Downloading & Installing Shadow of the Tomb Raider PC Savegame Files

Updated: 9/4/22()

IMPORTANT NOTES - PLEASE READ BEFORE DOWNLOADING: These files are offered without guarantee. To the best of my knowledge, they will work if you follow the instructions. If you download one of my saves, you should have every item and upgrade I've found/unlocked up to that point. Some achievements may unlock, but I can't guarantee they all will. The saves for the main game do not include any of the DLC, though I will probably add DLC saves later.

Tombraiders.net is not responsible for anything that happens to your computer as a result of downloading files or following advice given on this site or any linked site. I recommend taking the same precautions you would with any file you download from the Internet, including scanning the file with an anti-virus program, backing up your existing files before installing new ones, and following the instructions below, especially if you are unfamiliar with this process.

WHAT ARE SAVEGAME FILES?

Every time you pass a checkpoint while playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider,  an Autosave file is created containing all the information about your game so far—Lara's inventory, enemies killed, puzzles solved, items found, upgrades made, etc. These save files are coded so that the game program can "read" them. Each time you pass a checkpoint, you'll see the spinning "TR" logo at the bottom of the screen as the game automatically saves your current progress. When you quit the game, start again, and click Continue, the game loads the last autosave checkpoint. The game also creates a Base Camp Save each time you use Fast Travel, and a Backup Save, every so often as you play. If you run into a bug or other issue and can't progress from your current Autosave location, you can go into the Load Game screen and select the Backup Save or Base Camp Save.

I highly recommend changing save slots periodically—at least once each level or so. To do this, pause the game by pressing Esc on the keyboard, Menu/Options on a controller, and choose the "Save Game" option from the menu. Choose a new slot and press Enter. The game will still continue to save automatically, but it can't hurt to have more choices.

If you get stuck and don't have a recent save of your own, you can download one of mine. The following explains how to download and install save files.

WHAT ARE .ZIP FILES?

All the save files on this site come in .zip files. A .zip file is like a digital "package" containing other files. Using .zip files lets me group save files together, such as a group of saves for a given level plus a text file with details and instructions.

WILL YOUR SAVES WORK IN MY GAME?

To the best of my knowledge, saves from all versions of the Steam PC game are interchangeable, but please be sure to back up your original save files, as described below, just in case there are issues.

How to Download and Install SHADOW of the Tomb Raider Save Files:
  1. Disable Cloud synchronization.

    For the Steam version:

    1. Open Steam.
    2. Locate Shadow of the Tomb Raider in your list of games and click the gear icon below and to the right of the game banner. Then select 'Properties'. (screenshot)
    3. Un-check the option to 'Keep game saves in the Steam Cloud for Shadow of the Tomb Raider'.
    For the Epic Games version:
    1. Open the Epic Games Launcher.
    2. Click the circular icon representing your profile at the top right corner. Then click 'Settings'. (screenshot)
    3. Scroll down and un-check the option to 'Enable Cloud Saves'.
    This prevents the game from restoring your saves from the Steam/Epic cloud servers. You can enable it again later if you like.

  2. Use the links on the main Shadow of the Tomb Raider save files page to download the save file(s) you want.

  3. Open the following folders on your PC (each folder is inside the previous one):

    Computer ('This PC' on Windows 10) > Documents > Shadow of the Tomb Raider > XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    where the X's are a long string of numbers and/or letters representing your unique user profile. Inside this folder, you should find your Shadow of the Tomb Raider profile (profile.dat) and recent autosaves (save202.dat), Base Camp Save (save204.dat), Backup Save (save206.dat), plus any manual saves you've made so far (save1.dat, save2.dat etc.).

    If you can't find your save files, see the troubleshooting section below.

  4. VERY IMPORTANT: Copy your existing save files and profile into a new folder. Then if something goes wrong and my files don't work for you, you can restore your original saves and continue from where you left off.

  5. Open the .zip file you just downloaded. Newer versions of Windows (i.e., the ones that can play this game) should automatically open .zip files when you double-click. You can also use an archive utility like WinZip or WinRAR.

  6. Select the save(s) you want from the .zip file and copy/paste them into the 'XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX' folder within the Shadow of the Tomb Raider folder. These will overwrite any existing saves with the same names, so make sure you've backed up your originals as described in step #4.

  7. Close all open windows and then start Shadow of the Tomb Raider as usual. Click 'Load Game' from the main menu and then choose the save you just installed. It should load and you'll be good to go.

TROUBLE LOCATING YOUR EXISTING SAVES? These instructions apply to the default Steam/Epic installation under Windows 10. If you've installed the game in a different location, you can still use my saves, but you'll need to find where your save files are stored first. Try searching for the 'Shadow of the Tomb Raider' folder and looking inside. Or search for the 'save202.dat' file. Then right-click the file in the search results and choose "open file location." Once you find the folder with your save files, follow the instructions above.

SOLUTION FOR CORRUPTED SAVE: If you try to load one of my files and the game tells you it's corrupted, this may be because you attempted to manipulate the save files while the game was running. Quit the game all the way out to the desktop. Repeat the steps above and try again.

SOLUTION FOR DOWNLOADED SAVES THAT DON'T APPEAR IN MENU: If you try to load one of my saves and that save slot appears blank or says "Empty 0% Complete" on the Load Game screen, you probably need to rename my save or create a new save in the correct slot first. So, for example, if you downloaded my save5.dat but you only have three saved games of your own, rename my save5.dat to save3.dat and then move it into your folder. (Again, make sure you've backed up your own saves first.) Or, play the game, create your own save in the #5 slot, quit out of the game, and then replace your save5.dat with mine.

If you have questions or problems using these files, you're welcome to contact me. I can't guarantee I'll be able to solve them, but I'll do my best.

Main SOTTR Save File Page | Main SOTTR Page | Home Page


UPDATE HISTORY: 1/21/19 - Help page first posted online.
1/24/20 - Updated Steam Library info based on new version of Steam.
4/29/20 - Fixed a few copy/paste errors, where I had written 'Rise of the Tomb Raider' instead of 'Shadow of the Tomb Raider'.
9/4/22 - Updated Steam instructions for slightly new interface and added notes about the Epic Games version.