Steam Beta Branch: Stable Client
Steam Version: 1779918128
Steam Client Build Date: Wed, May 27, 2026 10:21 PM UTC -00:00
Steam Web Build Date: Wed, May 27, 2026 9:11 PM UTC -00:00
Steam API Version: SteamClient023
Steam client version (build number or date): 1779918128
Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): CachyOS
Opted into Steam client beta?: [Yes/No] No
Have you checked for system updates?: [Yes/No] Yes
Steam Logs: [generate by running this command in a terminal tar -zcvf ~/Desktop/steam-logs.tar.gz ~/.steam/steam/logs] steam-logs.tar.gz
GPU: Nvidia/Intel/AMD AMD
Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:
Important: Please give it a proper read, everyone understands my reproduction is not "standard" steam usage, but it triggers a widespread issue impacting people using Steam in the "supported" way (probably including Windows), the bug has nothing to do with my environment but how Steam can end with duplicated libraryfolders entries and how Steam Cloud is inconsistent about which one is backing up. There is plenty of people complaining about Steam Cloud happily overwriting old saves over newer ones all over the Internet, and I believe this is the main cause of it.
When switching between regular Steam steam -silent and steam -gamepadui -steamos3 -steampal -steamdeck, SteamOS-mode steam keeps overwriting cloud saves with old ones.
See attached cloud_log for appid 275850 example of back and forth multiple times cloud_log.previous.txt, where it clearly shows the saving path is different between both type of client invocations.
It looks like during normal usage the same games ended defined in multiple libraryfolders (see attached libraryfolders.vfd.txt), and there are other duplicated games there as well.
I had the exact same issue with other apps, one of them got uninstalled and it's no lower showing in libraryfolders, which means at least libraryfolders.vfd is fully removing appids even when duplicated.
I understand libraryfolders.vfd isn't authoritative for cloud sync, I removed the broken directory entry and behavior is still the same. SteamOS-like invocation cloud sync keeps writing into ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/ (even creating it when it doesn't exist), desktop steam uses the proper location where the prefix already exists.
TL;DR steam can end duplicating appids into multiple compatdata where save data gets stale and then, depending how the client is launched (or just probably randomly), pushes stale saves into steam cloud, overwriting new saves with old ones.
Steps for reproducing this issue:
Launching Steam with different parameters.
One specific list of parameters changes which compatdata gets picked when backing save data over the other.
Old saves get pushed to steam cloud overwriting new ones.
Your system information
Steam Beta Branch: Stable Client
Steam Version: 1779918128
Steam Client Build Date: Wed, May 27, 2026 10:21 PM UTC -00:00
Steam Web Build Date: Wed, May 27, 2026 9:11 PM UTC -00:00
Steam API Version: SteamClient023
Steam client version (build number or date): 1779918128
Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): CachyOS
Opted into Steam client beta?: [Yes/No] No
Have you checked for system updates?: [Yes/No] Yes
Steam Logs: [generate by running this command in a terminal
tar -zcvf ~/Desktop/steam-logs.tar.gz ~/.steam/steam/logs] steam-logs.tar.gzGPU: Nvidia/Intel/AMD AMD
Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:
Important: Please give it a proper read, everyone understands my reproduction is not "standard" steam usage, but it triggers a widespread issue impacting people using Steam in the "supported" way (probably including Windows), the bug has nothing to do with my environment but how Steam can end with duplicated libraryfolders entries and how Steam Cloud is inconsistent about which one is backing up. There is plenty of people complaining about Steam Cloud happily overwriting old saves over newer ones all over the Internet, and I believe this is the main cause of it.
When switching between regular Steam
steam -silentandsteam -gamepadui -steamos3 -steampal -steamdeck, SteamOS-mode steam keeps overwriting cloud saves with old ones.See attached cloud_log for appid 275850 example of back and forth multiple times cloud_log.previous.txt, where it clearly shows the saving path is different between both type of client invocations.
It looks like during normal usage the same games ended defined in multiple libraryfolders (see attached
libraryfolders.vfd.txt), and there are other duplicated games there as well.
I had the exact same issue with other apps, one of them got uninstalled and it's no lower showing in libraryfolders, which means at least libraryfolders.vfd is fully removing appids even when duplicated.
I understand
libraryfolders.vfdisn't authoritative for cloud sync, I removed the broken directory entry and behavior is still the same. SteamOS-like invocation cloud sync keeps writing into~/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/(even creating it when it doesn't exist), desktop steam uses the proper location where the prefix already exists.TL;DR steam can end duplicating appids into multiple compatdata where save data gets stale and then, depending how the client is launched (or just probably randomly), pushes stale saves into steam cloud, overwriting new saves with old ones.
Steps for reproducing this issue: