How to Set Up an Enshrouded Dedicated Server (Self-Hosted or Rented)

Requirements

Enshrouded's dedicated server is heavier than Valheim's and lighter than Rust's. Measured on live servers: an idle world sits around 4.5 GB of RAM, each connected player adds about 100 MB, and a big base with a lot of placed blocks pushes it further. Four CPU cores and 8 GB of RAM handle a full 16-slot server comfortably; 4 GB is enough for a group of three or four with modest builds.

Disk is about 9 GB for the server files plus a small save folder. Bandwidth is unremarkable at these player counts. The server needs a public IP or a port forward on one UDP port.

The server binary is Windows-only. On a Windows box or VPS it runs as-is; on Linux it runs under Proton or Wine, which is what every managed host does and works well.

Install With SteamCMD

The server is Steam app 2278520 and downloads anonymously. Install SteamCMD, then:

steamcmd +@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType windows +force_install_dir C:\enshrouded +login anonymous +app_update 2278520 validate +quit

The platform flag matters on Linux, where it tells Steam to fetch the Windows build for Proton. Keep that same command in your start script without validate so every restart checks for a newer build. Enshrouded requires client and server to match, and Steam updates players automatically, so a server that only downloads once is stranded after the next patch.

The One Port

Older guides list two ports, a gamePort and a queryPort. That is out of date: since Content Update 2 the server uses a single UDP port, the queryPort in the config, and that is the port players type after the IP. Open it in your firewall and forward it on your router if you are at home. The default is 15637; any free UDP port works.

enshrouded_server.json

Run the server once and it creates enshrouded_server.json next to the binary. Stop it and edit the file. A complete config for a friend group looks like this:

{
  "name": "Our Server",
  "saveDirectory": "./savegame",
  "logDirectory": "./logs",
  "ip": "0.0.0.0",
  "queryPort": 15637,
  "slotCount": 16,
  "gameSettingsPreset": "Default",
  "userGroups": [
    { "name": "Admin", "password": "admin-secret", "canKickBan": true, "canAccessInventories": true, "canEditBase": true, "canExtendBase": true, "reservedSlots": 1 },
    { "name": "Friend", "password": "friends-secret", "canKickBan": false, "canAccessInventories": true, "canEditBase": true, "canExtendBase": true, "reservedSlots": 0 }
  ]
}

There is no top-level password anymore. Access is entirely through userGroups: the password a player enters picks their group, and the group decides what they can do. Two groups, one for you and one for the group, is enough for most people; add a Guest group with build permissions off if you host strangers. slotCount caps at 16. Every value applies on the next start.

gameSettingsPreset accepts Relaxed, Default, Hard or Survival. If you add a gameSettings block, its individual values (enemy damage, day length, drop rates and so on) override the preset.

Start It and Confirm It Is Up

On Windows, run enshrouded_server.exe. On Linux under Proton, proton run ./enshrouded_server.exe. The server writes its output to logs/enshrouded_server.log rather than the console, and the line to look for is [Session] 'HostOnline' (up)!. First boot takes a couple of minutes to generate the world.

Then, in-game: Play, Join, and either search the server name or open Join via IP and enter ip:queryPort. Enter a group password and you are in.

Backups and Updates

Everything that matters is in the savegame folder. Copy it somewhere on a schedule; a daily copy is plenty for a friend group. Restore by stopping the server and copying the files back.

For updates, the rule is simple: when Steam updates your game, restart the server so it pulls the same build. If a friend reports a version mismatch, the server has not restarted since the patch.

What a Host Does for You

All of the above is doable in an afternoon if you have a spare machine with a public IP, 8 GB to give away and the patience to babysit updates. A managed server trades that afternoon for a few dollars a month: HostSimple's Enshrouded servers download the game files on first start, re-check Steam for updates on every restart, write the config from settings you change in a dashboard, generate the admin and friend passwords, back the world up nightly, and restart the process if it crashes. The address and passwords are in your welcome email within minutes of checkout, and the first week costs $1.

Start your Enshrouded server

1.0-ready, auto-updating, admin and friend passwords set for you, US or EU.

Start an Enshrouded Server — $14.99/mo

Frequently asked questions

How much RAM does an Enshrouded server need?

An idle server uses about 4.5 GB and each connected player adds roughly 100 MB, so 8 GB covers a full 16-player server with headroom for large builds. Plan on 4 CPU cores.

Can I run the Enshrouded server on Linux?

There is no native Linux build, but the Windows server binary runs under Proton or Wine, which is how managed hosts run it. Use SteamCMD with the Windows platform flag to download it.

How do friends join my Enshrouded server?

In-game: Play, then Join, then either search the server name or use Join via IP with ip:port, where the port is the server's queryPort. They then enter one of the user-group passwords.

How many players can an Enshrouded server hold?

16. slotCount in enshrouded_server.json cannot go above the game's cap.