Approximately Up Save Files & Cloud Sync

Approximately Up saves your progress in plain files inside %USERPROFILE%/AppData/LocalLow/ApproximatelyGames/ApproximatelyUp/. Steam Cloud mirrors those files between devices — desktop to laptop, desktop to Steam Deck, and back. This page explains the save file layout, what each file does, when Cloud resyncs, and how to back up or restore when something goes wrong. Pair it with Blueprints for in-game save discipline and Steam Deck Playable Guide for handheld-specific quirks.\n\n## Save file locations (SteamDB-confirmed)\n\nApproximately Up uses the standard Unity user-file pattern on Windows. SteamDB’s app config reports the following roots:\n\n| Root | Path pattern | Contents |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| WinAppDataLocalLow | ApproximatelyGames/ApproximatelyUp/General/*.sav | Main save file (campaign progress, unlocks, mission log) |\n| WinAppDataLocalLow | ApproximatelyGames/ApproximatelyUp/Blueprints/*.bp | Blueprint files (saved ships) |\n| WinAppDataLocalLow | ApproximatelyGames/ApproximatelyUp/Blueprints/*.bpmeta | Blueprint metadata (display name, timestamps) |\n| WinAppDataLocalLow | ApproximatelyGames/ApproximatelyUp/Blueprints/*.bpex | Blueprint extras (extended state) |\n| WinAppDataLocalLow | ApproximatelyGames/ApproximatelyUp/Worlds/*.world | World edits per Planet Station (co-op shared state) |\n Full path example:\n\n\nC:\\Users\\<you>\\AppData\\LocalLow\\ApproximatelyGames\\ApproximatelyUp\\General\\AutoSave.sav\n\n AppData is hidden by default. Enable Show hidden items in Explorer View options or paste the full path into the address bar.\n\n## What is in the general save\n\nThe single *.sav file in General/ stores:\n\n- Campaign mission completion state\n- Unlocked parts in inventory\n- Unlocked Planet Stations and garage spawn points\n- Tutorial completion flag\n- Co-op session host state (multiplayer)\n\nPatch 1.0.006 added the Objectives Completion % at the bottom of the in-game log — that number is derived from your *.sav. It persists across patch updates but a corrupted save can reset it.\n\n## What is in a blueprint\n\nEach blueprint bundle in Blueprints/ is multiple files:\n\n| Extension | Role |\n| --- | --- |\n| .bp | The actual part layout, wiring, and inventory at save time |\n| .bpmeta | Human-readable display name, save timestamp, blueprint version |\n| .bpex | Extended state (any extra block flags the game tracks beyond .bp) |\n If you delete just the .bp but leave the .bpmeta, the game shows a phantom blueprint that fails to load. Delete all three files for a clean removal.\n\nPatch 1.0.007 ensured the Fuel Analyzer mode knob saves correctly inside blueprints. Older .bp files saved before 1.0.007 may load with default knob positions — re-save after updating.\n\n## Steam Cloud behaviour\n\nSteam Cloud treats Approximately Up saves as follows:\n\n- Enabled by default — no opt-in step needed in Steam Library\n- Mirror of local files — Cloud copies the same General/, Blueprints/, Worlds/ trees\n- Auto-sync when Steam client detects file changes on disk\n- Cross-device — desktop, laptop, and Steam Deck all sync to the same Cloud slot\n- Quota: roughly 953 MB with up to 10000 files (per SteamDB user-file configuration)\n\nTo verify Cloud is on:\n\n1. Right-click Approximately Up → Properties → General → Steam Cloud shows Keep game saves in the Steam Cloud for Approximately Up.\n2. If you toggled Cloud off previously, save files remain on your last device but new saves do not sync.\n If Cloud says Out of date on a second device, force a sync by signing out and back in, then launching the game once. The Cloud icon in Steam’s library view shows the current sync status.\n\n## Backing up manually\n\nEven with Cloud, make a local backup before big rebuilds or before applying a major patch:\n\n1. Quit Approximately Up completely.\n2. Open C:\\Users\\<you>\\AppData\\LocalLow\\ApproximatelyGames\\ApproximatelyUp\\ in Explorer.\n3. Copy the entire folder to a safe location (Documents/ApproximatelyUp-Backup-2026-08-23/).\n4. After the next successful flight, copy again — incremental backups are cheap.\n For belt-and-braces, also export Steam Cloud from another device:\n\n1. Open Steam/Cloud/ (or use the Steam client Cloud panel).\n2. Copy the Approximately Up folder out for offline reference.\n\n## Restoring from backup\n\nIf your save becomes corrupted or you want to roll back to a known-good state:\n\n1. Quit the game.\n2. Rename AppData/.../ApproximatelyUp/General/AutoSave.sav to AutoSave.sav.bak.\n3. Copy your backup AutoSave.sav into General/.\n4. Repeat for Blueprints/ if needed — copy whole .bp + .bpmeta + .bpex triples.\n5. Relaunch the game — it should detect the save and resume progress.\n6. If Steam Cloud overwrites your restored save on first launch, disable Cloud temporarily in Properties before launching.\n

Cloud vs local — when they disagree\n\nSteam usually wins. When Cloud resyncs over a local edit, your local file becomes a .bak or is overwritten. Symptoms:\n\n- Blueprint you saved five minutes ago is missing\n- Mission progress reverted by hours\n- Co-op world file shows stale state\n

To force the local version to win:\n

1. Disable Steam Cloud for Approximately Up in Properties.\n2. Quit Steam entirely (right-click system tray → Exit).\n3. Restart Steam with Cloud still off.\n4. Launch the game and verify your local files are used.\n5. Re-enable Cloud when satisfied.\n To force the Cloud version to win:\n
2. Right-click the game in Steam → Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files.\n2. In Library, click the Steam Cloud icon → Download Cloud saves if visible.\n3. Launch and let Cloud overwrite local.\n

Wiring walkthrough — handy reference

Co-op save sync quirks\n\nMultiplayer creates Worlds/*.world files that record host state. These can be larger than solo saves because they include co-op physics deltas. Tips:\n\n- The host is the canonical source of Worlds/ files — clients merge locally\n- Patch 1.0.005 added a version mismatch toast when client and host run different builds; sync both clients to the same patch before long sessions\n- If a co-op world file refuses to load, delete it — it will regenerate on next host start, with the loss of any in-progress shared edits\n\n## File-size sanity checks\n\nReasonable save sizes for the full retail campaign after a few hours:\n\n| File | Typical size |\n| --- | --- |\n| AutoSave.sav | 1–5 MB |\n| Single blueprint .bp + .bpmeta + .bpex triple | 50–500 KB |\n| Co-op *.world | 2–20 MB |\n| Full Blueprints/ folder with 30+ ships | 5–30 MB |\n

If your save file is over 50 MB, you may have blueprint bloat — archive the unused .bp triples out of Blueprints/ and reload.\n\n## When a save goes missing\n\nTroubleshooting ladder:\n\n1. Check Cloud status in Steam Library — out-of-sync icon?\n2. Check the local folder — does AutoSave.sav exist?\n3. Disable Cloud and launch the game — does it create a new save?\n4. Restore from backup if available.\n5. Check Steam support if your Cloud slot genuinely lost progress — Steam sometimes restores Cloud saves within 30 days if requested.\n

Migration notes (demo → full release)\n\nThe Steam demo was delisted before the August 6, 2026 launch. Demo saves did not migrate to the retail app — they live in a separate demo Cloud slot. Treat old demo saves as training only and start fresh with the retail app.\n

If you kept demo blueprints, the file format is similar but not identical. Loading a demo blueprint into retail may strip parts the retail inventory cannot resolve. Re-save under retail to keep the blueprint library clean.\n\n## Related guides\n\n- Blueprints — in-game blueprint workflow\n- Steam Deck Playable Guide — handheld sync quirks\n- Steam Cloud help — official Steam Cloud docs\n- Patch Notes — 1.0.007 Fuel Analyzer fix\n- Launch Guide — demo-to-retail transition\n\nApproximately Up’s save layer is plain files plus Steam Cloud — no exotic databases. That makes it easy to back up, restore, and migrate once you know the paths. Make backups before big patches and you will never lose a flagship blueprint to a corrupted save.