Your Steam and Epic installations don't expire on a fixed schedule. They stick around for at least a few days from the last time you launched them, and the more you actually play a game, the longer we keep it ready. This article explains how the retention works in practice, and how to plan around it.
The short version
- Install through Steam or Epic → it persists.
- Play it regularly → it stays available.
- Don't touch it for a long time → eventually it gets rotated out to free space, and you'll need to reinstall.
- Cloud saves protect your progress regardless.
There is no exact "X days and it's gone" cutoff. The system favours games you play.
Why retention is dynamic, not fixed
Storage on the platform is shared across all users. If we kept every install forever, we'd run out of space and have to either expand storage indefinitely or aggressively delete everything older than a fixed window — both worse outcomes.
Instead, the system tracks recency and frequency of launches. A game you've played four times this week stays. A game you installed six months ago and never opened gets rotated out earlier when space pressure builds.
The minimum we promise: at least a few days from the last launch. The maximum is open-ended — actively played games stay essentially indefinitely.
What this looks like in practice
You play Cyberpunk 2077 every weekend → it's always there when you open the Catalog. Zero reinstall time, you just hit play.
You install a game once for a single playthrough, finish it, never come back → that game will sit on the platform for several days, then get rotated out. Next time you want it, you reinstall.
You install ten games during one binge weekend, then play just one of them regularly → the one you keep playing stays. The other nine get rotated out within a week or two of inactivity.
Cloud saves are the safety net
When a game does get rotated out, your local save files in Documents\My Games\... or wherever the game stores them go with it.
If you have Steam Cloud or Epic Cloud Saves enabled, your progress is safe. Reinstall the game later, sign in, the cloud syncs your saves down, you're back where you left off.
If you don't have cloud saves on, you lose progress when the install is rotated out. Most modern games support cloud saves — turn them on.
⚠️ Some single-player titles don't support cloud saves: classic and indie games sometimes don't. Check the Steam store page for "Steam Cloud" in the features list. If it's missing, the game's saves are local-only and won't survive a rotation.
How to keep an install alive
Just play it. A real launch — not just opening Steam — counts as activity. Even a short session every few days is enough to keep a title from being rotated out.
You don't need to manually pin or favourite a game. The system observes your usage automatically.
"I came back after a month and my game is gone"
That's the rotation working as designed. Your game wasn't deleted, it was uninstalled to free space. To get it back:
- Open the Catalog or open Steam/Epic from inside it.
- Find the game and click Install.
- Wait for the download (5–10 minutes for a typical AAA title on our gigabit connection).
- If you had cloud saves on, your progress is restored automatically when you launch.
This is the same as buying a new PC and downloading your library — except much faster, because the bandwidth is on the server.
"Can I get more retention by paying more?"
No. Retention isn't a product tier. The same rules apply to all users — frequent players keep more games, infrequent players keep fewer.
If you have a use case where this becomes a real problem, write to help@loudplay.io with details. The current rules cover essentially everyone, but we listen to specific edge cases.
What about games installed through other launchers
Anything outside Steam and Epic — Battle.net, Rockstar Launcher, Epic Games Store sideloads, etc. — does not persist at all. Those go away every session, retention rules don't apply to them.
For details, see "Installing your own games from Steam and Epic".