An Enshrouded dedicated server keeps your world online without anyone hosting it from their own game: it runs as a separate program, all day, and up to 16 players can join it. The server is free for anyone who owns Enshrouded (Steam app 2278520), runs on Windows, uses about 4.4 GB of RAM while idle, needs one open UDP port (15637) and is configured in a single file, enshrouded_server.json. Everything below is current for Enshrouded 1.0, released on October 15, 2026: setup on Windows and Linux, ports, passwords and roles, moving a world over, updates, and fixes for the errors people actually hit.
Does Enshrouded have dedicated servers, and do you need one?
Yes. Keen Games bundles dedicated servers for Enshrouded with the game at no extra cost. You don’t need a dedicated server for Enshrouded to play with friends, because any player can host their own world. The catch is that a player-hosted world only exists while its host is playing. With a dedicated server the world stays up around the clock, so friends in other time zones can log in, build and explore when the host is offline.
| Hosted by a player | Dedicated server | |
|---|---|---|
| Players | Up to 16 | Up to 16 (slotCount, 1–16) |
| World online when the host is offline | No | Yes |
| Where the world is saved | The host’s PC | The server’s savegame folder |
| Where characters are saved | Each player’s own PC | Each player’s own PC |
| Passwords and permissions | Host Settings menu in game | One password per role in enshrouded_server.json |
| Difficulty and world rules | World settings in game | Preset and gameplay values in the JSON file |
Because characters are stored on each player’s PC, nobody loses a character when the group moves from a hosted world to a dedicated server. Only the world moves, and that is covered further down.
What is an Enshrouded resource server?
Enshrouded depot servers, item servers, storage servers and resource servers are all the same thing: a world someone has filled with chests of materials and gear for visitors to take. They exist because Enshrouded saves your character, inventory included, on your own PC rather than on the server, so anything you carry out of one world comes with you into the next.
Public ones appear in the Enshrouded server browser under their own names and come and go, like most Enshrouded servers run by players. GameTeam doesn’t run any. If you want a private depot for your own group, any dedicated server can be one: fill some chests and give your group a role with canAccessInventories set to true, so they can open them. Bear in mind that loading up on finished gear skips a lot of the game’s progression.
Enshrouded dedicated server requirements
The Enshrouded server requirements Keen publishes depend on player count: a 6-core, 12-thread CPU at 3.2 GHz and 16 GB of RAM for 4–6 players, and an 8-core, 16-thread CPU at 3.7 GHz for a full 16. The server process uses about 4.4 GB of RAM idle plus up to 100 MB per player, and Keen says it shouldn’t need more than 6 GB. Plan for an SSD with 30 GB free and 2 Mbit/s of upload per player.
Here are Keen’s recommended specs for a dedicated Enshrouded server. Only the CPU steps up for a bigger group, so performance depends mostly on it:
| Spec | 4–6 players | 16 players |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7 3.2 GHz or AMD equivalent, 6 cores / 12 threads | Intel Core i7 3.7 GHz or AMD equivalent, 8 cores / 16 threads |
| RAM in the machine | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Storage | SSD, 30 GB free, plus up to 100 MB per extra world | Same |
| Upload | 2 Mbit/s per player (12 Mbit/s for 6) | 2 Mbit/s per player (32 Mbit/s for 16) |
- Server RAM: about 4.4 GB idle, up to 100 MB more per player, 6 GB at most according to Keen’s FAQ.
- Files: about 13 GB installed. Each world is one save that starts at around 1 MB and grows toward 100 MB as the bases get bigger. The server writes it every 5 minutes.
- OS and network: Windows, IPv4. Linux works through Wine or Proton (see below).
- Headless: the server runs without the game’s UI, but it still opens a console window.
Can you host and play on the same PC? Yes, for a small group, but the game’s own minimum on Steam is 16 GB of RAM, and the server wants its 4–6 GB on top of that. If you’d rather not tie up a PC at all, Enshrouded server hosting on GameTeam starts at 8 GB.
Enshrouded dedicated server setup on Windows
To create the server, install the Enshrouded Dedicated Server tool from your Steam library or with SteamCMD. Run enshrouded_server.exe once so it writes enshrouded_server.json, stop it, then set the name, slots and passwords in that file. Open UDP port 15637, start the server again, and wait for the console to print 'HostOnline' (up)!. At that point players can join.
Option A: through Steam
- In your Steam library, tick Tools in the library filter so tools are listed. Enshrouded Dedicated Server is unlocked automatically when you own the game. Install it.
- Right-click it, choose Properties → Installed Files → Browse to open the install folder.
- Start
enshrouded_server.exefrom that folder. Keen recommends running the exe directly rather than using Steam’s Launch button.
Option B: SteamCMD
SteamCMD is Valve’s command-line Steam client and doesn’t need your Steam account: the server downloads with an anonymous login. Install it, then run:
steamcmd +force_install_dir C:\enshrouded-server +login anonymous +app_update 2278520 validate +quitThe same command updates the server later. The Enshrouded server app ID is 2278520. Don’t confuse it with 1203620, which is the game itself.
First start
- Run
enshrouded_server.exe. A console window opens and the server createsenshrouded_server.jsonnext to the exe. The world goes into./savegameand logs into./logs(older logs move tologs/backup). - Wait for these lines in the console or the log, which mean the server is fully up:
[Session] 'HostOnline' (up)! [Session] finished transition from 'Lobby' to 'Host_Online' (current='Host_Online')! - Close the server and configure it.
Enshrouded dedicated server settings: configure enshrouded_server.json
Open enshrouded_server.json in any text editor while the server is stopped. The top of the file sets the name, slots, port and chat. userGroups holds one password per role, and gameSettingsPreset picks the difficulty. Save the file and start the server to apply it. A number outside its allowed range is simply clamped to the minimum or maximum, but an invalid text value stops the server from booting, and the console prints the value it rejected.
{
"name": "Enshrouded Server",
"saveDirectory": "./savegame",
"logDirectory": "./logs",
"ip": "0.0.0.0",
"queryPort": 15637,
"slotCount": 16,
"tags": [],
"voiceChatMode": "Proximity",
"enableVoiceChat": false,
"enableTextChat": false,
"gameSettingsPreset": "Default",
"gameSettings": { … },
"userGroups": [ … ]
}name: what players see in the server list.slotCount: 1 to 16. Every slot adds load, so lowering it is the first fix on weak hardware.enableTextChatandenableVoiceChat: both off in a fresh file. Most groups want text chat on.gameSettingsPreset:Default,Relaxed,Hard,SurvivalorCustom. The individual values undergameSettingsonly apply withCustom.
The Enshrouded dedicated server password: server roles, not one password
There is no single server password anymore. The old top-level "password" line does nothing on its own now. If the server finds one in an old file, it turns it into a group called default with Friend-level rights. Each entry in userGroups has its own password, and the password a player types when joining decides what they can do. A fresh file comes with four roles and random passwords:
| Role | Kick/ban | Open chests | Change the world | Build in bases | Flame Altars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admin | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Friend | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Guest | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Visitor | No | No | No | No | No |
{
"name": "Admin",
"password": "pick-something-long",
"canKickBan": true,
"canAccessInventories": true,
"canEditWorld": true,
"canEditBase": true,
"canExtendBase": true,
"reservedSlots": 1
}Replace the random passwords with ones you can share, and delete roles you don’t need. reservedSlots holds slots for one role, so Admins or Friends can still get in when Guests have filled the rest. Every other option, including all 38 gameplay values and some ready-made setups, is in Enshrouded server settings explained.
Enshrouded dedicated server on Linux (Docker, Proton, Unraid)
There is no native Linux build. Keen ships the server for Windows only and says Linux support is planned, so every Enshrouded Linux server runs the Windows build instead. You download the Windows build with SteamCMD and run enshrouded_server.exe under Wine or Proton. The easiest way is one of the community Enshrouded server Docker images, which do both for you, such as mornedhels/enshrouded-server or sknnr/enshrouded-dedicated-server.
To download the Windows build on a Linux machine yourself, force SteamCMD’s platform:
steamcmd +@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType windows +force_install_dir /opt/enshrouded +login anonymous +app_update 2278520 validate +quitDocker with mornedhels/enshrouded-server
The mornedhels image runs the server under Proton by default (Wine builds are tagged stable-wine) and can update, back up and restart on a schedule. A minimal docker-compose.yml:
services:
enshrouded:
image: mornedhels/enshrouded-server:latest
container_name: enshrouded
restart: unless-stopped
stop_grace_period: 90s
ports:
- "15637:15637/udp"
volumes:
- ./game:/opt/enshrouded
environment:
- SERVER_NAME=Enshrouded Server
- UPDATE_CRON=*/30 * * * *
- PUID=4711
- PGID=4711- Edit
enshrouded_server.jsoningame/server, or set values through environment variables (SERVER_GS_*for gameplay values,SERVER_ROLE_0_*for roles). ItsSERVER_PASSWORDvariable is deprecated because Enshrouded ignores it: use roles. BACKUP_CRONzips the save on a schedule. Updates temporarily need up to twice the game’s size in free disk.
Other options: sknnr, Unraid and server managers
- jsknnr’s enshrouded-server publishes the
sknnr/enshrouded-dedicated-serverimage. It runs as user 10000, stores the world in/home/steam/enshrouded/savegameand takes your own JSON withEXTERNAL_CONFIG=1. - Unraid: Community Applications lists Enshrouded templates, including Enshrouded_Proton. Its notes cover the two changes that trip up older setups: the separate game port was removed, and the password moved into the config.
- An Enshrouded server manager, such as AMP or WindowsGSM with its Enshrouded plugin, wraps the same exe and JSON file, so everything in this guide still applies.
Enshrouded dedicated server ports and port forwarding
Enshrouded server port forwarding is simple, because a dedicated server needs one port: 15637 over UDP, set by queryPort. Forward it on your router to the machine running the server and allow it through that machine’s firewall. Older guides also list 15636. That number came from an Early Access gamePort setting that current builds no longer have, so you can drop it.
- Allow the port in Windows Firewall from an administrator Command Prompt:
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Enshrouded Server" dir=in action=allow protocol=UDP localport=15637 - On your router, forward UDP 15637 to the server PC’s local IP address. If you change
queryPort, forward the new number instead. - Test from outside your network, for example a friend’s PC. If it still fails after a correct forward, your internet provider may be blocking the port.
Keen’s FAQ adds that Steam uses its own ports too, listed in Valve’s “Required Ports for Steam” article. The mornedhels image forwards only 15637/udp; jsknnr’s image also publishes 27015/udp for Steam queries. Players on the same local network as the server don’t need any forwarding.
How to connect to your Enshrouded server and invite friends
Players connect through the server browser. Start Enshrouded, pick Join in the main menu and switch on Show dedicated servers in the server filter on the right. Your server is listed by its name. Click the star to make it a favorite, and it stays at the top of the list. To invite friends, send them the server name and the password for the role they should have.
Server not in the list? Add it as a Steam favorite instead:
- Note the server’s IP and query port (15637 unless you changed it).
- In the Steam client, open View → Game Servers → Favorites and click +.
- Enter
IP:15637, for example203.0.113.25:15637. Players on your own network can use the server PC’s local IP the same way. - Open the server list in Enshrouded again. The server now sits at the top.
The filter can also show only password-free servers, your Steam friends’ sessions, empty servers or servers with a minimum number of free slots. Enshrouded public servers show up in the same list. To help strangers find yours, add filter tags in tags, such as ["LookingForPlayers", "English", "BaseBuilding"], or Roleplay for an Enshrouded RP server. When a player joins a server with role passwords, they get a password prompt. That’s normal, because the password picks their role.
Enshrouded server commands, admins and roles
Keen doesn’t document any admin console commands, chat commands or RCON for Enshrouded dedicated servers. Admin rights come from the role you join with. A role with canKickBan can kick and ban players from the player list in the in-game Social menu, and the other permissions decide who can build, open chests and place Flame Altars. Since 1.0, admins also see a chat message whenever someone joins, showing that player’s role.
- You can’t promote or demote a player while playing on a dedicated server. That only works in player-hosted worlds. To change someone’s rights, give them another role’s password, or edit
userGroupswith the server stopped. - Bans are stored in a list at the end of
enshrouded_server.json(bannedAccountsin current files). Manage them in game, and only edit the list by hand with the server stopped.
How to move (transfer) a world to your dedicated server
Characters never need moving: Enshrouded stores them on each player’s PC, and the server only holds the world. To move a world, stop the server, back up its savegame folder, copy your world’s save files in under the names the server uses, and start it again. Since 1.0, older saves (version 0.8 or earlier) are backed up and converted to the new format automatically the first time they load.
- Find your world. In 1.0 the game keeps saves either in a local folder or in Steam Cloud, with separate tabs in the world menu. The local folder is
C:\Users\<you>\Saved Games\keen games\Enshrouded\default. - Let the server make its own world first. Start the dedicated server once, wait for
HostOnline, stop it, and note the file names it wrote insavegame. - Back up the server’s
savegamefolder and your local save. - Copy your world in, renamed to match the files the server created so they replace them. The file names changed with 1.0’s new save format, so go by what your server writes rather than by an older guide.
- Start the server, check the log reaches
HostOnline, then join and check your bases are there.
On a hosted server it’s the same job through the file manager. On GameTeam you can also open a support ticket and have the world moved for you.
How to update an Enshrouded dedicated server
Before any Enshrouded server update, stop the server and back up the savegame folder. Then run the same SteamCMD command again (+app_update 2278520 validate). A Steam Tools install updates through Steam. Update whenever Keen ships a server-side patch. An Enshrouded server version mismatch means players are on a newer version than the server, and they can’t join until it catches up.
- Not every patch needs a server update. Keen marks client-only hotfixes in the patch notes. Hotfix #37, for example, said “Dedicated servers don’t require an update.”
- Check the build: SteamDB’s page for app 2278520 lists the server’s latest public build, which tells you whether a patch touched the server.
- Old config files: Keen notes that an
enshrouded_server.jsonfrom an earlier version is sometimes updated incorrectly. If settings act strangely after an update, rename the file, let the server write a fresh one, and copy your values back in. A file written by a guide from 2024 or 2025 may still have the oldpasswordline or agamePortkey. - Docker: the mornedhels image checks for updates on
UPDATE_CRON.
Common Enshrouded server problems and fixes
Most Enshrouded server problems come down to five things: the port isn’t reachable, the server hasn’t finished starting, the game and the server are on different versions, the JSON file has a bad value, or the machine can’t keep up. The table lists the symptoms people search for, the usual cause and the fix.
| Problem | Most likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| “Server overloaded” warning, Enshrouded server lag, rubberbanding, high ping, high CPU usage | The CPU or RAM can’t keep up with the world and the players on it | Lower slotCount, use a stronger CPU (Keen recommends 8 cores for 16 players), allow 2 Mbit/s of upload per player, and update to 1.0, which reworked these warnings because they used to fire too early |
| “The server is full or unavailable” | All slots taken, slots reserved for another role, the server still loading, or a version mismatch | Check slotCount and reservedSlots, wait for HostOnline, update the server |
| Server not showing up, can’t find a friend’s server | Show dedicated servers is off, the port is closed, or the list hasn’t loaded yet | Turn on the filter, add IP:15637 to Steam favorites, check UDP 15637 |
| Password invalid | The password doesn’t match any role in userGroups |
Use a role password exactly as written in the file, and restart after editing |
| Version mismatch, can’t join after a patch | The server is older than the game | Update with SteamCMD, or restart a hosted server so it updates |
| Server closes immediately, won’t start, not working | An invalid value in the JSON file (the console names it), broken JSON, or an old file updated wrongly | Fix the value, or rename the file and let the server write a fresh one |
| Crashing when joining, stuck on the loading screen, black screen | A known 1.0 bug: hotfix 1.0.0.3 fixed an endless black screen some players got when loading a multiplayer game | Update the game and the server |
| Enshrouded server crashing in big fights | Fixed in hotfix 1.0.0.2 (“server crashing when fighting a very large number of enemies”) | Update the server |
| Lost connection to server | The server crashed, restarted or dropped its connection | Check the log around that time. Crash dumps land in the server folder next to the exe |
Docker: App '2278520' state is 0x202 after update job |
Wrong file permissions or not enough disk space | Fix ownership for PUID/PGID and free up space |
Docker: state is 0x6 after update job |
The updater can’t reach Steam’s content servers | Retry, or run the image’s force-update command |
Skip the setup: rent an Enshrouded server
Running it yourself ties up a PC and a router port, and costs you an evening every time the JSON file refuses a value. Enshrouded server hosting on GameTeam is usually active within seconds of payment. Plans are priced per GB of RAM (from $0.49/GB a week) with unlimited slots. There’s nothing to forward on your router, and an AI copilot built into the panel does the server admin for you.
Tell it “make nights shorter, double the loot and give my brother admin” and it edits enshrouded_server.json, sets up the roles and restarts. If the server refuses to come up, ask what went wrong: the copilot reads the log, names the bad value and corrects it.
FAQ
Do you need a server to play Enshrouded with friends?
No. Any player can host a world from the game and friends join through the server list. You only need a dedicated server if the world should stay online when the host isn’t playing.
Is the Enshrouded dedicated server free?
Yes. It’s unlocked in your Steam library’s Tools for anyone who owns Enshrouded, and SteamCMD downloads it with an anonymous login. The real cost is the machine that has to stay switched on, or a hosting plan.
How many players can join an Enshrouded dedicated server?
Up to 16, set with slotCount. You can set fewer to take load off the server.
Do I have to be online for my friends to play?
Not on a dedicated server: the world keeps running whether you’re there or not. In a world you host from your own game, yes.
Why is my Enshrouded server overloaded?
The warning means the server is under more load than its CPU or RAM can handle. Lower slotCount, give it a stronger CPU, and make sure it’s on the latest build: 1.0 reworked these warnings because they used to fire too early.
Why is my Enshrouded server not showing up?
Turn on Show dedicated servers in the server filter first. If it’s still missing, check UDP 15637 is open and add IP:15637 to Steam’s favorites, which puts it at the top of the list.
Can PS5 players join a PC dedicated server?
No. Enshrouded 1.0 launched on PC and PS5, but it isn’t cross-platform at launch. Keen says it’s working on cross-platform play with no estimate yet. The dedicated server is a Windows program for Steam players.
Where are the Enshrouded server files?
enshrouded_server.json and any crash dumps sit next to enshrouded_server.exe. The world is in ./savegame and logs are in ./logs, with older logs in logs/backup. You can point both folders elsewhere with saveDirectory and logDirectory.
How do I change the server settings in Enshrouded?
Stop the server, edit enshrouded_server.json, and start it again. Gameplay values only apply when gameSettingsPreset is Custom. The server settings guide covers every key.
How much do dedicated servers cost?
Self-hosting costs only the hardware and the electricity. Hosts charge either by RAM or by player slots. GameTeam charges by RAM only: an 8 GB Enshrouded server is $3.92 a week on Budget, or $1.99/GB billed monthly, and slots are unlimited.
What’s the difference between a virtual server and a dedicated server?
In game-server terms, “dedicated server” means the server program runs on its own, separate from anyone’s game. It doesn’t mean a physical machine to itself. A VPS or a game host can run an Enshrouded dedicated server fine, as long as it has the CPU and RAM listed above.