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The safest ARK: Survival Ascended backup is a copy of the entire ShooterGame/Saved directory made while the dedicated server is stopped. That tree holds the world, player characters, tribes, configuration, logs and cluster-related data. For a known current point, run the administrative SaveWorld command first, then copy the directory to separate storage. To recover, either use your host’s restore tool or replace the matching map, player and tribe files manually, restart the server and test every important object.
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What a complete ASA backup contains
ASA does not keep your server state in one interchangeable file. A usable disaster-recovery copy must preserve the directory structure beneath ShooterGame/Saved. The Official ARK Community Wiki describes the process plainly: “To make a backup of the server data, simply copy the folder named ShooterGame/Saved (and its content) to the desired backup location.” See the Dedicated server documentation for the directory reference.
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Within that tree, the active map saves are stored under ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks/. A map folder contains files that work together:
| File or folder | What it represents | Why it matters during recovery |
|---|---|---|
.ark |
The world state: terrain changes, structures, inventories, creatures and other map data. | Restoring only this file can bring back the map while leaving characters or tribes out of sync. |
.arkprofile |
An individual player’s character and profile state. | Keep the matching files if players must retain characters, levels, inventories and engrams. |
.arktribe |
Tribe membership, ownership and tribe-level state. | Required to preserve tribe identity, permissions and ownership relationships. |
ShooterGame/Saved |
The complete server data tree, including saves, configuration, logs and cluster-related data. | The appropriate scope for a full server move or disaster recovery. |
A backup of only the visible world file is therefore a narrow rollback, not a complete server backup. Copying the whole ShooterGame/Saved tree also preserves settings and data that may not be obvious in the file browser.
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Prepare a clean save point
Never copy or replace live save files while the dedicated server is writing them. Stop the server first. A running process can leave a partial copy or overwrite the file you are trying to restore.
- Warn connected players and record the map, server name and approximate time of the backup.
- Stop the dedicated server through the host panel or service manager and wait until it reports that the process has exited.
- On PC, connect with administrator permissions and issue
SaveWorld. The command forces the current world state to disk; use the administrative prefix required by your platform and host. - After the save completes, stop the server if it was running for the command, then begin the file copy.
The command gives you a known save point, but it does not replace an independent backup. The protection comes from retaining a dated copy outside the live server directory.
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Self-managed or local server
- With the server stopped, locate the installation’s
ShooterGame/Saveddirectory. - Copy the folder itself, including every subfolder and file, rather than selecting only
SavedArks. - Place the copy on storage separate from the server’s normal disk. An external hard drive or SSD is suitable; an additional off-site copy protects against a failed machine or accidental deletion.
- Give the archive an unambiguous name such as
ASA-TheIsland-2026-10-15-2130. Include the UTC or local time convention you use, the map and, if relevant, the cluster name. - Open the copied folder and verify that the expected map directory,
.arkworld file, player profiles and tribe files are present. A copy operation that finishes without an error can still be incomplete if the destination ran out of space.
Server hosted by a control panel
Control panels expose different paths, permissions and retention rules. On Nitrado, the documented transfer workflow starts by stopping the server and opening Tools > File Browser. From there, download or copy the complete ShooterGame/Saved directory, not just the currently visible map file. Other hosts may use different labels, so follow the equivalent file-browser and download controls shown by that provider.
Keep more than one generation
Maintain several dated generations when storage allows: for example, a current copy and older copies from before major building, breeding or configuration changes. If corruption is discovered after the newest backup, an earlier generation may be the only clean rollback. Do not keep every generation on the same disk as the live server; a disk failure or mistaken deletion would remove both.
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Choose the right backup scope
There are three practical choices: a game-internal save point, a host-managed server archive and a manually copied directory. They are not interchangeable.
| Approach | Scope | Rollback window | Control | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game-internal save | Usually the current game world at the moment the command or automatic save ran. | Short; depends on when the save occurred. | Fast in-game or administrative command. | It is not an independent copy and may not protect configuration or older states. |
| Host-managed server backup | A provider’s point-in-time server and configuration snapshot, subject to that provider’s definition. | Depends on the host’s retention and available restore points. | Usually a control-panel restore action. | Restoration can overwrite current progression; interface behavior and retention are provider-specific. |
Manual ShooterGame/Saved archive |
Complete save, configuration, log and cluster-related tree. | As old or recent as the dated copies you retain. | Full control over storage and transfer. | Requires careful file handling and enough separate storage. |
Nitrado distinguishes game-internal backups for shorter rollbacks from server backups that restore the server and configuration to a point in time. It also lists database backups for database-oriented games; that category does not substitute for an ASA file backup. Because retention, naming and restore behavior vary by provider and plan, check the panel’s current documentation before relying on a particular number of restore points.
Restore with a host’s backup tool
Use a host-managed restore when the desired point is already available in the control panel and you want the provider to put the directory and configuration back together.
- Stop the server and wait for the process to exit.
- Make one more copy of the current
ShooterGame/Saveddirectory. This precaution lets you undo a mistaken restore. - In Nitrado’s panel, open Tools > Restore Backup. Other providers may use a different menu name.
- Select the dated restore point that predates the wipe, corruption or unwanted change. Confirm the map and timestamp rather than choosing the newest point automatically.
- Read the confirmation carefully and start the restore. Nitrado warns that restoration overwrites existing progression.
- Wait for the panel to report completion, start the server and allow it to finish loading before anyone joins.
If the restored world is correct but a player’s character or tribe is missing, stop again and use the manual file method below. Do not keep experimenting on the only restored copy.
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Restore or transfer files manually
Manual replacement is useful when moving a server, recovering from a local archive or restoring only a specific map state. It is also the method with the greatest chance of mixing incompatible files, so preserve a rollback copy before changing anything.
- Stop the destination server and make a dated copy of its current
ShooterGame/Saveddirectory. - Open
arksa/ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks/on the destination, then enter the folder for the active map. The exact outer installation path can differ, but theShooterGame/Saved/SavedArksstructure is the relevant save area. - From your backup, identify the world
.arkfile for that map. Copy it into the destination map folder, replacing the existing world file only after the safety copy is complete. - Copy the matching player
.arkprofilefiles when characters must survive. Copy the matching.arktribefiles when tribe membership, ownership and permissions must survive. - Rename the world file to the standard filename expected by the server. Examples include
TheIsland_WP.ark,TheCenter_WP.arkandScorchedEarth_WP.ark. Use the filename convention for the map and game version you actually run. - Check that the destination files have the correct names and are in the active map folder, not one level above or in an unrelated map directory.
- Start the server and wait for the map to load fully. Do not delete the backup until you have tested the restored state.
Transferring between machines or hosts
For a complete migration, copy the whole ShooterGame/Saved tree first so configuration and cluster-related data travel with the world. If the destination already has a newer configuration, keep a separate copy before deciding which files to merge. A selective transfer of only the map file is appropriate only when you intentionally want the destination’s existing players, tribes or settings.
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Verify the restoration before reopening the server
A server that starts without an error is not necessarily restored correctly. Use a short, repeatable acceptance check with the server still restricted to administrators or trusted players.
- Join on the expected map and confirm the spawn or last known location is present.
- Log in with a test account or affected player’s account and check character level, inventory, engrams and location.
- Confirm the tribe exists, membership is correct and ownership of a known structure or tame is intact.
- Inspect several bases, containers and recent world changes that should have existed at the selected timestamp.
- Check cluster transfers if the server belongs to a cluster; the relevant cluster files must have been included in the backup.
- Review the server log for load errors, missing-file messages or a map filename mismatch.
- Only after these checks should you announce that the server is open to all players.
Common failure modes and fixes
The server loads an older or empty map
Confirm that the world file was copied into the active map folder and renamed to the expected map filename. A correctly restored file in the wrong folder will be ignored. Stop the server, restore the destination safety copy if necessary, then repeat the path and filename check.
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The map is correct but a character is missing
The world .ark does not contain the complete player profile. Stop the server and copy the matching .arkprofile from the same backup generation. Mixing a profile from a different point in time can produce a character that does not match the restored world.
Tribe ownership or permissions are wrong
Copy the corresponding .arktribe file from the same dated backup as the world and profile files. Verify that the file belongs to the active map and cluster rather than another server.
A restore overwrote progress you still needed
Do not write new files over the current state. Stop the server and use the safety copy made before restoration. This is why every host restore or manual replacement should begin with a fresh copy of the live ShooterGame/Saved directory.
The copied archive is incomplete
Compare the source and destination folder contents, check available disk space and repeat the copy while the server is stopped. A backup that contains only the visible .ark file cannot recover player, tribe or configuration data that was not copied.
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A map update changed the expected filename
Check the current map’s naming convention after game or map updates. Keep the world data, but rename the file to the standard name expected by the version now installed before restarting.
A practical backup routine
Use a routine that matches how much progress your community can afford to lose. Run SaveWorld before a planned maintenance window or major construction session, then create a dated archive of ShooterGame/Saved. Retain older generations on separate storage and record which map, cluster and server version each archive belongs to. Before an update, mod change or host migration, make an additional copy so that the pre-change state remains available.
When a rollback is required, identify the desired timestamp first, stop the server, preserve the current state, restore the selected generation, and perform the login, character, tribe and world checks before reopening access. This sequence keeps a bad restore from becoming a second data loss event.
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