Slay the Spire is different from the usual one-folder save model: PCGamingWiki lists preferences, runs, saves, and betaPreferences as game data. That means “backup the save file” is incomplete advice. A user may restore card/progression information yet lose an active run or related preferences if only one directory is copied. SaveEditor therefore treats the four directories as one logical backup set for standard desktop builds while keeping the Microsoft Store package path separate.
Where Slay the Spire stores PC saves
The researched save-location boundary is Windows: Desktop builds: <path-to-game>preferences, <path-to-game>runs, <path-to-game>saves and betaPreferences ; Microsoft Store: %LOCALAPPDATA%PackagesHumbleBundle.SlayTheSpire_q2mcdwmzx4qjaLocalCacheLocalMicrosoftWritablePackageRootsaves. The known file or folder pattern is Multiple files across preferences, runs, saves, and betaPreferences rather than one universal slot file.. This is the practical starting point because launcher, profile, and storefront context can change which copy is active even when two folders look similar.
Storefront and profile differences
Documented launchers or storefronts: Steam, GOG, Microsoft Store. The Microsoft Store sandbox path differs significantly from Steam/GOG. Standard desktop installs can keep data alongside game resources, so reinstall/move operations deserve an explicit backup first. When looking for a missing save, identify the executable/storefront you actually launched and the user/profile that created the progress before copying anything between directories.
Cloud synchronization
Steam Cloud and Xbox Cloud support are documented depending on edition. A cloud service should be treated as another copy of the save, not as proof that the local folder is disposable. Before a manual restore, let synchronization finish, make an offline backup, and avoid starting the game while files are being replaced.
What the files represent
Slay the Spire stores meaningful state in several sibling directories under the installation resources for standard desktop builds. Backing up only saves can omit preferences/unlocks or run state. The current filename/folder evidence is Multiple files across preferences, runs, saves, and betaPreferences rather than one universal slot file.. File-extension context: No single extension is sufficient to identify every relevant save record. A location guide does not claim that every file in the directory is safe to edit or that files from another storefront are automatically interchangeable.
If the save is not where expected
If ascension/unlocks or the current run do not match after restoration, compare all four data directories rather than repeatedly overwriting the saves folder alone. Also check redirected Documents folders, Steam Play prefixes, account IDs, and launcher-specific containers where applicable. Preserve every candidate copy before testing a restore so troubleshooting does not destroy the only surviving version.
Verification context: Reviewed against current PCGamingWiki Slay the Spire save-data locations and multi-directory layout.