V Rising 1.1: Transfer a Private PC World to a Dedicated Server

V Rising distinguishes server name from SaveName and the persistent data path. Official Dedicated Server instructions use SaveName for the save folder; a display name alone does not select your existing world.

Before Transferring

1. Select the correct world under Load Game and open Go to Directory. Then end the private session and back up the complete folder. In 1.1 it sits under CloudSaves with your SteamID or the local Saves directory, in v4 in either case.
2. Install the matching Dedicated Server branch. Client and server must share the version; older save-generation instructions are not freely interchangeable.
3. Set an explicit persistentDataPath for the target and check where it actually creates Settings and Saves.
4. Stop the target server. Copy the complete world folder into PersistentDataPath/Saves/v4/. You may rename its GUID folder to something simpler first. All autosaves may be transferred; the source alternatively permits only the latest.
5. Set -saveName to that exact folder name. Remove ServerHostSettings.json from the target copy only if your own host settings or startup parameters are already configured.
6. Leave GameSettingsPreset empty and prevent conflicting ServerGameSettings overrides in the server’s Settings folder, or other rules may replace copied world rules.
7. Test startup with a copy, checking the world and player mapping. Retain the independent starting backup as a recovery route.

Why a New World May Start by Mistake

A SaveName startup parameter or environment variable can override a file value. Another persistentDataPath also points to another dataset. First check the path and active SaveName rather than deleting the original world or repeatedly copying it.

Copying during a running session is not a reliable backup. Keep client and target server stopped during transfer so files do not change halfway through.

After a successful move, Stunlock recommends removing the original client entry to avoid duplicate sessions. For cloud saves, do this through Load Game while the game runs; deleting while the client is closed may be reversed by cloud sync. Remove the old entry only after the server copy works and the separate backup is retained.

These paths apply to official PC 1.1 instructions with Persistence Version v4. They are not a transfer recipe between arbitrary save generations or console worlds.