How to Restore a Backup on a Game Server (Any Game)
Restore a game server backup safely: stop the server, move the broken save aside, put the backup back with the same name, and know what a restore misses.
Updated Oct 4, 2026 · 5 min read
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To restore a backup on a game server, stop the server first, rename the current save folder (for example world to world-broken) instead of deleting it, then put the backup's save folder back in exactly the same place with exactly the same name, such as world/ for Minecraft or Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<id>/ for Palworld. Check the config still points at that name, start the server and join before inviting anyone. It works as long as the server runs the same or a newer game version than the backup.
What a restore brings back, and what it does not
| Thing | Restored from a server backup? |
|---|---|
| The world: map, builds, chests, dinos, Pals, vehicles | Yes |
| Player data kept on the server (Minecraft, Rust, ARK, Palworld, Project Zomboid, DayZ) | Yes, rolled back to the backup time |
| Characters kept on each player's own PC (Valheim, Terraria) | No. They keep their current inventory |
| Config files, admin lists, whitelists | Yes, if the backup covered the whole server |
| Mod and plugin files | Yes, but Workshop and CurseForge mods may download a newer version on start |
| A separate database (FiveM, some plugin setups) | No. File backups do not include a MySQL database |
| The game version | No. The server stays on whatever version it runs now |
Where each game keeps the save to restore
Restore only the save folder when you want to roll back the world but keep newer settings. Restore everything when a config change or mod broke the server.
| Game | Save folder to restore | Also worth restoring |
|---|---|---|
| Minecraft: Java | world/, plus world_nether/ and world_the_end/ on Paper before 26.1 |
server.properties, ops.json, whitelist.json, plugins/ |
| Minecraft: Bedrock | worlds/<level-name>/ |
allowlist.json, permissions.json |
| Valheim | worlds_local/<world>/ (the world folder since 1.0, .db and .fwl before) |
adminlist.txt, permittedlist.txt |
| Palworld | Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<world id>/ |
PalWorldSettings.ini |
| ARK: Survival Ascended | ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks/<map>/ |
GameUserSettings.ini, Game.ini |
| Rust | server/<identity>/ (.map, .sav, player.*.db) |
oxide/data/ or carbon/data/ |
| Project Zomboid | Zomboid/Saves/Multiplayer/<server name>/ |
Zomboid/db/<server name>.db, Zomboid/Server/ |
| DayZ | mpmissions/<mission>/storage_1/ |
serverDZ.cfg, types.xml |
| Terraria | <world>.wld |
serverconfig.txt |
| Enshrouded | savegame/ |
enshrouded_server.json |
Step 1: Stop the server
Never restore into a running server. Most games hold the world in memory and write it to disk on their next autosave and again on shutdown. Restore while it runs and the server writes the broken world straight back over your backup a few minutes later, or the moment you press Stop. Use the game's stop or quit command, or the panel's Stop button, and wait until it has fully shut down.
Step 2: Move the current save aside
Rename the current save folder, for example world to world-broken or SavedArks to SavedArks-old. Do not delete it yet. If the backup turns out to be older than you thought, or damaged, you still have something to go back to.
Step 3: Put the backup in place
Unzip the backup on your PC or on the server, then copy the save folder into the same place it came from. Three checks:
- Same name. The folder or file name must match what the server loads (
level-name,DedicatedServerName, the Valheim-worldname, the Rust identity). A different name makes the server generate a fresh world. - Same depth. Zips often add an extra folder.
world/level.datis right,world/world/level.datis not. - Whole folder. Restore the save folder as a set. Mixing a new map file with old player files can cause rollbacks or broken bases.
Step 4: Start and check
Start the server and read the console. Confirm it loads your world name rather than generating terrain. Join yourself, check a base you know changed recently, then open it to everyone.
The trap: characters stored on players' PCs
In Valheim and Terraria, characters are saved on each player's own computer, not on the server. Valheim keeps them in characters_local on the player's PC as .fch files (our Valheim save location guide has the paths), and Terraria keeps .plr files in each player's Documents.
So when you roll the world back two hours, players keep everything they picked up in those two hours, while the chests on the server go back to how they were. Anything taken out of a chest after the backup now exists twice. Anything put into a chest after the backup is gone. Tell your group the backup time before you restore, and agree to empty pockets into chests or accept the duplicates.
Games that store players on the server (Minecraft, Rust, ARK, Palworld, Project Zomboid, DayZ) do not have this problem: everyone rolls back together.
Common problems
- Server makes a brand new world: the restored folder's name or location does not match what the server loads.
- The restore vanished after a restart: the server was running while you restored and saved over it. Stop, restore again, start.
- Restored world will not load: the backup was taken mid save, or it comes from a newer game version than the server. Try an older backup.
- Modded items disappeared: a mod updated or is missing since the backup. Match the mod list and versions first.
- FiveM players lost money and cars: the files restored but the database did not. Import a database dump from the same time.
Restoring on GamezServers
Every server keeps 3 backups, taken with the Backup button and automatically before game updates and type switches, stored off the server. To get one back, open Settings, find Backups and click Restore next to the one you want. The server stops on its own, every file is replaced with the backup, and you start it again from the Overview when it finishes. If you have your own copy, press Stop, upload the zip in Files and use Extract, or use the SFTP login in Settings. See how to back up a game server, or browse all games.
FAQ
How do I restore a backup on my game server?
Stop the server, rename the current save folder, put the backup's save folder in the same place with the same name, then start it.
Will restoring a backup delete my players' progress?
It rolls back anything stored on the server to the backup time. In Valheim and Terraria, characters live on players' PCs and keep their current items.
Can I restore just one player or one base?
Not with a plain file restore in most games. You restore the whole save folder, so everything goes back to the same moment.
Why did my server overwrite the restored backup?
It was still running and wrote its in memory world over your files. Always stop the server before restoring.
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