Quick answer
The IGTAP demo save does not transfer to the full game. This is an official compatibility decision, not a troubleshooting theory. The developer explained before release that systematic changes to core parts of the game made demo saves incompatible with the finished version. Start the full game with a new release save.
Do not copy, rename, convert, or place a demo file over a full-game file. That cannot be recommended as a workaround and may put the new save at risk. If the demo history matters to you, preserve it separately before uninstalling anything.
Official developer notice
The official Steam Community notice published before launch states that demo saves “will not work with the full game,” with core-system changes given as the reason. That statement is the controlling source for this page. It supersedes assumptions based on other incremental games, earlier development footage, or the fact that both versions share a title.
This does not mean a save has been lost. It means the release build expects a different save structure or state. A failed manual import should therefore be treated as expected incompatibility, not evidence that Steam Cloud or the full game deleted progress.
What does not carry over
The confirmed claim is about the demo save as a whole: it does not work with the full game. The official notice reviewed here does not provide a verified list of individual values, unlocks, achievements, routes, settings, or currencies that can be migrated separately. Assume no progression transfer unless the game or developer explicitly offers one.
Avoid third-party conversion instructions that ask you to edit structured files, rename extensions, or overwrite an existing release save. No conversion method has been verified for this guide. Do not infer that a similarly named field has the same meaning after the systematic core changes described by the developer.
Starting the full game safely
- Exit the demo and allow any normal Steam synchronization to finish.
- If you want to keep the demo state, make a separate, dated copy using the save backup guide. The exact path remains unverified, so use timestamps and safe copies rather than a guessed directory.
- Install and launch the full release through its normal Steam entry.
- Let the full game create its own new state. Do not insert demo files before the first launch.
- Confirm that the release save can exit and reload normally before making any unrelated file changes.
- Begin progression from the game’s current instructions. For an evidence-conscious approach to early decisions, use the first Atom checklist without assuming a fixed purchase order.
This sequence is deliberately conservative. It keeps incompatible data away from the live release state and leaves a clean baseline if you later need support.
Keep or remove the demo save
Keeping the demo is optional. If you want it for comparison, archive a copy outside the live Steam and game directories and retain a note of the original location and date. If you no longer need it, do not remove it until the full game has created and reloaded its own save successfully.
Uninstalling the demo is not a transfer step and does not make its progression appear in the release. Likewise, enabling or disabling Steam Cloud is not a conversion tool. If the release later shows lost progress, stop and use the lost-progress checklist rather than reintroducing the demo file.
Sources and verification status
Officially confirmed: the developer’s Steam Community notice says demo saves do not transfer because core systems changed. The answer “No” is therefore verified for the full release.
Needs verification: exact demo and full-release save paths on each operating system, whether non-progression settings are stored separately, and the filenames involved. None of those gaps change the official no-transfer answer.