How To Transfer Expedition 33 Game Pass Save To Steam

Moving from PC Game Pass to Steam shouldn't mean losing dozens of hours of campaign progress. If you started playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 through Microsoft's subscription service and want to switch over to the Steam version without starting from scratch, manual file relocation makes it possible. Because both versions run on PC, their underlying save structures share enough compatibility for a manual port, provided you know where to look.

Here is how to bridge the gap between platforms, locate your encrypted Microsoft files, and convert them so Steam recognizes your campaign.

Locating Your PC Game Pass Save Files

The first hurdle is finding where the Xbox app stores your save data. Unlike Steam, which uses a straightforward folder structure in your documents or app data directories, PC Game Pass buries files inside encrypted Windows Apps packages with alphanumeric identifiers.

Open your file explorer and follow this path, making sure to replace YOUR_USERNAME with your actual Windows user account name: For another look on this story, see the latest update from Reuters.

C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\AppData\Local\Packages\

Inside the Packages directory, look for the folder named after the developer and game package. For this title, it will typically start with KeplerInteractive.Expedition33_ followed by a random string of characters.

Once inside that package folder, navigate through: SystemAppData -> wgs

Inside the wgs folder, you will see a directory named with a long string of numbers and letters, followed by another subfolder. Open the most recent folder inside.

Identifying and Extracting the Correct Save File

When you open your active save subfolder, you won't see a standard .sav file. Instead, you'll see a file named container alongside several files with long alphanumeric names.

1. Ignore the container file.
2. Look at the remaining files. Your actual save file is typically the largest one in the folder, usually hovering around 60 KB. Smaller files of 1 KB to 3 KB are usually metadata or indices. If you have multiple files, check the timestamps or select the largest data file.
3. Copy that primary file to your desktop for easier handling.

Setting Up Your Steam Save Directory

Steam needs a baseline save file to know where to read your progress. If you haven't booted up the Steam version yet, or if your save directory is empty, you must initialize it first.

1. Launch Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on Steam.
2. Start a new game, skip the opening cutscenes, and progress until you can perform your first manual or auto-save.
3. Once the game creates a save point, exit back to your desktop.

Next, navigate to your Steam user save directory. This is typically located at:

C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\AppData\Local\Sandfall\Saved\SaveGames\

Inside SaveGames, you will find a folder named after your unique 17-digit Steam ID (for example, 76561198015267336). Open that folder to view your active Steam saves.

Renaming and Replacing the Save File

With both folders open, you are ready to complete the transfer.

1. Take the file you copied from your Game Pass directory to your desktop.
2. Rename that file precisely to EXPEDITION_0.sav.
3. Drag or copy this renamed file into your Steam ID save folder (C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\AppData\Local\Sandfall\Saved\SaveGames\[Your-Steam-ID]\).
4. When Windows asks if you want to replace the existing file with the same name, confirm the overwrite.

Launching the Game and Troubleshooting Common Quirks

Boot up the game through Steam. When you reach the main menu and hit continue or load game, you might notice a common visual bug: the thumbnail preview, chapter name, or playtime hours might still display the dummy save you created earlier.

Don't panic and don't close the game. Load the save anyway.

Once you load in, you will find yourself exactly where you left off on your Game Pass playthrough. As soon as you trigger a new save or reach the next checkpoint on Steam, the menu thumbnails and metadata will overwrite themselves and display your correct progress.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my Xbox achievements carry over to Steam?

No. Steam achievements are tied strictly to the Steamworks ecosystem. Any achievements you unlocked on the Xbox app or Microsoft Store version will remain there and won't automatically unlock on Steam when you import the save file.

Why won't Steam recognize my renamed save file?

This usually happens for two reasons. First, you may have selected one of the smaller 1 KB index files instead of the actual ~60 KB save container. Second, make sure file name extensions are visible in Windows so you didn't accidentally name the file EXPEDITION_0.sav.txt.

Can I transfer my saves from Steam back to Game Pass?

Yes, the process is essentially reversed. You take your Steam save file, navigate to the encrypted Microsoft wgs package directory, match the naming convention of the container system, and replace the active file. However, Xbox save encryption can occasionally be finicky, so always keep a backup copy of your original files on your desktop before experimenting.

Do I need any third-party mods to make this work?

Most players complete this transfer entirely through manual file renaming without installing external tools. If you run into persistent version mismatch errors or corrupted file warnings, community save editors hosted on platforms like Nexus Mods can sometimes assist with parsing container structures, but manual replacement works for the vast majority of users.