Eurogamer ran a piece this week reviving the digital-ownership conversation around GTA 6, after Rockstar confirmed no physical disc release. The thread that followed in the comments was the one the PC community has been having for fifteen years: a game you bought on a storefront is not the same as a game you own. If the publisher pulls it, the storefront shuts down, or your account gets restricted, the library you assumed you had access to gets smaller.
We tested seven desktop apps that back up the parts of a PC game library you can actually back up. Two of them download DRM-free installers you can keep on a NAS. Three back up your save games so the time invested is portable. The rest manage adjacent artefacts like mods and Wine prefixes that matter when you reinstall years later. The picks run on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with notes on each.
What to look for in a game library backup tool
Five things separate a backup that works in five years from one that only works today:
- DRM-free installers, not platform-locked entitlements. A GOG offline installer reinstalls in 2035. A Steam license does not, if Valve stops authenticating it.
- Save game scope. Saves live in different folders by engine and storefront. The tool needs a maintained manifest, not just a hardcoded list.
- Cloud or storage-agnostic. Backups are useless if they only go to one cloud the tool controls.
- Restoration. Test restore-on-fresh-machine is the only real test of a backup.
- Cross-platform. Many libraries span Windows, SteamOS, and macOS. A tool that knows about all three is more durable.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free plan | Pricing | Backup scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GOG Galaxy | DRM-free installer downloads | Windows, macOS | Free | Free | Installers, saves, library metadata |
| Ludusavi | Save game backups, every engine | Windows, macOS, Linux | Open-source | Free | Saves and config |
| Steam Backup | Steam-installed-game archives | Windows, macOS, Linux | Built-in | Free | Compressed install dirs |
| Heroic Games Launcher | Epic, GOG, Amazon on Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux | Open-source | Free | Installers, saves |
| Game Save Manager | Long-running Windows save tool | Windows | Free | Free | Save folders |
| itch desktop app | DRM-free indie library | Windows, macOS, Linux | Free | Free | Game archives |
| Mod Organizer 2 | Mod profile snapshots | Windows | Open-source | Free | Mod state, profiles |
1. GOG Galaxy, best for DRM-free installer downloads
GOG Galaxy is the only major PC storefront where the installers you download are fully DRM-free. Galaxy 2.0 also acts as a library aggregator, pulling Steam, Epic, Xbox, EA, Ubisoft, and PlayStation libraries into one client with cross-store achievements and friends. The part that matters for backup: the right-click “Download Installer” option saves a self-contained .exe that runs on any future Windows machine without GOG Galaxy installed.
Where it falls short: Galaxy as a launcher is heavier than Steam, and the third-party storefront integrations break when a publisher changes their API. The Mac client is supported but trails Windows in features.
Pricing:
- Free: full feature set
- Paid: none, games purchased per title
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Download: GOG Galaxy
Bottom line: the only PC storefront whose backups outlast the storefront. If the GTA 6 ownership conversation moved you to act, this is the first install.
2. Ludusavi, best save-game backup tool
Ludusavi is the open-source save-game backup utility every PC gamer should have running on a schedule. It uses the PCGamingWiki manifest (the canonical, community-maintained database of where each game saves) so the coverage is encyclopaedic: Steam, Epic, GOG, Battle.net, EA, Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft Store, even Mac and Linux paths. Run a scan, hit backup, and the saves go wherever you tell it (a local folder, a NAS, a synced Dropbox or pCloud directory).
Where it falls short: the UI is utilitarian, and the first-time scan can pick up false matches that you need to deselect. The 0.30+ release fixed most of these.
Pricing:
- Free: open-source, MIT
- Paid: none
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: Ludusavi on GitHub
Bottom line: the save backup tool. Install once, schedule weekly, forget. Recovery from a wiped SSD takes two clicks.
3. Steam Backup, best for Steam-installed game archives
Steam Backup is the long-quietly-supported feature inside the Steam client itself. Steam > Backup and Restore Games compresses the game install directory plus the manifest into a set of CSD files that can be restored later. Useful for archiving a finished playthrough so you can free the SSD space without losing the patched build.
Where it falls short: Steam Backup files still require Steam to restore, and Steam must authenticate the licence. If your account is restricted, the backup is unusable. The compression ratio is mediocre on modern AAA installs where the assets are pre-compressed.
Pricing:
- Free: built into Steam
- Paid: none
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux (Steam client)
Download: Steam Backup documentation
Bottom line: convenient and free, but tied to your Steam licence. Combine with Ludusavi for the saves.
4. Heroic Games Launcher, best for Epic, GOG, and Amazon DRM
Heroic Games Launcher is the open-source Epic, GOG, and Amazon Prime client for Linux, macOS, and Windows. The backup angle: Heroic downloads the GOG installers (same as Galaxy does), and the Epic and Amazon installers are exported as redistributable game bundles. Combined with Ludusavi for saves, Heroic gives you a backup pipeline outside Epic’s account-tied entitlement system.
Where it falls short: Epic installers are still licence-protected (you cannot run them on a different account). The backup is “redownload faster,” not “play forever.”
Pricing:
- Free: open-source, GPL
- Paid: none
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: Heroic Games Launcher
Bottom line: the right pick for cross-storefront Linux gamers who want one client and a faster reinstall path.
5. Game Save Manager, best long-running Windows save tool
Game Save Manager is the pre-Ludusavi Windows save backup tool, still maintained by the original developer fifteen years on. The database covers most major Windows games, including some older titles Ludusavi missed before the PCGamingWiki manifest fully matured. Many users keep both running on the same schedule.
Where it falls short: Windows-only, the UI is from a different era, and updates land less often than Ludusavi. Useful as a second source for older titles.
Pricing:
- Free: full feature set
- Paid: donation-supported
Platforms: Windows
Download: Game Save Manager
Bottom line: the legacy tool that still works. Pair with Ludusavi if you have a deep older library.
6. itch desktop app, best for DRM-free indie library
itch desktop app is the standalone client for itch.io, the indie store where every game is DRM-free by default. The app downloads, installs, and updates your purchased games, and the local install directory is just a folder of files you can copy to a backup drive. Many itch developers also publish their games on Steam, but the itch version is the one you can move and keep.
Where it falls short: smaller library than the big stores, and the itch app is less polished than Steam or Galaxy. Some indies use a custom installer that wraps the DRM-free archive, which adds a step on restore.
Pricing:
- Free: app and account
- Paid: pay per game
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: itch.io desktop app
Bottom line: the indie counterpart to GOG Galaxy. If you care about ownership, itch is where the new releases are going.
7. Mod Organizer 2, best for snapshotting heavily modded games
Mod Organizer 2 is the Bethesda-game mod manager, and the reason it lives on this list is the “profile” system. Each profile is a snapshot of the mod load order, the user files (saves, configs), and the conflict resolution rules. Backing up the MO2 profile folder backs up the whole modded state, so a Skyrim install that took weeks to assemble can be restored on a new machine.
Where it falls short: specific to Bethesda games, mostly. Other engines have their own mod managers. Some Nexus mods reference download URLs that may be dead in five years.
Pricing:
- Free: open-source, GPL
- Paid: none
Platforms: Windows
Download: Mod Organizer 2
Bottom line: the right tool if your modded Skyrim or Fallout 4 install is hours of work you do not want to lose.
How to pick the right one
- The base layer is Ludusavi plus GOG Galaxy. Saves get scheduled backups, and any GOG-bought title is preserved as an offline installer. Free, no real downside.
- For an Epic or Amazon library, add Heroic Games Launcher to manage redownloads after a wipe.
- Steam Backup is fine for archiving finished playthroughs, but understand that the backup is tied to your Steam account.
- itch desktop app is the safety net for indie purchases.
- Mod Organizer 2 profiles are mandatory for anyone with a 200-mod Skyrim setup.
- Game Save Manager is the second-source save tool for older Windows titles Ludusavi has not caught up with.
FAQ
Can I back up a Steam game so I can play it offline forever?
Partially. Steam Backup compresses the install files, but Steam still has to authenticate the licence at first launch. If Valve goes away or your account is restricted, the backup will not run. The only PC store with persistent, DRM-free backups is GOG, where the installer runs offline on any future Windows machine.
What is the best free save-game backup tool?
Ludusavi is free, open-source, cross-platform, and covers the widest game library because it uses the PCGamingWiki manifest. Schedule weekly, point at a synced cloud folder, and recovery from a wiped SSD is instant.
Does the GTA 6 launch change how I should think about game ownership?
The pattern is older than GTA 6: every new AAA release tightens the licensed-not-owned model. The mitigation is to back up what you can, saves universally, installers when the store sells them DRM-free, modded states for the games that matter. The Eurogamer piece is right to be loud about it.
How much storage do I need for a game library backup?
Saves: under 50GB even for a deep library. Installers: 4TB external if you intend to mirror a large Steam library, less if you only mirror GOG and itch. A NAS with 2-bay redundancy is the typical setup once you commit to this seriously.
Which backup tools work on Linux or SteamOS?
Ludusavi, Heroic Games Launcher, itch desktop app, and Steam Backup all run on Linux and SteamOS. GOG Galaxy runs through Heroic on Linux. Mod Organizer 2 and Game Save Manager are Windows-only.
