Close Gears of War: E-Day, let Steam Cloud or Xbox cloud synchronization finish, then copy the correct save location to a dated folder outside the game installation. Steam saves are ordinary files in %LOCALAPPDATA%GearsEDaySavedSaveGames. Xbox app, Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass saves are opaque containers in %LOCALAPPDATA%PackagesMicrosoft.GearsEDay_<random>SystemAppDatawgs; copy that entire wgs folder and never edit files inside it. Keep more than one dated copy, preferably one on an external drive, before adding any mod files.
The safe order: synchronize, close, copy, then mod
A mod can leave a save unusable, and cloud synchronization can spread a damaged or half-written save to your other devices. The dependable sequence is:
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- Finish a normal session and exit the game completely.
- Wait until Steam Cloud or Xbox cloud synchronization reports that it has finished.
- Identify whether the installation is Steam or Xbox app/Microsoft Store/Game Pass.
- Copy the complete save location to a dated folder outside the game directory.
- Make a second copy on a USB flash drive or external SSD when practical.
- Only after the copies are verified, install the mod.
Do not move, rename or delete the original save location during the backup. A backup is useful only if the untouched source remains available for comparison or a second attempt at restoration.
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Where E-Day stores saves on Windows
Gears of War: E-Day launched on October 6, 2026 for Xbox Series X|S and PC/Steam, is included with Game Pass, and supports Xbox Play Anywhere and shared progression. The storefront determines the local save model, even when you use the same Xbox account.
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| Storefront | Local location | What to copy | How to handle it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam on Windows | %LOCALAPPDATA%GearsEDaySavedSaveGames |
The entire SaveGames folder and all files beneath it |
Normal files can be copied and restored with File Explorer or robocopy. |
| Xbox app, Microsoft Store or PC Game Pass | %LOCALAPPDATA%PackagesMicrosoft.GearsEDay_<random>SystemAppDatawgs |
The entire wgs folder, including every opaque-named container |
Treat it as a package. Do not hand-edit, selectively rename or delete individual container files. |
The <random> part of the Xbox package name varies by installation. If several similar package folders exist, use the one containing SystemAppDatawgs and the most recent save timestamps. Windows may hide AppData; entering the path in File Explorer’s address bar with %LOCALAPPDATA% is more reliable than browsing manually.
Prepare the game and cloud synchronization
Exit after a normal save
End the session normally, return to the title screen if the game provides that option, and exit to the desktop. Do not copy while a campaign checkpoint, profile change or achievement is still being written. Leave enough time for the launcher and cloud service to finish their pending upload. A laptop that is offline, asleep or shutting down can leave a partial local file that looks newer but is not complete.
Confirm which state is authoritative
If the launcher displays a conflict, do not automatically choose “upload” or “use cloud.” Preserve the local folder first, then preserve the cloud state when the platform permits it. Compare the chapter, checkpoint or campaign state you actually want. The official support information allows up to five campaign playthroughs or states, so a conflict may involve more than one legitimate slot rather than a single universal save.
Step-by-step backup workflow
1. Identify the storefront
Check where the game is launched. Steam installations use the GearsEDaySavedSaveGames path. Xbox app, Microsoft Store and Game Pass installations use the package’s SystemAppDatawgs path. Do not assume that an Xbox Play Anywhere account means the local files have the Steam layout; Play Anywhere concerns the entitlement and progression service, not the Windows folder structure.
2. Open the save location
Press Win+R, enter %LOCALAPPDATA%, and press Enter. For Steam, open GearsEDaySavedSaveGames. For Xbox app/Game Pass, open Packages, then the Microsoft.GearsEDay_<random> package, SystemAppData, and finally wgs. If the folder is missing, verify that you have started the game and completed at least one save on that Windows account.
3. Create a dated destination
Create a destination that is not inside the installation directory, such as E-Day-save-backup-2026-10-19-before-mod. Include the date and purpose in the name. Keep the source folder in its original location; copy rather than drag it away.
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4. Copy the complete folder
On Steam, copy the whole SaveGames folder. On Game Pass, copy the whole wgs folder, including every file and subfolder. A partial Game Pass copy can omit the metadata that makes the opaque containers usable, so selecting only the newest-looking file is not a safe shortcut.
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Copy the dated backup to a USB flash drive or external SSD when available. A second folder on the same system protects against a bad mod but not a failing drive, ransomware or an accidental delete. Keep earlier dated backups instead of replacing them; the oldest copy may be the only one from before a corruption was synchronized.
6. Verify before modding
Open the destination and confirm that it contains the expected folder structure and files. Compare the copy’s total size and file count with the source. Do not launch the game from the backup location. If the copy ends abruptly, reports an access error or has a noticeably different size, repeat it before installing anything.
Steam backup and restoration
Using File Explorer
With the game closed and synchronization settled, copy %LOCALAPPDATA%GearsEDaySavedSaveGames into the dated destination. Keep the folder name intact so that a future restore can put it back under Saved without guessing which files belong together.
Using the documented copy command
Open Command Prompt and run this command while the game is closed:
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robocopy "%LOCALAPPDATA%GearsEDaySavedSaveGames" "%USERPROFILE%DesktopGearsEDay-save-backup" /E
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The command copies all subdirectories, including empty ones, to a Desktop folder named GearsEDay-save-backup. Change the destination only if you have created another dated folder. Robocopy’s summary reports copied and skipped files; an error or access-denied result means the backup should not be treated as complete.
Restoring a Steam copy
Exit the game and pause cloud synchronization if the launcher offers that control. Preserve the current SaveGames folder by renaming it, for example to SaveGames-after-mod, rather than deleting it. Copy the dated backup back to %LOCALAPPDATA%GearsEDaySavedSaveGames. With robocopy, reverse the source and destination only for the restore, for example:
robocopy "%USERPROFILE%DesktopGearsEDay-save-backup" "%LOCALAPPDATA%GearsEDaySavedSaveGames" /E
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Xbox app and Game Pass backup
Copy the opaque container as one unit
Open %LOCALAPPDATA%PackagesMicrosoft.GearsEDay_<random>SystemAppDatawgs and copy the entire wgs directory to the dated destination. File names inside may be long strings with no meaningful chapter or slot names. That is normal. The container can include metadata and multiple states that cannot be interpreted safely by hand.
What not to do
- Do not open and edit container contents in a text editor.
- Do not rename individual opaque files to make them easier to identify.
- Do not delete files that appear old without first preserving a complete folder copy.
- Do not mix files from two different
wgsbackups.
If Windows denies access, close the game and the Xbox app, then retry from an elevated account that owns the profile. If the folder remains inaccessible, preserve the entire package directory rather than attempting to extract individual files; the container is intended to be managed by the platform.
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Restoring a Game Pass copy
Close the game and Xbox app, preserve the current wgs folder under a different name, and copy the dated backup’s complete wgs folder back into the same SystemAppData location. Do not merge selected files. Reopen the Xbox app, allow it to finish any sign-in or synchronization step, and then check the campaign state. If a cloud conflict appears, retain both local folders and choose only after identifying which one contains the desired progress.
Cloud saves are not version control
Automatic cloud upload is convenient for moving between an Xbox console and PC or between PCs, but it is not a history of every good save. A corrupted or half-written local file can be uploaded and then downloaded elsewhere. A conflict dialog may also present a newer timestamp for the damaged copy.
| Approach | Copy scope | Overwrite risk | Recovery speed | Independence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam local backup | Complete SaveGames folder |
Cloud can replace it if synchronization is allowed blindly | Fast; restore directly to the local path | Low if stored on the same drive |
| Game Pass local backup | Complete opaque wgs folder |
Cloud can replace the active container | Fast when the whole folder is restored correctly | Low if stored on the same drive |
| USB or external SSD copy | The dated Steam folder or complete Game Pass wgs folder |
Unaffected by an automatic cloud upload | Depends on drive connection and copy size | High; separate physical device |
| Cloud-only recovery | Platform-managed state | Highest uncertainty after corruption or a conflict | Fast when correct, but there may be no usable earlier version | Account-dependent, not an independent archive |
When a crash or conflict occurs, keep both the local backup and the platform’s current state where possible. Decide by the progress you recognize, not by which timestamp is newest.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Install a mod only after the backup is verified
Current E-Day PAK instructions are release-specific, so read the particular mod’s description before copying files. The documented process uses a ~mods folder beneath the game’s Paks directory.
Xbox app, Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass path
For the documented Xbox-app layout, the destination is:
C:XboxGamesGears of War- E-DayContentFairlightConceptContentPaks~mods
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Create ~mods inside Paks if it does not exist. Your installation directory can differ, so use the actual folder selected by the Xbox app rather than creating a second copy elsewhere.
Steam path
In Steam, right-click the game, choose Properties, open Installed Files, and select Browse local files. From that directory, open FairlightConceptContentPaks and create ~mods if necessary.
Copy the PAK, not the archive
- Download the mod archive specified by its author.
- Extract the archive to a temporary location.
- Copy the supplied
.pakfile into~mods; do not leave only the ZIP or other archive there. - If the mod offers multiple AXIS revisions, keep only one revision unless its instructions explicitly say otherwise.
- Start the game and test the mod with the backed-up save available, rather than overwriting your only copy.
To uninstall this type of mod, remove or move its PAK from ~mods. Keep the file in a separate quarantine folder if you may need to compare behavior. Removing the PAK does not restore a save that was already changed, which is why the dated backup must exist before installation.
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The game will not start
Close the game, remove or move the newly added PAK from ~mods, and test again. If the problem persists, restore the pre-mod save only after preserving the current post-mod folders. This distinguishes a mod-loading failure from a save-state problem.
The campaign opens at the wrong chapter
Do not save over the state you expected to keep. Exit, preserve the active save location, and restore the dated folder for the correct storefront. On Steam, replace the complete SaveGames folder. On Game Pass, replace the complete wgs folder; never combine files from different backups.
A cloud prompt appears after restoration
Keep the restored local folder and the pre-restoration folder. Select the option that retains the verified restored progress only after checking the displayed dates and, where possible, launching with synchronization paused. Choosing an upload or download button without preserving both states can make the unwanted copy the only synchronized version.
The save folder is empty or missing
Launch the game without mods, complete a normal save, exit, and wait for synchronization. Then check the storefront-specific path again. A package folder with a different random suffix may belong to another installation or Windows account. Do not create a synthetic wgs structure by hand.
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For routine mod testing, keep at least three points in time:
- Pre-mod: the clean dated copy made after a successful unmodded session.
- After each major mod change: a new copy made before adding, replacing or removing a significant PAK.
- Known-good milestone: a copy made after confirming that the game loads the intended campaign state and behaves normally.
Use names that sort chronologically, such as E-Day-save-backup-2026-10-19-before-mod. Store one copy away from the computer and never let a cloud conflict silently replace every local archive. This approach gives you a fast local restore, an independent fallback and a clear way to identify which change introduced a problem.
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