Running a thriving inn in Tavern Keeper is no small feat. From hiring cooks and serving guests to managing every candle-lit corner of your establishment, each action builds toward your dream tavern. But nothing dampens that triumph faster than losing hours of progress because the game didn’t save. Fortunately, keeping your hard work safe is easy — once you know how the game handles saving, Steam Cloud, and backups.

Let’s explore exactly how to save progress in Tavern Keeper so your bustling tavern never vanishes into thin air.

Manual Saving in Tavern Keeper

Unlike many modern simulators, Tavern Keeper does not include an autosave system. This means your game won’t automatically record your progress after major events or milestones. To save, you’ll need to do it manually — but the process is straightforward:

Isometric view of the tavern interior in Tavern Keeper, showing the wooden floor, bar counter, cooking station, and several patron and staff characters. — Credit: Greenheart Games

Open the pause menu by clicking the menu icon in the top-right corner of your screen.
Select “Save Game” from the list of options.
Wait a few moments to ensure the game completes the save.

That’s it, your progress is now stored. Just remember to save regularly, especially before making big financial decisions, hiring staff, or exiting the game. Forgetting to do so could result in lost progress if the game crashes or you close it unexpectedly.

Steam Cloud Sync: Keeping Your Progress Online

Yes, Tavern Keeper supports Steam Cloud saving, meaning your progress isn’t tied to one device. Each time you manually save, your data is uploaded to the cloud, allowing you to continue your game seamlessly on another PC — provided you’re logged into the same Steam account.

A few things to keep in mind:

Active internet connection required: Steam Cloud needs to be online to sync properly. If your internet drops, wait a few seconds and try saving again.
Automatic syncing: The next time you launch the game on a new computer, Steam Cloud automatically restores your latest save.
Optional local saves: If you prefer full control, you can disable Steam Cloud in your Steam settings. In that case, the game will save files directly to your computer.

Finding Your Tavern Keeper Save Files

If you want to make manual backups or transfer your data yourself, you can access your local save files. Depending on your configuration, these may appear in one of several directories:

Steam Save Folder:

C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam/userdata/[Your Steam ID]/[Tavern Keeper AppID]

Local Folder Example:

C:/Users/%USERNAME%/AppData/Local/Greenheart Games/Tavern Keeper/SaveGames

Alternative Paths:
- %appdata% → LocalLow → Greenheart Games → Tavern Keeper → SaveGames
- %appdata% → Roaming → Greenheart Games → Tavern Keeper → SaveGames
- %USERPROFILE%/Documents/Tavern Keeper

Tip: Windows hides some of these folders by default. To access them, open the File Explorer options and enable “Show hidden files and folders.”

How to Back Up Your Saves Safely

Creating a backup is a smart habit, especially if you’ve disabled Steam Cloud. Here’s how to ensure your files are secure:

Close the game completely before copying or modifying any files.
Copy the save folder (as listed above) and paste it into a safe location — for instance, an external drive or a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Use version labels (e.g., “BeforeExpansion” or “Level10”) to keep backups organized.
Test backups occasionally to make sure they aren’t corrupted.

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