Graveyard Keeper 2: Demo Save Carries to Full Game - How to Transfer on PC, Linux & Steam Deck

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Yes, your demo progress is meant to carry over - graveyard, stockpiles, tech points, and story position. If Continue is missing on Windows, copy the matching .dat + .info pair by hand. On Linux/Steam Deck the demo and full game live in different Proton prefixes, so a manual copy is usually required.

1Decide First: Keep or Start Fresh

Keep the demo save if you already built stations, stocked materials, or banked tech points - players report sitting on large point piles at the demo's soft end.

Start fresh if your demo save carries a known bug (tree-multiplication glitch, corpse stuck in hand). Several players preferred redoing the opening over inheriting a broken world.

Do not uninstall the demo until the full game shows Continue and you have a backup. On Linux, uninstalling can delete the Proton folder holding the only copy.

2Windows / Normal Steam

1
Leave Steam Cloud on for both the demo and the full game.
2
Install and launch the full game once. Check the menu for Continue.
3
If missing, copy the files by hand.
Demo: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Lazy Bear Games\Graveyard Keeper 2 Demo
Full game: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Lazy Bear Games\Graveyard Keeper 2
4
Copy the matching .dat and .info pair (same number, e.g. 1.dat + 1.info). Do not mix numbers.
5
Relaunch the full game.
Your slot should list the same day count. If the local demo folder is empty, pull the files from Steam Cloud instead.

3Linux / Proton / Steam Deck

This is the common break: the demo and full game have different app IDs, so Proton keeps two separate Windows drives. The full game cannot see the demo save until you copy it.

1
Launch both the demo and the full game once so both compatdata folders exist.
2
Find the two save folders.
Demo: ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/<DEMO_APPID>/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/LocalLow/Lazy Bear Games/Graveyard Keeper 2 Demo
Full game: same path under the full game's app ID, ending in Graveyard Keeper 2.
Community notes cite demo app ID 5075680 and full game 4358690 - confirm folder names on your disk before overwriting.
3
Copy the .dat + .info pair into the full-game folder.
4
If Steam Cloud fights you: turn Cloud off on the full game, drop the files in, launch once, then turn Cloud back on and pick the local copy.

Demo already uninstalled? Check the Recycle Bin, another machine, or Steam Cloud first - the prefix often dies with the uninstall.

4Consoles & After It Loads

PS5 / Xbox / Switch / Switch 2: publisher messaging said demo saves carry on all consoles. Install the full game on the same account and same box, look for Continue, and do not delete the demo's save data from system storage until the slot appears.

Pre-order extras: sauna and outfit failed to appear on some existing saves; a launch-day hotfix targeted that. If still missing, let the patch apply, then load the same slot again.

Still in the demo? It soft-ends after the first Town hold - you can keep farming before following the "go into town" prompt. Several players stocked materials and tech for launch day.

Mistakes to Avoid

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Uninstalling the demo first on Linux. It can delete the only copy of your save.
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Copying only .dat without the matching .info. The slot will not list.
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Overwriting a new full-game slot you already started.
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Carrying a known-bugged demo world just because transfer works.

Continue still empty after copying? The files are in the wrong prefix or the numbers do not match. Recheck folder names, then copy again.

1Decide First: Keep or Start Fresh

2Windows / Normal Steam

3Linux / Proton / Steam Deck

4Consoles & After It Loads

Mistakes to Avoid

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