IRON NEST Save, Reset, and Steam Cloud Guide

IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator supports Steam Cloud, but no current official source checked for this guide publishes a universal save-folder path or a manual “clear profile” procedure. The safe answer is: update first, let Cloud finish, preserve both local and cloud states, and use an in-game reset control if the current build provides one. Do not delete a guessed folder from a Demo or Playtest guide.

Save and recovery decision table

Know the dependable save boundary

Complete the operation, read and dismiss the newspaper, and wait for the next screen before quitting. The developer FAQ ties Challenge score saving to correct completion and newspaper dismissal. That makes the result transition the dependable visible boundary; it does not prove a mid-operation checkpoint exists in every mission.

Exit from the game menu when possible. After the process closes, watch Steam’s Cloud status and wait until synchronization finishes. Launching immediately on a second PC or Steam Deck can create two plausible histories.

Update before treating progress as corrupt

PATCH 1.0 (1558), published August 8, explicitly fixed save-file corruption and inability to enter missions after a crash. PATCH 1.0 (1577), published August 9, then fixed mission events not resetting on replay and turret position or movement state persisting between missions. The newer patch also improved random-crash handling and RAM/VRAM behavior.

Use this order:

1. Confirm the base game AppID is 2950790, not the Demo or Playtest.
2. Install the latest public Steam update and restart the client.
3. Verify the installed files through Steam Properties.
4. Launch one known operation, without changing profile files.
5. Exit normally after a safe transition and let Cloud synchronize.
6. Relaunch once to verify the recovered state persists.

If that cycle succeeds, take a backup before researching endings, medals, or repeat-state bugs.

Preserve evidence before any reset

Photograph or record the visible campaign position, unlocked missions, last newspaper, Challenge results, and any selected profile. Note the device, operating system, whether Steam was offline, crash time, and official patch title. This information distinguishes a lost display state from overwritten progression.

If you locate candidate files using Steam or Windows tools, copy them to a separate non-synchronizing folder. Do not move or edit the originals during a Cloud conflict. Label the copy with AppID, device, date, patch, and last confirmed mission. Review files before sharing because logs or profiles may contain identifiers.

The site does not publish %APPDATA%, Documents, registry, userdata, or Proton paths as a universal answer. Those locations vary by implementation and environment, and a plausible path copied from another game can cause real loss.

Resolve a Steam Cloud conflict deliberately

Stop before choosing. Compare the device name and time with the last completion you personally saw. A newer timestamp may represent a crash, menu launch, or empty reset rather than more progress. Preserve both versions when Steam or the platform provides a safe way to do so.

Choose the state that contains the last confirmed operation, then keep only one device active while testing. Enter the campaign list, inspect the expected unlock, open a mission, exit normally, and wait for a completed sync. Only then launch the other device and verify it receives the same state.

For Steam Deck, remember that official “Verified” status means compatibility through SteamOS/Proton, not a native Linux save implementation. Do not manually merge Windows and Proton folders unless an official recovery instruction specifically asks for it.

Back up without creating another conflict

A useful backup is a closed, stable snapshot. Close IRON NEST, let Steam Cloud report completion, and avoid copying while the game or a sync process is writing. Store the copy outside any directory Steam automatically manages.

Record:

• base-game AppID 2950790;
• device and operating environment;
• official public patch title;
• last visible completed mission or newspaper;
• Cloud enabled or disabled state;
• date and reason for the backup.

Do not call a folder a verified IRON NEST save merely because its modification time changes. A clean-install test must connect a file change to a visible in-game progression change without risking the only profile.

Reset or start a new campaign safely

Use a visible in-game new-campaign, new-profile, or reset control if the current version offers it. Read the confirmation carefully and assume it can replace progress unless the interface explicitly promises separate slots. Take a stable backup first.

There is not enough official evidence to recommend disabling Cloud, deleting a folder, relaunching, and re-enabling Cloud as a general reset recipe. That sequence can cause Steam to upload the wrong side of a conflict. It also cannot tell whether an achievement, newspaper, or leaderboard record is stored separately.

For endings research, change one decision at a time on a properly backed-up profile. A downloaded or copied save may unlock something, but it does not prove the trigger and may pollute Cloud history.

What to send in a support report

Include AppID, current patch title, Windows or Deck/Proton environment, Steam Cloud state, last good completion, exact crash or exit sequence, and whether file verification changed the symptom. State whether the problem is missing progress, a mission-entry failure, an incorrect replay state, or a synchronization conflict.

If replay events or the turret origin still persist after PATCH 1.0 (1577), say that explicitly and reproduce from a normal menu transition. If a random crash remains, include RAM/VRAM context and any official log requested by the developer, after reviewing personal data. Do not upload raw saves publicly by default.

Still requires clean-install testing

The following answers should remain unfilled until tested on AppID 2950790 with a disposable profile: exact Windows save location, each file’s responsibility, manual clear-profile sequence, Cloud restore precedence, multiple-profile support, and Deck-to-Windows conflict behavior. “Unknown” here is a safety boundary, not a missing invitation to guess.

Sources

• Official announcements, including PATCH 1.0 (1558) and (1577)
• Steam Store page and Cloud feature listing
• Developer FAQ