Explainer · Saves
Cloud saves in browser games: how your progress follows you
A 40-hour GTA run that dies with a cleared cache is a broken product. Here is how saves actually work in browser games — what lives in the browser, what goes to the server, and what to check before switching devices.
Three places a browser save can live
| Storage | Size limit | What uses it |
|---|---|---|
| localStorage | 5–10 MB per site | settings, best scores, small flags |
| IndexedDB | percentage of free disk | game files, save files, cached assets |
| OPFS (Origin Private File System) | percentage of free disk | games that expect a real file system — San Andreas, CS 1.6 |
All three belong to one origin — `old-school-games.win`. Clearing site data wipes all of them. Private/incognito windows keep them only until the tab closes. Different browsers are separate worlds: a save in Chrome is invisible to Firefox.
What happens without an account
Everything works. Local saves are the default: GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas write their own save files into the browser, Counter-Strike keeps its config, free games keep high scores. Nothing leaves your machine. The catch is that the save has exactly one home: that browser, on that device, until you clear site data or the storage is evicted under disk pressure.
What happens after signing in
- The game writes the save locally, as usual.
- The page uploads it to your account: per-slot files for GTA III and Vice City, a ZIP container for San Andreas.
- On another device you sign in and open the same game; the cloud copy is restored before the game starts.
- Save in the game as usual — the next upload updates the cloud copy.
Cloud saves are available to every signed-in user; the paid purchase on the site is about ads, not about storage.
Which games sync
- GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas — the original save slots, uploaded as files; San Andreas is packed from its OPFS container into a ZIP.
- Counter-Strike 1.6 and Half-Life — configs and save games from the Xash3D file system.
- Heroes 3 — campaign and scenario saves from VCMI.
- Free arcade games — high scores and settings where the game exposes them; some small HTML5 games simply keep a local best score and do not sync.
Can I move a save by hand?
Not through the site yet. Saves sync automatically while you play, and there is no download or upload form on the account page; the cloud copy exists to continue in the browser on another device. The server keeps the game's original file format, but exporting it to a PC is not exposed in the UI.
When progress does not appear on the second device
- Check the account. The header should show your profile, not “Sign in”. Some ad blockers break the session cookie.
- Check the sync. Save through the game's own menu and give the page a few seconds; the upload starts after the save file is written. Closing the tab immediately after saving can skip it.
- Check the game version. A save from a different build of the same game may be rejected; the page usually warns before loading.
- Check storage pressure. Browsers evict IndexedDB under heavy disk use. Cloud saves exist precisely because local storage is not a backup.
Quotas, eviction and why local storage is not a backup
Browsers treat storage as a cache, not as a document. Chrome and Firefox can evict IndexedDB and OPFS data for a site that has not been visited for a while, and both will refuse new writes when the disk is nearly full. Nothing warns you before eviction: the next visit simply starts with an empty shelf.
The practical rule is simple. A save that only exists in the browser is a temporary file. If a run matters, sign in once and let it sync, so a second copy lives on the server. The two minutes this takes are shorter than replaying the first ten hours of Vice City.
Privacy and size
Save files are small: a GTA III slot is a few hundred kilobytes, a San Andreas container is a few megabytes, CS 1.6 configs are kilobytes. They are stored per account and not shared with other users. Nothing else from your browser session is uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I play without an account and still keep progress?
- Yes, locally. The account only adds a cloud copy for other devices and protection against cache loss.
- Do cloud saves expire?
- No, they stay with the account until a newer save overwrites them.
- Can I copy a save from the browser to the PC game?
- Not through the site yet. Cloud saves sync between browser sessions; the site does not expose download or export buttons.
- Why is the cloud save older than my local one?
- The upload happens after the game writes the file; if you closed the tab immediately, the last save may not have synced. Open the game once more and let it finish.
New to the ports? Read GTA 3 vs Vice City in the browser or the retro console guide. Also: what “unblocked games” really means.