To reset a dedicated ARK: Survival Evolved server, stop it, back up the entire ShooterGame/Saved/ directory, then remove only the save files that match the reset you want. Delete the map’s .ark file for a new world while retaining player characters and tribes; delete the player and tribe files as well for a complete save wipe. Do not delete the whole Saved directory unless you also intend to lose the server’s stored configuration files.
Godlike.Host offers hosted ARK: Survival Evolved servers with its own game panel, SFTP access and free DDoS protection, if you would rather not host it yourself.
The procedure below is based on third-party hosting guides and Steam community discussions rather than Studio Wildcard documentation. Those pages do not show publication dates, and several search summaries appear old, so current menu labels and paths can differ by host or game version. Confirm the file layout in your own control panel before deleting anything.
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“Reset the server” can mean several different operations. Decide whether you want a fresh map, fresh player characters, fresh tribes, or a completely clean installation. The files in ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks let you make that choice instead of destroying every save and setting at once.
| Reset type | Files removed | Files retained | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| World or map wipe | The map’s .ark file |
.arkprofile player files and .arktribe tribe files |
A newly generated map; existing characters and tribes can remain available, subject to how the server version handles them. |
| Full save wipe | All live save files in the relevant save directory | Only files outside the deleted save set, such as a separately stored backup | New world, no saved player profiles, and no saved tribe data. |
| Single-player character reset | One player’s .arkprofile |
The map’s .ark file and tribe files |
That player starts again while the local world and tribe data stay in place. |
| Configuration reset | Configuration files, potentially including GameUserSettings.ini |
Only data you deliberately preserve elsewhere | Settings may return to defaults, but the exact regeneration behavior is not confirmed by the available sources. |
The safest default for a seasonal restart is a world-only wipe. It gives players a new landscape and resource state without automatically erasing every character and tribe record.
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What ARK’s save files contain
The map file
A map’s .ark file stores the world state: player-built structures, tamed creatures, wild-resource state, and other objects placed or generated in that map. Removing it is the operation generally described as a map or world wipe.
Player profiles
Each .arkprofile represents one player. Dedicated-server profiles are named with the player’s SteamID64 and contain that character’s inventory, learned engrams, and position. Removing a profile resets that player without intentionally removing the map file.
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.arktribe files hold tribe information separately from individual profiles. Keeping them is what allows a world-only reset to retain tribe records; deleting them is part of a full save wipe.
Automatic backup files
Some installations place ARK-created files with .bak, .tribebak, or .profilebak extensions beside the live files. Treat these as possible recovery material, not as a substitute for making your own complete copy. The available descriptions are not detailed enough to guarantee that every host creates or restores them consistently.
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Where the dedicated-server saves are located
For a dedicated Survival Evolved server, the commonly cited path is:
ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArksOn rented servers, open that directory through the provider’s file manager or through FTP. The exact starting directory depends on the host’s container or installation layout, so use the panel’s root or game-files view rather than assuming the path begins at your computer’s system drive.
Map-specific folders can vary. The SavedArksLocal folder is associated with The Island and Workshop mod maps in the cited guides, while other official maps may use folders named for the map. Before deleting, inspect the folder names and timestamps so you remove the save belonging to the map that is actually running.
Prepare safely: stop, copy, and identify
- Stop the server cleanly. Use the hosting panel’s Stop or Shutdown control and wait until the status shows it is offline. Do not edit or delete a live save while the server process can still write to it.
- Back up the complete
ShooterGame/Saved/folder. Download it through the file manager or FTP, or copy it to storage outside the server. Keep the original directory structure and record the backup date, map, and server settings. A complete folder backup is more useful than copying only one visible.arkfile because profiles, tribes, configuration, and any backup files may be needed for recovery. - Open the save location. Browse to
ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArksand, if necessary, the map-specific subfolder used by your installation. Compare filenames with the map selected in the server’s launch or configuration settings. - Decide exactly which records to remove. Use the reset table above. If you are unsure whether a file is live data or an automatic backup, move it into a dated holding folder outside the active save path instead of permanently deleting it.
How to perform a dedicated-server world wipe
This is the usual reset when you want a new map but want to preserve player and tribe records.
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- With the server stopped and the full
ShooterGame/Saved/backup completed, open the active map’s save folder. - Locate the map’s
.arkfile. Do not select the.arkprofileor.arktribefiles if those characters and tribes should survive. - Delete the map
.arkfile, or rename it with a clear suffix such as.ark.oldif your host permits renaming. A rename gives you a quick rollback option while you verify the reset. - Check that you did not remove the entire
ShooterGame/Saved/directory. Keeping that parent directory preserves files that may contain server settings. - Start the server from the hosting panel and wait for it to finish loading. ARK should generate a new map save in the active map folder.
- Connect with a test account. Confirm that the terrain is newly generated and that the intended player or tribe records are present before inviting the whole community back.
If the old world appears, stop the server again and verify the map folder, filename, and map selection. A common cause is deleting a similarly named file in a different map directory while the server is loading another one.
How to perform a complete save wipe
Use a full wipe when the new season must start without existing characters, inventories, engrams, tribes, structures, or creatures.
- Stop the server and make the complete
ShooterGame/Saved/backup described above. - Open the active save directory under
ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks. - Remove the map’s
.arkfile, every relevant.arkprofile, and every relevant.arktribefile. Include map-specific save data used by the running map, but leave your offline backup untouched. - Check for additional live save files in the same map folder. If you are intentionally starting from zero, move them out of the active directory rather than leaving a mixture of old and new records.
- Start the server and allow it to create a new world. Join once to verify that no old character or tribe data is being loaded.
Do not confuse a full save wipe with deleting the parent Saved directory. The latter can also remove .ini configuration files and therefore change rates, difficulty, passwords, mods, and other settings. A full save wipe normally means removing save data while retaining the parent directory and its configuration.
How to reset one single-player character
For a local or single-player game, back up the relevant profile before making changes. Then identify the player’s .arkprofile, commonly named with that player’s SteamID64, and delete or rename only that file. Leave the map’s .ark and the tribe files in place. On the next launch, ARK creates a new character profile while the existing world remains.
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Local saves can use a different arrangement from a rented dedicated server. The cited community guidance associates The Island and Workshop maps with SavedArksLocal and indicates that local profile data may be stored in a separate LocalProfiles folder. One forum reply reports that deleting only SavedArksLocal did not refresh a local map until LocalProfiles was also removed. That is a setup-specific report, not a universal rule; inspect your local folder structure and preserve a backup before touching either directory.
Configuration resets: what is known and what is not
Deleting the entire Saved folder is reported by forum users to remove the .ini configuration files along with save data. If your goal is only a new world, keep ShooterGame/Saved/ and remove the selected save files instead.
One hosting guide claims that clearing GameUserSettings.ini makes ARK regenerate default settings. That behavior was not corroborated by a second search, so treat it as unverified. If you test it, export the file first and write down important values such as server name, password, rates, difficulty, mods, and administrator settings. Restoring the backup file is safer than trying to reconstruct a customized configuration by memory.
When a wipe appears not to work
The old map loads after deleting a file
- Stop the server again and verify that the process really shut down before the deletion.
- Check that you edited the map folder selected by the server, not another map’s directory.
- Look for a second save location or map-specific folder under
SavedArks. - Confirm that the old
.arkfile was removed or moved outside the active path and that the panel did not restore it from an automatic backup.
Old characters or tribes still appear
A world-only wipe deliberately leaves .arkprofile and .arktribe files. For a genuinely empty season, stop the server and remove those records as part of a full save wipe. If only one person should restart, remove that person’s profile rather than the whole set.
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Some structures or areas remain
A forum user reported that deleting save files alone did not clear every area until the server was started and each area’s saved data was deleted. The report came from one server-manager setup and may not generalize. Treat it as a diagnostic clue: inspect for additional map or area save folders created by your host, but do not erase unfamiliar files until they are included in a new backup.
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If rates, passwords, mods, or other options revert after the wipe, restore the backed-up configuration files rather than deleting more data. Removing the parent Saved directory can remove those settings, while deleting only the map and profile files should not be intended to do so.
The server will not start
- Stop it, restore the original save folder from your backup, and test whether the unmodified copy starts.
- Check file and folder names for accidental changes, especially map extensions and profile filenames.
- Use the host’s logs or support channel to identify a permission, mod, or version error before attempting another deletion.
Restoring the old world
- Stop the server.
- Move the newly generated save files out of the active map directory.
- Copy the backed-up
SavedArkscontents back into the corresponding location, preserving filenames and folder structure. - Restore configuration files if they were changed, then start the server and test with an administrator account.
Keep the backup until players have confirmed that the intended reset or restoration is stable. A separate dated copy protects you from accidentally overwriting the only recoverable version.
Survival Ascended is a separate question
Do not assume that these Survival Evolved paths apply to ARK: Survival Ascended. A search summary suggested a path under /home/container/ShooterGame/Saved/SaveGames/, but no fetched page confirmed it. Because the location is not established here, check your Ascended host’s current documentation or file tree before using any wipe procedure. The Evolved instructions above should not be generalized to Ascended without that verification.
Source and version limitations
The available instructions come from hosting-provider tutorials and Steam community posts; no Studio Wildcard procedure was found. None of the cited pages exposed a publication date, and several search summaries appear years old. Host panels, directory names, backup behavior, and menu labels can therefore differ from the examples above. The durable safety rules are to shut down the process, preserve a complete copy of ShooterGame/Saved/, remove only the file types that match your chosen reset, and test the regenerated world before treating the wipe as complete.
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