UPDATE: These changes have now been applied. Please take a moment to review the instructions in the original news post and follow them carefully.
We're preparing some changes in order to support cross-platform cloud saves between Windows, Linux, and Steam Deck for X4: Foundations. For the vast majority of players, this transition will be completely seamless and will require no action.
The changes can, however, affect players who regularly play on Linux computers. Steam Deck players are not affected, unless a native Linux runtime was explicitly selected in the Steam Deck settings for X4.
The changes are planned to happen on Thursday, February 19, 2026 at 15:00 CET (14:00 UTC, 6am PST, 9am EST, 22:00 CST - see in your timezone).
What this means:
- After these changes, the Steam Cloud will sync savegames and game settings across Windows, Linux, and Steam Deck.
- For most players, nothing needs to be done.
- For Linux desktop players, there is a risk that saves and settings get lost. To avoid that, please see the instructions below.
Instructions:
If you have X4 savegames on a Linux machine that you would like to keep, please make backups of them. We highly recommend doing that before the changes take effect. Making backups is generally also a good idea on Windows. See the save locations below.
Additionally, after our changes are in place, please follow these steps:
- Restart the Steam client on your Linux machine
- Run X4 on your Linux machine
- Exit X4 (Steam will update the files in your Steam Cloud)
This makes sure that your saves and settings get migrated properly in the Steam Cloud. If you do not follow these steps, there is a risk that they will get lost when you first play the game on a different machine.
Locations of saves and settings:
Windows:
Documents\\Egosoft\\X4\\<steamid>
Linux:
~/.config/EgoSoft/X4/<steamid>
Steam Deck (default Proton runtime):
~/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/392160/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/Egosoft/X4/<steamid>
<steamid> stands for a unique number that represents your Steam account.
If you cannot find your saves in the locations above, you may still find them stored in the Steam Cloud. You can manually download them from the Steam Cloud website and place them in your local savegame folder.
Additional info:
Previously, the Steam Cloud had distinct storage locations for Windows files and for Linux files. This meant that saves did not automatically sync across the two platforms. (At the moment, the Steam Deck uses the Windows version of X4 by default, so it syncs with a Windows PC, but not with a Linux PC.)
With the changes, both Linux and Windows save files will be stored in the Steam Cloud with a Windows-like path. Upon syncing files from the Steam Cloud to a Linux machine, the paths will be translated to the corresponding Linux location on the disk, so that files are downloaded from and uploaded to the Windows location. Linux players will need to play the game at least once on Linux, so that Steam will upload any existing Linux files to the new cloud location.
These changes are an important step toward improving Linux and Steam Deck support for X4: Foundations (particularly, allowing us to use the native Linux version on the Steam Deck by default). They also enable a number of fixes and improvements that we’ve wanted to deliver for quite some time.
Thank you for your patience and your support.