The official Steam version uses Steam Cloud synchronization. However, if you are using a Steam emulator, the game cannot phone home to Valve’s servers. Consequently, the save structure changes:
Inside the .sav (often JSON or protobuf):
: Emulators writing data directly to the C:\Program Files directory require administrative rights. Right-click the game executable and select Run as Administrator to ensure it has permission to write save data to the disk. 5dm city steamemu saves
If you later purchase the game on Steam, you may need to move these files to the official directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\[YourUserID]\[AppID]\remote .
: It is automatically generated when you run a game that has been "cracked" or modified using the Goldberg Emulator. The official Steam version uses Steam Cloud synchronization
Before we dig into folders, you must understand why this is complicated.
If you are using a 5DM City SteamEmu version, your save data is likely located in one of these locations based on common cracking group conventions : 1. The Goldberg SteamEmu Default Path (Most Common) Right-click the game executable and select Run as
Note: AppData is a hidden folder by default. Type %appdata% into the Windows search bar to find it quickly. 2. Public Documents
C:\Games\5DM City\Engine\Binaries\ThirdParty\... or similar path within the game folder. How to Find Your Specific Game ID
or similar) matches the ID used in your original save folder.