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A remote Git push is not a complete backup. Version control gives a team history and collaboration; a separate, protected copy gives it a way to recover if the repository host, cloud account, studio server, or network becomes unavailable. Build a backup around everything needed to resume work, keep at least one copy independent of the primary service, and test a restore before an outage forces you to.
Decide what must be recoverable
Back up the material a teammate would need to continue development, not just the files that happen to be in the main repository. A practical inventory includes:
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- Source code, scripts, and project-specific tools.
- Engine or editor project files, metadata, settings, and configuration.
- Original art, 3D assets, audio, video, and other source files that cannot be recreated from exports.
- Dependency manifests, package or plugin details, and relevant licenses.
- Design notes, technical documentation, and build or release materials that would be costly or impossible to regenerate.
- Recovery information needed to regain access to accounts or services, held through a secure process rather than casually copied into a project folder.
Classify generated caches, intermediates, logs, build outputs, test artifacts, and downloaded dependencies instead of assuming they are all disposable. Microsoft advises against committing build outputs and test artifacts to Git and recommends package management for reusable dependencies, but a project may have generated data that is expensive or impossible to reproduce. Record any such exceptions and include them in the backup set. See Microsoft’s backup and restore planning guidance.
A literal question raised in a game-development discussion was where historical versions of “Code, art, videos, 3d files, etc.” are stored. That is useful as an inventory prompt, but the right answer depends on how a particular team manages each kind of file.
#1 Best Overall
- Easily store and access 2TB to content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
Choose version control for the files and workflow
For code and other readable text, Git is a practical way to track changes and collaborate. Large binary files require a deliberate choice: they can make ordinary Git history grow and increase the work of cloning, branching, and fetching. Binary assets also commonly do not merge like text.
| Approach | Where it fits | Important trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary Git | Small projects with mostly text-based source and modest asset needs. | Simple history and collaboration for text; large, frequently changing binaries can enlarge repository history and make routine operations heavier. |
| Git LFS | Large binary files that change often and do not produce useful text diffs, when the team wants a Git-based workflow. | Git stores pointer files while binary content lives in separate storage. Clients need LFS installed and configured; binary revisions do not merge, and locking may be needed to coordinate edits. Some workflows, including certain web-interface uploads, can bypass LFS. |
| Perforce or another large-asset-oriented workflow | Teams whose asset volume, access patterns, or exclusive-checkout needs fit a system designed for larger binary workflows. | Evaluate team familiarity, locking, storage and hosting dependencies, account recovery, and a practical export and restore path; no system removes the need for a separate backup. |
These distinctions and Git LFS cautions are documented for Azure Repos workflows in Microsoft’s guide to managing large files in Git; hosted terms and capabilities should be checked with the service you actually use. Choose by asset change frequency, diffability, repository size, access patterns, locking needs, client setup, team familiarity, and restore path rather than assuming one tool is best for every game.
Rank #2
- Easily store and access 4TB of content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive.Specific uses: Personal
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
Version control is also part of the build pipeline, not just a place to keep files. AWS’s game-development reference architecture describes Perforce with persistent EBS-backed storage and commits triggering builds alongside separate networking and compute components. It is an example architecture, not evidence that any one deployment is outage-proof. If you use Perforce or another hosted system, document how to recover the service, its storage, account access, and surrounding build dependencies. See AWS’s game CI/CD architecture guidance.
Keep a backup outside the primary failure domain
A second copy is useful only if the same disruption cannot readily take it away. If your repository host is unavailable, another copy in that host’s account may not help. A second cloud account is not automatically independent either if the same credentials, administrator, or control plane can delete or lock both copies.
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- Speeds up to 130MB/s[2] to push your console or PC to new levels
- Compatible with Xbox Series X|S (play and store Xbox One games / archive Xbox Series X|S games) and PlayStation 5 (play and store PS4 games/archive PS5 games) consoles
CISA’s #StopRansomware Guide says: “Maintain offline, encrypted backups of critical data, and regularly test the availability and integrity of backups in a disaster recovery scenario.” Microsoft likewise recommends protecting backups from erasure with offline, off-site, or immutable storage, validating them, and rehearsing recovery in its backup and restore planning guidance.
| Destination | What it can add | What to assess |
|---|---|---|
| Disconnected external drive | An offline copy that does not rely on the repository service during recovery. | Capacity, safe storage, copy validation, protection from loss or damage, and who can access it. Disconnect it or otherwise protect it after copying; do not treat one drive as the only copy. |
| Off-site copy | Separation from a local server, studio incident, or physical site problem. | How it is kept current, who can retrieve it, access controls, retention, and the time and connectivity required to restore it. |
| Cloud or immutable storage | Remote availability and, where configured, resistance to alteration or deletion. | Account and administrator separation, service-control risks, access recovery, capacity, retention, restore time, and recurring costs. |
A generic external hard drive or SSD can serve as one offline copy if it has enough capacity, the copied contents are validated, and the drive is disconnected or otherwise protected afterward. This is an implementation of offline-backup guidance, not a product recommendation; the right capacity and connection depend on the project. Keep it as part of an independent recovery plan, not as the sole copy.
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- Customize your drive’s RGB lighting with the downloadable WD_BLACK Dashboard (Windows only) to show off your style and make every play personal.
- Kick loading into overdrive with a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 interface and speeds up to 2,000MB/s. (Based on read speed. 1 MB/s = 1 million bytes per second. Based on internal testing; performance may vary depending upon host device, usage conditions, drive capacity, and other factors.)
- Compatible with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. {Compatible with PlayStation 4 Pro or PS4 with system software version 4.50 or higher, PlayStation 5 (Play and store PS4 games; archive PS5 games), Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S (Play and store Xbox One games; archive Xbox Series X|S games).}
- Keep more of the latest and largest titles installed and ready to launch with capacities of up to 2TB. (1TB = 1 trillion bytes. Actual user capacity may be less depending on operating environment.)
- Built with WD_BLACK toughness thanks to a shock-resistant structure, this durable drive can survive a drop of up to two-meters.
Make the backup recoverable, not merely present
A successful backup job or a list of files does not prove that a team can resume work. Write down the restore order and assign responsibility so that recovery does not depend on one person’s memory.
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- Record the recovery inventory. Identify where repository history, large-asset history, project files, dependencies, documentation, and non-regenerable build materials are stored. Note which files are intentionally excluded and why.
- Protect access details. Keep recovery credentials and account-recovery procedures in an appropriately secured, accessible process. Confirm that someone other than the primary administrator can use that process.
- Restore into a clean location. Use a machine or environment that does not depend on the original workspace. Retrieve the repository and asset history from the recovery route, not from a still-open local working copy.
- Recreate dependencies. Install the required engine or editor, retrieve packages, plugins, and tools, and verify that manifests and licenses are available.
- Open and verify the project. Have a teammate open it, inspect representative code and source assets, and make a small verification build in the clean environment.
- Record gaps and repeat. If access, files, history, or build steps are missing, update the inventory and restore instructions. Schedule another exercise after meaningful changes to the workflow.
This applies Microsoft’s recommendations to prioritize critical systems, validate backups, and exercise disaster recovery to a studio project. A useful test proves that a teammate can obtain both the repository and asset history, restore dependencies, open the project, and complete a small build—not just that a backup copy exists.
Best Value
- Easily store and access 1TB to content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive.Specific uses: Personal
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop. Reformatting may be required for Mac
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
Check service terms before depending on hosted storage
Before relying on a hosted tier, verify its current data limits, binary storage and bandwidth charges, retention and version history, locking behavior, account recovery, export routes, and support arrangements. These terms can change, and they vary by service and plan; they are not interchangeable with the general Git, LFS, or Perforce workflow considerations above.
Perforce Software’s 2024 State of Game Technology Report says that 69% of respondents used version control to store and share source files and art assets. That is a vendor-published respondent survey result, not an independently verified proportion of all game studios or developers.
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