What is in the user data folder
| Name | What it holds |
|---|
save folder (also written saves) | Your saved games. |
|---|
crash_dump folder | Crash reports and log files, stdout.txt among them. |
|---|
settings.lua | Your settings, such as screen resolution and volume. |
|---|
settings_keys_v3.lua | Your key bindings. |
|---|
profile.lua | Your campaign progress and the game you saved last. |
|---|
save_maps folder | Maps you made in the map editor. |
|---|
mods folder | Mods you install by hand. |
|---|
mod_presets folder | Your saved mod presets. |
|---|
shader_cache folder | Shaders the game keeps ready to speed up loading. The game manages this folder. |
|---|
heightmaps folder | Grayscale height images for the map editor. |
|---|
screenshots folder | Pictures taken with the camera tool. |
|---|
A saved game is a .sav file with the game itself plus a .jpg picture of the view at the moment you saved. The manual says a save is made of three files but names only these two. Maps from the map editor are stored the same way, in the save_maps folder. The manual's list of folders calls the save folder save, while its section on saved games calls it saves.
The heightmaps folder is where the map editor looks for height images; the map sizes guide explains the pixel sizes, and the mods guide covers the mods folder.
Check and repair the game files
- Steam: Restart the computer and open Steam. In your library, right-click the game, choose Properties, open Local files and click Verify integrity of game files. It can take a few minutes.
- GOG: Run the installer from your GOG library again: it finds the installed game and replaces all game files, while your saves and settings stay. In GOG Galaxy, open the game's menu and choose Manage Installation › Verify / Repair.
- Epic Games Store: In the Epic Games launcher, open your library, click the three dots next to Transport Fever 3 and choose Verify.
Broken graphics or a crash right at startup can come from the shaders: try deleting the shader_cache folder.
Back up your saves
Steam's own backup feature covers the game files only, not the user data folder with your settings and saves. Copy that folder yourself to keep them safe. With GOG, the Epic Games Store or the App Store, a copy of the installation folder backs up the game files, but your settings and saves are not in it: copy the user data folder as well.
Settings › Advanced sets how often the game saves by itself and how many autosaves it keeps; the oldest autosave is overwritten first.
Graphics settings and frame rate
The game runs windowed, borderless or full screen, and Alt+Enter (⌥+Enter on a Mac) switches between them. The full-screen resolution can only be changed from the main menu, not during a game.
What each graphics preset sets, one preset per row:
Going up one preset: Low to Medium changes every option; Medium to High changes anti-aliasing, reflections (SSR), geometry, shadows, terrain, and grass; High to Very High changes textures and terrain textures. Consoles (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S) offer a choice of graphics mode instead.
Two switches in Settings › Advanced can warn you: Show Unsupported Hardware Warning when you play on unsupported hardware such as a graphics chip built into the processor, and Show Video Memory Usage Warning when your graphics settings are too high.
Switches in settings.lua
These switches are only in settings.lua. Open it in a text editor only when the game is closed. They are meant for experienced players, at your own risk, and do not exist on console.
debugInfoShowFps (true or false (default false)): Shows the current frame rate in a corner of the screen.graphicalDeviceOverride (-1 (default), 0, 1 …): Picks a specific graphics card for the game to draw with.crashSaveEnabled (true (default) or false): Set to false to stop the game making crash saves at all.crashSaveSingleFile (true or false (default false)): Set to true to keep a single crash save; the next crash overwrites it.
Crashes and errors fixed in updates
If the game crashes, first check which build you have on the updates page. The release notes list these crash and error fixes so far. Each one names the build it first came in and whether that build was a preview or a release build at the time; the updates page shows the build each platform runs today and how to join the preview branch.
- A rare random crash while the game draws the scene is fixed. (Version 40419, preview build, October 6, 2026)
- Mission 2 no longer throws an error when you load a save after bulldozing the tracks of the signal-building task. (Version 40417, preview build, October 2, 2026)
- No more crash from pressing the screenshot key over and over. (Version 40415, preview build, October 1, 2026)
- Fixed rare crashes while the interface updates and while catchment areas are drawn. (Version 40415, preview build, October 1, 2026)
- Fixed errors when opening a new construction from inside the module builder, when a faulty mod breaks the construction menu, when bulldozing a station whose window is pinned, and when opening a switched-off data layer with a controller. (Version 40415, preview build, October 1, 2026)
- No crash with mods whose dependencies sit in the staging area or are installed locally. (Version 40415, preview build, October 1, 2026)
Updates that use video memory more carefully, which helps on graphics cards with little of it:
- Better use of video memory on many graphics setups. (Version 40419, preview build, October 6, 2026)
- Less video memory used in some situations, and a fix for how it is shared out on graphics cards with little of it. (Version 40415, preview build, October 1, 2026)
Report a crash
The crash_dump folder collects three kinds of file: .dmp files with crash data for software to read, .json files describing your settings and hardware, and .txt files with the game's log. stdout.txt starts again from scratch every time the game starts. When the game crashes, it also writes a copy with the time in its name: that copy is the one to use when you ask for help. When you send logs, take the newest files that share one name. Not every crash leaves all three.
When you ask for help, include:
- Screenshots that show the problem
- stdout.txt from the crash_dump folder (after a crash, the copy with the time in its name) and your settings.lua
- The exact error message, if the game showed one
- Your processor, graphics card and amount of memory
- What you did just before the problem, and your last save from before it
- What you have already tried
Other players can often help: in English in the Steam discussions and on Reddit, in German or English on transportfever.net, and in the many regional Discord communities. If nobody can help, Urban Games takes problem reports through the contact form on its support page. Send the details above and the newest dump file from the crash. Go to Urban Games support
With Send Crash Reports switched on in Settings › Advanced, the game sends an anonymized report to Urban Games after a crash or fatal error.
What the manual does not say
- Where crash saves are stored and what they are called.
- Whether Steam Cloud keeps a copy of your saves.
- Where the App Store version on a Mac keeps its files; the manual lists folders for Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store only.
- Which graphicalDeviceOverride number belongs to which graphics card.
Frequently asked questions
Where are Transport Fever 3 save files?
In your user data folder. With Steam on Windows that is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\<user-number>\3493540\local, and in the game Settings › Advanced › Open User Data Folder opens it for you. The manual's list of folders calls the save folder save, while its section on saved games calls it saves. The manual names the save folder both ways, so open your user data folder to see which name your game uses.
Where are the crash logs?
In the crash_dump folder of your user data folder. stdout.txt starts again from scratch every time the game starts. When the game crashes, it also writes a copy with the time in its name: that copy is the one to use when you ask for help.
How do I back up my saves?
Steam's own backup feature covers the game files only, not the user data folder with your settings and saves. Copy that folder yourself to keep them safe. With GOG, the Epic Games Store or the App Store, a copy of the installation folder backs up the game files, but your settings and saves are not in it: copy the user data folder as well.
How do I reset the game settings?
To go back to default settings, delete settings.lua from the user data folder while the game is closed. Reinstalling or uninstalling the game leaves your settings alone. The troubleshooting page says settings.lua also holds your key bindings; the page on game files lists key bindings in settings_keys_v3.lua.
Why is Transport Fever 3 so slow on my computer?
If the frame rate is low even while the game is paused, the graphics card is the likely limit: turn the graphics settings down, or switch from UHD (4K) to Full HD. If 2x or 4x speed does not make the game faster, the processor is the likely limit, especially with many towns close together.
What are the minimum system requirements?
On Windows: Windows 10 (64-bit) or Windows 11; Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, with AVX2; 8 GB of memory; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060, AMD Radeon RX 480 or Intel Arc A380, 4 GB video memory; and 90 GB on an SSD. On a Mac: an Apple M2 Pro (Apple silicon only) with 16 GB of memory and macOS Sequoia 15.7 or newer. The figures come from the game's Steam page.
Does Transport Fever 3 run on a Mac with an Intel processor?
No. Processors without AVX2 cannot run the game, and neither can Macs with an Intel processor. The Steam page asks for at least an Apple M2 Pro (Apple silicon only).
How do I report a crash to Urban Games?
Use the contact form on Urban Games' support page, https://www.transportfever3.com/support/. Send the newest dump file from the crash, the stdout.txt copy with the time in its name, your settings.lua, any error message and your processor, graphics card and memory. When you send logs, take the newest files that share one name. Not every crash leaves all three.
Sources
The facts on this page come from these official pages, in our own words:
- Game File Locations (the user data folder, folder paths for Steam, GOG and Epic, log files and saves; revised September 29, 2026)
- Troubleshooting (common problems, backups, checking game files, resetting settings and getting help; revised September 29, 2026)
- Settings (display modes, graphics presets, autosaves, crash reports and settings.lua switches; revised September 29, 2026)
- Transport Fever 3 on Steam (system requirements; checked October 8, 2026)
- The official release notes, as listed on our updates page (crash and error fixes)
Checked on October 8, 2026. Seen something different in game? Let us know.
