SoulmaskHow to Move a Soulmask Save to a Dedicated Server
Move a Soulmask world to a dedicated server: copy world.db from your AutoGames folder, rename GameXishu_2.json, and match the map and game version.
Updated Oct 3, 2026 · 5 min read
On this page
- What you can and cannot move
- What goes where
- Before you start
- Step 1: Start the server once and stop it
- Step 2: Back up the server's own world
- Step 3: Upload world.db
- Step 4: Upload the gameplay settings
- Step 5: Set the launch options and start
- The gotcha: the numbered GameXishu file
- What happens to characters
- Common problems
- Moving it to GamezServers
- FAQ
To move a Soulmask save to a dedicated server, copy world.db from %LocalAppData%\WS\<SteamID>\2646460\AutoGames\<invite code>\ on your PC and upload it over the server's WS/Saved/Worlds/Dedicated/Level01_Main/world.db with the server stopped. Copy the newest GameXishu.json from the same folder into WS/Saved/GameplaySettings/, renamed to plain GameXishu.json. It works when the server runs the same game version and the same map as the save.
What you can and cannot move
| Save | Can it move to a dedicated server? |
|---|---|
| Solo or private co-op world on Cloud Mist Forest, same version | Yes, this guide |
| Another dedicated server's world | Yes, copy its world.db and GameXishu.json the same way |
| Shifting Sands world | Only onto a server running the DLC_Level01_Main map, which has its own world folder |
| A world from an older game version on a newer server | Often loads, but back it up. A newer save never loads on an older server |
| Merging two worlds into one | No. Each world is a single database file |
What goes where
| File | What it holds | On your PC | On the server |
|---|---|---|---|
world.db |
The whole world: terrain changes, buildings, tribespeople, items and every player's character | %LocalAppData%\WS\<SteamID>\2646460\AutoGames\<invite code>\ |
WS/Saved/Worlds/Dedicated/Level01_Main/ |
GameXishu.json (or GameXishu_2.json, _3 and so on) |
Gameplay multipliers: harvest, XP, combat, tribesmen, building | Same folder | WS/Saved/GameplaySettings/GameXishu.json |
2646460 is the Soulmask game ID and is the same for everyone. The folder above it is your Steam ID, and inside AutoGames each world has its own folder named after its invite code. If you have several, open each one and check the modified date on world.db to find the world you played last.
Before you start
- Close the game on the PC that hosted the world, so
world.dbis fully written. - Back up the whole invite code folder somewhere safe.
- Check the version. Update Soulmask on your PC and make sure the server is updated too. Auto update on the server pulls the latest build on restart.
- Check the map. Our setup runs the original Cloud Mist Forest map (
Level01_Main). A Shifting Sands world needs a server on the DLC map, so ask support first. - Write down your mods. If the world used Workshop mods, the server needs the same IDs. The dedicated server is a separate free tool on Steam (Soulmask Dedicated Server, app 3017300), and it updates separately from the game.
Step 1: Start the server once and stop it
A fresh server only creates WS/Saved/Worlds/Dedicated/Level01_Main/ and WS/Saved/GameplaySettings/GameXishu.json after its first full start. Start it, wait until it finishes loading, then stop it. Now the folders exist and you know where the files go.
Step 2: Back up the server's own world
Take a backup of the server, or download its world.db, before you overwrite anything. If the upload goes wrong you can put the empty world back in a minute.
Step 3: Upload world.db
Upload your world.db into WS/Saved/Worlds/Dedicated/Level01_Main/, replacing the server's file. Long running worlds can be several hundred megabytes, so use SFTP (FileZilla or WinSCP) rather than a browser upload. Make sure the transfer finishes completely before you start the server; a partial database will not load.
Step 4: Upload the gameplay settings
In the invite code folder, find the newest GameXishu file. If it is GameXishu_2.json, rename it to GameXishu.json, then upload it into WS/Saved/GameplaySettings/, replacing the server's copy. This is optional, but without it the server uses default rates and your world will feel different: slower harvesting, different XP and tribesman limits.
Step 5: Set the launch options and start
Match the rules the world was played with in the server's launch options (on GamezServers, the Extra Arguments field):
-pve -mod="123456789,987654321"
Use -pve or -pvp, and list the same Workshop IDs the world used. Start the server and watch the console until it has loaded, then join with Connect to the server directly and check your base.
The gotcha: the numbered GameXishu file
Local Soulmask saves often hold a numbered settings file, GameXishu_2.json or higher, instead of (or next to) GameXishu.json. The dedicated server only reads a file called exactly GameXishu.json in WS/Saved/GameplaySettings/. People upload the numbered file as it is, the server never reads it, and every multiplier quietly stays at default. Always take the newest file and rename it.
The second trap is the map. The world folder is named after the map, and the server only reads the folder for the map it launches with. A Shifting Sands save belongs in a DLC_Level01_Main folder on a server launched with that map, not in Level01_Main.
What happens to characters
Everything lives inside world.db, including each player's character, linked to their Steam account. When the whole file moves, friends who played in the world log in to the server with the same Steam account and find their character, tribespeople and base as they left them. The host's character comes along the same way.
Common problems
- Server makes a brand new world:
world.dbwent into the wrong folder, or the server runs a different map than the save. Check the path ends inWorlds/Dedicated/Level01_Main/. - Rates are back to default: you uploaded
GameXishu_2.jsonwithout renaming it, or edited the file while the server was running. Stop, rename, upload, start. - Crash or endless loading: the upload was incomplete, or the save is from a newer game version than the server. Re-upload and update the server.
- Players asked to subscribe to mods, then kicked: the
-mod=list does not match what the world used. - Server missing from the list after a restart: use Connect to the server directly with the IP and port instead of waiting for the browser.
Moving it to GamezServers
On a Soulmask server from GamezServers, the upload is an SFTP login from Settings or the file manager, which also handles zip files and can download a file from a link straight onto the server. Click Backup before you replace world.db, and the world stays online with your tribe working without anyone's PC on. Soulmask is heavy on memory, so see how to host a Soulmask server for sizing and the Soulmask settings guide for GameXishu.json.
FAQ
Where are Soulmask saves stored?
In %LocalAppData%\WS\<SteamID>\2646460\AutoGames\<invite code>\ on Windows, as world.db. On a dedicated server the world is WS/Saved/Worlds/Dedicated/Level01_Main/world.db.
Will my friends keep their characters?
Yes. Characters are stored in world.db with each player's Steam account, so they appear when that player joins the server.
Why are my harvest rates back to default after the move?
The server only reads a file named exactly GameXishu.json. Rename your newest GameXishu_2.json (or higher) and upload it to WS/Saved/GameplaySettings/.
Can I move a Shifting Sands world to a server?
Yes, but only to a server running the DLC_Level01_Main map, and every player needs the DLC. Its world lives in its own folder, separate from Cloud Mist Forest.
Skip the setup. Your own Soulmask server.
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