You have been playing Terraria with your friends on your desktop PC all week. Saturday comes around and you want to play from the couch on your Steam Deck. Or your friend hosted a Core Keeper world from their PC and now you want to continue building from your Deck while they are away. Or maybe your group just wants the flexibility to have anyone host from any device.

Steam Cloud handles some of this for single-player saves, but co-op saves are a different story. The world file belongs to the host, and Steam Cloud does not share it with other players. Switching hosting duties between a Steam Deck and a PC, especially across different players, requires getting the save file to the right place on the right device.

That is what SaveSync does.

The Problem: Steam Cloud Does Not Cover Co-Op Saves

Steam Cloud is designed for one scenario: keeping your personal saves in sync across your own devices. If you play a single-player game on your PC and then switch to your Deck, Steam Cloud (when it works) ensures your save follows you.

But co-op world saves are not personal saves. They belong to whoever hosted the session. Steam Cloud does not share them with other players. It does not know that your friend’s Valheim world is also your Valheim world. So when you want to host that same world from your Deck, you are on your own.

The typical workarounds are:

  • Asking the host to send the file through Discord or email, then manually placing it in the right directory on your Deck
  • Using Desktop Mode on Steam Deck to navigate the filesystem and move files around
  • Setting up Syncthing or a similar tool on both devices

Each of these works in theory. In practice, navigating the Steam Deck’s Linux filesystem in Desktop Mode to find a Proton prefix directory is the kind of experience that makes people give up and just wait for the original host to come back online.

How SaveSync Works Between Deck and PC

SaveSync keeps your co-op save synchronized across every player in your group, regardless of whether they are on a PC or a Steam Deck. The workflow is straightforward:

After a session on PC:

  1. The host opens SaveSync and syncs the latest save
  2. The save is shared with every player in the group

Starting a session on Steam Deck:

  1. Open SaveSync on your Deck
  2. Pull the latest save
  3. Launch the game and host the session
  4. Your friends connect to you

After the session on Steam Deck:

  1. Sync the save from your Deck
  2. Next time someone wants to play from their PC, they pull the latest save

The save bounces between devices seamlessly. SaveSync knows where each game stores its saves on both Windows and Linux (which Steam Deck runs), so the files always land in the right place.

Setup Guide

On Your PC (Windows)

  1. Install SaveSync from Steam
  2. Create a sync group or join an existing one
  3. Add your friends via Steam
  4. Select the game you want to sync
  5. Sync your save after each hosting session

On Your Steam Deck

  1. Install SaveSync from Steam (in Gaming Mode, it installs like any other game)
  2. Join the Discord server and grab the beta tester role to get access to the Linux build instructions
  3. Launch SaveSync
  4. Join the same sync group as your PC (or your friends’ group)
  5. Pull saves and host directly from your Deck

The Deck interface supports touch input and mouse pointer. Gamepad navigation is being added in future beta updates.

Common Scenarios

You Play on Both PC and Deck

You host a Stardew Valley farm on your PC during the week. On weekends, you want to host from your Deck while relaxing on the couch. With SaveSync, you sync the save from your PC, pull it on your Deck, and continue. Your friends do not need to change anything on their end. They join your session the same way regardless of which device you are hosting from.

Your Friend Hosts on PC, You Play on Deck

Your friend has been hosting a Core Keeper world from their desktop. They are busy this weekend, but you and two other friends want to play. You pull the latest save on your Deck, host the game, and everyone joins. When your friend is back, they pull the updated save and resume hosting from their PC.

Your Group Has Mixed Devices

Two players on desktops, one on a laptop, one on a Steam Deck. With SaveSync, any of them can host any session. The save stays current across all devices and all players. No one is the permanent host. No one’s device is the bottleneck.

What About Steam Cloud Conflicts?

If you have Steam Cloud enabled for a game, you might worry about conflicts between Steam Cloud and SaveSync. Here is the key distinction: Steam Cloud syncs your personal data (character, settings, inventory in some games). SaveSync syncs the shared world save. These are different files for most co-op games.

For games like Valheim, your character data travels with you automatically through Steam Cloud. SaveSync handles the world file. They complement each other rather than conflict.

If you do experience any sync issues, the SaveSync beta team is actively collecting feedback to smooth out edge cases. Reach out through Discord or the Steam community hub.

Your Deck, Your PC, Same World

The Steam Deck’s promise is gaming without compromise. Play at your desk, play on the couch, play on a flight. Your co-op worlds should follow you just as easily. SaveSync makes that possible for your whole group, not just your own saves.

Get SaveSync on Steam and join our Discord to get the Linux beta on your Deck.