Where Are Hoi4 Save Games?

Quick Fix:
Head to Documents > Paradox Interactive > Hearts of Iron IV > save games to grab your Ironman saves. For cloud saves, just pick the cloud tab before hitting save.

Where to Find Hearts of Iron IV Save Files

Ironman saves in Hearts of Iron IV show up as uncompressed files in your system’s user documents folder. Windows gamers will spot them at Documents\Paradox Interactive\Hearts of Iron IV\save games\. Mac players need to check ~/Documents/Paradox Interactive/Hearts of Iron IV/save games/. Linux users? Your saves hide in ~/.local/share/Paradox Interactive/Hearts of Iron IV/save games/.

Step-by-Step: Accessing Your Save Files

1. Fire up your system’s file explorer:
   • Windows: Hit Win + E, then crawl through C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Documents\Paradox Interactive\Hearts of Iron IV\save games\
   • Mac: Open Finder, mash Cmd + Shift + G, and type in ~/Documents/Paradox Interactive/Hearts of Iron IV/save games/
   • Linux: Launch your file manager and paste ~/.local/share/Paradox Interactive/Hearts of Iron IV/save games/ into the location bar
2. Scan for files ending in .hoi4. Those are your save files—copy or delete them whenever you please.
3. Want to tweak a save file? (Not smart for Ironman, but hey.) Open Documents\Paradox Interactive\Hearts of Iron IV\settings.txt, swap save_as_binary=yes to save_as_binary=no, then save the file.

If This Didn’t Work

No worries—try these instead:

• Cloud Save Check: When saving, make sure you’re on the Cloud tab and click Save. The game sticks to local saves unless you force it onto the cloud.
• Steam Cloud Sync: Running Steam? Head to Steam > Settings > Cloud and turn on Sync Steam Cloud for Hearts of Iron IV. Now your saves sync across devices automatically.
• Verify File Path: Triple-check the path. If the folder’s missing, the game might not have built it yet. Launch the game once, exit, and the folders should pop up.

Prevention Tips

Keep your saves safe and sound with these habits:

• Regular Backups: Every few weeks, copy your save games folder to an external drive or cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.). Don’t overwrite old backups—stack them instead.
• Cloud Auto-Save: Turn on cloud saving in-game and via Steam. Always hit save manually before closing the game, just in case.
• Mods and Updates: Before updating Hearts of Iron IV or adding mods, back up your saves first. Sometimes patches or mods mess with save compatibility.
• Ironman Safety: Ironman mode locks out manual saves and cloud backups. Double-check where you’re saving before starting a new Ironman game—losing progress stings.