Hades is friendly to manual backup because its main PC save lives in the user Saved Games folder, but cloud recovery introduces a naming trap: files downloaded from Steam Cloud can have extra prefixes even though the game expects names such as Profile1.sav. SaveEditor recommends preserving the whole Hades directory and recording the active profile number. This makes it easier to recover both the main profile and companion temporary/versioned files without guessing which cloud-exported filename corresponds to the live save.
Known Hades save-file structure
The researched filename or folder pattern is Profile1.sav / Profile2.sav etc.; temporary/versioned companion saves can exist alongside the active profile.. File-extension context: .sav The documented format notes are: Hades stores profile-oriented saves in the Saved Games/Hades directory. Steam cloud exports can include prefixed filenames that need their original names restored before the game recognizes them.
Why an extension is not enough
A save filename can identify a likely container, but it does not prove the internal schema, game version, checksum rules, encryption state, or editability. A cloud-download archive may prepend metadata to filenames; restoring the bytes without restoring the expected ProfileN.sav name can make a valid save appear missing. SaveEditor therefore separates file identification from Tool compatibility and only labels a game-specific Tool Verified when its exact profile/version evidence passes the runtime gate.
Where the format is stored
PC save locations: Windows: %USERPROFILE%DocumentsSaved GamesHades ; Microsoft Store: %LOCALAPPDATA%PackagesSupergiantGamesLLC.Hades_q53c1yqmx7phaSystemAppDatawgs. Storefront context: Steam, Epic Games Launcher, Microsoft Store. Microsoft Store uses WGS. Steam/Epic normal PC installs use the Saved Games directory; a cloud-downloaded filename may not be the same as the runtime filename. This matters because two releases can use different containers or companion files even when the visible slot name is similar.
Back up before inspecting or editing
Back up the entire Hades directory, with special attention to the active ProfileN.sav and its temporary/versioned companions. Preserve filenames exactly in the local runtime folder. A read-only viewer is lower risk than a writer, but the live save should still be copied first. Cloud context also matters: Steam Cloud, Epic cloud, Xbox Cloud, and Nintendo Switch cross-save are documented. Keep the original bytes available so any experiment can be reversed without relying on a cloud service or automatic backup.
What this reference does not claim
This page does not infer an undocumented checksum algorithm, encryption key, compression layer, or cross-store conversion from the file extension. Troubleshooting evidence: If a profile is not detected, compare the filename to the expected ProfileN.sav naming and verify that the active profile number matches. Check WGS separately for Microsoft Store. Those questions require a verified parser/profile or a game-specific source, not a generic format guess.
Verification context: Reviewed against current PCGamingWiki Hades save path/cloud data and Supergiant community support guidance identifying Profile1.sav.