ICARUS puts you on a hostile alien world where every drop to the surface is a race against time. You build shelters, gather resources, complete prospects, and extract before the timer runs out. When you are playing co-op, the stakes are even higher - and so is the frustration when the host is not available.

In ICARUS, the session host owns the prospect save. If they are offline, the rest of the group cannot continue. For timed prospects, this can mean the difference between completing a mission and losing everything you brought down to the surface.

Where Is the ICARUS Save File Located?

ICARUS keeps your prospect saves in your Windows user folder:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Icarus\Saved\PlayerData\<SteamID>\Prospects\

Paste %LocalAppData%\Icarus\Saved\PlayerData into File Explorer or the Win+R Run box to jump straight there, then open your Steam ID folder. A few details:

  • Each prospect - Open World, Outpost, or mission - is a single .json file (for example Olympus_J1.json), with a rolling .json.bak backup beside it.
  • Your character (level, talents, tech tree) is stored separately from prospects, so it carries across every world you play.
  • Don’t rename or hand-edit these files; a tampered save can be rejected.

How Do You Save in ICARUS?

ICARUS has no manual save button - saving is automatic. A few things worth knowing:

  • Autosave runs about every 10 minutes by default and is adjustable (1-60 minutes) in the Gameplay settings.
  • The game also saves when you log out or exit to the character-select screen.
  • Mission prospects work differently: when you return to orbit via the drop pod, the world is discarded and only your character (and what you carried out) is kept. Open World and Outpost saves persist normally.
  • ICARUS does not use Steam Cloud - offline saves are local only, which is exactly why moving a prospect between players takes a manual step.

That last point is the catch for co-op: the prospect lives only on the host’s machine, with no cloud to fall back on. SaveSync is what bridges it.

How SaveSync Fixes the Host Problem

SaveSync synchronizes your ICARUS save files across all players in your co-op group. Once set up, every member has a current copy of the prospect. If the original host cannot make it, someone else loads the save and picks up exactly where you left off.

This is especially critical for ICARUS because of the timed nature of many prospects. You cannot afford to wait two days for your friend to log on when the clock is ticking on your mission.

How to Set Up SaveSync for ICARUS

  1. Install SaveSync from Steam on every player’s machine.
  2. Create a sync group and add your co-op partners.
  3. Configure the ICARUS save path in SaveSync. The ICARUS SaveSync guide has the exact folder locations and setup instructions.
  4. Run your prospects normally. After each session, SaveSync uploads the latest save state.
  5. Anyone can resume the prospect. Load the synced save and continue the mission with whoever is available.

Setup takes just a few minutes, and after that synchronization happens automatically.

Why Use SaveSync Instead of Copying Files Manually

Some groups try to pass save files around through file sharing services. Here is why that approach breaks down with ICARUS:

  • Timed prospects do not wait. Fumbling with manual file transfers while a mission timer is counting down is a recipe for disaster.
  • ICARUS saves are tied to specific folder structures. Getting the file placement wrong can corrupt or lose your progress.
  • Version tracking is nonexistent. If someone loads a stale save, you lose any progress made since then. SaveSync prevents this by always distributing the most recent version.
  • It is tedious. Doing this before every session adds friction that makes people stop playing.

SaveSync automates the entire workflow so your group can focus on surviving, not on file management.

Never Lose a Prospect to Scheduling Conflicts Again

ICARUS is a game where time pressure is built into the design. Your group should not have to fight against real-life scheduling on top of in-game timers. With SaveSync, the prospect is always accessible, the save is always current, and any player can step up to host when it counts.