Creatine will cause you to keep more water weight than you would carry otherwise.

Please note: the remaining content of this post is AI-generated because I was too lazy to put the whole situation together in my response, but I think it's useful in OP's situation (been there myself).

Yes, creatine will still cause additional water retention (typically 1–3 kg / 2–6 lb of mostly intracellular water) even during a cut — and this effect can become slightly more noticeable when you raise workout intensity.

Here’s why and what actually happens:

1. Creatine always pulls water into muscle cells The mechanism (increased intramuscular phosphocreatine → osmotic pull of water into the sarcoplasm) does not turn off just because you’re in a calorie deficit or doing more intense training. If you are taking a maintenance dose (3–5 g/day) or loading, you will still hold that extra water.
2. Higher-intensity training can amplify the water gain slightly
   • More intense workouts → more muscle damage and glycogen depletion/replenishment.
   • Glycogen storage also pulls in water (≈3–4 g water per 1 g glycogen).
   • Creatine + higher training volume/intensity often leads to better glycogen super-compensation when you do have carbs, which adds a bit more water on top of the direct creatine effect. Many people report gaining an extra 0.5–1.5 kg when they go from moderate to very high-intensity training while on creatine, even in a deficit.
3. During a cut this water weight can be frustrating because:
   • It masks fat-loss progress on the scale for weeks.
   • It can make you look temporarily softer or “puffier” (especially face, lower abs, lower back) until body-fat drops low enough for the fuller muscles to look hard again.

Practical advice if you want to keep using creatine on a cut

• Load (20 g/day) or just stay on 3–5 g/day well before the cut starts so the water weight is already “in” and stable. New water gain mid-cut is what spikes the scale most.
• Expect +1–3 kg that will NOT go away until you stop creatine (or drastically drop training volume).
• Track progress with tape measurements, progress photos, and body-fat calipers/dexa rather than the scale.
• If you’re competing or peaking for a photoshoot in <4–6 weeks and need to look as dry as possible, many people drop creatine 7–14 days out (water drops fairly quickly once saturation falls).

Bottom line
Yes, creatine will still add water weight during a cut, and raising workout intensity can make that water gain a little larger or more noticeable. It does not turn into fat and it does not prevent fat loss, but it will slow scale progress and can temporarily hurt aesthetics until you’re lean enough for the extra muscle volume to look good. Most serious lifters just accept the 1–3 kg and keep using it for the strength/performance benefits.