Steam Cloud 2022: How to Download Your Saved Games

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 20 March 2022, 10:03 pm

Steam has the ability to synchronize files and save them to its servers. They are automatically downloaded on Steam when you install a game, but that is not the only way that you can successfully get them.

You can also download them directly from Valve's own website in your browser too.

Enable the Steam Cloud Sync

Steam should automatically download your old games after you've installed them, but if it doesn't, then you need to make sure that Steam Cloud is enabled for that game within Steam, according to GamePur.

To do this, you need to locate the game in your Steam Library first. Right-click on it and choose "Properties." Next, click on the "General" tab and make sure that the option that says "Keep Games Saves in the Steam Cloud of Game" is ticked.

If the option is not enabled, Steam won't automatically download your cloud saves, and it won't upload any new ones.

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If you do not see a Steam Cloud option for a game, that means that the game does not support Steam Cloud. However, it is important to note that not all games on Steam support Steam Cloud, as that depends on each game developer.

Download the Files in the Web Browser

Valve lets you download your Steam Cloud saved files through a web browser as well. You can download just your save files without having to re-downloading the whole game.

To find your saved files, go to Valve's View Steam Cloud page in your browser and sign in with your Steam account. A list of games will be visible in the Steam Cloud storage.

Look for the game in the list, and click "Show Files" to see all of the files for a game. Each game has a page showing all of the files it is storing in Steam Cloud, as well as the data that were modified.

To be able to download a file, click on "Download." Download all of the save files for the game, and you will have a copy of its save games. This is useful for multi-platform games that don't automatically synchronize save files between two platforms.

As for the example given by HowtoGeek, "Borderlands 2" is available for both Mac and PC. It synchronizes its save files with Steam Cloud, but both the Mac and PC versions sync save files separately.

You can download the Mac or PC versions from Steam's website, and then manually import them into the correct folder to move the "Borderlands 2" save games between platforms.

Without using the website, you will need to manually download "Borderlands 2" on one platform, extract the saved games, and download the game on a second platform, according to PCGamer.

Share the Games Through Stream

To share games, you need to enable Steam Guard. Also, have the device that you want to access your library be ready for the process.

Activate the Steam client and click on "Steam" on the top-right corner, and click on Settings. Once the Settings window is open, choose "Manage Steam Guard Account Security."

Click on the "Get Steam Guard Codes by Email" button. This will require you to log in again to your Steam account. Enter the Steam Guard code that you got in your email, and you should be able to log in to your Steam account.

In Mar. 18, Valve Steam Deck announced that it can now support Xbox Cloud Gaming.