Edit: As of
version 1.30, the in-game UI now has a Recover Save option that handles backups for you. It was nice helping you guys out for the past two and a half years.
Hello, everyone. I realized that some people aren't aware of TS4's auto-backup feature. Personally, I think it's a lifesaver, and everyone should know how to roll back in case they accidentally save over something, realize that they want to undo a previous mistake, or end up with a corrupted save file.
First, you need to go to your saves folder. It's in My Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/saves
Before anything else, you should make a copy of your saves in case you make a mistake. Copy and paste the folder into your desktop or some other safe place. Just right click on the folder and choose copy.
Then go to your desktop, right click on any empty spot, and choose paste.
Now go into the saves folder in My Documents.
You'll see that unlike in The Sims 3, the filenames don't match the name you gave your save in-game. Each save file has up to 5 back ups from the previous times you've saved, with .ver0 being the most recent, and .ver4 being the oldest.
In order to find out which file corresponds to the save that you want to roll back, you'll have to launch the game and click on Load Game.
Let's say I want to roll back the Parsons save. It was last modified on 9/4/14 at 2:15 AM. You'll have to look for the .save file (without any .ver extensions) that has the matching Date Modified field.
Credits to
@Ayradyss for pointing this out: Keep in mind that the backup files (.ver0, .ver1, etc.) have the same "Date Modified" value as the main .save file. This is because each time you save, the backup files are also updated, where the previous .save file becomes .ver0, .ver0 becomes .ver1, etc. Hence, Windows considers them to be all modified at that same minute.
In this case, Slot_00000004.save matches. We'll want to rename it to something else. It can be anything different. For example, I can add a .x to the end of the file by right clicking on it, choosing Rename, and typing .x.
Btw, you can do this while the game is running, AS LONG AS IT'S NOT CURRENTLY SAVING OR LOADING.
From here, you can choose to roll back to one of the backups. Let's try .ver0, which is the most recent one. Right click, Rename, and delete the .ver0 extension.
Go back to the game. Click on Load Game. If the Load Game window is already open, it won't immediately reflect the changes, so close it first and open it again.
Apparently, in my case, I renamed my save file to Parsons, which is somewhat more descriptive than My Saved Game 4.
From there, you can load the save file and see if it's the version that you want. If it's not, just re-enter the .ver0 extension and repeat the above steps for .ver1, .ver2, and so on. If it's none of those files, then I'm sorry, but you can't go further than 5 saves ago.
If you decide to change your mind on rolling back, just rename the original file (in this case, the one I added .x to) to its original name (in this case, Slot_00000004.save).
Hope this helps. If you have any questions, just ask, and I'll try to answer when I'm online.
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Comments
the game says I do have one auto-save (of the new family) and another 2 saves, all from the new created family. Can I still somehow restore my lost save from the first family?
I tried to rename the files and start from an older save but I can't find anything before 2 days ago, so I can't load my first family.
I'm pretty upset about this because I spent a lot of time on the first family :( Maybe you do have another idea how I can solve my problem :)?
Are you sure you haven't tried up to .ver4?
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
I ask myself the same question.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
My Twitch Channel
YouTube
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
My Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/Saves
that end with
.ver0, .ver1, .ver2, .ver3, or .ver4
are older backup files. You can try removing the .ver# endings at random to see if any of them are your save. But I recommend you back up your saves first. :P
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
I finally fixed my game when I started a new game with a new character, and saved that new game using "Save As". THEN I rolled back the save to my previous game, and I was able to load it from the main menu. Finally!
Rename your files when you aren't in the game. Start the game up after renaming the files. Try a renaming like this:
Slot_00000001.save -> Slot_00000001.save.orig (the game will stop seeing this one)
Slot_00000001.save.var0 -> Slot_00000001.save (the game will now see your next most recent save)
Slot_00000001.save.var1 -> Slot_00000002.save (the game will now see the one before that as a separate save from #1)
etc.
Then start the game and look at each save. They should be stepping you back in time.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
so the only save files that you work with are the ones in the save folder? not the scratch folder? cause I have saves in the scratch folder
scratch folder
in save folder