Slay the Spire 2 Progress Lost? Restore the Backup Save

FIRST CHECK

Do not delete the profile. Back it up, use the developer's recovery files first, and isolate Steam's cached copy only if Cloud overwrites the restored save.

Do not delete the profile. With the game and Steam closed, copy the entire affected profile folder to a dated backup. Then reopen the game only to run the developer's cloud delete command twice; the game should close after the second command. Do not relaunch it before renaming progress.save.backup or progress.save.corrupt. That official procedure is the first recovery path. Use the separate Windows Steam-cache fallback below only if Cloud replaces the restored file again.

Before changing the save

1. Close Slay the Spire 2 and Steam.
2. Copy the complete SlayTheSpire2 folder to another drive or a clearly named desktop backup.
3. Preserve every profile, not only progress.save.
4. Record whether the failure followed a crash, a device switch, a mod change, or a Steam Cloud conflict.
5. Reopen Steam and the game only when you are ready to perform the official console sequence below.

The pinned developer post identifies the Windows profile under the user's roaming application-data folder. A Steam account ID and profile number appear inside the path, so do not copy another player's literal account number.

Official progress-backup procedure

The developer's current troubleshooting sequence is:

1. Launch the game and open the in-game console with the tilde key if the game still reaches a usable screen.
2. Enter cloud delete twice as instructed by the pinned post. The game should close after the confirmation sequence.
3. After the game closes, do not reopen it yet.
4. Open the affected profile's saves folder.
5. Move the small or broken progress.save into a separate quarantine folder instead of permanently deleting it.
6. Rename progress.save.backup or progress.save.corrupt to progress.save.
7. Relaunch and confirm that characters, unlocks, run history, and settings are present.

If the restored file is older, losing one run is safer than repeatedly overwriting a recoverable profile. Keep the original backup until several successful launches have completed.

If Steam Cloud overwrites the restored save again

This is a player-reported Windows fallback, not a developer guarantee. Do not use it before trying the official procedure above.

1. Exit the game and copy both the complete Slay the Spire 2 profile and Steam's userdata/<STEAM ID>/2868840 folder to safe, dated backup locations.
2. Put Steam in Offline Mode or disable Steam Cloud for Slay the Spire 2 before changing either copy.
3. Move the live 2868840 folder out of Steam's userdata directory into a quarantine location. Do not permanently delete it or your only profile backup.
4. Restore the chosen backup or corrupt-recovery file as progress.save in the affected profile's saves folder.
5. Launch offline and check characters, unlocks, run history, and settings. Exit normally after confirming the recovery.
6. Re-enable Steam and Cloud only after the local save is verified. If Steam presents a conflict, keep the newer local recovered copy rather than downloading the known-bad cloud copy.

The reported path is specific to Windows Steam. Do not invent the same location on macOS or Linux. On those platforms, stop after the official profile recovery if the path is not confirmed, preserve the backups, and contact the support channel from the pinned developer post.

When the problem followed mods

The same developer post separates removed-mod failures from ordinary progress corruption. For a mod-related issue, it instructs players to run the cloud-delete sequence and remove the affected current_run.save, not to erase the whole profile. Treat these as different symptoms: a broken current run does not automatically mean permanent progress is gone.

If no backup works

Stop cycling files after one controlled attempt. Submit an in-game report with F2 when available, or use the support channel named in the developer post. Include the operating system, whether Steam Cloud was enabled, the crash time, mod status, and a copy of the untouched profile. The developer also links a third-party rebuild tool, but explicitly does not guarantee it; use it only on a duplicate, never on the sole remaining copy.

Return to the Slay the Spire 2 guide hub or review co-op setup before resuming a shared run.

Sources & evidenceOpen the references used for this page

• Developer-pinned Slay the Spire 2 troubleshooting
• Player report confirming backup recovery after a crash
• Player-reported Windows Steam Cloud cache fallback
• Official Slay the Spire 2 Steam listing