Managing Save Games and States

LaunchBox lets you manage your save files and save states directly within LaunchBox. That means no more hunting through file systems or worrying about filenames. LaunchBox helps organize, back up, restore, and manage your saves for supported emulators.

🎮 Supported Emulators

LaunchBox supports save management for:

• RetroArch

• Dolphin (for Nintendo GameCube and Nintendo Wii)

• PCSX2 (for Sony PlayStation 2)

🧠 How Save Management Works

Save management is enabled in new LaunchBox builds by default.

If you need to turn it on manually:

• Go to Tools > Options > Save Management

• Turn on Enable Save Management

To access save management for a specific game:

• Go to Edit Game > Metadata > Game Saves

Here LaunchBox organizes saves into save groups. Each group represents one save file or one save-state slot and can contain:

• the current active save that the emulator is using

• older backup versions managed by LaunchBox

In practice, that means:

• LaunchBox can show you the current save and its backup history together

• You can back up your current save at any time

• You can restore an older version when needed

• You can rename save groups to make them easier to recognize

This applies to both save files and save states.

💡 Everyday Examples

Importing an old save

Let's say you have a save from another setup, such as an old memory card dump or a copied emulator save:

• open Edit Game > Metadata > Game Saves

• choose Import Save

• Locate the save file you want to import

• Select your newly imported save and choose Set As Active to promote it to the active save

Creating a restore point

If you are about to make a big choice in an RPG or start a difficult section:

• open the Game Saves page

• choose Backup Save for the current active save

• optionally rename the save group or version so it is easy to recognize later

This gives you a clean restore point without needing to manually copy files around in Windows.

Using save states

Save states work much the same way, but supported emulators can have multiple active save-state slots. LaunchBox groups those by slot so you can still manage them clearly.

🛠️ Save Actions and Indicators

Most save actions are available from the save group's options menu inside:

• Edit Game > Metadata > Game Saves

In that page, select a save group and open its options menu to access actions such as:

• Edit Name

• Backup History

• Combine With Another Save

• Set As Active

• Backup Save

• Delete Save

What Active and Vault Mean

You may see saves identified as Active or Vault.

Active means:

• this is the live save currently used by the emulator

• if you launch the game, this is the save the emulator will use

Vault means:

• this version is a LaunchBox-managed backup stored in the LaunchBox save vault

• it is part of the save history, but it is not the live save currently in use

In simple terms, Active is the save you are currently playing on, and Vault is a backup copy stored by LaunchBox.

What the No Backup Symbol Means

LaunchBox also shows backup status indicators for save groups.

If you see the No Backup symbol, it means the current active save does not yet have a matching backup in the Vault.

That usually means the save has not been backed up yet, automatic backups have not run yet, or the active save changed since the last backup.

Example:

• You play for two hours

• Your active save changes during that session

• You have not backed it up yet

• LaunchBox shows the No Backup status to let you know the current progress is not yet safely stored in the Vault

If you see that symbol and want to protect your progress, back up the save manually or make sure automatic backups are enabled and have had a chance to run.

Edit Name

Edit Name lets you change two different things:

• the name of the save group

• the label of the active save file

These are not the same thing.

The save group name is the main name for the whole save history. The save file label is the label for one specific save version, usually the active one.

Example:

• Save group name: Main Playthrough

• Active save label: Before Final Boss

In that example:

• Main Playthrough is the overall name for the save group

• Before Final Boss is the label for the current save version inside that group

This is useful when you want one clear name for the whole run, but also want a more specific label for the current moment in that run.

Backup History

Backup History opens the full version history for that save group.

This view shows the current active save and the older Vault versions for that save.

From there, you can restore, rename, delete, or split out an older version.

How to navigate it:

• open the save group's options menu

• choose Backup History

• select the version you want to inspect

• use that version's options menu for actions such as restore, rename, or delete

Combine With Another Save

Combine With Another Save merges two save groups into one shared save history.

This is useful when LaunchBox has two save groups that you know actually belong to the same playthrough.

Example:

• You imported an old save manually

• Later, LaunchBox detected your current active save as a separate save group

• You know both are really part of the same run

• Use Combine With Another Save to merge them into one save history

After combining, both saves appear under one save group and share one history.

Set As Active

Set As Active makes the selected Vault save the live save for that game.

Use this when:

• you want to switch back to an older save and continue playing from there

• you imported a save and want to use it as the current active save

Example:

• You have a backup called Before Final Boss

• Open that save group's options menu

• Choose Set As Active

• LaunchBox restores that version so it becomes the save the emulator uses

Backup Save

Backup Save creates a new Vault backup of the current active save.

Use this when:

• you want a restore point before a difficult fight

• you are about to make a major choice in a story-driven game

• you want to keep a copy of your current progress before experimenting

Example:

• You are about to enter the Elite Four in Pokemon

• Open the save group's options menu

• Choose Backup Save

• LaunchBox creates a new backup in the Vault so you can return to that moment later

Delete Save

Delete Save permanently deletes the save files for that save group after confirmation.

Use this carefully. Good times to use it:

• you are sure the save is no longer needed

• you have already made a backup you want to keep

• you are cleaning up duplicate or test saves

If you are unsure, create a backup first instead of deleting.

📁 Where LaunchBox Backups Live

LaunchBox-managed backups are stored under:

• LaunchBox\Saves\<Platform>\

The naming still follows the same basic pattern:

• first backup: <ROM name><extension>

• additional backups: <ROM name>-01<extension><ROM name>-02<extension>

If the source being backed up is a folder instead of a single file, LaunchBox stores the backup as a .7z archive.

That matters especially for emulator saves that are directory-based, such as some Dolphin Wii saves.

🔁 Automatic Save Backups

LaunchBox includes automatic save backup options under:

• Tools > Options > Save Management

The main option is Enable Automatic Save Backups.

When this is enabled, LaunchBox can automatically create LaunchBox-managed backups of your active saves so you do not have to remember to back them up manually every time.

This feature is also intended to support additional save-management improvements, so enabling automatic backups helps prepare your library for broader save-management workflows.

The related options control when and how those backups are created:

Backup On Game Close

If Backup On Game Close is enabled, LaunchBox attempts to back up the current active save when you finish playing a game.

Example:

• You play The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker in Dolphin

• You close the game

• LaunchBox creates a fresh backup of the current save in LaunchBox\Saves\Nintendo GameCube\

Periodic Backup Enabled

If Periodic Backup Enabled is enabled, LaunchBox can also create automatic backups while you are playing instead of waiting until the game closes.

Backup Now

The Backup Now button manually starts a save scan and creates backups where needed across your library.

This is useful when you just enabled automatic backups, imported a lot of saves, or want a manual backup pass before making major changes.

Max Auto Backups Per Game

This setting controls how many automatic backups LaunchBox keeps for each save history.

If you set a limit, LaunchBox removes the oldest automatic backups once that limit is reached.

If you set it to No Limit, LaunchBox will keep creating new automatic backups without trimming older ones.

Example:

• If the limit is 5, LaunchBox keeps the 5 newest automatic backups for that save history

• When a new one is created, the oldest one is removed

Automatic backups are designed to quietly protect your progress in the background.

🏷️ Badges and Filters

You can use badges and filters to quickly identify games with saves or states.

Enable the badge:

• Badges > Game Attributes > Enable Has Saved Games / States

Use the filter:

• Game Saves > Has Any Saved Game / State

This is especially useful if you want to find games with existing saves or quickly review your library.

➕ Additional Apps

Additional apps still have their own save management context.

• each additional app can have its own save scan

• each additional app can have its own save groups and backup history

🕹️ Save Path Details

The sections below cover the more detailed emulator-specific save locations that LaunchBox supports.

🕹️ RetroArch Save Path Examples

RetroArch supports several common save directory layouts. LaunchBox works with settings such as:

• savefile_directory

• savestate_directory

• sort_savefiles_by_content_enable

• sort_savefiles_enable

• savestates_in_content_dir

• savefiles_in_content_dir

Basic RetroArch save path

If RetroArch is using a normal save directory:

LaunchBox\Emulators\RetroArch\saves\Super Metroid.srm

Sorted by content folder

If sort_savefiles_by_content_enable = true, LaunchBox expects an extra folder based on the ROM's parent folder:

LaunchBox\Emulators\RetroArch\saves\Super Nintendo Entertainment System\Super Metroid.srm

Sorted by core

If sort_savefiles_enable = true, LaunchBox expects an extra folder for the RetroArch core name:

LaunchBox\Emulators\RetroArch\saves\Super Nintendo Entertainment System\Snes9x\Super Metroid.srm

Save states

RetroArch save states follow the matching state directory rules, for example:

LaunchBox\Emulators\RetroArch\states\Super Metroid.state

or:

LaunchBox\Emulators\RetroArch\states\Super Metroid.state1

LaunchBox supports both the standard RetroArch layout and the content/core-sorted variants automatically.

🐬 Dolphin Save Path Examples

LaunchBox supports Dolphin save detection for:

• Nintendo GameCube saves

• Nintendo Wii saves

• Dolphin save states

LaunchBox checks both Dolphin portable data and the standard user profile location, including:

• LaunchBox\Emulators\Dolphin\User\

• %UserProfile%\Documents\Dolphin Emulator\

GameCube saves

LaunchBox looks in Dolphin's GC structure, for example:

• Per-game GCI folder: ...\User\GC\USA\GM8E01\*.gci

• Memory card GCI folder: ...\User\GC\USA\Card A\GM8E*.gci...\User\GC\USA\Card B\GM8E*.gci

Wii disc saves

Wii saves are detected in Dolphin's NAND title structure:

...\User\Wii\title\00010000\524d4345\

WiiWare / WAD saves

For WAD-based titles, LaunchBox looks for the title folder inside the Wii NAND structure and expects a valid save directory there:

...\User\Wii\title\<high-title-id>\<low-title-id>\

Dolphin save states

Save states are detected from:

...\User\StateSaves\GM8E01.s01

or similar slot-based files such as:

...\User\StateSaves\RMCE01.s02

Dolphin limitations

• GameCube save support is currently built around Dolphin's GCI folder workflows

• Raw GameCube memory card files (*.raw) are not supported for granular save backups

• If Dolphin is using raw cards, LaunchBox may detect that situation but cannot manage those saves individually

• For best results with GameCube, convert the card to Dolphin's GCI Folder format

• If a title uses .iso, make sure the game's platform is set correctly in LaunchBox, since .iso files can otherwise be treated as GameCube by default

🎮 PCSX2 Save Path Examples

LaunchBox supports PCSX2 save management for:

• memory card saves

• save states

Memory card locations

LaunchBox looks for memory cards in places like:

• LaunchBox\Emulators\PCSX2\memcards\

• LaunchBox\Emulators\PCSX2\inis\memcards\

• %UserProfile%\Documents\PCSX2\memcards\

Supported memory card targets include:

• .ps2 memory card files

• .ps2 memory card folders

Example:

LaunchBox\Emulators\PCSX2\memcards\Mcd001.ps2

LaunchBox can distinguish separate saves stored on the same memory card so they can be managed more clearly inside LaunchBox.

Save state locations

LaunchBox looks for savestates in:

• LaunchBox\Emulators\PCSX2\sstates\

• LaunchBox\Emulators\PCSX2\inis\sstates\

• %UserProfile%\Documents\PCSX2\sstates\

Supported savestate file types are:

• .p2s

• .p2z

Example:

LaunchBox\Emulators\PCSX2\sstates\SLUS-21214 (8E4D4E7D).01.p2s

LaunchBox uses the filename to identify the game and slot, then groups that state into the correct save-state history.

PCSX2 notes

• Memory card saves are matched per save directory inside the card, not just by card filename alone

• Save states are grouped by serial and slot

• If a card is unreadable or locked, LaunchBox skips it instead of failing the entire scan

🚀 More to Come

Automatic backups are an important part of the foundation for additional save-management improvements.