Proven Fixes | Steam Deleted My Game [2024]

Steam serves as a popular online platform for purchasing PC games, offering convenience and affordability. However, it is not without flaws. Imagine logging in one day only to discover that some of your game save or even entire games have gone missing.

Fortunately, several methods are available to recover lost or deleted data from Steam quickly.

This article explores why games are deleted on Steam and provide practical solutions to retrieve your game data, ensuring you can get back to playing in no time.

Why does Steam delete my games?

While it is essential to restore your files, understanding why this happened can help prevent future occurrences. Numerous factors can contribute to data loss, such as:

✐ BSOD. Encountering the black screen of death (BSoD) is an infuriating occurrence during crucial gaming moments. BSoD typically indicates outdated drivers or hardware issues, causing Windows to encounter critical errors.

✐ Malfunctioned updates. Experiencing issues with game updates, as specific bugs in updated versions of Steam can unintentionally delete game files.

✐ File corruption. Encountering file corruption due to game crashes caused by new updates, resulting in unreadable files.

✐ Failed to recognize. Steam fails to recognize a game, even if it is still present on your hard drive, leading to the game appearing as grayed out in your library.

The example above represents just a fraction of the potential scenarios but rest assured, we have efficient methods to resolve them.

How to recover deleted Steam files?

In this section, we present proven methods to recover deleted Steam files.

Method 1 - Recovering from the Recycle Bin

If you have accidentally deleted your game saves or game folders, the first step is to check the Recycle Bin. Unless you used Shift + Delete, your files will likely be found there.

Notes:✎...

If you find your deleted files not in Recycle Bin after deletion, it implies that the Steam file has been permanently deleted. Move on and check the following methods.

>> To retrieve them, right-click the desired data and select "Restore" to move it back to its original location.

Method 2 - Locating Steam Files on Your Computer

In some instances, Steam may fail to read your game files due to issues with its file.

To resolve this, locate the Steam file in the following directory, applicable to all Windows versions, including Windows 10/11:

Opening this file should prompt Steam to display your games once again.

Steam stores different types of data in exclusive places. If you want to know where are Steam screenshots saved on your computer, you could also navigate to this specific folder.

If the issue persists or Steam fails to load your games after accessing the file, recovery tools might be necessary to restore any lost essential components.

Method 3 - Adding the Game Folder to Help Steam Locate Your Game

It is also possible that none of your files are missing, but Steam is simply unable to locate your game. However, this method only applies if you have installed the game in a location other than the main Steam game folder. Follow these three steps to resolve the issue:

Step 1. Open Steam, and navigate to Settings > Download > Steam Library Folder.

Step 2. Click on Add Library Folder > browse to the location where your game is installed. Select it and click Select > your game should now reappear in the library.

Method 4 - Verifying Integrity of Game Files in Steam

If your games appear in the Library, but their names are grayed out, this method may effectively check for missing files. Follow these steps:

Notes:✎...

If you find Steam missing downloaded files, you could also try this method.

Step 1. Open Steam and go to the Library > right-click on the problematic game and select Properties.

Step 2. In the Local Files tab, choose Verify integrity of game files.

Method 5 - Re-syncing in Steam Cloud

Those who use Steam Cloud will be safer and don’t need to worry about “Why Steam deleted my game”. But sometimes, unexpected shutdowns can also cause file sync errors.

This option is applicable when your game does not shut down properly, such as during a BSOD or unexpected power outage. To restore your saves, follow these steps:

Step 1. Visit Your Steam Cloud and locate your game > click Show Files to find your saved folder.

Step 2. Exit Steam and delete the Save Folder to prevent automatic cloud upload, which could overwrite your progress.

It is advisable to create a backup copy of the save folder as a precaution. You could use professional data backup software to back up specific folders in Windows 10/11.

Step 3. Re-launch Steam, allowing the application to re-sync the data. Start the game, and your latest save will be restored if everything goes smoothly.

Method 6 - Renaming the ClientRegistry.blob File

Some Steam users have successfully resolved similar issues by renaming the ClientRegistry.blob file. This file contains information about Steam game installations; resetting it can help recover deleted Steam files. Follow these steps:

Step 1. Right-click the Steam shortcut and select Open File Location.

Step 2. Locate the ClientRegistry.blob file and rename it as ClientRegistry.old.blob.

Method 7 - Efficiently Recovering Deleted Steam Games using MyRecover

Although Steam enhances the gaming experience, unintentional human errors can lead to the accidental deletion or removal of Steam game data.

MyRecover, a certified data recovery program, offers a smooth and efficient solution to retrieve deleted or lost data from your machine. Its features include:

Comprehensive recovery for various data loss scenarios, such as deletion, disk formatting, system crashes, or virus attacks.

High efficiency in recovering over 200 file types, including photos, videos, Microsoft Office files, compressed files, folders, audio, songs, and websites from internal and external HDDs, USB sticks, and SD cards. 

Advanced scanning methods, including Quick and Deep Scan, automatically search for recoverable files. Additionally, you can filter your desired files by filename, saved path, date, or size. 

Convenience in retaining the deleted files' original filename, path, and format.

Excellent compatibility with NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS file systems.

To learn how to recover deleted Steam files efficiently using MyRecover, follow these steps:

Step 1. Launch MyRecover > Hover the mouse over the drive saved deleted files before, and click Scan.

Step 2. MyRecover will automatically scan the chosen drive and display all recoverable files. Use filters such as document type, name, date, or path to quickly locate your desired OBS videos.

Step 3. Navigate to the "Deleted Files/Recycle Bin/Other Missing Files" folder and select your desired files/folders. Click Recover x files to initiate the Windows data recovery process.

Please note that MyRecover allows the recovery of up to 500MB of files for free. For a larger quantity of deleted and missing files, upgrading to the Professional or Technician edition is a more cost-effective and efficient choice.

Conclusion

We hope this guide has addressed all your concerns regarding “Why Steam deleted my games”. By following the methods provided, you can successfully recover deleted Steam files without any hassle.

Additionally, utilizing dedicated data recovery software like MyRecover ensures a safe and effective restoration process.

This tool is invaluable for complex operations such as recovering lost partitions, handling virus infections, or overcoming system crashes.

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