Starbound game data
File type: Game file
A shipworld file contains saved ship data for Starbound, including information about the player's spacecraft and its contents.
It is part of the game's player save data and is read by Starbound rather than intended to be opened as a standalone document.
File type category:
Game file
Date updated: October 17, 2026
The shipworld file extension is associated with Starbound, an indie 2D platform action-adventure game developed by Chucklefish. The game is available for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux.
A shipworld file stores the saved state of a player's ship, which functions as a personal world in Starbound. Its data can include the ship's layout, blocks, objects and other changes made during play.
The file works together with Starbound's other player and world save files. It uses a game-specific format and is still part of the save data used by the Starbound game.
Starbound opens a shipworld file automatically when it loads the associated player save. Place the file in the correct Starbound save-data location for the relevant installation, and make a backup before replacing or modifying any save file.
A shipworld file is not designed to be opened directly in a text editor or general-purpose application. On Microsoft Windows, use the installed Windows version of Starbound to load it.
There is no general-purpose conversion for the shipworld file format. It stores Starbound-specific save data and is not intended for export to another game or standard file format.
To move the data, copy the shipworld file together with the related Starbound save files. Use Starbound itself to make any supported in-game changes rather than trying to convert the file with an unrelated utility.
Software applications that handle other tasks involving shipworld files:
Microsoft Windows
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