How To Put Games On A Usb Drive

To put games on a USB drive, you first copy game files from your computer to the drive. Ensure the USB drive has enough space and is formatted correctly, such as with the FAT32 or exFAT file system.

Want to take your gaming library on the go? It’s easier than you might think! You can transfer your favorite titles and play them on different machines. This guide will walk you through the simple process of how to put games on a USB drive.

It doesn’t require any technical background. We’ll cover the necessary steps and formats. You’ll be ready to game from anywhere you choose.

How to Put Games on a USB Drive

Have you ever wanted to take your favorite computer games with you, wherever you go? Or maybe you’re running out of space on your computer and need another place to keep your games? Good news! You can easily store games on a USB drive. It’s like having a portable game library in your pocket! This guide will show you exactly how to put games on a USB drive, making it simple and fun.

Why Use a USB Drive for Games?

Before we jump into the ‘how-to’, let’s talk about why this is a good idea. There are several cool reasons to put games on a USB drive:

Portability: You can play your games on different computers easily. Just plug in the USB and start playing. It’s like having your own mini-console that goes where you go!
Free Up Space: Games can take up a lot of space on your computer. Moving them to a USB drive helps keep your computer running smoothly. Think of it like decluttering your room but for your computer!
Backup: USB drives act like a backup for your game files. It is always good to have extra copies of your important files in case something happens to your main computer.
Sharing: You can easily share games with friends (as long as they have the right game files and their computer can run the game properly), without needing to download big files each time.

What You Will Need

Before you start, you will need a few things:

A USB Drive: The most important item! Make sure it has enough storage space for the games you want to put on it. The size you’ll need will depend on the game, some are small while some games need a lot of space.
A Computer: You’ll need a computer to transfer the games onto the USB drive. Any computer will do, as long as it can access both the games and the USB drive.
Game Files: Of course, you need the games you want to transfer! This could include the game itself, saved game files, and sometimes other files that the game needs to run.
A little patience: Sometimes files can take a little while to copy, especially if the games are large.

Understanding USB Drive Sizes

USB drives come in different sizes, or capacities, measured in gigabytes (GB). For games, you usually need a decent-sized USB drive. Here’s a general idea:

Small Games (Indie or Retro): 8GB to 16GB may be enough. Think games with simple graphics.
Mid-Sized Games: 32GB to 64GB is a good starting point. Many games with okay graphics fit in this size.
Large Modern Games: 128GB or more might be needed. The newest games with amazing graphics often take up lots of space.

It’s always better to have a little extra space than not enough! It’s like having a bigger backpack – you can carry more things.

Finding Your Game Files

This is the first step! It can be tricky, so take your time. Game files are usually stored in a special place on your computer. Here’s how to find them:

For Games You Installed Yourself

If you downloaded and installed a game from a website or disc, they usually get put into a specific folder. Here’s how you can find them on a Windows computer:

Open File Explorer: Click on the folder icon at the bottom of your screen.
Look in Program Files: You’ll usually find games in one of these folders:
- C:\Program Files
- C:\Program Files (x86)
Search for the Game’s Folder: In these folders, you’ll see lots of other folders with the names of your different programs or the game developers. Search for the folder that has the name of your game and open that.
Find the Game’s Main File: The main game file is usually an executable file. It ends with the extension “.exe”. This is usually the file you click on to start the game.
Check for Saved Game Folders: Some games save their game data in a separate folder. This folder might be in your “Documents” folder under the game name, or in your “AppData” folder, which might be hidden. In the “AppData” folder, you will see “Local”, “LocalLow” and “Roaming” folder, you have to find the folder that stores your specific game saved data.

On Mac, your games can usually be found within your ‘Applications’ folder, and sometimes in ‘Library’ folder.

Sometimes the files can be in another folders, so if you can’t find the game files there then, check other folders too.

For Games from Platforms like Steam, Epic Games, or GOG

These platforms often store games in their own folders. Here’s how to find those:

Steam

Steam games can be found in the “SteamApps” folder inside the Steam installation folder. Here’s the typical location for the folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common

In this folder, you’ll see a folder for each game you have installed. Open the game folder you need and you’ll find the main executable file here.

Epic Games

Epic Games stores games in the directory you selected during install or in this directory: C:\Program Files\Epic Games\

The game files are usually in folders named after their respective game. Again, you will find the main game executable file here.

GOG Galaxy

GOG Galaxy games are usually stored in the path you chose when you installed them, otherwise their location can be found here: C:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games.

Similar to the other stores, you’ll see folder for each game here, and will find the main file here.

Important: You need to copy the entire game folder to the USB drive for the game to work properly, not just the executable file! Sometimes, there will be separate save folders, for these you have to find them individually and copy them if you need them on the other computer.

Copying Games to Your USB Drive

Now for the fun part! Let’s move those game files onto your USB drive.
Make sure your USB drive is connected to your computer.

Open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac): You need to see both the game folder and your USB drive.
Find Your USB Drive: Your USB drive will appear on the left side of the File Explorer or Finder under “This PC” or “Locations” (or under “Devices” in Windows). Sometimes you’ll see it listed as something like ‘Removable Drive’. Click on it to open it in a new window.
Open Your Game Folder: Use the other window to navigate to the folder where your game is located.
Copy the Game Folder: Click on the game folder, right-click, and select ‘Copy’ (or press Ctrl+C). Make sure it’s the whole folder, not just one file.
Paste the Game Folder: Go to your USB drive window, right-click, and select ‘Paste’ (or press Ctrl+V). Your computer will start copying all of the game files. This could take a while depending on the size of the game.
Wait patiently: Don’t pull out the USB drive while it’s copying files. Wait until the copying is done. You will see a progress bar showing you how much is left to copy.

Extra Tips:

You can also drag the game folder from its location directly to the USB drive window.
Make sure the USB drive has enough space before you copy it. If it doesn’t have enough space, the game will not copy over fully.

Running Games from the USB Drive

Once the game is on the USB drive, it’s time to try it out!

Connect Your USB Drive: Make sure your USB drive is plugged into the computer where you want to play the game.
Open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac): Open your USB drive folder.
Find the Game Executable File: You’ll see the game folder that you copied. Open it. Now, look for the “.exe” file. This is the file that starts the game.
Start the Game: Double-click on the “.exe” file to launch the game.

Things To Keep In Mind

Not all games work from a USB: Some games are designed to only run from a specific installation location on a computer’s hard drive, and might need to install extra data. If this is the case, the game might not start or might have errors.
Performance might be affected: USB drives are generally slower than the hard drive inside a computer. Some games can run slow or will load slower if they are run from a USB drive.
Driver problems: Some games might need additional drivers or software for your graphics card, or other computer parts to work correctly.

Organizing Your USB Game Library

Once you start storing a lot of games on your USB drive, it’s a good idea to organize them, so you can find them easily. It’s like organizing your toys into different boxes. Here are a few ideas:

Folders: You can create new folders on your USB drive and name them. You can create folder based on game genre, for example – “Action Games”, “Puzzle Games”, “Adventure Games”. Or you can create folder by game developers name.
Clear Naming: When copying a game, make sure the folder name is clear and easy to understand. For example, instead of “Game1”, you can name the folder “My Awesome Game”.

Good organization makes it much easier to find your games quickly.

Troubleshooting

Sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned. Here are some common problems and how to fix them:

Game Won’t Start

Make sure you copied the whole game folder: If you only copied the executable file, or didn’t copy the saved game folder, the game won’t start. Check again to make sure the whole game folder has been copied.
Check for missing files: Some games need other files to work. Try reinstalling the game on your computer, and then re-copying it to your USB drive.
Run as administrator: Sometimes you need special permission to run some games. Right-click on the game’s “.exe” file, and select ‘Run as administrator’. This might solve some problems.
Make sure your computer is able to run the game: The game might not work if it needs more processing power, memory, or a better graphics card than the computer has.

Game Is Running Slowly

Use a faster USB drive: USB drives have different speeds. If your game is running slowly, try using a USB drive that is faster. A USB 3.0 or higher drive can help.
Close Other Programs: Running other programs while you play games can slow things down. Close other applications when you are playing games.

Game Save Data Is Missing

Check if save data is copied: Make sure you copy the folder which saves game data. Check in the “Documents” or “AppData” folder to find the saved game folder, and then copy that folder to the USB drive.
Check game cloud saves: Some games use cloud saves, in this case you will not find the saved data folder on your computer. For this, you need to find the games cloud save options, and try to login to your game account on that computer so that game will download the saved data.

Safety First!

Always be careful when using USB drives. Here are a few safety tips:

Always ‘Eject’ Safely: Before you remove your USB drive from your computer, click on the little icon in the taskbar that shows a USB drive symbol and select “Eject” or “Safely Remove”. This prevents data corruption (damaged files).
Scan for Viruses: It’s a good idea to use an antivirus program to scan your USB drive every once in a while, just to be safe, especially if you are sharing the USB drive.
Keep It Dry: Don’t get your USB drive wet, because water can break the electronics inside.

Putting your games on a USB drive is a handy way to keep your games with you! Now you can enjoy your games anywhere you want. Remember to always save your work, copy files correctly and be careful of your USB drive.

How to install Steam games on a USB Drive

Final Thoughts

To summarize, you format the USB drive appropriately, often using FAT32 or exFAT. Next, you locate the game files, which may be installation folders or image files, and copy them to your USB. It is that simple to accomplish how to put games on a usb drive.

Remember, some games need a specific installation process, even from a USB drive. Therefore, you might require the game’s installer. This method lets you take your games anywhere; it is a simple must-have technique.