Saving Your Skins: Game Backup Strategies for Avid Gamers

Introduction

As an avid gamer, I know how precious game progress and unlockables can be. Losing hundreds of hours of gameplay due to a corrupted save file or accidental deletion is heartbreaking. That’s why implementing a good game backup strategy is essential. In this article, I’ll provide an in-depth look at various methods to securely backup game files and save data so you can protect your progress.

Why Game Backups Are Important

There are a few key reasons why gamers should backup their files:

• Save file corruption – Game save files can become corrupted and unusable. Backups let you restore from an earlier working version.

• Accidental deletion – It’s easy to accidentally delete important game files. Backups are a safety net.

• Hard drive failure – Hard drives can and do fail eventually. Backups allow you to recover your data.

• Upgrading hardware – When transitioning to a new PC or console, backups make transferring games and saves simple.

• Cheat protection – Backups give you peace of mind if your account is hacked or compromised.

Without backups, hundreds of hours of game progress and unlocks are at risk. The strategies below will help mitigate this.

Game Save Backups

What to Backup

For save games, you’ll want to backup the actual save files or folders themselves. These are usually stored in specific locations:

• PC: Saved games folder under Documents\My Games

• PlayStation: Game saves under Settings > Application Saved Data Management

• Xbox: Game saves under My Games & Apps > See All > Games

• Nintendo Switch: User profile save data

• Mobile games: Back up the app’s data from your cloud storage or device settings

How to Backup Saves

There are a few options for backing up game save files:

• Cloud storage – Sync saves to Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc. This automatically keeps them up to date.

• External drive – Use a USB drive to manually copy the latest saves for backup. Solid for local backup.

• Game platform utilities – Platforms like Steam have save management built-in for convenience.

• Backup software – Software like GameSave Manager can automatically backup saves.

I recommend maintaining both a local and cloud backup of saves for redundancy.

Full Game Backups

Backing up full game file directories protects you from corrupt installs or lost/damaged game disks.

What to Backup

On PC, you’ll want to backup:

• Game install folder – Steam apps, Origin games, etc. found under Program Files or your install drive.

• Game launchers – Steam, Origin, Uplay, etc. store all game data.

On consoles, back up:

• Game data – On Xbox, Playstation, and Switch, this is accessed under system storage settings.

• Game disks/cartridges – You can create disk images/ROMs if supported.

How to Backup Games

• External drive – Copy install folders to a large external HDD. Offers full control.

• Cloud storage – Services like Google Drive allow syncing entire game folders.

• Game launchers – Many like Steam have backup utilities built-in.

• Disk images – Apps can create disk images of game disks/cartridges if applicable.

• Dedicated backup software – Software like EaseUS Todo Backup can schedule full system backups.

As with saves, maintaining both a local and cloud backup of games gives redundancy.

Storing Backups

To ensure your backups are safe, a few tips:

• Use reputable storage providers like Google Drive, external SSDs, etc.

• Encrypt backups to protect them from unauthorized access.

• Store backups in multiple locations in case one fails.

• Regularly check backups to make sure they are up to date.

• Consider using a paid cloud storage service for additional security and space.

Final Thoughts

Here are some key takeaways:

• Protect your saves and games by keeping regular backups.

• Cloud and local storage methods both have pros and cons. Using both provides redundancy.

• Backup saves frequently, ideally every gaming session. Backup full game files less often.

• Organize and label backups carefully for easy recovery.

• Check backups periodically and refresh cold storage media to prevent degradation.

Losing long-held gaming progress is a terrible feeling. But with proper backup habits, you can sleep easy knowing your gaming accomplishments are safe and sound.