◆ Saves, restarts & recovery

How to Restart & Manage Your Scale the Depths Save

Scale the Depths has no in-game “New Game” button — the most common question on the boards is simply how do I start over?This guide walks through resetting your save the right way (so Steam Cloud doesn’t undo it), exactly where the save files live on every platform, how to fix a Cloud sync conflict, how to recover a corrupted save, and how to back everything up first. Every path and step below is drawn from the developer’s own patch notes, PCGamingWiki’s verified file records, and the Steam community threads where players worked this out.

▶ The short version

There is no restart button. To wipe your file: turn off Steam Cloud (both globally and in the game’s Properties), delete the local save folder, launch once to make a fresh empty save, then re-enable Cloud and choose “Upload to the Steam Cloud”at the conflict prompt. Skipping the Cloud step is why most people find their old save has “come back” after deleting it.

◇ 1. How to restart or start a new game

Because the game auto-saves a single profile and offers no reset option, “starting over” means erasing the save data yourself. The catch is Steam Cloud: Scale the Depths syncs to the cloud, and Steam has no delete button, so if you just delete the local file it silently re-downloads on the next launch. The reliable method — pieced together by players in the Steam discussion thread on this exact problem — overwrites the cloud copy with a blank save.

  1. Disable Steam Cloud globally. In the Steam client, open Steam → Settings → Cloud and toggle off Enable Steam Cloud.
  2. Disable Cloud for this game too.Right-click Scale the Depths in your Library → Properties → General and make sure the Steam Cloud toggle there is also off.
  3. Delete the local save. Right-click the game → Manage → Browse local files, or go straight to the save folder (see the paths in section 2). You can also clear the App ID folder under Steam\userdata\<your-id>\3198890\.
  4. Launch the game once and play for a minute so it generates a brand-new, empty save. Then quit fully.
  5. Re-enable Steam Cloud in both Settings and Properties, then relaunch. Steam detects a Cloud Sync Conflict because your local file no longer matches the old cloud file — choose Upload to the Steam Cloud to overwrite it with your clean save.

Deleting a save does not remove achievements you have already unlocked — those are tracked by Steam on your account, not in the save file. Note that the GOG release has been reported to not actually delete save data when you tick “delete save data” during an uninstall, so GOG players still need to clear the save folder manually.

◇ 2. Where the save files live (every platform)

Scale the Depths is built in Unity, so it stores saves in the Unity LocalLow location under the studio and game name — notin a “Saved Games” folder. The paths below come from PCGamingWiki’s verified records; the macOS path is the standard Unity convention and should be confirmed on your own machine before you delete anything.

PlatformSave locationNotes
Windows%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Glass Gecko Games\Scale The DepthsPaste this into the File Explorer address bar. LocalLow is a hidden Unity folder. Settings live in SettingsSaveFile.save.
Steam Cloud copy (all OS)Steam\userdata\<your-steam-id>\3198890\3198890 is the game's Steam App ID. This is the cloud-backed mirror Steam syncs.
Steam Deck / Linux (Proton)<SteamLibrary>/steamapps/compatdata/3198890/pfx/No native Linux build — the Windows version runs under Proton, so the save sits inside the Proton prefix, mirroring the Windows LocalLow path.
macOSconvention*~/Library/Application Support/Glass Gecko Games/Scale The DepthsNot individually documented on PCGamingWiki — this is the standard Unity macOS location (also check the unity.Glass Gecko Games.Scale The Depths variant). Confirm the exact folder on your machine before deleting.

* The macOS path is the standard Unity location, not a game-specific record — verify the exact folder before deleting.

◇ 3. Recovering a corrupted save after a crash

Early on, some players lost progress when their PC crashed or shut down mid-session — a common report was keeping the level map and artifacts but losing bucket and repellent upgrades, almanac entries, customer data, and bait. The developers have shipped several save-stability patches since launch, so most of those failure modes are now fixed:

  • V1.0.2added automatic removal of empty inventory slots “to prevent bad saves.”
  • V1.0.3 resolved save-data issues including softlocks at specific customers (especially after playing beta versions) and a date-format bug that stopped players in some regions from loading (the boat would fail to spawn).
  • V1.0.4 added the key recovery feature: game data should no longer be cleared when reloading in rare cases, and backup save files are now written into the save directory.

So if a save looks broken after a crash on a current version, first open the save folder (section 2) and look for a backup file to restore. If Steam Cloud holds a healthier copy, you can also let Steam re-download it. If you are on an old build, update the game before doing anything else. Persistent problems should go to the developers via the Steam bug-report thread or the official Discord.

◇ 4. Fixing a Steam Cloud sync conflict

When your local save and the cloud save disagree, Steam pops up a Cloud Sync Conflict dialog asking which version to keep. This is standard Steam behaviour, and it matters most when you move between devices — Steam Cloud support was extended to macOS after launch, so a save made on Windows can now sync to a Mac and vice versa.

  • Read the timestamps. The dialog shows when each version was last played. Keep the one with your latest real progress.
  • Choosing wrong can cost progress. The developers warn that in rare cases an older local save may overwrite newer cloud progress, so pick deliberately rather than clicking through.
  • Back up first. Before launching on a second device, copy your local save folder somewhere safe so a bad merge is reversible.
  • To reset: a conflict is exactly what you exploit when starting over — choose Upload to the Steam Cloud to push your fresh empty save over the old one (see section 1).

◇ 5. Backing up your save

The safest habit is a manual copy before you do anything risky — a big Cloud sync, switching PCs, or a deliberate reset. Backing up is simple:

  1. Open the save folder for your platform (section 2). On Windows that is %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Glass Gecko Games\Scale The Depths.
  2. Copy the whole folder to another location — a second drive, Documents, or cloud storage. Do not just leave it in place.
  3. To restore, close the game, delete or move the current save folder, and paste your backup copy back in.

The developers themselves recommend backing up local save files before launching whenever a Cloud conflict is possible. Combined with the automatic backup saves added in V1.0.4, a manual copy makes a lost run much less likely.

? Frequently asked

How do I restart Scale the Depths from the beginning?

There is no in-game New Game or restart button, so you have to wipe the save yourself. Turn off Steam Cloud (in both Steam Settings and the game's Properties), delete the local save folder, launch once to create a fresh empty save, then re-enable Steam Cloud and choose "Upload to the Steam Cloud" when the sync-conflict prompt appears. That overwrites the old cloud save so your progress does not come back.

Why is there no New Game option in Scale the Depths?

The game shipped without one, and it is the single most-requested quality-of-life change on the Steam discussion board. Until the developers add it, deleting the save files by hand is the only way to start over. This is safe to do — it does not affect achievements you've already earned.

Where are Scale the Depths save files stored?

On Windows, saves live in %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Glass Gecko Games\Scale The Depths (it's a Unity game, so it uses the LocalLow folder). On Steam Deck and Linux the game runs through Proton, so the files sit inside the Proton prefix under steamapps/compatdata/3198890/pfx/. A Cloud-backed copy also lives under Steam/userdata/<your-id>/3198890/.

I deleted my save but my progress came back — why?

Steam Cloud restored it. Scale the Depths supports Steam Cloud, and Steam has no delete button — if you delete the local save while Cloud is on, the next launch simply downloads the old save back. You must disable Steam Cloud first, delete locally, generate a fresh save, then re-enable Cloud and upload the empty one to overwrite the cloud copy.

Can I recover a corrupted or lost Scale the Depths save?

Sometimes. Since the V1.0.4 patch the game writes backup save files into the save directory, so check that folder for a backup you can restore. If Steam Cloud has a newer copy, you can also let Steam re-download it. Older crashes (before the save-data patches) permanently lost progress for some players, so back up your save folder regularly.

How do I back up my Scale the Depths save?

Copy the entire save folder to somewhere safe before launching or changing anything. On Windows that's %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Glass Gecko Games\Scale The Depths. The developers specifically recommend backing up local save files before launching when a Steam Cloud conflict is possible — for example, when moving between a PC and a Mac.

⌬ Sources