Dead as Disco: Save File Location on PC – Backup Guide

Dead as Disco stores its Windows PC save files at %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Pagoda\Saved\SaveGames. If your goal is a proper backup, do not stop at copying a single .sav file. The safer move is to copy the entire Pagoda folder, because the game uses three save slots and may also keep related data there for playlists and imported music setup. Since Dead as Disco is still in early access, older backups can also become unreliable after patches, so it is worth testing a restore before you trust any one backup.

Where the Dead as Disco save file location is on PC

The main save file location on Windows is:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Pagoda\Saved\SaveGames

If that path looks awkward, the important part is the folder name: Pagoda. Inside it, you will find the game’s Saved data, and inside that, the SaveGames folder that contains the actual save files. Windows hides AppData by default, so a lot of players think the files are missing when they are really just buried in a hidden directory.

The fastest way to open it

Press Win + R, paste %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Pagoda\Saved\SaveGames, then hit Enter. That jumps straight to the correct folder without making you turn hidden folders on first.

If you prefer File Explorer, enable hidden items and browse manually through Users → your Windows username → AppData → Local → Pagoda → Saved → SaveGames.

What you should back up instead of just grabbing one file

The practical recommendation is simple: copy the full Pagoda folder, not only the contents of SaveGames. That gives you a cleaner restore point and reduces the chance that you bring back progress but lose related data the game expects to find nearby.

• Minimum backup: Pagoda\Saved\SaveGames
• Safer backup: the entire Pagoda folder
• Best habit: create dated backups like Pagoda-backup-2026-05-11

This matters even more if you use Dead as Disco’s custom music features. Imported songs can store sync or BPM-related information alongside your save data, so restoring the save backup can spare you from redoing that setup. Still, keep your original audio files in a separate safe place too, because a save backup is not the same thing as backing up your actual music library.

One easy mistake is confusing the Steam install folder with the save folder. Steam → Library → Dead as Disco → right-click → Manage → Browse Local Files is useful for reaching the game directory, especially if you also deal with custom content, but your actual Windows save files are in the AppData\Local\Pagoda path above. If you only back up the install directory, you may miss the files that actually hold your progress.

How Dead as Disco save slots work

Dead as Disco supports exactly three save slots. You choose between them from the main menu when you start a New Game. Each slot keeps its own progress, which is useful if you want one clean run, one experimental run, and one slot reserved for testing builds or playlist setups.

Because the game has three slots, the SaveGames folder can contain multiple .sav files. You can back up those files individually if you really want a smaller, more targeted restore. The problem is that this is also where players create avoidable mix-ups: restoring one slot but leaving behind related data from a different version, or overwriting the wrong save after a patch. For most people, full-folder backup is the safer and faster method.

If you are rotating between slots, label your backups by slot purpose as well as date. “Main,” “practice,” and “custom-music” is a lot clearer than a pile of unnamed copies made on different days.

Steam Cloud, Steam Deck, and console save management notes

Dead as Disco supports Steam Cloud, which is helpful but not something I would treat as your only safety net. Cloud sync is great when you move between machines, but it can also sync a bad state if a file gets corrupted or if you accidentally launch the wrong local setup. Manual backups are still the better insurance before a big patch, a Windows reinstall, or any save editing or file shuffling.

If you are restoring a manual backup on Steam, close the game first and be careful with cloud syncing. The safest workflow is to copy your backup back into place while the game is fully closed, then launch and confirm the correct slot appears before you do anything else. If Steam Cloud immediately replaces your restored files with newer but broken ones, you can lose the recovery you were trying to make.

For Steam Deck users, the logic is the same even though the path looks different. The save files live inside the game’s Proton prefix, ending in drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/Pagoda/Saved/SaveGames. Dead as Disco being Steam Deck Verified is good news for playability, but it does not change the fact that manual save management on Deck still means dealing with Linux folders and Proton prefixes rather than a normal Windows Explorer path.

Console players are in a different situation. There is no normal, user-browsable Pagoda save folder on console the way there is on PC. If you are playing on a console version later on, use the platform’s own save backup and cloud features instead. Manual copy-and-restore at the file level is mostly a PC workflow.

How to restore a Dead as Disco backup safely

• Close Dead as Disco completely.
• Open %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Pagoda.
• Copy the current folder somewhere else first, even if you think it is broken.
• Paste your backup Pagoda folder back into AppData\Local.
• Launch the game and check your save slots before creating new progress.

The extra “backup your broken backup” step is worth doing. In early access games, a file that looks dead after one patch can sometimes become useful again for troubleshooting, partial recovery, or comparison with a newer save. Overwriting it too early removes that fallback.

Common problems after restoring

• The slot is missing: make sure you restored to AppData\Local\Pagoda and not the Steam install folder.
• The game updated and the save will not load: keep both the old and current folders. Early access patches can break compatibility.
• Custom music data seems gone: the save backup may preserve sync metadata, but you still need the original music files available.
• The game crashes on load: if you use custom packs or mods, test again with those disabled before assuming the save itself is corrupted.

If you patch the game often, get into the habit of making one backup before updating and another after confirming the new version loads correctly. That gives you a known-good pair instead of a single restore point that may no longer match the build you are running.

The practical takeaway

For Dead As Disco save management, the path you want on Windows is %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Pagoda\Saved\SaveGames, but the folder you should usually copy is the full Pagoda directory. That covers the game’s three save slots more safely, plays better with Steam Cloud recovery, and gives you fewer headaches if you use custom music or run into an early access patch that changes save compatibility.