I recently upgraded my PC with a new SSD and want to move my games from the HDD to the SSD for faster load times. I’m worried about losing progress or causing issues with the games. Can anyone guide me through the process or share tips to make the transition smooth? Thanks in advance!
You’re seriously considering moving games from an HDD to an SSD to shave off a few seconds on load times? Waste of effort if you ask me. The games were fine where they were. Anyway, if you’re determined to waste your time, you might as well use a proper tool like ‘Steam Library Manager’. It’s tedious manually copying files and updating paths, and there’s no guarantee you won’t screw it up.
By using ‘Steam Library Manager’, you get an easy interface to move your installed games around between drives. It handles all the potentially error-prone steps for you. You could try the built-in move feature in Steam or Battle.net, but those are pretty bare-bones and can also mess up.
Oh, and don’t fret too much about losing progress. Most games save their progress in the cloud these days. But if a game doesn’t, your current progress that’s stored locally might be scattered in weird directory places; moving them is another hassle you can’t avoid. Sure, some will hype up their tool, but let’s be real: it’s never totally fail-safe.
In the end, even if you get everything moved perfectly, don’t expect miracles. The difference in load times isn’t going to blow your mind or anything. You might as well save the trouble. But then again, go ahead if you enjoy overcomplicating a simple setup.
Moving games from an HDD to an SSD might seem like a hassle, but if you’re looking for those quicker load times, it can definitely be worth it. Your games will benefit, especially those with large open worlds like Red Dead Redemption 2 or Cyberpunk 2077. So, if you’re committed to this, here’s another way to look at it:
Firstly, I’d avoid using third-party tools, unless you really need a piece of software to hold your hand through the process. Most games can be manually moved and the path can be updated without much trouble. Steam actually has this process built-in.
Here’s a step-by-step guide for Steam games:
- Open Steam and go to Settings.
- Navigate to Downloads, then Steam Library Folders.
- Add a new library folder on your SSD.
- Go back to your Library, right-click on the game you want to move, and select Properties.
- Click on the Local Files tab and select Move Install Folder….
- Choose the folder you just created on your SSD and start the transfer.
That covers Steam, but for other platforms like Origin, Epic Games Store, or Battle.net, the process is a bit more manual.
For Origin:
- Open Origin and go to Application Settings.
- Head to Installs & Saves.
- Set Game Library Location to your SSD.
- Move the already installed games to the new desired location.
- In Origin, right-click on the game and select Repair. This should find the new location of your game files.
For Epic Games Store:
- Move your game folder to the new location on your SSD.
- Open the Epic Games Launcher and click to install the game on your SSD.
- Once the download starts, pause it and close the launcher.
- Replace the newly created game folder with your backed-up game files.
- Open the launcher again and resume the download.
This might seem like a lot, but it’s really just about copying files and telling the game client where to find them.
Now, touching on what @techchizkid mentioned about losing progress, most modern games do use cloud saves, but for those that don’t, you should back up your save data manually. This usually involves looking in your documents folder or the game’s installation directory for save files.
A few people might argue moving games isn’t worth the minimal improvements in load times…but they overlook the benefit in overall system responsiveness. Plus, moving games is not the mammoth task it’s painted out to be. And, to be honest, for older games or those poorly optimized, the speed boost can be quite noticeable.
One final tip, before you start moving the games, it’s wise to defrag your HDD if it’s been a while. This can tidy things up before the big move and make the transfer quicker.
Lastly, heed caution, always make sure that the SSD you are moving to isn’t nearing its capacity limit. SSD performance can drop if they are nearly full.
So – if you really do enjoy overcomplicating things, you might find satisfaction in meticulously manually moving files. But if efficiency and simplicity are your goals, these built-in tools by platforms like Steam and Origin should suffice, smoothing out the process and potentially saving you from any risky hiccups.
Hope this helps and good luck with your game transfer!
Moving games can definitely give your system a nice speed boost, especially for games with long load times. There’s always a bit of a debate whether it’s worth the effort, but here’s my take on it:
If you’re worried about losing progress, cloned backup your saves first. Simple backup tools or even just copying the save files to a different location like a USB drive can save you a lot of headaches. Check the game’s folder under Documents, AppData, or the game’s install directory.
Anyway, I see that @byteguru is leaning towards using ‘Steam Library Manager,’ which isn’t a bad choice if you want to avoid manual hassle. But I’d argue you don’t really need it unless you’re managing a massive library with lots of different platforms.
Take a look at a more universal option like Robocopy (Windows) or rsync (Linux) if you’re comfortable with a bit of command-line action. These are robust and can handle the file copy process without breaking a sweat, and you’ll have full control over what gets copied where. Here’s a quick Robocopy command example:
robocopy "D:\Games" "E:\Games" /E /COPYALL /V /ZB
This approach gives you a bit of control without relying on third-party GUI. Just make sure your games have been properly set to their new directories within their client, like Steam or Origin.
For those using Epic Games Store, @techchizkid’s method is solid. But if you prefer a simpler route, you can just copy the game folder straightaway to your SSD, and then go:
- Move the game files manually.
- Open Epic, uninstall the game (don’t worry, it’s in the new location now).
- Begin reinstall from the new directory to confirm its integrity.
This bypasses the initial download steps and saves time. Epic Games Store defaults to retargeting properly.
As for overall system responsiveness, yeah, games like Red Dead Redemption 2 definitely shine better on SSDs. Don’t expect miracles though, as @byteguru mentioned. Your mileage can vary depending on game optimizations and actual drive speeds. And you’re correct, nearly-full SSDs can show performance impacts, so try keeping some free space.
Oh, and pro-tip: If you’re someone who constantly switches between different games, having a combo setup with your frequently-played ones on the SSD and lesser-used games on your HDD is a sweet balance strategy.
At the end of the day, whether manual copying or usage of helper tools, each has its pros and cons. Just make sure you have a good backup of your save progress and consider safe operations like disk checkups to avoid corrupting files during the transfer. Good luck with the upgrade and enjoy the faster loads!