Saving Game Saves with Decky Ludusavi: Backup & Cloud-Sync

Few things in gaming hurt as much as a lost game save. 60 hours in an RPG, a finished Soulslike, the painstakingly optimized build in your favorite strategy title - and then an update, a defect, or a reset, and everything is gone. On the Steam Deck, you often rely on the Steam Cloud. The problem: not every game uses it.

This is where Decky Ludusavi comes in - a plugin that automatically backs up your game saves and even synchronizes them to the cloud if you wish. In this guide, we'll show you how to set it up so your progress is safe from now on.

Why game save backups are so important

The Steam Cloud is great - but it's not a given. Game saves only end up in the cloud if the developer has implemented Steam Cloud support. In practice, this means:

• Many older or smaller titles do not back up to the cloud at all.
• Games from other stores (Epic, GOG & Co.) are outside the Steam Cloud anyway.
• Mods, emulators, and some non-Steam games save locally - and thus only on your device.

At the latest, when you reset your device to factory settings, do an SSD upgrade, or switch to a new system, you'll realize which game saves were not backed up. An automated backup takes exactly this worry off your shoulders.

What is Decky Ludusavi?

Decky Ludusavi is a plugin for the Decky Loader. It brings the popular open-source tool Ludusavi directly into the gaming mode of your Steam Deck. Ludusavi knows the typical save locations for thousands of games and automatically backs up the game saves to the correct place - without you having to know in which hidden folder a game stores its data.

Key features:

• Automatic backups of your game saves - you can set whether to back up automatically for each game.
• Versioning: You can keep multiple backup states and revert to an older one if necessary.
• Cloud sync to services like Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and more.
• Cross-store: also works with Proton, GOG, and Epic game saves.

The end of Decky Cloud Save

If you've been dealing with this topic for a while, you might know the older plugin Decky Cloud Save. Important to know: This will be removed from the plugin store in early 2026. Decky Ludusavi is the official successor by the same developer - with more features, versioning, and clean maintenance.

So if you're still using Decky Cloud Save: Now is a good time to switch to Decky Ludusavi before the old plugin disappears permanently.

Requirements

For setup, you need:

• A Steam Deck (or another handheld with SteamOS) with Decky Loader installed.
• The Ludusavi tool itself - the plugin is basically a convenient controller for it.
• For cloud backup: an account with a cloud service (e.g., Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox).
• A few minutes of your time - the initial setup is done only once.

Haven't installed Decky Loader yet? Then first work through our Decky Loader guide and then come back here.

Installing Decky Ludusavi

The installation takes place in two stages: first the Ludusavi tool, then the plugin.

1. Install Ludusavi

Switch to Desktop Mode and open the "Discover" store (SteamOS's app store, so to speak). Search for Ludusavi there and install it as a Flatpak. Then open Ludusavi once and let it briefly read the typical save locations in the background.

2. Install plugin via Decky

Back in Gaming Mode, open the Quick Access Menu (the button with the three dots) and go to the Decky icon. In the plugin store, search for Decky Ludusavi and install it with one click. That's it for the installation - now for the setup.

First configuration: local backup

Before you sync to the cloud, set up the local backup. Here's how:

1. Preview backups: Let Ludusavi run a "Preview" scan once. It shows you which games it finds and how large the game saves are.
2. Filter out large files: For some games, large files that you don't necessarily need to back up are also detected. You can exclude these from the backup using a checkbox to save space.
3. Set number of backups: Set how many full and differential backups should be kept. Multiple states are practical if a save file ever gets corrupted.
4. Choose format: If in doubt, stick with the default settings - they work well for most.

You now have a functioning local backup. Tip: It's best to back up to a microSD card so your game saves are not on the same drive as the system.

Setting up cloud sync with Rclone

A local backup is good - a cloud backup is better. Because if the device itself fails, local backups are also at risk. Decky Ludusavi uses the tool Rclone for this, which connects to a whole range of cloud services: Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, plus FTP, SMB, and WebDAV servers.

Here's how to set it up:

1. Set Rclone path: In the settings, specify the path to Rclone. If it's not already there, it will download if desired.
2. Create a remote: Create a "remote," i.e., the connection to your cloud service. For common providers, Ludusavi guides you through the necessary steps (you usually log in to your cloud account once in the browser and confirm access).
3. Enable automatic synchronization: Turn on automatic synchronization. From now on, Ludusavi checks before each backup whether local and cloud data match.

Note for Flatpak users: If you installed Ludusavi (as described above) as a Flatpak from "Discover," it cannot see the system version of Rclone for security reasons. Ludusavi therefore comes with its own Rclone version - simply specify /app/bin/rclone as the path, and the cloud connection will work.

Once the data is synchronized, changes are uploaded after the backup. If there is a conflict (e.g., because it was played on another device), Ludusavi warns you and leaves the cloud data untouched - so you don't accidentally overwrite the wrong save.

Also for Epic, GOG & emulator saves

The big advantage of Ludusavi: It doesn't just look at Steam. It backs up game saves from other stores just as well. If you have expanded your library with the Heroic Games Launcher or NonSteamLaunchers, their game saves are also secured. Especially for Epic and GOG titles that don't use Steam Cloud, this is invaluable.

If something goes wrong

• Plugin not finding Ludusavi: Make sure Ludusavi is actually installed (as a Flatpak from "Discover") and has been opened once.
• Cloud connection fails: Check the Rclone path and, if in doubt, set up the remote again. Make sure to confirm access in the browser.
• A game is not recognized: Not every title is in the database. In this case, you can add your own save location as a custom entry in Ludusavi.
• View logs: If you want to take a closer look, you'll find the logs under /home/deck/homebrew/logs/Ludusavi.

If you want to be completely safe, combine Decky Ludusavi with a classic full backup of your system. We show you how to do this in our guide to data backup on the Steam Deck.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need Decky Ludusavi if I use Steam Cloud?

If all your games support Steam Cloud, you're well covered there. However, as soon as you use older titles, games from other stores, mods, or emulators, Decky Ludusavi closes exactly the gaps that Steam Cloud leaves open.

What will happen to Decky Cloud Save?

Decky Cloud Save will be removed from the store in early 2026. Decky Ludusavi is the successor from the same developer and offers more features. It's worth switching.

Which cloud services are supported?

Via Rclone, these include Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and Box, as well as FTP, SMB, and WebDAV servers.

Does this also work with Epic and GOG games?

Yes. Ludusavi backs up across stores, including Proton, Epic, and GOG game saves - ideal in combination with Heroic or the NonSteamLaunchers.

Will my old game saves be overwritten during the first backup?

No. Ludusavi reads existing game saves and creates backups of them. Only during cloud sync should you pay attention to conflict warnings so you don't accidentally upload the wrong save on multiple devices.