# Game Save Manager for Windows backup, versioning, and restore > Game Save Manager is a Windows application for discovering game saves, keeping versioned backups, and restoring selected files or account histories. Its strongest fit is desktop users who want a local, cataloged alternative to searching platform folders manually, while custom games and migration workflows remain dependent on correct paths. **dyang886/Game-Save-Manager** — Easily backup and restore your game saves anytime - Repository: https://github.com/dyang886/Game-Save-Manager - Website: https://gamezonelabs.com - Stars: 1,554 · Forks: 44 - Language: JavaScript - License: GPL-3.0 - Published: 2026-10-16 · Updated: 2026-10-16 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/dyang886-game-save-manager ## What Game Save Manager covers Game Save Manager, or GSM, is aimed at players who want to protect local game progress without manually locating folders under AppData, Documents, registry-backed locations, or platform-specific directories. The README describes support for saves from Steam, Epic, Battle.net, and custom locations. It also says the application can organize save files into a single interactive table and maintain a versioned history for each game. The project is a desktop application rather than a general-purpose file copier. Its value comes from pairing detection with backup history, account selection, restore safeguards, and migration. A user who already knows every save directory and has a separate backup system may not need all of these features. A user who regularly changes machines, plays several stores, or has forgotten where an old game's save remains has a clearer use case. GSM is also intended for games that are absent from common catalogs. The Custom Games tab accepts folders, files, or registry keys, with placeholders such as `%AppData%` and `%UserProfile%`. That does not make every title automatically recoverable. It means a user can define a location when the built-in game database does not cover the title. ## Detection and backup organization The documented detection design has two parts. An install path scan looks through library folders for games installed through Steam, Epic, Battle.net, and other supported platforms. A deep database scan checks known save paths, including locations associated with Registry, AppData, and Documents. The second scan is specifically intended to find saves left behind by uninstalled games. Once a game is detected, GSM presents its save data in a central table. Backup versions can be created for the game, and an Auto-Rotation limit controls how many rolling backups are retained. A pinned save is treated differently from ordinary history. The README describes pinned backups as permanent, which is useful for a named checkpoint such as a state before a difficult encounter or a major game choice. The application also detects account IDs for services including Steam, Ubisoft, Epic, Xbox, and Rockstar. This distinction matters when one system contains several identities or profiles. A backup can therefore target a particular account or represent all accounts on the computer, according to the README. The exact account mapping and the game's save format still need to be checked in the interface before a user relies on a batch operation. ## Restore behavior and migration archives Restore is designed around selecting a saved version and writing it back to the game's detected location. According to the README, GSM automatically selects the most recent backup when a restore is started. If the current local files are newer than the selected backup, the application asks for confirmation before overwriting them. This is a useful warning because a recent local file may contain progress that is absent from an older archive. The restore interface also supports selecting multiple detected games from the Backup or Restore tabs. That makes the feature more suitable for a library with several titles, although the README does not document transaction handling, partial failures, or rollback if a multi-game restore stops partway through. Those cases should be tested with copies of important saves. For moving to another PC, GSM exports an entire save history as one `.gsmr` archive. The intended workflow is to export on the old machine, transfer the archive, and import it on the new machine. The README says imports combine existing history with imported files. It does not describe archive encryption, password protection, conflict resolution in detail, or behavior when the two machines use different user names. The archive format is therefore useful for migration, but its contents and destination paths should be inspected before deletion of the original backup. ## Windows installation and first backup The README gives a Windows-only installation path. It directs users to the Latest Release page, identifies the file as a Windows 64-bit installer, and then asks the user to run the installer and launch GSM. No command-line installer, portable archive, Linux package, or macOS package is documented, so those platforms should not be assumed to be supported. For a first use, launch the application and let it scan the installed game libraries and known save locations. Check the detected game names and paths before creating backups. Select a game in the Backup tab, choose whether the backup should cover a specific account or all detected accounts, and create an initial version. The expected result is a new entry in that game's history rather than a replacement of the original save. After the first backup, select a test version in the Restore tab. GSM is documented to choose the newest backup automatically, so confirm that the selection is the version you intend to test. Restoration can overwrite local files, and the confirmation prompt appears only when GSM detects that current files are newer than the selected backup. Keep another copy of a critical save outside GSM while validating the workflow. ## Custom games and build configuration The Custom Games tab covers titles that are missing from the detected library or whose saves do not follow a recognized platform pattern. Users can add a folder, a file, or a registry key and can use Smart Placeholders for Windows-specific locations. This is a real escape hatch for indie games, modded titles, and unusual installations, but it transfers responsibility to the user. A wrong path can produce an empty backup or restore files to the wrong destination, and the README does not claim to validate game-specific save schemas. The repository is an Electron-oriented JavaScript project with separate Webpack configurations for the main process, preload, and renderer. Its package metadata names the application `game-save-manager`, identifies the product as `Game Save Manager`, and declares `com.yyc.game-save-manager` as the app ID. The documented build entry points are `npm run build` for production output and `npm run package` for an unpacked directory created with `electron-builder`. These commands require the repository dependencies to be installed first. The repository includes `package-lock.json` and the scripts. Installation instead uses the release-installer instructions. The build commands are: ```bash npm run build ``` This produces the compiled `dist/out` files described by the build configuration. For a directory-based package, use: ```bash npm run package ``` The package script first runs the build and then invokes `electron-builder --dir`. It is a development or packaging path, not a substitute for the documented Windows installer. ## Limits, maintenance, and GPL-3.0 The clearest limitation is platform scope. The README documents a Windows 64-bit installer, while the repository's build configuration also excludes some Linux and macOS native artifacts from the packaged files. That does not prove the application can be built or used on those systems, so cross-platform adoption is not justified by the available documentation. There is also a distinction between detection and certainty. GSM can search known paths and accept custom locations, but the README does not document guarantees for every game, save format, cloud-synced file, anti-cheat protected directory, or unusual registry layout. The database is described as PCGamingWiki-powered and as covering more than 14,000 save locations, but that figure is a project claim, not evidence that every listed location is correct on every PC. The repository is not archived, and the last push was on 2026-10-06. Recent releases include `v2.2.1` on 2026-08-28 and `v2.2.0` on 2026-08-07, while `package.json` lists `2.2.2-beta.1`. This indicates recent project activity, but the available files do not define a long-term support policy, migration guarantees, or compatibility promises for future PCGamingWiki data changes. The repository is licensed under GPL-3.0. Anyone redistributing or incorporating the project should read `LICENSE.txt` and assess the applicable source-availability, notice, and license obligations. That is a compliance check, not legal advice. The repository also includes Discord and QQ support links, while the official project website is `https://gamezonelabs.com`. ## Conclusion Game Save Manager suits Windows players who want a visual backup catalog, rolling history, and `.gsmr` migration for supported or manually configured games. It is less suitable for users who need documented Linux or macOS support, unattended backup automation, or guaranteed handling of every game save format. Verify first that the game is detected correctly, that the displayed save location matches the actual files, and that a test restore completes before relying on it for an important save. ## FAQ ### How do I install Game Save Manager on Windows? The README directs users to the Latest Release page, where they can download the Windows 64-bit installer, run it, and follow the on-screen instructions. It does not document a Linux or macOS installer. ### Can Game Save Manager find saves for games that are no longer installed? Yes. The documented Deep Database Scan checks known paths such as Registry, AppData, and Documents, and is intended to locate saves left behind after a game is uninstalled. ### How does Game Save Manager handle games that are not detected automatically? The Custom Games tab can manually add a folder, file, or registry key. The README also documents Smart Placeholders such as `%AppData%` and `%UserProfile%` for custom backup locations. ## Sources - [dyang886/Game-Save-Manager on GitHub](https://github.com/dyang886/Game-Save-Manager) - [License: GPL-3.0](https://github.com/dyang886/Game-Save-Manager/blob/main/LICENSE) - [Project website](https://gamezonelabs.com) - [README](https://github.com/dyang886/Game-Save-Manager/blob/main/README.md) - [Releases](https://github.com/dyang886/Game-Save-Manager/releases) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/dyang886-game-save-manager