menus.h
index 649c0b368..9729512ae 100644
--- a/source/duke3d/src/menus.h
+++ b/source/duke3d/src/menus.h
@@ -461,7 +461,7 @@ extern int32_t voting;
 int Menu_Change(int32_t cm);
 void Menu_AnimateChange(int32_t cm, MenuAnimationType_t animtype);
 int32_t Menu_IsTextInput(Menu_t *cm);
-void G_CheckPlayerColor(int32_t *color,int32_t prev_color);
+int G_CheckPlayerColor(int color);
 void Menu_Init(void);
 void Menu_Open(uint8_t playerID);
 void Menu_Close(uint8_t playerID);
diff --git a/source/duke3d/src/osdcmds.cpp b/source/duke3d/src/osdcmds.cpp
index 85050d7d0..d02bdc2f3 100644
--- a/source/duke3d/src/osdcmds.cpp
+++ b/source/duke3d/src/osdcmds.cpp
@@ -1544,7 +1544,7 @@ static int32_t osdcmd_cvar_set_game(osdfuncparm_t const * const parm)
     }
     else if (!Bstrcasecmp(parm->name, "color"))
     {
-        G_CheckPlayerColor((int32_t *)&ud.color,-1);
+        ud.color = G_CheckPlayerColor(ud.color);
         g_player[0].ps->palookup = g_player[0].pcolor = ud.color;
     }
     else if (!Bstrcasecmp(parm->name, "osdscale"))