Where Are The Last of Us Part I Save Files Located?
The Last of Us Part I saves to Saved Games under a users folder with your SteamID. Path, config file, and the chapter lock gotcha.
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The Last of Us Part I uses the Saved Games folder at the root of your user profile. Inside The Last of Us Part I sits a users folder, then one numeric folder per Steam account, then savedata with the actual checkpoint files. The screeninfo.cfg beside it holds your display settings, so grab that too when backing up.
The genuinely surprising behavior is the chapter lock: loading an earlier chapter seals later chapters until you replay forward, which reads exactly like deleted saves. Your files are fine; the game just refuses to show what is past your current point. Linux mirrors the layout inside the Proton prefix for app ID 1888930.
Where The Last of Us Part I stores this, by platform
%USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\The Last of Us Part I\users\[ID]\savedata
[ID] is your numeric Steam account folder. savedata holds the checkpoints; screeninfo.cfg one level up holds resolution and graphics settings. Steam Cloud syncs this tree, so turn cloud off before restoring an older backup or the cloud copy wins.
~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1888930/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Saved Games/The Last of Us Part I/users/[ID]/savedata
The Windows layout mirrored inside the Proton prefix, where 1888930 is the game's Steam app ID. Some installs use ~/.steam/steam instead of ~/.local/share/Steam. The users and savedata nesting is identical to Windows, including screeninfo.cfg.
Frequently asked questions
why did later chapters disappear after loading an old save
That is the game's chapter system, not a bug. Loading an earlier chapter seals off later ones until you replay forward; the files are still there. To get everything back, load the save slot of your finished run and play forward from the sealed point instead of hopping around.
how do i back up last of us part 1 saves
Close the game and copy the whole savedata folder to a backup drive or cloud folder. Restoring is the reverse while the game is closed. Keep screeninfo.cfg too if you care about your graphics settings; it sits one level above savedata in the same users folder.
where are last of us part 1 saves on steam deck
In Desktop mode, the layout is mirrored inside the Proton prefix for app ID 1888930: .../pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Saved Games/The Last of Us Part I/users/[ID]/savedata. The numeric folder matches your desktop's if both use the same Steam account.
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