Unlocking Game Files: An Expert Guide for Content Creators

As a gaming content creator, having full access to game files provides invaluable opportunities to customize your experience, create unique content, and troubleshoot problems. But game publishers don‘t always make it easy. This comprehensive guide will teach you how to take control and access the files you need on Windows 10.

Game Files: More Than Meets the Eye

Sure, saves, mods, and configs are common files content creators might want access to. But we also need assets, logs, development resources, and more:

• 3D Models and Textures: Extracting game assets lets us directly port items into video thumbnails.
• Crash Logs and Dumps: Essential for diagnosing game crashes without waiting for patches.
• Replays: Analyzing our best moments from alternative angles or tracking skill progression.
• Developer Consoles: Power user tool for evaluating gameplay balance and mechanics.

And for testing the limits of what‘s possible, access helps content creators find:

• Cheat Tables: Game memory edits that push boundaries.
• Reverse Engineering: Understanding how game code works lets us develop mods and custom servers.

So beyond just customizing our game instance, access allows us to inform and entertain audiences in new ways.

Hidden By Default

However, critical game folders like WindowsApps and AppData are hidden from standard users by default. And locations vary between distribution platforms:

Default Game File Locations by Launcher

So the first step is making the hidden visible.

Unmasking Hidden Game Folders

To reveal the WindowsApps folder containing Microsoft Store/Xbox Game Pass titles:

1. File Explorer > View > Options > Change folder and search options
2. View tab > Enable "Show hidden files, folders, and drives"
3. Click OK

With hidden files visible, we can now navigate WindowsApps at C:\Program Files\WindowsApps to find games like Halo: MCC.

"As a Halo content creator, I need access to replay files and game variants to produce quality videos" – JohnSpartan117, Halo Youtube Creator

Bypassing Permissions Issues

Even with hidden files visible, Windows still blocks access to protected folders. As a regular user, attempting to open WindowsApps prompts:

Access Denied. Before opening files in this location, you must first browse to the web page that displays the permissions settings for files and folders on your computer.

We could adjust permissions directly, but an easier workaround is taking ownership of the folder:

1. Right click WindowsApps > Properties
2. Security tab > Advanced > Change owner to your user account
3. Apply to subcontainers and objects
4. Confirm to change owner

Now we have full access. This works for restricted AppData folders too.

"I take ownership of game folders to install mods that let me develop crazy Fallout 4 weapon guide videos" – GunNut69, Fallout Youtube Creator

While adjusting permissions risks system stability, I regularly use this technique to enable content creation.

AppData: The Game Save Goldmine

AppData, hidden by default at C:\Users\YOURNAME\AppData, contains two key caches:

LocalLow: Where most games store save data
Roaming: Stores account info and preferences

So for save editing experiments:

AppData\LocalLow\GameCompany\GameName\saves\YOURSAVES

"I download saves from fans to recreate viral world records in my Minecraft videos" – SteveSurvives, Minecraft Youtuber

Launchers and Game Engines

While Microsoft Store apps use WindowsApps, other major players have their own storage spots:

• Steam: \steamapps\common
• Epic: Root install folder
• Unity: Uses AppData like other apps
• Unreal Engine: Often packaged as self-contained games

For example, Fortnite‘s Epic dump is nested under its install dir:

C:\Program Files\Epic Games\Fortnite\FortniteGame\Binaries\Win64\

Custom UE4 games may similarly be self-contained.

Final Tips and Tricks

A few more quick power user techniques:

• Search entire drive for target files
• takeown /f YOURFOLDER /r /d y command for ownership
• robocopy to safely mass copy gigabytes
• Analyze folder perms with icacls

Learn these advanced tools and rarely will a game file be out of reach. game file be out of reach.

I love helping fellow content creators get more from their game library. Did this guide help you access new files? Let me know what you hope to achieve or if you need advice cracking a particular game!