Where apps hide your files

Slay the Spire: saves inside the app package

Updated 2026-10-28 · 6 min read

Slay the Spire keeps its saves inside the game's own app package, not in your Library. Here is how to reach preferences, saves and runs, why a backup before uninstalling matters (Steam Cloud skips one of them), and what changes for the beta branch and Slay the Spire 2.

The location

Slay the Spire is unusual: on a Mac its saves are not in your Library folder at all. They are inside the game's own app package. For the Steam build:

~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/common/SlayTheSpire/SlayTheSpire.app/Contents/Resources/

Inside that Resources folder, PCGamingWiki lists these as the save and settings folders, and Steam's own cloud configuration for the game points its macOS rule at the same place:

preferences/
saves/
runs/
betaPreferences/

The settings file STSGameplaySettings is in preferences. The path shown assumes Steam's default library; if you moved your Steam library to another drive, the game is under that library's steamapps/common/SlayTheSpire instead.

How to get there

The quick way is through Steam. Right-click Slay the Spire in your Library, choose Manage, then Browse local files; that opens the game folder in Finder. (Older guides, including the game's fan wiki, word this as Properties > Local Files > Browse Local Files, from before Steam renamed the menu.) Then:

1. Control-click SlayTheSpire.app and choose Show Package Contents.
2. Open Contents, then Resources.
3. Open preferences, saves or runs.

From Terminal, to list the folders and nothing else:

ls ~/Library/Application\ Support/Steam/steamapps/common/SlayTheSpire/SlayTheSpire.app/Contents/Resources

Resources also holds the game itself, including the Java runtime it ships with, so look in the four folders above and leave everything else alone.

What the folders are

Folder	Contents	In Steam Cloud?
preferences	Your settings and long-term progress, in files whose names start with STS	Yes
saves	The run you are in the middle of	Yes
runs	A history of finished runs	No
betaPreferences	The same as preferences, but for the beta branch	Yes

The cloud column comes from Steam's cloud configuration for the game, which lists preferences, betaPreferences and saves and not runs. The descriptions of what each folder holds are community knowledge rather than the developer's documentation, so list yours before relying on them.

A Steam forum answer explains the beta folder: to carry progress into the beta branch, copy the preferences folder and rename the copy betaPreferences, and another player confirmed it worked. Quit the game and keep a copy of the existing betaPreferences first, if you have one.

Steam Cloud syncs the folders in place

Steam Cloud is supported, and for this game Steam syncs the folders where they are, inside the app, rather than keeping a separate copy for you to work with. Some players report finding Slay the Spire files under ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/userdata/<account number>/646570/; treat that as Steam's own bookkeeping and leave it alone. 646570 is the game's Steam app ID.

The big warning: the saves live inside the app

Because the saves are inside SlayTheSpire.app, anything that replaces or removes that app takes them with it. Uninstalling the game in Steam deletes the game folder. With Steam Cloud on, a reinstall brings back preferences, saves and betaPreferences, but not runs, so your run history is gone unless you copied it. Whether a Steam file verification or an update touches the save folders is not documented by the developer, so copy them first.

Before uninstalling, moving a Steam library or changing computers, quit the game and copy the folders:

cp -R ~/Library/Application\ Support/Steam/steamapps/common/SlayTheSpire/SlayTheSpire.app/Contents/Resources/preferences ~/Desktop/sts-preferences

Repeat for saves and runs with different Desktop names. This only reads the originals. Each folder is small; du -sh on one shows how small.

Restoring or moving to a new Mac

Install the game from Steam and launch it once so the folders exist. With Steam Cloud on, Steam may already have restored your progress, so look before you overwrite anything. Otherwise quit, open the package with Show Package Contents again, and drop your backed-up preferences, saves and runs folders into Contents/Resources, replacing the new ones.

If a restored file keeps being replaced, Steam Cloud is putting its copy back: right-click the game in Steam, choose Properties, turn off Steam Cloud on the General page, restore again, check the game, then turn sync back on.

Before a mod or a branch change

The beta branch reads betaPreferences instead of preferences, and the developer does not document how mods treat your saves, so take a copy either way. Before you install a mod loader or switch Steam to a beta branch, quit the game and copy preferences, saves and runs to a dated folder on your Desktop. The developer does not document the Mac mod process, so follow the instructions of the mod you are installing, and keep the backup until you have played a full run without trouble.

GOG and other builds

PCGamingWiki lists a DRM-free GOG build for the Mac, with GOG Galaxy cloud saves, and describes the same Resources layout for the Mac version generally. Where the GOG app lands on your Mac depends on how you installed it, so find SlayTheSpire.app first (search for it, or check GOG Galaxy's install folder setting), then open its package as above.

Slay the Spire 2 is different

The sequel is a separate game, in Early Access on Steam since 5 March 2026, with Mac support. It does not keep saves inside its app. PCGamingWiki lists its Mac saves and settings under:

~/Library/Application Support/SlayTheSpire2/steam/<your Steam ID>/

Do not use that path for the first game, or the first game's path for the sequel.

Why a search misses it

The saves are inside a package. Finder shows SlayTheSpire.app as one icon, and both Finder and Spotlight searches leave out package contents. The app itself is under ~/Library/Application Support/Steam, inside the hidden Library folder.

Finding it again

Type STSGameplaySettings into Everywhere to jump to the preferences folder inside the app package, or SlayTheSpire.app to see every copy of the game on the Mac, including one on a drive that is not plugged in right now. Press ⌘↵ to reveal a result in Finder. A Steam library on an external drive is covered once Everywhere has Full Disk Access. It searches names only, not what is inside a save.

Common questions

Where are Slay the Spire saves on Mac?

Inside the game's app package: SlayTheSpire.app/Contents/Resources/, in the preferences, saves and runs folders. For Steam, the app is in ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/common/SlayTheSpire.

How do I open Show Package Contents for Slay the Spire?

In Steam, right-click the game, choose Manage, then Browse local files. Then Control-click SlayTheSpire.app in Finder, choose Show Package Contents, and open Contents, then Resources.

Will I lose my Slay the Spire saves if I uninstall the game?

Uninstalling deletes the app and the folders inside it. Steam Cloud restores preferences, saves and betaPreferences on reinstall but not runs, so copy the folders first.

Where are Slay the Spire 2 saves on Mac?

Not inside the app. PCGamingWiki lists ~/Library/Application Support/SlayTheSpire2/steam/<your Steam ID>/ for the sequel's Mac saves and settings.