Arma Reforger Server Persistence: Keep Progress on Restart

Arma Reforger has two different things players may call “progress”: a scenario’s saved session state and persistent data a game mode or mod keeps separately. A dedicated server can write a session savepoint and still fail to restore the particular thing your group expected. Start by checking the scenario, save settings, server log and version together; do not assume a restart or a backup repairs an incompatible save.

This reference explains the documented server settings and a safe order for investigating lost progress. It does not promise that every mode saves every kind of player progress. Bohemia lists stable 1.8.0.13 as the current main branch checked for this guide; the separate Experimental branch is not interchangeable with it.

What does persistence save in Arma Reforger?#

The engine’s session persistence writes savepoints for a playthrough. The official Persistence System reference also describes separate storage that a game mode can implement for its own data. Those are related systems, but not the same guarantee: the server’s session save does not mean that every scenario stores player XP, unlocks, inventory or a mod’s database in that save.

Treat the savepoint as evidence that the server wrote scenario state, not as proof that all players’ expected progress is present. Check what the scenario or mod says it stores, whether that mode is still selected, and what the current logs report. This distinction is useful in vanilla and modded play alike; a Workshop add-on may keep its own data and compatibility rules.

Which server settings control session saves?#

The dedicated-server JSON reference documents these values under game.gameProperties.persistence:

Setting	Documented default	What it controls
autoSaveInterval	10 minutes	Minutes between automatic save attempts; 0 disables autosave, and the documented range is 0–60.
saveRetention	10 savepoints	How many savepoints are retained; the documented range is 1–128.
loadSessionSave	true	Whether the latest session save is loaded at the first startup of a session.
keepSessionSave	false	Whether to keep the session save after the playthrough ends.

These are engine defaults from Bohemia’s Server Config reference, not a promise that every mode uses every setting in the same way. A scenario’s mission header carries saving-related fields, and the scenario implementation can affect what gets written. Read the current file and the active scenario together instead of pasting a JSON fragment from another game or an old Reforger tutorial.

The startup parameter -loadSessionSave is another documented control: it can select the latest save or a specific save UUID. Bohemia says the UUID is recorded in the savepoint’s meta-info.json; see Startup Parameters before changing the server launch line. Do not add flags just because a save is missing—the default config already requests the latest save, and a different profile or scenario can lead you to inspect the wrong save.

Why might progress not return after a restart?#

Check one cause at a time before replacing files:

1. Confirm the active scenario. Compare the server’s selected scenario with the one that created the save. Changing a scenario can start a different playthrough or make its save irrelevant.
2. Read the persistence block. Check autoSaveInterval, saveRetention and loadSessionSave in the live config.json. A zero autosave interval disables automatic saves; a short retention count can rotate older savepoints out.
3. Check the correct profile and savepoint. Reforger stores server profile data separately from the JSON configuration. Confirm the process is using the profile you inspected; the file-location guide will cover paths in detail.
4. Read the current startup and server logs. Look for the selected scenario, save load request and persistence messages. A file existing on disk alone does not confirm that the server loaded it or that the game mode restored the state you expected.
5. Compare game and mod versions. Ensure clients and server use the same current branch, then check the Workshop page and required version for each mod. Do not assume a mod’s old save or database can be read by a newly updated build.

If you use a modded persistence framework, follow its author’s current documentation and credit the creator when sharing its setup. It is separate from the built-in server fields above. The Arma Reforger mods guide explains how server mods relate to cross-platform play; it does not make a third-party framework part of vanilla persistence.

What should I back up before a scenario change or restore?#

Before changing the scenario, changing persistence settings, updating a mod or restoring an older save, make a separate copy of both the server configuration and the profile data that contains the save. Verify the copy exists and can be selected for recovery before deleting or overwriting anything. If you have not chosen a mode yet, our Arma Reforger scenario guide compares the main options and explains what to check before switching. A native session savepoint and a host backup are different: retention may rotate savepoints, while a backup preserves a separate copy of files.

Use the restore procedure for your host and confirm what it replaces. Do not restore over the only copy of a working save, and do not treat a backup as a save-format converter. If you rent a managed server, compare how the host creates and restores file copies. Game Hosting’s Arma Reforger plans publish three backup slots with manual or scheduled copies and panel restore, download and lock controls. Those are useful safeguards before a risky change; verify the selected backup and recovery path before you rely on them.

When comparing managed providers, our Arma Reforger host guide lays out the hardware, panel and recovery questions to check. For comparison, G-Portal’s Reforger backup instructions say backups are not created automatically and describe a manual backup flow that stops and restarts the server. Check the current host workflow before scheduling a change; a backup’s existence still does not prove a specific save can be restored in-game.

Do versions, crossplay and mods affect persistence?#

Keep the server and players on the same main-game version. Bohemia describes the main application as available on PC, Xbox and PlayStation 5, while Experimental is a separate application. The current Experimental 1.9.0.10 notice names Steam and Xbox apps; it is not the same branch as stable 1.8.0.13, and it is not listed for PS5. For a cross-platform main-branch server, the server configuration’s crossPlatform option controls whether it accepts all platforms; check the crossplay guide for the platform distinction.

Mods add another version and storage check. Reforger’s community content comes from the Bohemia Workshop, not Steam Workshop. Required add-ons and versions must be compatible with each client. The official Workshop documentation currently lists 50 GB of mod storage on Xbox and 25 GB on PS5; console players may need to remove other downloads to join a large modded server. Attribute a mod to its Workshop author, and check that item’s version rather than assuming every mod behaves alike.

There is also a specific save-format warning: Bohemia’s 1.7.0.30 Experimental update notes say persistence UUID generation changed, older save-game data became incompatible and was ignored, and binary became the default format for all missions. This is not a general migration recipe. Keep a copy before updating, but do not promise that a preserved old file can be converted or loaded by a newer branch.

What did the isolated server check confirm?#

On a separate Windows dedicated server running stable 1.8.0.13, a stock Conflict configuration with autoSaveInterval: 1, saveRetention: 3 and loadSessionSave: true reached the online state and wrote savepoint000. The log recorded a successful automatic save, and meta-info.json identified the scenario and server version. After that test process was stopped without a clean-shutdown command, a later startup from the same profile logged Session restored. This confirms a session restore after a process restart in this setup, not a clean-shutdown test. No player joined or made progress, and Combat Ops, Game Master and the hosted panel’s restore flow were not tested.

Use the server’s own logs and save metadata for your case. If no expected state returns, preserve the current profile and a separate backup first, then compare scenario, settings, profile path and version before trying a different save. Do not erase the only evidence while troubleshooting.

A safe checklist before changing a Reforger save#

• Confirm the current scenario and stable or Experimental branch.
• Read the live persistence settings and relevant startup arguments.
• Keep a separate copy of config.json and the save-bearing profile.
• Verify the backup and know exactly which files a restore replaces.
• Check the target scenario, mod author and mod version before loading.
• After a restart, confirm the log and save metadata before announcing that progress is recovered.

The reliable habit is to separate the question “did the server write a save?” from “did this mode restore the state my players care about?” Reforger’s documented settings can help answer the first. The second depends on the scenario, profile, version and any mod-specific storage, so check those before changing or deleting data.

Quick answers

Does Arma Reforger save server progress automatically?

The dedicated-server configuration documents automatic session saves. The default interval is 10 minutes, but the selected scenario must support saving; a savepoint in the profile is not proof that a player’s particular progress will return.

How do I make Arma Reforger load a session save?

The documented loadSessionSave setting is true by default. The -loadSessionSave startup parameter can load the latest save or a selected save UUID; confirm the current profile and scenario before changing startup arguments.

Will a server backup make an old save compatible with a new version?

A backup preserves files; it does not convert their format. Bohemia’s 1.7.0.30 Experimental notes say the old save data became incompatible and was ignored after a persistence UUID change.