Most people look up the Crimson Desert save file location for one of three reasons: they want a backup before a big update, a save went missing or progress rolled back, or they are moving to a new PC or another platform. Crimson Desert stores saves on your PC's local drive, and Pearl Abyss spells out the default path and the backup steps in its support article 'Important: Save Data Notice.' This guide follows that official notice: how to open the folder, which folder to copy, how to restore a backup, and how to use Steam Cloud and cross-save without losing progress. If you are getting ready for a large update such as the Crimson Desert Enhanced: Charting the Unknown DLC, which launches on October 29 (GMT/PT), make a backup now so you have a point to return to if something goes wrong afterward. Paths and features below were checked on October 16, 2026 against Pearl Abyss's support site, the official cross-save page and the official patch notes.
Bottom line: copy the numbered folder to another drive and treat cloud saves as a second copy
The official Crimson Desert save location on PC is C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\Pearl Abyss\CD\save. That save folder contains two subfolders, and the one with a numeric name holds every save file the game creates. On Steam, the game's Steam Cloud configuration points to a folder named after your Steam account ID and syncs the .save files inside it. That is why copying the numbered folder as a whole is safer than picking individual files. Pearl Abyss recommends keeping a copy on another drive, an external drive or a USB stick, and says you can restore earlier progress by copying the backup files back into the same directory. Steam Cloud and cross-save are convenient, but neither one is a backup by itself. According to the same notice, closing the Steam client too quickly or shutting down the PC right away can cause sync errors, and choosing the wrong file when Steam asks you to pick between local and cloud data can cost you progress. The cross-save slot is one slot per Pearl Abyss ID and is never updated automatically. If the game closes the moment you load a save, work through Crimson Desert crash fixes first, starting with verifying the game files. If a save is corrupted or your progress vanished and you want to tell Pearl Abyss, see how to report a bug in Crimson Desert. The official error reporting tool, PERS, can send your save data and logs along with the report.
How to back up and restore Crimson Desert save files
- 1Close the game and let Steam finish syncingQuit Crimson Desert completely. On Steam, check in the Steam window that cloud sync has reached 100% before you go on. Pearl Abyss warns that closing Steam or turning off the PC before sync finishes can make the save upload fail. Never copy save files while the game is running.
- 2Open the save folderPress Win+R, type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Pearl Abyss\CD\save into the Run box and press Enter. AppData is a hidden folder, so it may not show up if you browse from the C: drive in File Explorer, but this shortcut opens it no matter how your hidden items setting is configured. If Windows says the path does not exist, type just %LOCALAPPDATA% and look for a Pearl Abyss folder.
- 3Find the numbered folderOf the two subfolders inside save, the one with a numeric name is your save folder. On Steam this number is your Steam account ID, so a PC used with several Steam accounts can have several numbered folders. The one that matches the Friend Code shown on Steam's Add a Friend screen belongs to the account you are signed in with.
- 4Copy the whole folder to another driveCopy the numbered folder and paste it somewhere other than the C: drive, such as a D: drive, an external SSD or a USB stick. Add the date and your place in the story to the folder name, for example 2026-10-16_before-chapter-7-boss, so you can tell backups apart later. Pearl Abyss also recommends keeping several save files as backups.
- 5Restore a backupWith the game closed and Steam sync finished, first copy the current numbered folder somewhere else under a different name. Then paste the files from your backup into the numbered folder at the same path and overwrite them. Keeping the current save lets you switch back if the restored point is not the one you expected.
- 6Launch the game and check the Load menuStart the game and confirm that the slot you want appears in the Load menu. With Steam Cloud on, Steam may ask you to choose between local and cloud files, and the backup you just restored is the local copy. Since patch 1.04.00, the Load menu shows a notice on any slot whose save data is corrupted or invalid.
Crimson Desert save locations and sync options (checked October 16, 2026)
| Version or feature | Save location | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC (official notice) | C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\Pearl Abyss\CD\save | Every save is in the numbered folder. Typing %LOCALAPPDATA%\Pearl Abyss\CD\save into Run (Win+R) opens it directly. |
| Steam Cloud | The Steam account ID folder (.save files) inside the PC folder above | Wait for sync to reach 100% before you shut down. Uploaded files can be checked and downloaded at store.steampowered.com/account/remotestorage. |
| Mac (Steam) | ~/Library/Application Support/Pearl Abyss/CD/save | The official path. Paste it into Finder's Go > Go to Folder (Shift+Command+G). |
| Mac (App Store) | ~/Library/Containers/com.pearlabyss.CrimsonDesert/Data/Library/Application Support/Pearl Abyss/CD/save | The App Store version uses a longer path. Mac gained cross-save in patch 2.02.00. |
| Steam Deck / Linux (Proton) | steamapps/compatdata/3321460/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/Pearl Abyss/CD/save | Not listed by Pearl Abyss. Look for the same Windows path inside the virtual Windows folder that Proton creates for the game. |
| Cross-save slot | Pearl Abyss ID cloud storage, not a PC folder | One slot per Pearl Abyss ID, manual saves only, internet required. Unlinking your last platform account permanently deletes the slot. |
Before a big patch or a PC change
- I backed up the numbered folder, with the date in its name, before installing the DLC or a large patch.
- A copy of the backup also sits on a drive other than C: or on a USB stick.
- In game, I keep several manual save slots in addition to the autosave.
- I confirmed Steam Cloud sync reached 100% before closing Steam or shutting down.
- If I played offline, I backed up my local saves before going online again.
- Before unlinking every cross-save account, I saved to a local slot.
Saves keep progress, not moments: record Crimson Desert with DOR
A save file brings your progress back, but it does not show what happened in between. Roll back to a backup and the boss you beat or the gear you found after that point is gone for good, and when a save breaks it is hard to explain what you were doing at the time. DOR is a free Windows recording app. When you launch Crimson Desert, it detects the game and records the whole session, from launch to exit, as one video (this is on by default on a personal PC). Press F8 right after a moment worth keeping and the last 30 seconds are saved as a clip; you can set the length to 15, 30, 45 or 60 seconds. Resolution, frame rate and clip length cannot be changed while recording, so set them before you start Crimson Desert. The default recording quality is 1080p at 30 fps. Storage matters as much as the save backup. Crimson Desert needs 150 GB of space, and DOR checks the free space on the drive that holds Settings > File Management > File Save Path: it warns you below 30 GB, and below 20 GB it stops recording or will not start. If the C: drive with the game and your saves is tight, point File Save Path at a local folder on a roomier drive, such as D:\Videos. OneDrive folders and network folders cannot be used, and the path cannot be changed while recording. Full gameplay videos are kept within a 5 GB share by default, older sessions are cleared first, and the F8 clips saved during those sessions go with them. Before you restore a save, like (bookmark) the videos you want to keep in My Clips; liked videos are never auto-deleted. If you also use Steam's built-in game recording, it takes up disk space too, so check its maximum space and storage drive in the Steam game recording low disk space guide. Install DOR with the button below and it starts recording the next time you launch Crimson Desert.
