Ludusavi open-source game save backup tool

Valve’s Steam Machine relaunch put a lens on the one feature every PC gamer eventually needs and rarely thinks about: reliable cloud saves. Steam Cloud does most of the work invisibly, but not every game supports it, not every store pushes to it, and anyone who has jumped between Steam Deck, a desktop, and a handheld PC has hit the “which save is the newest” question at least once. We tested eight tools that back up PC game saves across stores and machines, ranked them by reliability, and grouped them by who each one fits.

What to look for in a game cloud save app

Save backup sounds simple. It is not, because the file layouts differ by store, by game, and by year. A tool worth using should get most of this right:

Quick comparison

App Best for Platforms Free plan Standout feature
Ludusavi Open-source cross-platform backup Windows, macOS, Linux Free Manifest of 15,000+ games
Steam Cloud Native Steam library sync Windows, macOS, Linux, Deck Free with Steam Zero setup
GameSave Manager Long-running Windows freeware Windows Free 500+ games supported
Playnite Full library manager with save handling Windows Free Combines with Ludusavi natively
Xbox Game Pass Cloud Saves Game Pass and Xbox Play Anywhere Windows Free with Game Pass Cross-device console-to-PC saves
GOG Galaxy Cloud Saves GOG library sync Windows, macOS Free Works with older non-Steam games
Syncthing Peer-to-peer save sync Windows, macOS, Linux Free, open source No cloud provider required
Rclone Scriptable sync to any cloud Windows, macOS, Linux Free, open source Backs up to 50+ cloud backends

The apps

1. Ludusavi, best overall for open-source game save backup

Ludusavi is Matthew Kennerly’s Rust-based utility that reads a community-maintained manifest of over 15,000 games and knows where each one stores its saves. Backs up to a local folder we can then push to any cloud. Command line or GUI. Works on Steam Deck. Handles Wine prefixes on Linux.

Where it falls short: No built-in cloud upload. We provide the sync layer.

Pricing:

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Steam Deck

Download: GitHub Releases · Flathub

Bottom line: The first tool to install on a new gaming PC. Point it at a cloud folder and forget it.

2. Steam Cloud, best for the Steam-native path

Steam Cloud is Valve’s built-in solution and it is the reason most players never notice save management. When a developer opts in, saves push to Valve’s servers on game exit and pull on next launch. It is what makes Steam Deck-to-desktop hand-off actually work.

Where it falls short: Coverage depends on developer opt-in. Not every Steam game uses it. Cannot back up non-Steam saves.

Pricing:

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Steam Deck

Download: Publisher site

Bottom line: Do nothing and it is already working for our Steam library. Layer another tool on top for everything else.

3. GameSave Manager, best for Windows-only freeware simplicity

GameSave Manager has been shipping since 2009 with a database of over 500 games and a one-click backup UI. It ships as a single Windows installer, understands most non-Steam save locations, and can export a compressed archive to Dropbox or OneDrive folders.

Where it falls short: Development is slow. Manifest updates are less frequent than Ludusavi. Windows only.

Pricing:

Platforms: Windows

Download: Publisher site

Bottom line: For anyone allergic to command lines and staying on Windows. Simple and reliable.

4. Playnite, best for a library manager with save handling

Playnite unifies our Steam, GOG, Epic, Xbox, and standalone games under one library, and its extension ecosystem includes GameSave-Manager and Ludusavi integrations that trigger on game exit. Also handles emulator libraries, box art, and playtime tracking.

Where it falls short: Windows only. Extension quality varies.

Pricing:

Platforms: Windows

Download: Publisher site · GitHub Releases

Bottom line: If we launch games from more than one store, Playnite plus a save extension is the clean answer.

5. Xbox Game Pass Cloud Saves, best for Game Pass and Xbox Play Anywhere titles

Xbox Game Pass Cloud Saves covers PC Game Pass and Xbox Play Anywhere titles automatically. Saves sync between console and PC without any user action. Anyone playing Forza, Halo Infinite, or Sea of Thieves across an Xbox and a Windows PC benefits.

Where it falls short: Only works for opted-in Microsoft Store and Xbox app titles. Standalone PC games are ignored.

Pricing:

Platforms: Windows

Download: Publisher site

Bottom line: Handles itself for the Game Pass slice. Nothing to configure.

6. GOG Galaxy Cloud Saves, best for GOG library sync

GOG Galaxy Cloud Saves covers over 400 GOG games with automatic upload on exit and download on next launch. Older classics that never got Steam Cloud support often do work through Galaxy.

Where it falls short: Only covers GOG-supplied games. Manual toggle per title.

Pricing:

Platforms: Windows, macOS

Download: Publisher site

Bottom line: Essential if the GOG library is where our classic RPGs live.

7. Syncthing, best for peer-to-peer sync with no cloud provider

Syncthing turns two or more machines into a mesh that keeps folders in sync directly. Point it at our save folders and every machine holds the latest copy without any third-party cloud in the middle. Ideal for anyone who does not want game saves stored on someone else’s server.

Where it falls short: No built-in versioning by default. Setup takes a few minutes per device. Not save-aware; it just syncs whatever we point it at.

Pricing:

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Steam Deck

Download: Publisher site · GitHub Releases

Bottom line: For the self-hosted crowd. Pair it with Ludusavi’s local backup folder for the cleanest setup.

8. Rclone, best for scriptable sync to any cloud backend

Rclone is a command-line tool that talks to over 50 cloud providers, from Google Drive and OneDrive to Backblaze B2 and any S3-compatible endpoint. Combine with Windows Task Scheduler or a cron job and it is the invisible layer behind most homebrew game save setups.

Where it falls short: Command line only unless we add rclone-webui. Not game-aware; we tell it which folders to sync.

Pricing:

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Steam Deck

Download: Publisher site · GitHub Releases

Bottom line: The plumbing behind serious cloud save setups. Free, boring, reliable.

How to pick the right one

If we want the simplest thing that works: Steam Cloud plus Ludusavi for anything not on Steam.

If we launch games from multiple stores: Playnite with the Ludusavi extension.

If we live on Windows and hate command lines: GameSave Manager.

If we play a lot of Game Pass: Xbox Game Pass Cloud Saves already handles it.

If we do not trust third-party clouds: Syncthing across our machines.

If we already have a Backblaze B2 or Wasabi bucket: Rclone plus a scheduled task.

If we mostly play GOG classics: GOG Galaxy Cloud Saves.

FAQ

What is the best free game save backup app?

Ludusavi. It covers over 15,000 games, runs on every desktop OS, and is actively maintained.

Does Steam Cloud cover all my Steam games?

No. Only games where the developer implemented Cloud support. Ludusavi fills the gap for the rest.

Can I sync game saves between Steam Deck and PC?

Yes, several ways. Steam Cloud handles it for opted-in titles. Ludusavi plus a shared cloud folder covers the rest.

What is the best game save manager for Windows only?

GameSave Manager is the smoothest Windows-native option. Playnite is the strongest if we also want a library manager.

Do any of these work without a cloud service?

Syncthing works purely peer-to-peer. Ludusavi backs up locally by default and works with any cloud we already have.