Game Server Backups: How Often, Where and How to Restore
By Linus Pierre · Updated November 2026
A world you have spent weeks on can disappear because of a bad update, a broken mod or a mistaken click. This guide explains what to back up, how often, where to keep the copies and how to restore one safely.
Keep three copies of your world: the live one on the server, a panel or host backup, and a copy downloaded to your own computer or cloud storage. Back up automatically every day (more often on a busy server), take a manual backup before every update, mod change or move, and keep several older backups. Restore one once to check it works.
- Include more than the world. Settings, admin lists, mod configs and any database matter too.
- Keep one copy off the server. It is the only one that survives a problem with the host.
- Test a restore. A backup you have never restored is only a guess.
What a game server backup should include
A backup is only useful if it can bring the server back exactly as it was. For most games that means more than the world folder, and the exact files differ by game. The groups below are the same almost everywhere.
Our game guides show the exact folders. For example, the guide to Project Zomboid backups explains that the save alone is not enough, because the config files, the database and the mod list are needed for a restore that brings players and settings back. The Don’t Starve Together backup guide treats the world as a whole cluster folder with separate Master and Caves shards, and the Factorio saves guide covers saves that are a single zip file.
The three-copy rule, adapted for game servers
One backup is not much better than none if it sits next to the world it protects. A simple habit used for important files works well for game servers: keep three copies, in more than one place, with at least one of them away from the server.
Copy 1: the live world
On the server
The world the server is running right now. It changes constantly, and anything that corrupts it or deletes it affects this copy first.
Copy 2: a panel backup
Same host, separate file
An automatic or manual backup made from the control panel. It protects you from mistakes, a bad update or a broken mod.
Copy 3: your own copy
Off the server
A download on your own computer or in cloud storage. It protects you if the server, the account or the plan is lost.
This is also why our guide to game server security basics lists an off-server copy next to two-factor sign-in and careful sub-user permissions: a backup you cannot reach is not a backup.
How often to back up a game server
There is no single right number, because it depends on how much progress you can afford to lose. A useful way to think about it is to ask how much play you would be happy to repeat. If the answer is “an evening”, a daily backup is enough. If it is “an hour”, you need more frequent ones.
| Situation | Suggested backup | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A small private server that is played a few evenings a week | Daily automatic backup, plus a weekly download | Little changes between sessions, so a day of history is a fair trade for few backups. |
| A busy community with long-term progress | Several automatic backups a day, and one kept each day | Hours of building or progress are worth protecting, and players notice quickly when they are lost. |
| Before a game update, a mod change or a settings change | A manual backup every time | These are the moments a world is most likely to break, and a fresh backup makes the change reversible. |
| Before moving to another host | A final backup after a clean stop | See how to move your server for the full order. |
Keep more than one backup, not just the latest. Some problems, such as a corrupted save or a mod that quietly damages a world, are only noticed days later. If every backup is from the last few hours, they can all contain the damage. A few daily backups and a weekly one let you go back past the problem.
Where to store game server backups
Where a backup lives decides what it protects you from. Most servers end up using more than one of these.
| Where | Protects you from | Does not protect you from |
|---|---|---|
| On the game server itself | A mistake, a bad update or a broken mod | Losing the server, the disk or the account |
| The host or panel backup tool | The same, with scheduling and one-click restore | A problem with the host, or the plan ending |
| Your own computer | Almost everything, as long as the files are downloaded and checked | A problem with your computer, unless it is also copied elsewhere |
| Cloud storage you control | Loss of both the server and your computer | Nothing in particular, apart from forgetting to update it |
When you compare hosts, a few backup questions are worth asking before you pay. Our guide to choosing a game server host covers the wider checklist, and refunds, trials and billing explains why it pays to settle terms before a plan ends.
Questions to ask a host: are backups automatic or manual, how many are kept, can you download them, does a restore overwrite the current world, and what happens to your backups if you cancel the plan?
How to restore a game server backup
Restoring is the step people practise least, and the one that matters when something has gone wrong. The order below keeps you from making a bad situation worse.
- ServerStop the serverStop it from the panel so nothing is written while you restore.
- SafetyKeep what you haveTake a copy of the current files first, even if they are broken. You may want something from them later.
- Panel or filesRestore the backupUse the panel’s restore button, or upload the backup files into the folders they came from.
- CheckMatch version and modsMake sure the game version and mods match the ones the backup was made with.
- ServerStart and watchStart it and watch the console for errors while it loads.
- PlayersCheck, then reopenJoin yourself, check the world, builds and inventories, then let players back in.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The server starts with a brand-new world | The backup went into the wrong folder, or the world name does not match the one in the settings | Stop the server, check the folder and world name, and restore again. Our moving guide covers the same problem. |
| Players are missing or characters have reset | The backup did not include player data, accounts or the database | Restore the missing files from the same backup, or check whether the game stores characters on players’ PCs. |
| Buildings or items are missing | Mods are missing or on a different version from the backup | Install the same mods at the same versions, then start again. |
| Progress looks older than expected | You restored an older backup than you meant to | Restore a more recent backup, or the copy you kept in step 2. |
| The server will not start | The game version differs from the one that made the backup | Match the version or branch, then start again. |
It is worth restoring a backup once while nothing is wrong, for example onto a spare server or during a quiet moment, so you know the files are complete and the steps work before you need them.
Backup guides for specific games
The folders and quirks differ by game. These guides from our game section go into the detail, and each row links to our host comparison for that game.
| Game | Backup guide | What it covers | Compare hosts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valheim | Valheim backup and restore | Protecting a world and restoring it | Best Valheim hosting |
| Enshrouded | Enshrouded backup and restore | Backing up the whole save directory rather than relying on old filename assumptions | Best Enshrouded hosting |
| Project Zomboid | Project Zomboid backups | Save, config files, database and mod list, and layering built-in, scheduled and manual backups | Best Project Zomboid hosting |
| Don’t Starve Together | Back up and transfer a world | The cluster folder, the Master and Caves shards and rollback | Best Don’t Starve Together hosting |
| Factorio | Upload, back up and transfer saves | Single zip saves, which save the server loads, and keeping backups off the server | Best Factorio hosting |
For another game, pick it in the game hosting hub and check its guides, or read our host reviews to see what each host offers.
Looking for a new host?
These are the top three hosts in our UK ranking, in ranking order. Whichever you choose, ask about backups before you pay.
Game server backup checklist
- Complete: the backup includes the world, settings, lists, mod configs and any database.
- Scheduled: automatic backups run on a schedule that matches how much progress you can afford to lose.
- Before changes: you take a manual backup before every update, mod change or move.
- Off-server: at least one copy is on your own computer or in cloud storage.
- History: you keep several older backups, not just the latest.
- Tested: you have restored a backup once and the world loaded correctly.
Game server backups: common questions
How often should I back up a game server?
Daily is a sensible starting point for a small server, with more frequent automatic backups for a busy one. Always take a manual backup before a game update, a mod change or a settings change, and keep several older backups so you can go back past a problem you notice late.
Where should I store game server backups?
Keep at least one copy away from the server, on your own computer or in cloud storage. Backups on the server or in the host’s panel protect you from mistakes, but not from losing the server, the account or the plan.
Are my host’s automatic backups enough?
They are a good start, but they usually sit on the same host as the world. Download a copy regularly so you still have your world if the plan ends, the account is lost or the host has a problem.
How do I restore a game server backup?
Stop the server, keep a copy of the current files, restore the backup from the panel or upload it into the right folders, make sure the game version and mods match, then start the server and check the world before players rejoin.
What should a game server backup include?
The world or save data and the server settings are essential. Add admin, whitelist and ban lists, mod configs and any database or cluster folder your game uses. If you are unsure, back up the whole server folder.
How do I know a backup works?
Restore it once while nothing is wrong, for example onto a spare server, and check the world loads with its builds, players and mods. A backup you have never restored is only a guess.
