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When a Steam Free Weekend ends, your temporary right to launch the game expires. Steam keeps the game listed in your library, but you can generally only uninstall it until you purchase a license. Valve does not say that Free Weekend saves are automatically deleted. Whether your progress remains available depends on the individual game’s Steam Cloud settings and local save behavior.
If you plan to buy the game, first determine where the save was stored and whether it synchronized. A purchase restores play access; it does not recreate a missing local save or resolve a Cloud conflict by itself.
What changes when the Free Weekend ends?
A Free Weekend is a temporary promotion, not a permanent game license. Valve describes it as a time-limited period in which players can access an eligible game for free, typically over a four-day weekend. The Steamworks package for that promotion is automatically deactivated and removed when the event ends. Valve’s typical schedule is Thursday at 10 a.m. Pacific to Monday at 10 a.m. Pacific, although the exact event dates are set for each promotion. See the Steamworks Free Weekends documentation for the publisher-facing rules.
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Does Steam delete the save?
Valve’s Free Weekend documentation explains license expiration and package behavior, but it does not state that save files are deleted. The license question and the storage question are separate:
- Access: the temporary entitlement ends when the promotion ends.
- Data: the save may be in Steam Cloud, on the computer where you played, or in a game-specific location controlled by the developer.
- Usability: the save can be loaded only if the purchased game recognizes that data and the relevant files are still available.
Do not assume that every Free Weekend save is preserved, and do not assume that every save disappears. The game’s implementation is decisive.
Can you continue your progress after buying the game?
Often, yes—but only when the original save is still present and the full version uses the same save format and location. A Cloud-enabled game may download the progress to the computer on which you install or launch the purchased copy. A local-only game may continue from the original computer but show no progress on a second machine. Some games use their own account or server systems, while others keep files in a folder outside Steam’s standard userdata directory.
Steam Support emphasizes that developers can customize Steam Cloud completely, including which user files are uploaded. Its Steam Cloud guidance also notes that many games do not use Steam Cloud for save games. Therefore, a successful purchase does not guarantee a transfer; it simply gives you permission to run the game again.
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Same computer versus another computer
| Where you played the Free Weekend | Likely source of progress | What to check before launching |
|---|---|---|
| The same computer, with Cloud enabled for the relevant files | A local save and a Steam Cloud copy may both exist | Resolve any Cloud warning and verify that the newest timestamp matches your last session |
| The same computer, with Cloud disabled | The local game folder or another developer-chosen location | Keep the original files and reinstall or buy the game on that computer |
| A different computer, with Cloud enabled for the relevant files | The Cloud copy, if the developer integrated that save file | Allow synchronization and compare the displayed dates before accepting a replacement |
| A different computer, with Cloud disabled | No automatic copy; progress remains on the original computer | Copy the game’s save files using the developer’s documented method |
The table describes common outcomes, not a promise for every title. A Cloud icon on a store page indicates that some Cloud functionality exists; it does not identify every file being synchronized.
How to check whether your save is protected by Steam Cloud
- Open the game’s Steam store page. Look for the Steam Cloud indicator in the feature list. This confirms that the developer enabled Cloud integration for the title, but it does not prove that the particular campaign, profile or configuration file you need is included.
- Check the game’s support information. Search the developer’s official support page or community information for save-file details. Steam says developers choose which user files are integrated, so the developer is the authoritative source for the game’s file list.
- Review Steam’s synchronization status. Before launching after purchasing, watch for a Cloud warning or a message that local and Cloud files differ. Do not click through a conflict without checking the dates and the progress represented by each version.
- Compare the result with your last session. A timestamp later than your last play session is not automatically the correct file; a game can update a file during settings changes or a failed launch. Use the time and the visible progress together.
If the store page has no Steam Cloud indicator, treat the save as local unless the developer documents a separate online account system. Steam does not automatically add Cloud storage to a game simply because you played it during a promotion.
Where Steam saves may be stored locally
When Cloud is disabled or the game does not upload a particular file, the save generally remains on the machine where you played. Steam lists these default userdata locations:
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C:Program Files (x86)Steamuserdata - macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/Steam/userdata - Linux:
~/.local/share/Steam/userdata
These directories contain Steam user and application data, but the exact save location varies by game. A title may put saves in a subfolder under its Steam application ID, in your operating system’s Documents or Saved Games folder, or in a developer-specific directory. Steam’s Using the Steam Backup Feature article warns that Valve-created game backups omit saved games and that third-party save locations vary. A backup of the installed game therefore should not be treated as a backup of your progress.
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Preserve the original before troubleshooting
Before uninstalling, reinstalling or accepting a Cloud replacement, make a separate copy of any suspected save folder. Copy the entire folder to another drive or a clearly named directory, keeping the original timestamps. Do not edit or rename files until the developer’s instructions tell you to do so. If the game uses several profile files, copying only the most obvious file can leave the save unusable.
What to do when Steam reports a Cloud conflict
A Cloud conflict means Steam has different local and Cloud versions to reconcile. Steam Support warns that ignoring a synchronization problem can create conflicts or cause lost progress, and says lost saves are unlikely to be recoverable. Use this order:
- Stop launching the game repeatedly. Repeated launches can update metadata or overwrite the version you intended to preserve.
- Read both timestamps and file descriptions. Identify which entry corresponds to the computer and session where you played the Free Weekend. The newest timestamp is useful evidence, not an automatic verdict.
- Make a manual copy of the local save. Close the game and Steam if necessary, then copy the suspected save directory before selecting an option in the conflict dialog.
- Select the version that contains your latest known progress. If the local version reflects your final Free Weekend session and the Cloud version is older, choose local. If you played most recently on another computer and Cloud has that session, choose Cloud.
- Wait for synchronization to finish. Keep Steam open until the status indicates completion, then launch the game and verify the actual in-game profile or checkpoint.
If neither version contains the expected progress, stop and consult the developer. Buying the game cannot reconstruct a file that was deleted or overwritten.
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Does buying the game transfer the Free Weekend save?
Buying the same game normally changes your entitlement from temporary access to a permanent license; it does not create a new save system. If the purchased copy uses the same application and the save is still in its expected location, the game may load it automatically. A different edition, branch, platform, region-specific build or account can behave differently, so verify compatibility in the game’s support information.
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Do not uninstall the Free Weekend installation before checking the save. Uninstallation can remove local files for some games, even though other titles keep saves in a separate folder. If you must uninstall, copy the save first and confirm the developer’s instructions.
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“My game is still in the library, but it will not start.”
That is the expected license result after the promotion. The library listing can remain while the temporary package is inactive. Purchase the game to restore play access; the listing itself does not indicate whether a save survived.
“The purchased game starts from the beginning.”
First determine whether you are on the original computer. On the same machine, check the game’s documented local save location and confirm that Steam Cloud did not replace a newer local file with an older copy. On another machine, check whether the game actually supports Cloud for the relevant save. Do not start a new campaign until you have copied any existing files, because a new save can overwrite or complicate recovery.
“I played offline during the Free Weekend.”
Offline play can leave the only copy on the original computer. Reconnect Steam on that computer, allow it to finish any pending synchronization, and inspect the local save before moving to another machine. If Cloud was disabled or the game never uploaded that file, you will need the original computer or a manual transfer.
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“Steam asks me to choose local or Cloud data.”
Treat the dialog as a data-recovery decision, not a routine confirmation. Compare timestamps with your play history, preserve the local folder, and select the copy that contains the latest verified progress. Steam’s Cloud support page explains the conflict behavior and recovery limitations: Steam Cloud.
Account restrictions are separate from save retention
Free Weekend access does not remove restrictions on a limited Steam account. Valve’s Limited User Accounts information explains that promotional access and account spending limits are separate systems. If a social, trading or community feature is unavailable, that limitation is not evidence that your save was deleted.
A practical checklist before and after the event
- Record the last time you played and, if possible, the in-game profile or chapter you reached.
- Check the store page for the Steam Cloud indicator and read the developer’s save documentation.
- On the original computer, locate and copy the save folder before uninstalling or resolving a conflict.
- After buying the game, allow Steam Cloud to finish synchronizing before launching on another computer.
- When a conflict appears, compare both versions and preserve a manual copy before choosing.
- Do not rely on Steam’s game-backup feature as a save backup; Valve says saved games may be omitted and third-party locations differ.
The reliable conclusion is narrow but useful: the Free Weekend license expires, while save retention is game-specific. Check the game’s Cloud integration and local files, protect the original data, and only then decide whether to purchase, synchronize or transfer the game.
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