Where are the Save Game files?

Now that The Forest has a save feature you're probably wondering where the files are saved. Sometimes it's useful to make copies and you could even share them with friends if you wanted to. So here's a tutorial for locating the save files using different versions of the game.

Remember the save game file is only created or updated when you sleep in a shelter you've built. They can be deleted using Windows explorer or the registry editor, depending which version of The Forest you're playing.

When you sleep in a shelter, your previous save is overwritten so it's worth copying the file to make backups, especially true while the game is in Alpha.

Latest versions first...

Alpha v0.01b (Hotfix #2)

Due to bugs in the original hotfix the developers moved the save game file from the registry to the AppData folder. Not too dissimilar to how Minecraft and other games store user files.

AppData LocalLow folder

It's not exactly the same as Minecraft though because the devs are using the LocalLow folder rather than the typical Roaming folder.

The exact location is:

%appdata%\LocalLow\SKS\TheForest\

The save game file also has the new format:

PlayerPrefsFile__RESUME__.dat

Alpha v0.01

The initial Alpha version of The Forest (v0.01) used the registry for saving games which I admit was strange. It even caused a few bugs because the binary data was truncated and players were losing inventory items or the game would crash.

Regsitry - save game

You can find the registry key for save game files under:

1. Open Regedit (Start - Run - Regedit)
2. Open the following key on the LHS:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SKS\TheForest\

3. On the RHS, look for a key named: __RESUME__XXXXX

There will be a few random letters after the RESUME part, e.g.

__RESUME__h4231682524

4. The Data field for this key contains the binary information (serialized data) for your save game.
5. You can delete this save game by right clicking and choosing Delete
6. Alternatively you can click File - Export to make a copy of the registry section

Tip: I found a way to import old save game files from the registry into the new AppData format. Watch the video tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbJ8C55SH5E