How to Recover Deleted Game Files/Steam Data/Game Storage on PC (2024)

"I was uninstalling a game and the uninstaller crashed after 1 second. After a few minutes it closed with the full program list window. That's when I realized it was the game and the entire parent folder it was in "That folder is my "Games" folder which contains over 300 GB of games. Is there any way to get them back without installing every single game?"- A message fromReddit: Is there a way to recover 300 GB of games?

The main way many people spend their free time is by playing video games on their computers. However, there is an ongoing risk of data loss and users have reported several factors that can cause game files on hard drives to fail at any time.

Your game files are permanently gone from your computer, but are still saved in their original location. As long as you stop writing data to the hard drive where you saved the game files before, you can learn thishow to recover deleted game files on pcin this guide.

Why game files, Steam data or game saves are lost

Loss of game files is due to system issues, malware attacks, hard drive formatting, etc. Delete unused games and delete the relevant files tofree up disk space. But if you accidentally destroy other games, they will disappear from your PC permanently. There are a few possibilities why your game files were lost:

• Your games are still visible in the Steam Game Library, but their names are greyed out. It's possible that all the files are there and Steam can't find your game.
• You accidentally deleted your video game files on Windows because you freed up disk space or formatted the hard drive.
• Blue screen of death (BSOD), which appears when Windows encounters a catastrophic error, usually results in the loss of your game data.
• After the new update or patch of the game, the game may crash due to some bug or incompatibility, causing game files to disappear.

You can check the reason why you lost your game in the above situations. Read the following parts to learn how to recover deleted game files on PC.

Recover Deleted Games on PC Using Software (Recommended)

Professionaldatagendannelsessoftwareis the most recommended solution forrecover lost Steam game file. Regardless of whether you have a backup of a game file, you can quickly restore your saved games to your PC.

The software calledEaseUS data recovery wizardwas created to recover corrupted, damaged or missing game files. It provides users with an easy and comprehensive way to recover deleted files due to unexpected errors, system errors, etc.

You can recover deleted games saved on PC in three steps:

Step 1. Select a location and start scanning

Launch the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, hover over the partition/drive where the deleted files are stored. Click "Scan" to find lost files.

Step 2. Select the files you want to recover

Once the scan is completed, select the deleted files you want to recover. You can click the filter to display only the file types you want. If you remember the file name, you can also search the "Search for files or folders" field, which is the fastest way to find the target file.

Step 3. View and recover deleted files

Preview the recovered files. Then select the files you want to recover and click "Recover" to save the files to a new storage location instead of the drive where the data was lost before.

Recover deleted games on PC from trash

When a file is deleted, it is immediately moved from File Explorer to the Trash. So there's a reasonable chance that you can still find an erroneously deleted game in the trash.

What you need to do is:

Trin 1.Double-click the Trash icon on the desktop.

Trin 2.Check if the deleted game file remains in the trash when you open it.

Trin 3.If it is there, select Restore by right-clicking on it.

Trin 4.The saved game file should immediately reappear in its original location.

When you delete the files using the Shift key, they are permanently deleted from the hard drive's directory, making them more difficult to recover. If you are looking for solutions on howrecover Shift deleted files in Windows 11, visit the linked page.

Recover lost game files from game library

The names of your games are grayed outSteam game librarybut are still available. It's possible that all the files are there and Steam can't find your game.

Also, the locations where your game data is saved vary from game to game. Here is an illustration of how to retrieve deleted Steam game data.

Trin 1.Launch Steam on your device and select "Library".

Trin 2.Find the name of the lost game, such as Dota 2, in the left panel, right-click on it and select "Properties".

Trin 3.Click on "Local Files" from the drop-down menu in the Properties window.

After completing the steps, you can reopen the game to see if the deleted data has been recovered.

Restore the saved games via the Steam menu

You can try this method if your games are still having problems on Steam. The short process will determine if any files are missing.

Trin 1.Open Steam and navigate to the library on your device.

Trin 2.Right-click on the name of the missing Hogwarts Legacy on the left and select "Properties."

Trin 3.Check the integrity of the game files by clicking on "Local Files" and selecting it from the drop-down menu in the Properties window.

Trin 4.After completing the procedures, you can try restarting the game to see if the lost game data has been recovered.

You can also recover lost save files by deleting 'saw'. files. Here are the steps:

Trin 1.Close the game and the Steam client.

Trin 2.Navigate to the library of saved games%localappdata%[GameName]/Opgeslagen/SaveGames.

Trin 3.Select the folder whose name consists of a series of numbers.

Trin 4.Delete the SaveGameList.sav file

Trin 5.Restart the Steam client and start the game.

Recover lost game data from Steam backup

Backing up your games can be a wise option. If you lose game data, backups can be used to restore it. Below are the steps to recover lost game data from Steam backups.

Trin 1.Navigate to “Steam” – “Game Backup & Restore”.

Trin 2.Select Restore a previous backup. You can also create a new one here, which we will discuss shortly.

Trin 3.Find the game you want to restore. Select Browse and then look for your book in the Steam Backups folder.

Trin 4.Select "Next".

Trin 5.Reinstall your game by following the onscreen instructions.

Conclusion

The guide to recover deleted game files on PC is completed. If you have never backed up files or history, you can also use the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to get your lost files back. Try anywayrecover files from recycle binof back-up.

A professional backup tool, such asEaseUS Data Todo-backup, can backup files on hard drives, SD cards, external hard drives, cloud storage services, etc. It is recommended if you want to ensure the safety of your data and cannot predict what types of threats may suffer.

Recover Deleted Game Files on PC FAQ

After learning how to recover deleted game files on PC, you may have more questions about it. See if you can find your answers here:

1. How do I recover permanently deleted games from my Xbox?

Although recovering data from an Xbox One is complex, it is possible using the capable EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard if the Xbox device is not encrypted. As long as no data is overwritten, this application effectively recovers permanently deleted or lost game save files from Xbox One hard drive.

2. How can I restore games using System Restore?

It only works if aSystem restore pointis already fixed. If you are unable to create, try the alternative methods mentioned above.

Follow these instructions to use System Restore to recover deleted games from your computer:

• Type Create a restore point on the search icon and select System Restore from the pop-up menu.
• Select the system restore point where your deleted game is stored from the list of available points.
• To complete the process, click Next and follow the on-screen instructions.

3. How to recover lost game files from PS4?

Using file recovery software can be an effective approach to retrieve deleted game data on PS4. As long as the PS4 hard drive is not encrypted, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can help you recover lost PS4 game installation packages, game recordings or game videos. You only have to pay for it if it finds the game files you want.

4. Why is my saved game lost?

When you start Hogwarts Legacy, Steam may notify you that the save file in the Steam Cloud and the save file on your computer may be out of sync. When you launch the application, you will be given the option to access your local files or the cloud. Specifies the incompatibility between local save files and files stored in the Steam Cloud.