On Windows Steam, Mafia III’s cloud-managed user files are rooted at:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\2K Games\Mafia III\Data\<64BitSteamID>\
Steam’s current UFS configuration includes .sav and .pf files recursively beneath that account-specific folder. Some installations place active profile files farther down under a profiles\temporaryprofile subfolder. Back up the entire <64BitSteamID> directory so you preserve both saves and profile state instead of guessing which single file matters.
Open the folder without revealing your account ID
Press Win + R, paste %LOCALAPPDATA%\2K Games\Mafia III\Data, and press Enter. Open the long numeric folder that belongs to the Steam account currently playing. If several numbers exist, compare modification times after making a harmless in-game save.
Windows root
%LOCALAPPDATA%\2K Games\Mafia III\Data\<64BitSteamID>
Cloud patterns
Steam's UFS metadata tracks *.sav and *.pf recursively beneath the account folder.
Profile branch
Check profiles\temporaryprofile when troubleshooting settings or input state, but preserve the whole tree first.
AppID
The Steam product is 360430. Do not use a Mafia: Definitive Edition or Mafia II save path with this game.
AppData is hidden by default, but the environment-variable path opens it directly. Never publish the numeric folder name in a screenshot; it is your Steam account identifier.
Make a safe manual backup
Finish the current objective, wait for the save indicator, exit to the main menu, and close the game. Wait for Steam to report Cloud synchronization complete. Only then copy the entire numeric folder into a dated backup directory outside the live Data tree.
Name it with the decision point, such as 2026-10-10-before-frisco-sitdown. A description is more useful than backup2 when you return weeks later.
Do not back up while the game is actively saving. A copied group of files from different moments can be internally inconsistent even when each file opens individually.
Restore without creating a Cloud conflict
Close Mafia III and Steam. Make one more copy of the current live folder so the restore is reversible. Replace the live numeric directory with the chosen backup, then launch Steam and watch for a Cloud conflict prompt.
Compare timestamps carefully. Select the restored local state only when its date and purpose match the backup you intended. If unsure, cancel and preserve both copies rather than guessing between local and cloud.
Launch the game, load the save, and check the mission, underboss map, cash, and collection state. Exit normally and allow Steam to synchronize the confirmed state.
Back up before high-risk choices
Create milestone copies before district sit-downs, the final church decision, the recruit-or-kill portion of a racket-boss run, a valuable Herbalism sale, and the last Sammy’s renovation purchase. These points protect choices or hours of setup that an autosave cannot easily reproduce.
For troubleshooting, create a backup before verifying files, regenerating profiles, changing Proton, or testing an old workaround. File verification should not normally erase saves, but a manual copy turns “should” into a recoverable process.
Keep achievement and completion backups longer than routine checkpoints. The October 2026 update improved tracking, and a clean pre-condition save is useful for repeating one qualifying action on the current build.
Find saves on Steam Deck or Linux
Mafia III runs on Steam Deck through Proton rather than as a native Linux build. Its Windows-style Local AppData tree normally lives inside the Proton prefix for AppID 360430, under the Steam library’s steamapps/compatdata/360430/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/2K Games/Mafia III/Data/ path.
The library root varies between internal storage and SD cards, so locate the library that actually contains the game instead of pasting one hard-coded home path. Desktop Mode makes the directory easier to copy.
Close the game and let Cloud sync before touching the prefix. Deleting the entire compatdata/360430 directory removes far more than one controller profile and should never be the first repair step.
Distinguish saves from settings and cache
The account tree can contain .sav, .pf, and nested profile material. A mission rollback requires the save state; a controller or graphics reset may involve profile data. That is why the initial backup should include everything even if the later test renames only one subfolder.
Do not assume the largest or newest file is the only campaign save. Autosaves and profile indexes can reference one another. Preserve filenames and directory structure when restoring.
If you want to test a regenerated profile, rename the suspect profile directory with the game closed. Launch once to create a clean replacement, compare behavior, and restore the original if it does not help.
Recover from a missing-save scare
Do not start a new campaign immediately; it may synchronize a fresh state. Close the game, copy the current local folder, and inspect Steam’s Cloud status. Check whether Windows signed into a different user or Steam opened a different account.
Search only within the known 2K Games\Mafia III\Data root and your own backup locations. Avoid broad deletion or downloading an unknown completed save. If local and Cloud timestamps disagree, preserve both versions before choosing.
After recovery, open the save and verify several facts, not only that it loads. District ownership, current mission, underboss survival, DLC rank, and achievement plan should match the intended milestone.
Sources and verification
- SteamDB cloud-save metadata for AppID 360430 — current UFS roots, recursive patterns, and Windows/macOS paths.
- PCGamingWiki Mafia III — independent Windows profile and Proton-prefix path cross-check.
- Mafia III on Steam — exact AppID and Steam Cloud feature.
- Steam Cloud documentation — platform synchronization behavior, not a substitute for game-specific paths.