Does How to Fish have Steam Cloud saves?
Yes. Steam Cloud support arrived in Patch 1.0.12 on September 4, 2026. The developer's first-upload instruction is to run the game and exit on the computer that already holds your save. That gives your existing progress a route into the cloud before you move to another device. Official announcement ↗
The three useful checks are different: the game must save your session, Steam must upload that save, and the next device must receive it. A successful boss fight only proves the first part once you have saved it.
Begin on the device where your latest run is intact. Avoid creating a replacement run on the second device until you have checked the original.
Upload an existing save before switching computers
- Identify the right run. On the original PC, note the save name, the island you reached and a recent quest or purchase. These give you something concrete to compare later.
- Update the game. This site's latest checked developer patch is 1.1.3. Launch from the Steam library after the update finishes.
- Check Cloud is enabled. In Steam, open the game's Properties → General and check its Cloud setting. Also check the global switch in Steam Settings → Cloud. Steam's settings instructions ↗
- Open the intended save and exit normally. This is the first-upload step specified by Dazed Games. Use the in-game save and exit controls; avoid ending the process as a shortcut.
- Let Steam finish. Keep the source device online and wait for the game's Cloud status to finish syncing before closing Steam or moving to the next machine.
Steam's documentation explains that synchronization normally happens around game launch and exit. Closing the game and immediately cutting the connection can leave the second device waiting for an upload that has not finished. Steam Cloud documentation ↗
Continue on another PC or Steam Deck
After the source device finishes syncing, use the same Steam account on the destination and allow the game and its cloud files to update. Open the save list and compare the run with the notes you made: island, quest progress and purchases are more useful than simply seeing a familiar filename.
For example, if you left the original PC after unlocking the Forest route, a destination save that still needs the opening hand-in is a reason to stop and investigate. Do not overwrite that discrepancy with another evening of progress on the wrong run.
Dazed Games announced Steam Deck verification in Patch 1.0.11. Steam Cloud arrived in the following patch; they are separate features. A Verified badge describes game compatibility and does not prove that a particular save has uploaded.
What should I do about a Cloud conflict?
A conflict means Steam has different local and cloud files. Compare the timestamps with where and when you actually played. Choose the copy containing the progress you intend to keep; do not assume that “cloud” or “local” is always correct. Offline play can create this situation when devices reconnect. Steam's conflict guidance ↗
| What you remember | What to check before choosing |
|---|---|
| You finished a quest on the desktop last night | Match the desktop session time and that quest milestone against the two offered copies. |
| You played offline on Steam Deck afterward | Account for that later session; an older desktop upload may lack those changes. |
| The dates do not match either session | Stop before choosing blindly. Record both timestamps and inspect the source device or seek support. |
If Steam reports that it cannot sync, resolve that problem before playing onward. Continuing can produce conflicting progress. Restart Steam, confirm the connection works, then retry the upload. Steam Cloud troubleshooting ↗
The destination loads an older save
Return to the original device first: the newer file may still exist there even though it never reached the cloud. Confirm which run is present before making further changes. Steam's missing-progress explanation ↗
Work through one difference at a time. Check the Steam account, the selected run and the last completed session. A co-op player joining someone else's lobby should also distinguish the host's world from a run they created themselves; a Cloud transfer is not evidence that lobby ownership changed.
There is no universal restore button promised in the developer's Cloud announcement. If the original run is also missing or will not load, preserve what remains and use the save and connection troubleshooting guide.
Where is the How to Fish save file on Windows?
An October 5 Steam Community player report identifies %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Dazed Games\How to Fish\Saves. This is a community-reported location; the official backup announcement does not specify filenames.
- Save and quit the game normally. Press Windows + R, enter
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLowand press Enter. - Open Dazed Games → How to Fish and look for Saves. If your machine instead contains a folder named DazedGames, inspect it too; do not create a guessed path or assume both folders hold current progress.
- Check the existing save names and Date modified against your last session. Use the files' timestamps, since a parent folder's timestamp may not reflect every save.
- With the game closed, copy the whole confirmed How to Fish folder to a separate dated backup, such as
How-to-Fish-backup-2026-10-13. Keep the working folder in place.
If neither candidate contains your run, confirm the Windows user profile before changing anything. An empty directory is not a recovered save.
Cloud saves, backups and loose items are different
Patch 1.0.11 added backup saves and checks for corruption before loading. Those are recovery measures within the game's save system. The announcement does not document a guaranteed restoration workflow or a universal backup filename, so follow current developer instructions before renaming or replacing files.
Use the folder-copy steps above before any file repair. For a broken run, record the failure first; changing several files at once makes it harder to identify what helped.
A missing dropped item may be a different issue. Patch 1.0.10 introduced persistence for up to 64 ground items, with useful equipment and quest objects prioritized. Cloud sync cannot restore an item that was never included in the saved game. Check the run's broader progress before treating one missing object as a failed transfer.
Give support enough detail to reproduce it
Use the bug-report area linked from the developer's website. Include the device you last played on, approximate session time, what the Cloud status says, whether a conflict appeared, and which run is affected. Mention whether the failure occurs before the save list, during loading or after equipping an item.
The game began recording its version in player.log in Patch 1.0.10. Include that version when reporting a problem. Keep account credentials out of the report.