Dawnwalker Save File Location and PC Backups

Open the Windows save folder

Press Win + R, paste the path below and press Enter. It opens the saves for the Windows account you are currently using, even when AppData is hidden.

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Dawnwalker\Saved\SaveGames

This location applies to the Windows Steam version. The save folder is separate from the game installation: opening Browse local files in your library takes you to the installed game instead.

• If the folder is missing on a new installation, create a manual save in the game, quit, and check again.
• If you played under another Windows account or on another computer, check that account or machine before assuming your saves are gone.
• For another storefront, a handheld or a console, identify its actual save location first; do not create an empty folder at this path and treat it as a recovered save.

• Create and identify a manual checkpoint in the game

Keep each save and its companion files together

In File Explorer, turn on View → Show → File name extensions. A manual checkpoint can appear as three files with the same base name. For example, ManualSave13 has the following companions; the number will differ between playthroughs.

The folder can also contain settings and cloud helper files. Use the matching slot name and metadata to identify a checkpoint; a .sav extension alone does not identify playable progress.

Make a backup before installing or updating mods

Copying SaveGames protects your checkpoints; keep mod files and settings separately. Uninstalling a mod may leave changes in an existing save, so keep a baseline from before installation and follow the mod’s removal instructions when returning to an unmodded playthrough.

1. If the game still loads normally, create a separate manual save before the change. Note the quest, date and playtime shown in the save menu.
2. Quit the game completely. For a routine backup, let any normal cloud synchronization finish before copying the files. If a cloud conflict is already present, preserve your local files before choosing which copy to keep.
3. Copy the entire SaveGames folder to a separate location outside Dawnwalker’s Saved folder. Put it inside a clearly named folder such as Dawnwalker-before-mods-2026-10-30. Use Copy, so the original saves remain in place.
4. Open the copied folder and check that the latest slot and its companion files are present. Compare the file count and total size with the source; a second copy on another drive also protects against a drive failure.
5. Keep this baseline unchanged while you test. Save later sessions into separate dated backups, and note the game version and mod versions used for each one.

Restore a checkpoint from your own backup

Use a backup you know was made before the unwanted change. Restoring it returns the playthrough to that earlier state, including its quests, inventory and elapsed campaign time. Keep your current files as well, so you can reverse the file replacement if you selected the wrong checkpoint.

1. Close Dawnwalker and back up the current SaveGames folder under a different dated name. Do this even if the current checkpoint appears broken.
2. In the Steam library, open the game’s Properties → General and temporarily turn off its Steam Cloud synchronization. Keep the game closed while replacing files.
3. Open the older backup and select the checkpoint’s same-named .sav, .meta and .png files. Copy that group into the active SaveGames folder using the original filenames. Replacing matching filenames overwrites that slot in the active folder.
4. Launch the game with cloud synchronization still off. Open Load Game, check the checkpoint’s quest, date and playtime, and load that specific entry. Confirm the expected location and progress before making a new save.
5. Once the correct progress is confirmed, quit, make another backup, and re-enable cloud synchronization if you normally use it. If a conflict appears, compare the local and cloud copies against the checkpoint you just checked before choosing.

Cloud synchronization and missing saves

The Steam edition lists Steam Cloud support. Synchronization helps move progress between computers, but it is not a history of every previous checkpoint. A newer timestamp can belong to an unwanted modded save or a later decision you are trying to undo; choose by the progress you want to keep, as well as the date.

If your newest progress is still on another computer, preserve its local save folder before launching the game or resolving a synchronization conflict there. Do not overwrite the only remaining copy while trying to make both computers agree.

Verify integrity of game files checks the installed game. It does not recreate a deleted checkpoint or roll back a quest choice. If a save will not load, retain it, try another known-good checkpoint, and check whether the game version or required mods differ from the setup used to create it. Renaming the extension or editing version numbers is not a compatibility fix.

Without an earlier local checkpoint, a separate backup or a usable copy on another machine or in cloud storage, there may be no earlier state to restore. Check those copies before deleting anything.

• Saving unavailable in the game? Check temporary locks and patch fixes