God of War 3 PC Save Location, Backup and Restore

Where are my saves on Windows, Linux or a custom path?

Open Game and read Saves folder. A filled field is your custom data root; a blank field uses the default shown in its hint. That root holds savedata, caches and logs.

Platform	Default data root	Game saves within it
Windows	user next to SpartanPort.exe	savedata/1/<title ID>/
Linux AppImage	~/.local/share/spartanport/user	savedata/1/<title ID>/

On Linux, a custom XDG_DATA_HOME changes the parent to $XDG_DATA_HOME/spartanport; SPARTAN_DATA_DIR can also select another data root. Use the launcher field and its hint to find the directory in use.

For example, the Windows destination for CUSA01623 is user\savedata\1\CUSA01623\ beside SpartanPort.exe. A custom Saves folder uses <custom folder>\savedata\1\CUSA01623\.

How do automatic backups work, and what should I copy?

The port copies nonempty savedata into savedata_backups before each start and keeps the newest 10 backups. These backups copy the game's saved progress.

Before moving saves or replacing an installation, close the game and copy the active save folder to a separate location. Keep savedata_backups with it if you want those restoration points. If moving from shadPS4, back up both source and destination folders before copying slots.

For the program replacement itself, continue to Update.

How do I restore a backup and check it worked?

1. Close the game. If it is running, Restore displays Close the game before restoring saves.
2. In Game, check Saves folder points to the data you want to restore.
3. Under Saves → Save backups, select the backup by its timestamp. The newest is first; use Refresh to reload the list.
4. Click Restore.
5. Confirm Replace the current saves with the backup …? The dialog explains that the current saves are backed up first. Restoration replaces the active savedata tree, including its other slots.
6. Look for Saves restored from … in the success dialog. If there were current saves to preserve, it also names their backup as Previous saves.
7. Start the game.
8. Select Load Game to check the restored list.

To return to the saves you replaced, select the Previous saves backup and restore it through the same controls. If the list is empty, check the active Saves folder and whether that directory contains backups. An error beginning Could not restore: means restoration failed; include that message in a problem report.

How do I import an existing shadPS4 save?

For this Windows migration, use a save from the same PS4 game and the same title ID. Keep PS3 saves with RPCS3.

1. Close the game and shadPS4, then back up both save folders.
2. Find the shadPS4 source. Older versions use user\savedata\1\CUSA01623\; newer versions use home\<user-id>\savedata\CUSA01623\. Substitute your matching title ID.
3. Open the matching title ID directory inside the active SpartanPort save folder described above.
4. Copy each slot folder into it, keeping its name and game data. Do not add another enclosing title ID directory. Exclude the slot's internal sce_sys folder from the copied game data.
5. Beside each slot, create <slot name>.sce_sys if absent. You can copy the source slot's sce_sys\icon0.png into it. Preserve an existing port param.bin; do not rename param.sfo to param.bin, because their formats differ.
6. Start SpartanPort and select Load Game. A slot without port metadata appears by its folder name; saving again in the port refreshes its displayed information.

The save dialog displays up to 32 entries. If a copied slot is missing from a long list, use a separate Saves folder containing only that slot under savedata\1\CUSA01623\ and its sibling metadata folder. Keep the original saves and restore the previous Saves folder setting afterward.

Can I move progress between Windows and Linux or use RPCS3 saves?

Move matching PS4 Remastered slots between the Windows and Linux data roots. Close both games and back up both destinations first. Copy the slot folder and its sibling <slot name>.sce_sys metadata folder into savedata/1/<matching title ID>/ inside the destination's active Saves folder. Preserve the names and existing param.bin. Start the destination and select Load Game to check the slot.

Keep PS3 saves with RPCS3. For a shadPS4 PS4 slot, use the import steps above; for a missing slot, check the title ID, extra nesting and the 32-entry display limit before changing your original save folders.

Why are old saves missing after the SpartanPort rename?

Check Saves folder and the title ID first. On the first start after the rename, old data is copied to the new names; files already present at the destination take priority. The old files remain available.

On Linux, the default old data root was ~/.local/share/gow3; the current one is ~/.local/share/spartanport. Keep both while identifying the expected slot or backup. Use the original data root's savedata or backup through the migration and restoration steps above, then confirm the new list with Load Game. Update explains settings and shortcut migration.

Where is Auto Save, and can I quick-save anywhere?

Open Load Game and scroll down to find Auto Save. If the expected progress is missing, first check the active data root and title ID. The save list displays at most 32 entries; use the isolated-slot check above for a crowded list.

For saving anywhere, No: use the game's save points and autosave. The launcher backs up progress already saved to disk before each start. Keep a manual copy before moving data, and use a pre-launch backup to recover an earlier saved state through Save backups → Restore.