Restore a Rust Save Backup Without Wiping Blueprints

Rust maintains rotating backups of older server saves. The server.saveBackupCount variable controls how many backup copies are retained; Facepunch documents two as both its default and minimum value.

A backup filename can look like this:

craggy.sav.2

Facepunch documents restoring that backup by removing its numeric suffix:

craggy.sav

Restore the save

Save and close the server with:

sv quit

After the server closes, restore the selected backup by removing only its final numeric suffix—for example, rename craggy.sav.2 to craggy.sav.

The restored .sav file should have the same name as its corresponding map. Do not alter the protocol-version number that appears before the file extension. Rust's server documentation warns that renaming an old save to circumvent a forced wipe is dangerous and ill-advised.

Preserve player blueprints

The .sav file contains map data and entities, including player buildings and deployables. Player blueprints are stored separately in player.blueprints.

To preserve the existing blueprint database, restore only the numbered .sav backup and leave player.blueprints untouched. Deleting the blueprint file forces a blueprint wipe.

For related community material, follow sourced Rust coverage on TOP OF GAMES.