protonscr

How to migrate a game to a new system?

steamopen questionSteam client
ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux#8291 · opened 2021-12-11 by DynV · updated 2021-12-11 · 0 comments · github
DDynV 2021-12-11 github

Your system information

  • Steam client version (build number or date): Nov 22, 2021
  • Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS
  • Opted into Steam client beta?: No
  • Have you checked for system updates?: Yes

Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:

A Steam support agent let me know that I can migrate a game to a new system by installing a game (I'm assuming it would also work if it was a software), then copying the files in the same directory in which the 1st game files were downloaded.

Well on an old Ubuntu I played XCom Enemy Unknown and wanted to install a newer one, so I copied "~/.steam/steam/SteamApps/common/XCom-Enemy-Unknown" to a backup device, then installed the newer Ubuntu, wiping the drive doing so, I then installed a game I never played before that can be run on Linux (Murk), and a corresponding folder was in the new "~/.steam/steam/SteamApps/common" so I copied from the backed up "/XCom-Enemy-Unknown" (which is 14.8 GB (15,974,426,231 bytes)), then from Steam > Library > Home selected XCom Enemy Unknown then clicked the blue large Install button and something started to download; I knew something was wrong so I stopped the download ASAP.

Would you let me know how to proceed without re-downloading 15 GB?

Thank you kindly

Steps for reproducing this issue:

  1. From a previous or concurrent Ubunutu, backup a sub-folder of "~/.steam/steam/SteamApps/common"
  2. From a fresh Ubuntu install Steam
  3. Install a game (or software)
  4. Copy the backed sub-folder to the newly created "~/.steam/steam/SteamApps/common"
  5. From Steam in corresponding game (or Steam software I assume) section, attempt to install

If there's no bug, the game (or software) will be able to launch without having needed to download anything, or a small portion of the game. If there's a bug, a large portion or the whole game will start to download.

Nothing extracted yet.