Only progress made in the refreshed Moonfrost Demo released on October 12, 2026 is officially stated to carry into the Early Access game. Saves from earlier Demo versions are not compatible with that refreshed Demo and must start again. This distinction matters more than the word “Demo”: two players can both have Demo saves and receive different results because they played different builds.
The free Demo is a related Steam product, AppID 4684100. The paid Early Access base game is AppID 2561630. Do not apply this transfer rule to an old Web3 build, an earlier public Demo, or a copied save from an unidentified installation.
Identify which Demo created the save
Use the play date and installation history first. The developer scheduled the refreshed Demo for 1 PM BST on October 12, five hours before the Early Access launch. Progress created after updating to that release is the supported carry-over case. A save last used before that refresh belongs to the previous Demo generation unless it was explicitly recreated in the new build.
If Steam downloaded a Demo update but you continued an old session without starting fresh, do not assume the data was converted. The announcement says older saves are no longer compatible and that the previous Demo requires a new game. The safe evidence is a new run created by the refreshed October build.
Older Demo save
Created before the October 12 refresh. Officially incompatible with the updated Demo.
Restart requiredRefreshed Demo save
Created in the October 12 updated Demo after beginning a new game.
Carry-over supportedEarly Access save
Created by the paid base game after launch and owned by AppID 2561630.
Base-game progressUnknown origin
Treat the save as unverified until its date and product can be established.
Do not overwrite blindlyPrepare before launching Early Access
Close both products fully and let Steam finish any pending download. Confirm that the refreshed Demo can still see the expected character before opening the paid game. If you maintain your own backup, copy the entire confirmed save set while neither product is running; partial files can separate progress from metadata. The developer has not published an official local save path, so this guide does not guess one.
Make sure you are using the same Steam account and the same PC environment that created the refreshed Demo progress. Steam lists Cloud support for Moonfrost, but the transfer announcement does not promise that every cloud-conflict choice or manual file move is safe. When Steam presents a local-versus-cloud timestamp prompt, stop and compare dates instead of automatically choosing either side.
What should and should not transfer
The official statement covers “progress” from the refreshed Demo into Early Access. It does not publish a field-by-field list of inventory, settings, achievements, or cloud metadata. Verify the character, quest position, bag, home, and key unlocks after loading. Treat display, audio, accessibility, and controller preferences as settings that may need to be reselected.
Do not expect old Demo progress to become compatible because the base game is installed. The developer tied the break to the many changes and improvements made since the previous Demo. Renaming a folder or forcing an old file into the refreshed installation can create a partially readable state and risks replacing the supported save.
The rule also does not run in reverse: an Early Access save is not promised to open in the Demo. Keep playing the paid base game after the handoff rather than using the free product as a second client.
Troubleshoot a missing transfer safely
First, exit without saving over the slot. Reopen the refreshed Demo and check whether the character still appears there. Confirm the account, update history, and the approximate time the run was created. Capture the Demo and base-game Steam product pages, save-selection screens, and any cloud warning. Include whether the Demo was installed before October 12 and whether you began a new game after the refresh.
Then report the case through the official Steam Discussions or Moonfrost support channels. Avoid downloading another player’s save or following registry and file-path advice written for a different game. A valid report needs the two AppIDs, the date of the Demo run, the PC platform, and the exact point at which the character stopped appearing.
If the run came from the older Demo, restarting is the expected result rather than a transfer bug. Use the Beginner Guide to rebuild efficiently and Early Access Content to see what the current paid build includes.