You can bring an ARK: Survival Evolved world you already have, from your own computer or another host, to your PlayNHost server.
Back up first. Uploading a world with the same name as the one on the server replaces it. Create a backup of the current world (see How to create, download and restore backups), stop the server, and keep your own original files until the server loads the new world.
Upload and load your world
- Stop the server from the panel.
- Back up your current world first: download a copy of ShooterGame/Saved (or take a backup). The upload replaces files with the same names, such as TheIsland.ark and your profile and tribe files.
- Open the Files tab and go to ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks.
- Upload the .ark world file along with the matching .arkprofile and .arktribe files. The world file name must match the map name, for example TheIsland.ark for The Island.
- In Settings, then Game Settings, make sure Server Map is the same map the save came from, then start the server.
Large files are best uploaded with SFTP. See How to connect to your server files with SFTP and How to upload, edit and manage your server files.
Start a fresh world
Starting fresh can permanently remove the current world. Back it up first.
- Stop the server from the panel.
- Download a copy of the ShooterGame/Saved folder first so you can go back.
- In ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks, delete the map's .ark file (for example TheIsland.ark). This permanently removes that world and everything built in it. Also delete the .arkprofile and .arktribe files only if you want every character and tribe wiped as well.
- Start the server; it creates a fresh world.
- Quicker alternative for a different world: change Server Map to another map and start. Each map has its own save, so the old one is left untouched.
See How to back up and restore your ARK: Survival Evolved world.
