In the Steam version of the game, the path to your saved game is as follows:
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In this folder, you will find 1–4 files named CompleteSave.cfg, depending on how many save slots you are using.



In my case, I want to convert the first saved game to hard mode, so I need to open CompleteSave.cfg

Before you start editing anything, create a backup of the file you're going to modify. If you accidentally damage the file, you can easily restore it and won't lose your game progress. A backup is important!

These files are simple text-based JSON files that can be edited with any text editor. However, do not use programs like Word or WordPad. If you don't have another tool, Notepad will suffice, but I RECOMMEND downloading Notepad++[notepad-plus-plus.org]and its plugin for viewing JSON files.

After opening, the text will likely appear in a single line. To display the text in a tree structure, open the tab Plugins, then select JS Tool, and finally, select JSFormat.


After formatting, your files will be neatly organized and readable, as shown in the image below.

Use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + F to open the search.
In the search field, type "isHardMode" and click the Find.



Once you find the variable, change its value from false (normal difficulty) to true, which will activate hard mode.



Now we need to find "gameDifficultyMode" So once again, open the search window CTRL+F and search for "gameDifficultyMode"



Change the value of gameDifficultyMode from "0" to "1"



The value "0" represents normal mode, while the value "1" stands for hardmode.

The next thing you can optionally change is the display of map markers in hard mode. So, search for the entry "isMapMarkerAsInHardMode"



If you want to fully utilize hard mode and hide the map markers, change the value from false to true.



Now you just need to save the file and overwrite it in the game folder.


Now your save is converted to hardmode. You can always revert this action by changing the values back to their original settings.