How to Back Up Game Saves Properly Across PC and Console
Cloud saves cover less than you think. Here's where saves actually live, what isn't backed up, and a setup that takes ten minutes.
The short answer
Platform cloud saves do not cover every game — many titles, particularly older ones, modded installs and games from smaller storefronts, save only to local folders that nothing backs up. On PC, saves live in three common locations: the Documents folder, AppData Roaming or Local, and inside the game's own install directory. Copying those three locations to cloud storage covers almost everything.
Verified and last updated August 12, 2026.
- Time needed
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Read time
- 3 min
The moment you find out your saves were not backed up is the moment you needed them, which is the worst possible time.
Cloud saves cover a lot. They do not cover everything, and the gap is invisible until it matters.
What cloud saves miss
Cloud support is opt-in per game. Older titles, smaller releases, anything from a storefront without a cloud system, and most modded saves are not covered. You will not be told which of your games these are.
Step 1: The three places PC saves live
To find a specific game's saves, search your user folder for the game or studio name. It takes about a minute and usually resolves immediately.
The install-directory case is the dangerous one, because verifying game files or reinstalling can delete saves stored there. Those are the games to back up first.
Step 2: Automate it in ten minutes
Create one folder in your cloud storage called Game Saves 1 min
Anywhere synced. The specific service does not matter.
Copy the three main locations into it 10 min
Documents, AppData Roaming, AppData Local. Yes, this copies more than just saves. Storage is cheap and completeness is the point — you cannot know in advance which game will break.
Schedule it to repeat 5 min
A weekly scheduled task running a simple copy script, or a dedicated backup tool. The point is that it happens without you remembering.
Test a restore once 10 min
Copy a save back and confirm the game loads it. An untested backup is a hope, not a backup, and this is the step everyone skips.
Step 3: What cloud saves do not cover
Games that never implemented it. No indication in the interface. You find out when you reinstall.
Modded saves. Often excluded from cloud sync, and dependent on the exact mod set. Back up your mod list alongside the save — otherwise the save is useless even when you still have it.
Conflicts. Playing on two machines and letting the cloud resolve which save is newer occasionally resolves it wrongly. If you play the same game on two machines, close it fully and let sync complete before switching.
Deletions. Cloud sync propagates deletions. A save deleted or corrupted locally can be deleted in the cloud too, which is why sync is not the same thing as a backup.
Consoles
Cloud saves are tied to the platform's subscription. Let it lapse and access to stored saves ends after a grace period.
Both major consoles support copying saves to USB storage. That is the reliable route, it costs the price of a memory stick, and it is the thing to do before any factory reset or console replacement.
What works
What doesn't
Key takeaways
Frequently asked questions
Doesn't Steam Cloud handle this already?
For games that implement it, yes, and that is a large number but far from all of them. Cloud support is opt-in per game, so older titles, smaller releases and anything from a storefront without a cloud system are not covered. Modded saves are frequently excluded too. The gap is invisible until you need the backup, which is exactly the wrong time to discover it.
Where are PC game saves stored?
Three places cover most of them. The Documents folder, often in a My Games subfolder; AppData Roaming or AppData Local, which is hidden by default; and occasionally the game's own installation directory, which is the worst case because verifying or reinstalling the game can wipe it. Searching your user folder for the game's name usually finds it in under a minute.
Can I move saves to a new PC?
Usually yes, by copying the save folder to the same location on the new machine. Some games tie saves to a user or hardware identifier and will not accept a copied file, which is uncommon but does happen. Test with one game before assuming your whole library will transfer, and keep the original machine intact until you have confirmed it.
How do console saves work?
Console cloud saves are generally tied to the platform's subscription service, so if you let the subscription lapse you may lose access to the stored saves after a grace period. Both major consoles also support copying saves to USB storage, which is the reliable route and costs nothing beyond a memory stick. Do that before any factory reset.
What about modded game saves?
Modded saves are the most fragile category, because they depend on the exact set of mods and versions being present. A save from a modded profile often will not load without those exact mods, and cloud systems frequently exclude modded save directories entirely. Back up the mod list alongside the save, otherwise the save is useless even when you still have it.
About the author
PC Hardware & Performance Editor
Marcus has been building, breaking and repairing gaming PCs since 2011, first as a weekend favour for friends and then for eight years as a bench technician at an independent repair shop in Portland, where roughly a third of the job was diagnosing machines that "ran fine yesterday".
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