Cyberpunk 2077 Save Location: Back Up and Install PC Saves

Night City is a better place to experiment when your original character is safely backed up. Moving a Cyberpunk 2077 save starts with the right folder, but a reliable transfer also needs the correct game version, the complete save directory and a way back to your own progress. This guide covers local Windows PC files, not a promise of cross-platform conversion.

Community save download

Completed Save Game for Cyberpunk 2077 — hosted on Nexus Mods. The uploader describes this as a completed base-game save. Review the listed game build, progression and requirements before choosing a file.

View download on Nexus Mods

This opens the original download page, not an instant download from SaveGamesDL. Follow the host’s sign-in and download prompts. Completion labels belong to the uploader; we have not independently verified completion, compatibility or file safety. Preserve your own saves before importing anything.

Where are Cyberpunk 2077 saves stored?

CD PROJEKT RED identifies the following Windows save location in its support instructions. Paste it into the File Explorer address bar rather than searching the folder containing the game executable. 1

%USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\CD Projekt Red\Cyberpunk 2077

Use the same Windows account that runs the game. To distinguish an active folder from an old backup, create a clearly identifiable manual save, exit normally and compare file modification times. Do not create several guessed directories and copy the same files into all of them; that makes later troubleshooting harder.

Keep the complete save directory

The developer’s instructions name sav.dat, metadata.9.json and screenshot.png when requesting a save for support. Keep the contents of the selected save folder together instead of treating a loose sav.dat file as a complete archive. Metadata and screenshots help identify which checkpoint belongs to which data file. 1

For a personal archive, preserve the original directory structure. Add your own notes beside the archive, not by editing the internal save files. Useful notes include the game build, character, checkpoint, storefront and relevant mods.

Install a save without sacrificing your character

1. Make a manual save you can recognize, then close the game.
2. Copy the current save directory to a separate backup location outside the active game folder.
3. Extract the incoming archive into a temporary folder. Check its contents and the uploader’s instructions before copying anything.
4. Compare the stated game build, Phantom Liberty requirements and mod list with your installation. An omitted requirement is not evidence of compatibility.
5. Add only the intended save directory. When a name collision appears, preserve the existing folder before allowing any replacement.
6. Open the Load Game menu and identify the imported checkpoint by its description and screenshot, not just its position in the list.

Cloud synchronization can complicate local changes. Keep your independent copy before resolving any sync prompt, and compare actual progress rather than choosing a file simply because it has a newer timestamp.

Check more than a successful load

After loading, inspect the expected quest, location, equipment and character state. Make a separate test save, exit and load that new save again. Opening once is useful evidence, but it does not prove that every quest or mod combination will continue working.

Keep the untouched backup until you have checked the result. If the game reports missing content or fails to load, record the exact message and the tested build instead of repeatedly overwriting files. A useful download description identifies the environment actually tested and avoids unsupported claims such as “works on every version.”

Frequently asked questions