Beyond These Stars Save File Location: Where to Find and Backup Your Progress

If you have spent hours building a thriving civilization on the back of a giant space whale, the last thing you want is to lose everything because Windows crashes or a save file suddenly disappears. That is the situation players need to prepare for in Beyond These Stars, the city-building and management game from Balancing Monkey Games and publisher Hooded Horse. It combines colony management, resource production, exploration, and the unusual challenge of keeping an entire civilization alive on Kewa, a colossal living creature traveling through space.

As someone who has spent plenty of time with city builders and management games, I know how frustrating it is to lose a carefully developed settlement. A missing save can mean repeating hours of construction, rebuilding production chains, and fixing problems you have already solved once. Fortunately, backing up your progress manually is straightforward once you know where Windows stores the relevant files.

This guide explains the Beyond These Stars save file location on Windows, how to access the hidden AppData directory, how to create and restore backups, and what to check if your saves disappear. I will also cover Steam Cloud synchronization and a few practical precautions that can save you a lot of unnecessary frustration.

Beyond These Stars Optimization Guide: Best Settings for High FPS and Smooth Performance

Beyond These Stars Save File Location on Windows

On Windows 10 and Windows 11, the save directory identified for Beyond These Stars is located inside the LocalLow folder within your Windows user profile.

The path is:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Balancing Monkey Games\Beyond These Stars\Saves

If you prefer to navigate through File Explorer manually, the equivalent path looks like this:

C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\AppData\LocalLow\Balancing Monkey Games\Beyond These Stars\Saves

Replace YOUR_USERNAME with your actual Windows account name when using the second path. The first version is generally more convenient because Windows automatically resolves the user profile location.

Keep in mind that folder structures can change between game versions, and different builds may organize their data differently. If the directory does not exist on your system, do not immediately assume that your progress has been deleted. Check that the game has been launched at least once, verify the installation you are using, and search your user profile for the game’s save data before making any changes.

How to Find the Hidden Save Folder

The biggest obstacle for many players is not the save file itself but the fact that Windows hides the AppData directory by default. You do not need to change system settings or spend several minutes clicking through folders to access it.

The quickest method uses the Windows Run dialog.

1. Close the game if it is currently running.
2. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.
3. Copy and paste this path into the text field: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Balancing Monkey Games\Beyond These Stars\Saves
4. Press Enter.
5. If the directory exists, File Explorer should open it directly.

This is my preferred method because it avoids unnecessary navigation and works even when hidden folders are not visible in File Explorer.

Alternative Method: Show Hidden Items

If you would rather browse the directory manually, open File Explorer and enable hidden items. In Windows 11, select View > Show > Hidden items. In Windows 10, open the View tab and check the Hidden items option.

You can then navigate through the following folders:

• C:\Users
• Your Windows account folder
• AppData
• LocalLow
• Balancing Monkey Games
• Beyond These Stars
• Saves

Once you reach the final directory, you can inspect the available save folders and create a backup.

What Files Are Stored in the Save Directory?

The save directory contains the data used to preserve your progress between gaming sessions. Depending on the current version and how the game organizes its files, you may encounter save folders, data files, metadata, or image previews.

The important thing is to preserve the complete save structure rather than copying a single file without understanding its role.

Do not assume every installation will contain precisely the same files. Game updates can change how save data is stored, and the names or arrangement of individual files may differ.

Your colony’s development is the important part. Buildings, resource production, population management, and other accumulated progress are exactly the things you want to protect. When making a backup, copying the entire relevant save folder is safer than trying to guess which individual files are essential.

How to Back Up Your Beyond These Stars Saves

Manual backups are worth the small amount of effort, especially in a city builder where a single campaign can stretch across many hours. Automated cloud storage is convenient, but I would not rely on it as my only line of defense. Synchronization problems, accidental overwrites, and damaged local data can turn a seemingly routine update into a frustrating recovery job.

Follow these steps to create a local backup.

1. Close Beyond These Stars completely. Make sure the game has finished saving and is no longer running. Copying save data while the game is actively writing to it can result in an inconsistent backup.
2. Open the save directory. Press Windows + R and enter the path provided earlier.
3. Locate the relevant save folder. If you are unsure which folder contains your campaign, back up the entire Saves directory.
4. Copy the files. Right-click the relevant folder and select Copy, or press Ctrl + C.
5. Choose a separate destination. An external drive, a secondary internal drive, or a dedicated backup folder outside the game’s save directory will work.
6. Paste the backup. Use Ctrl + V and wait for Windows to finish copying everything.
7. Give the backup a recognizable name. Include the date or a short description of your progress.

For example, you could use a name such as BeyondTheseStars_Backup_2026-10-14 or Kewa_Colony_Before_Expansion.

I recommend keeping at least two backups if you play regularly: one recent copy and another from before a major expansion, risky experiment, or substantial change to your colony. This gives you more flexibility if a problem goes unnoticed for a while.

Also, keep at least one copy outside any folder that is automatically synchronized with the game. A backup stored alongside the original save may not help if an accidental deletion or synchronization issue affects both copies.

How to Restore an Older Save File

Restoring a backup is usually just as simple as creating one, but it is important to avoid overwriting your only remaining copy of a campaign. Before replacing anything, preserve the current save directory in case the backup turns out to be older than expected or does not load correctly.

Use this procedure:

1. Exit Beyond These Stars and allow any active save operation to finish.
2. Open the live save directory using the Windows Run shortcut.
3. Copy the current Saves folder to another location as a precaution.
4. Open your backup and identify the folder containing the campaign you want to restore.
5. Restore the backed-up files to the corresponding location, preserving the directory structure expected by the game.
6. Start the game and check whether the restored campaign appears in the loading menu.
7. Load the campaign and verify that your colony, buildings, and progress look correct.

If the game does not recognize the restored save, avoid repeatedly replacing files at random. First compare the folder structure of the backup with the current directory. You may have copied an extra parent folder, selected the wrong save slot, or restored data from a different version of the game.

It is also worth checking whether the launcher immediately synchronizes a different cloud save after you restore your local files. A successful manual copy is not much use if another version replaces it as soon as the game starts.

Steam Cloud and Save Synchronization

Cloud synchronization is useful if you switch between a desktop PC and a laptop or reinstall Windows. When supported and enabled for a game, Steam Cloud can synchronize compatible save data between devices without requiring you to copy folders manually.

However, cloud synchronization is not the same thing as maintaining a historical backup. If an unwanted save overwrites a good one and the change synchronizes successfully, you may not have an easy way to retrieve the previous version.

When Steam detects conflicting local and cloud data, it may ask you which version to keep. The safest choice depends on which copy contains the progress you actually want.

Before selecting an option, consider these precautions:

• Check the modification dates of the local files and available cloud data when possible.
• Do not automatically assume the newest timestamp represents the best save; a damaged or unwanted file can also be newer.
• If the local copy contains your latest colony, back it up before allowing a synchronization operation to overwrite it.
• Give Steam time to finish synchronization before shutting down your computer.
• Before transferring saves to another PC, verify that the destination game has the correct version and that your original files are safely backed up.

I would also avoid manually moving files between computers while the game is open on either machine. Close the game first, create a separate backup, and only then transfer the data. That extra step is far less painful than discovering that your most developed colony has disappeared.

Troubleshooting Missing or Corrupted Save Files

If Beyond These Stars suddenly stops displaying your previous campaign, there are several possible explanations. A missing save does not necessarily mean that the files have been permanently lost.

The Save Folder Does Not Exist

First, make sure you are checking the correct Windows account. If you use multiple profiles, the game may have created its data under another account.

Next, launch the game, create a test save if necessary, and close it normally. Then check the directory again. If the expected path is still missing, search your user profile for folders associated with Balancing Monkey Games or the game itself.

If you installed a different build or are using a platform other than the one you originally played on, verify that you are checking the correct installation and profile.

The Game Cannot Write New Saves

Windows permissions or security software may interfere with file creation. Check that the relevant directory is accessible to your Windows account and that your security software has not quarantined a legitimate game file.

You can inspect the folder’s Properties and review its security permissions. However, do not blindly disable security protections or change permissions across your entire AppData directory. If your antivirus software has blocked the game, review its logs and create a narrow exception only when you have verified that the executable is legitimate.

Running the game as an administrator is not the first thing I would try. It can sometimes help diagnose a permissions problem, but it should not replace identifying the actual cause.

A Save Appears to Be Corrupted

If one campaign fails to load, preserve a copy of the affected files before attempting repairs. Then try another available save slot or restore a known-good backup.

Avoid editing binary save files manually unless the developers provide documentation or a dedicated tool for doing so. Even a small change to an unknown data structure can make recovery more difficult.

Steam Cloud Restores the Wrong Version

If your local and cloud saves disagree, stop and identify which copy contains the correct progress before allowing another synchronization attempt. Make a separate copy of the local files, then resolve the conflict using the launcher’s available options.

If the problem continues, check the game’s official support resources and the platform’s cloud synchronization status. A missing campaign can sometimes be a synchronization issue rather than a failure of the save files themselves.

Best Practices for Protecting Your Colony

The best backup strategy is one that takes very little time and becomes part of your normal routine. You do not need to archive every session, but it makes sense to protect a campaign before a major update, a system migration, or a particularly ambitious expansion.

Here is the routine I recommend:

• Back up before major updates. Keep a separate copy before installing a patch or changing your game installation.
• Maintain dated backups. Several versions give you a better recovery option than a single copy that might already be damaged.
• Use separate storage. Keep important backups away from the active save directory.
• Verify the result. Confirm that the backup contains the expected files and folders instead of assuming the copy succeeded.
• Treat cloud storage as an additional layer. Convenient synchronization is useful, but it should not replace a separate backup.

These habits are especially helpful in games where progress comes from gradual improvements rather than individual missions. Losing a few minutes of progress is annoying; losing a carefully balanced colony after dozens of hours is a different story.

Final Thoughts

Beyond These Stars asks you to think about the long-term survival of a civilization, so protecting your own progress makes perfect sense. Knowing where the save files are stored gives you control over your campaign and makes it easier to recover from a Windows reinstall, a problematic update, or a cloud synchronization mistake.

Start with %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Balancing Monkey Games\Beyond These Stars\Saves, confirm that the directory matches your installation, and copy the complete relevant save structure to a separate location. Keep dated backups, check cloud conflicts carefully, and preserve your current files before restoring an older version.