--- title: "How to create and restore backups on the Game Panel" description: "Create and restore backups of your game server from the OVHcloud Game Panel, with options that depend on your game server image provider." url: https://docs.ovhcloud.com/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/virtual-private-servers/game-panel-backups lang: en lastUpdated: 2026-06-30 --- # How to create and restore backups on the Game Panel ## Objective The OVHcloud Game Panel lets you create and restore backups of your game server. The available backup features depend on the provider used by your game server image. **This guide explains how to create and restore backups from the OVHcloud Game Panel.** ## Requirements - A [VPS](https://www.ovhcloud.com/en-gb/vps/) or a [dedicated server](https://www.ovhcloud.com/en-gb/bare-metal/) in your OVHcloud account with the Game Panel feature enabled. - A game server deployed on the Game Panel. - Access to the Game Panel. Refer to [Log in to the Game Panel](/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/virtual-private-servers/game-panel-log-in/index.md). ## Instructions ### Accessing the Backups tab 1. Open your game server in the Game Panel. 2. Go to Settings. 3. Open the Backups tab. The content of this tab varies depending on the provider of your game server image. The provider is displayed at the top of the Settings window: - **OVHcloud logo**: the game server image is provided by OVHcloud. - **LinuxGSM logo**: the game server image is provided by LinuxGSM. - **External**: the server was added using an external image. Backup management is not supported for this provider. ![The provider badge displayed at the top of the server Settings window](/images/bare-metal-cloud/virtual-private-servers/game-panel-backups/backups-provider.png) ### OVHcloud provider #### Create a backup From the `Backups ` tab, click `Create Backup `. After a few moments, the backup appears in the list below. ![The Backups section with a backup listed, showing the Download, Restore, and Delete actions](/images/bare-metal-cloud/virtual-private-servers/game-panel-backups/backups-create.png) #### Manage backups For each backup in the list, you can: - **Download** the backup archive. - **Delete** the backup. - **Restore** the backup. - **Rename** the backup. ### LinuxGSM provider LinuxGSM includes its own backup management system. As a result, backup functionality works the same way across all game server images provided by LinuxGSM. #### Create a backup From the `Backups ` tab, click `Create Backup `. Once the backup process is complete, it appears in the backup list. #### Manage backups For each backup in the list, you can: - **Download** the backup archive. - **Delete** the backup. - **Rename** the backup. Automatic restoration is not available and must be performed manually. Refer to the [Restore a backup](#restore-a-backup) section below. #### Backup options LinuxGSM provides several backup configuration options: - **Keep the last X backups**: defines how many backups should be retained. When the limit is reached, the oldest backup is automatically deleted when a new backup is created. - **Keep backups for X days**: defines how long backups should be kept. Backups older than the configured number of days are automatically removed. - **Stop server before backup**: stops the game server before creating a backup. This helps ensure backup integrity and consistency, but it causes a temporary service interruption while the backup is being created. ### Restore a backup #### OVHcloud provider To restore a backup: 1. Open the Backups tab. 2. Locate the backup you want to restore. 3. Click Restore. The server automatically restarts during the restoration process. :::warning If the local game version differs from the version contained in the backup, unexpected behaviour or game issues may occur after the restoration. ::: #### LinuxGSM provider LinuxGSM does not support automatic backup restoration through the Game Panel. To restore a backup manually: 1. Download the backup archive. 2. Extract the archive on your computer. 3. Open the extracted files. 4. Locate the `serverfiles` directory (present in most LinuxGSM backups). **Prepare the server** 1. Stop the game server. 2. Go to Settings > File Manager. 3. Locate the existing `serverfiles` directory. Before replacing it, you can delete, rename, or download it to keep a copy. **Upload the backup files** 1. Remove or rename the current `serverfiles` directory. 2. Drag and drop the `serverfiles` directory from the backup into the File Manager. 3. Wait until the upload is fully completed. **Start the server** 1. Start the game server again. 2. Check the server logs to verify that the server starts correctly and that the restoration was successful. :::info Monitoring the server logs after a restoration is strongly recommended, as it helps quickly identify any issues related to missing files, configuration changes, or game version mismatches. ::: ## Go further - [How to use the Game Panel File Manager](/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/virtual-private-servers/game-panel-file-manager/index.md) - [Getting started with the Game Panel](/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/virtual-private-servers/game-panel-getting-started/index.md) Join our [community of users](https://community.ovhcloud.com/).