Storing your game files locally can be quite risky. With the possibility of sudden power failures, malfunctioning drives, corrupted files, or even an accidental spill, there are numerous ways your saved data could vanish, along with all your hard-earned progress. Just like you back up your essential documents, it’s crucial to also safeguard your PC games for the unforeseen events that may occur.
Fortunately, we’re in a time filled with cloud saving options, offering multiple services to help secure your data. Game platforms like Steam and Epic Games Store provide methods to backup your save files or even the entire game. Here’s how to activate cloud saves and how to back up and recover your games.
How to Activate Cloud Saves
Downloading a game’s files is virtually always possible, but your save files are irreplaceable. If you don’t have backups, there’s no way to retrieve a garage loaded with GTA V cars that took you countless hours to acquire and customize—unless you’re prepared to start from the beginning. Luckily, all major gaming clients usually handle most of this for you.
By default, gaming platforms can back up your configurations, saves, and additional data to their specific cloud services. These features are typically enabled automatically, but it’s a good idea to verify them in the following areas:
- Steam: Go to Steam > Settings > Cloud and ensure that Enable Steam Cloud is enabled. Additionally, you can right-click on any game, select Properties, and make sure Keep game saves in the Steam Cloud for [game] is turned on under the General tab.
- Epic Games Store: Click your profile, then choose Settings. Under Preferences, ensure that Enable Cloud Saves is checked.
- GOG Galaxy: Click the gear icon located in the upper-left corner and navigate to Settings > Game Features, then confirm that the Cloud Saves option is enabled.
- Ubisoft Connect: Click on the hamburger menu, go to Settings > General, and check the box for Enable cloud save synchronization for supported games.
- EA App: The new EA app has less customization compared to Origin. Only certain games are compatible with cloud saves, and there are no settings in the app to manage this feature, so you might consider a third-party solution.
- Xbox App: Games that support Xbox cloud saves have this feature enabled automatically and there’s no option to toggle it on or off. To check if a game supports cloud saves, refer to its store page and look for the Xbox cloud saves indicator under Details > Capabilities.
How to Back Up Your Game Saves Manually
Save files typically occupy minimal space, so you can also back them up personally. You might need to search for the specific game to determine its save file location. For example, games that use Steam’s cloud saves might place them in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\Userdata. Other games may store their files in Documents—look for a folder named after the game or its publisher, or in My Games. Some titles might even hide their saves in your user’s %APPDATA% directory.
Once you locate all your save files, simply copy those folders to your backup drive for safekeeping. Ideally, you should utilize a backup tool that automates this process regularly, whether it’s the built-in File History on Windows or Time Machine for macOS. A dedicated cloud backup service may also suit your preferences. As long as you include those folders in your backup alongside your other personal documents, you will always have access to them—and you can easily restore them to their original location on a new drive.
How to Back Up and Restore a Whole Game
If you have a reliable internet connection, backing up your game saves may suffice—should you wish to resume playing later, you can simply re-download it from Steam. However, if your internet speed is slow, saving all the game files to an alternate drive allows for much quicker reinstallation in the future. This is also beneficial if you have numerous mods installed.
To move a game to another drive while keeping it functional, go to Steam > Settings > Downloads > Steam Library Folders and click the plus (+) button. By creating a new Steam library on your secondary drive, you can right-click any game, navigate to the Local Files tab, and transfer it to the new library on that drive. For further details, and for guidance on other game clients, refer to our guide on relocating PC games to another hard drive.
To recover a game you’ve backed up via Steam, launch the Steam client and go to Steam > Restore Game Backup. You can then find the folder where you stored the game data and select it. Start the actual restoration process by clicking the Restore Backup button.
If you want to create a backup of your game files while not needing them to be playable (just prepared for future reinstallation), transfer the game’s installation directory to your backup drive (or include it in your File History backup). Games are found in C:\Program Files (x86). Steam games can be found under Steam\steamapps\common, while GOG games are in GOG Galaxy\Games. Battle.net, on the other hand, generates separate folders for each game.
After relocating a game, you can uninstall it without concern. To access the game again, simply restore the folder to its original location and click install in the game client. Rather than downloading everything from online servers, it will recognize the existing files and check their integrity, allowing you to start playing quickly. Alternatively, you can keep the C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam folder backed up alongside the rest of your personal data to ensure that nothing gets lost.
If you have any mods installed, don’t forget to back those up too—third-party tools like Nexus Mod Manager might have their own backup options, so make sure to look into the game and mods in question. You don’t want to have to start from scratch the next time you feel nostalgic for Minecraft.