Use the Campaign Tools for Saves and Changes
Manage Geoplanetical with named manual saves and autosaves, switch countries or parties through the pause menu, and use the built-in console for direct campaign changes. A supported external save editor, save-file schema or manual file-editing workflow is not documented.
Choose the tool according to what you want to accomplish. A named checkpoint helps you revisit a decision, actor switching changes whom you control, and console commands can alter the simulation. Presentation mods cover names, portraits and flags.
Create and Return to a Named Checkpoint
Save before committing the decision you want to revisit. Give the checkpoint a descriptive name that explains what you are about to try. When comparing different choices, return to that checkpoint so you can start from the position you intended.
- Open the pause menu to reach the manual-save and loading controls for your current campaign.
- Create a named manual save to preserve the campaign at the point you want to revisit.
- Confirm an overwrite only when you intend to replace an existing slot; the game asks for confirmation before overwriting it.
- Load your chosen earlier save through the pause menu to return to that saved campaign checkpoint.
Set Autosave Timing and Retention
- Open Settings to access the autosave schedule and the number of automatic saves to retain.
- Choose autosaves every 1, 3, 6 or 12 in-game months to set the schedule, or choose none to turn autosaves off.
- Select retention of 3, 5 or 10 autosaves to set how many automatic checkpoints the game keeps.
Choose the interval around how much progress you are comfortable revisiting. Check retention as well as frequency when deciding how much history you want available. For a particular experiment, make a named manual checkpoint immediately before the change.
Switch Political Actors in the Existing World
Losing an election does not force you to abandon your campaign. You can continue in opposition, take control of the governing party or play as someone else in the same world. Use actor switching when your goal is to change whom you play.
- Use the pause menu to change country or party; the campaign keeps the same world and date.
- Check the actor you now control before continuing, so your next decisions match the role you intended to play.
Decide About Achievements Before Using Cheats
A successful cheat permanently disables Steam achievements for that campaign. Turning a toggle off does not restore achievement eligibility. Help and display commands do not disable achievements, so you can inspect command information before deciding whether to change the simulation.
Open the Console and Check Command Syntax
- During a campaign, press the key immediately left of 1 to open the console: ` on a US keyboard, ² on a French PC keyboard or @ on a French Mac keyboard.
- Enter help to list the available commands and find the tool that matches your intended change.
- Enter help money to read that command's explanation, or replace money with the command you want explained.
- Press Tab while entering a command or argument to complete names and targets from the suggestions.
- Press Enter after completing the command and its required arguments to run it.
Copy supplies the base command, so add any required target yourself. Toggles such as fast_research switch state when you repeat the base command. Add on or off when you want to choose the state explicitly.
Choose a Command for the State You Want to Change
| Option | Command and Effect |
|---|---|
| Change Treasury cash precisely | add_cash <billions> adds an exact amount; set_cash <billions> sets the total. Treasury cash cannot exceed world GDP. Lowering cash with set_cash counts as spending, never a loan. |
| Set approval or stability | set_approval <level> and set_stability <level> accept values from 0 to 100 and establish a new balance point. Events and simulation conditions can move those values afterwards. |
| Unlock or finish research | research <technology> discovers the technology with its prerequisites, followed by normal deployment through the economy. research_now completes your highest-priority active research program. |
| Change provincial ownership directly | debug_map shows country tags and province IDs on hover. annex_prov <provId> takes a province for you; give_prov <provId> <country> transfers it. Your own last province cannot be given away, and another country losing its last province is dissolved. |
Use Mod Studio for Names, Portraits and Flags
Presentation mods cover leader and party names, portraits, country flags and additional flag choices. They do not change the simulation or its rules. Mod Studio therefore serves a different purpose from console commands that alter campaign state.
- Open Mod studio from the main menu and choose New mod to start creating your presentation changes.
- Give the mod a name and identifier; the identifier stays fixed once saved because other mods use it to refer to yours.
- Select the leaders, parties or country flags you want to change to compare the game's originals with your version.
- Choose Save mod to save the changes you have prepared in the studio.
- Enable your chosen presentation mod in Manage mods so it is selected for loading.
- Restart the game to load the mod at startup; mods never load in the middle of a campaign.
Check Updates When a Save Fails to Load
Install available game updates and retry the save before attempting file edits. Steam announcements include fixes for saves failing with “production route asset invalid” and for loading failures after partial annexation of a country with a hydrogen network. These are specific loading fixes, without a manual save-field repair procedure.