Reading backup archives

New backups use a standard 7z container. Programs read _rgsm/manifest.json; people use RESTORE.txt for manual recovery. The TXT layout and wording may change and are not a programming interface.

Format version 6

The manifest is UTF-8 JSON with camelCase fields. Check the top-level version first: this document describes version 6. Do not restore an unknown version using current rules. Ignore unknown additional fields within a supported version.

Field	Meaning
identity.gameId / gameName	Game instance identifier / name at capture time
identity.snapshotId	Backup identifier; do not derive it from the archive filename
identity.createdAt	Unix timestamp in milliseconds; may be absent
identity.legacyLocalTime	Historical local time with an unknown time zone; may be absent
identity.deviceId / parent	Source device / parent backup identifier; may be absent
identity.description / createdBy	Note / creation source, such as Manual or Timer
identity.recoveredMetadata	true for metadata reconstructed during conversion; defaults to false when absent
identity.locations	Save entry saveUnitId and original path expression
groups	Captured data groups; one save entry may match multiple groups
groups[].id / saveUnitId	Group identifier / owning save entry identifier; join by identifiers, not array position
groups[].archivePath	Relative path inside the archive, using / separators
groups[].kind	file, directory, or registry; registry data uses standard .reg files
groups[].relativePath / relativeExpression	Match path relative to its logical save root / expression preserving variables; the latter may be absent
groups[].sourcePathDiagnostic	Original captured location, for reference only; may be absent
groups[].deleteBeforeApply	This entry's delete-before-restore setting

Minimal reader:

import json
from pathlib import Path

# First extract safely into a separate directory using a 7z-capable tool.
root = Path("extracted-backup")
manifest = json.loads((root / "_rgsm/manifest.json").read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
if manifest["version"] != 6:
    raise ValueError("Unsupported backup format")
for group in manifest["groups"]:
    print(group["saveUnitId"], group["kind"], group["archivePath"])

archivePath points to the actual data; directory groups include their descendants. Colliding names receive numeric suffixes. Use the manifest path instead of reconstructing it from the original filename.

Original paths belong to the source device. Recovery on another device must use that device's corresponding save locations; sourcePathDiagnostic is not an executable restore destination. _rgsm and RESTORE.txt contain backup metadata, not game saves.

Historical ZIP / 7z archives may lack this manifest. Convert them through the application's local backup upgrade first. Missing historical associations require a user choice; matching filenames alone is insufficient.