A Nightingale dedicated server keeps your Realmwalkers’ estate and realms online on their own machine, so friends can portal in and keep exploring after the host logs off. Since the July 2025 update, Inflexion ships a free Nightingale Dedicated Server tool (SteamCMD app 3796810) for Windows and Linux. It’s configured in ServerSettings.ini and launch arguments, listens on UDP port 7777, and supports six players per realm by default. Here’s the full setup, from download to backups, plus what to do if your online characters are still on Inflexion’s servers.
How Nightingale servers work today
Nightingale no longer runs on a central Inflexion-hosted network. In mid-2025 the studio moved multiplayer to two options: listen servers hosted from a player’s game, and dedicated servers that players run themselves or rent from a host. Online characters created before the switch were made downloadable from the Main Menu, so they can be brought to either; at launch Inflexion said it would keep them available for up to a year.
| Listen server (Host a Game) | Dedicated server | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | The host’s game | The server tool, on its own PC or a rented machine |
| World online when the host leaves | No | Yes |
| How friends join | Steam, IP/LAN, or a Join Code | Join a Game > Steam or IP/LAN |
| Extra software | None | The free dedicated server tool |
| Port forwarding | Not with Join Codes (they fall back to a relay) | UDP 7777 for self-hosting |
Inflexion’s own advice: pick a dedicated server if your group wants a persistent world, and self-host if you’re comfortable with port forwarding. Otherwise rent one, from one of Inflexion’s partner hosts or any other host, including Nightingale server hosting on GameTeam.
Nightingale dedicated server requirements
Plan on 8–12 GB of RAM, a modern quad-core CPU, an SSD and 64-bit Windows or Linux. RAM is driven by realms: each realm your group has open is its own loaded space, so a party that splits up across realms uses more memory than its size suggests. Inflexion doesn’t publish official server hardware figures, so treat 8 GB as the floor for a small group.
- RAM: 8 GB for a few players in one realm, 12 GB when the group spreads across realms.
- CPU: 4 cores with good clock speed.
- OS: Windows or Linux. The same Steam app contains both builds.
- Network: UDP port 7777 forwarded, and a stable upload.
Running other survival servers too? Our Enshrouded and Valheim dedicated server guides cover games with a similar small-party setup.
How to download the Nightingale dedicated server
You can download the Nightingale dedicated server two ways: as a Steam tool in the Steam client, or through SteamCMD with an anonymous login. Both install app 3796810, which contains the Windows and Linux versions. The SteamCMD route is the one to use on a headless machine or a Linux box.
Steam client: in your Library, enable Tools in the filter, find Nightingale Dedicated Server and install it.
SteamCMD (the same command updates it):
steamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir C:\NightingaleServer +app_update 3796810 +quitOn Linux, use a path like /home/steam/nightingale instead.
Nightingale dedicated server setup, step by step
- Create the config file. Copy
NWX/Config/ExampleServerSettings.initoNWX/Config/ServerSettings.ini. - Set a password and an admin password. The server starts with no password, so anyone could join. In
ServerSettings.ini:[/Script/NWX.NWXServerSettings] Password=friends-only AdminPassword=something-long-and-private - Start it. Run
.\NWXServer.exe -logon Windows (-loggives you a console window) or./NWXServer.shon Linux. From the Steam client, add arguments under right-click > Properties > Launch Options. - Decide whose realms it gets. The first player to connect to a fresh server uploads their character and every realm attached to it, which is how you migrate an existing world. If you want a clean start, join first with a brand-new character.
- Stop it gracefully. Press
Ctrl+Conce (twice if needed). That’s a clean shutdown; closing the window isn’t.
The server runs happily alongside the game on the same PC, so you can host and play from one machine if it has the RAM for both.
Nightingale dedicated server config and settings
Settings come in two kinds. Some can go either in ServerSettings.ini or on the command line; others only work as launch arguments and are ignored if you put them in the file. This is the full list Inflexion documents:
| Setting | Where | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
Password= |
ini or command line | none | Join password |
AdminPassword= |
ini or command line | none | Lets players who enter it kick and ban |
-ini:Game:[/Script/Engine.GameSession]:MaxPlayers=6 |
command line only | 6 per realm | Player limit. Above six is unsupported |
-EnableCheats |
command line only | off | Allows the cheat/debug admin panel for authenticated admins |
-port=7777 |
command line only | 7777 | UDP listen port, 1024–65535 |
-multihome=<IP> |
command line only | all interfaces | Bind to one network interface |
-statusPort=<port> |
command line only | off | HTTP status endpoint (below) |
-log |
command line | off | Console window on Windows |
The password settings also have command-line forms, handy for a host panel or a script: -ini:ServerSettings:[/Script/NWX.NWXServerSettings]:Password=friends-only. Keep the = in -port=, or Unreal ignores the setting.
Admin panel and cheats
To use Nightingale’s admin panel (the debug tools and cheats the team uses for building and testing), start the server with -EnableCheats and set an AdminPassword. Players then authenticate in game with that password. Each client also launches the game with -EnableCheats to get the menu.
Nightingale dedicated server port
A Nightingale dedicated server listens on UDP 7777. Forward that port on your router to the server’s local IP and allow it through the firewall. Running a second server on the same machine? Start it with -port=7778 and forward that too. The optional status port is only for your own monitoring and doesn’t need to be public.
How to join a Nightingale dedicated server
- From the main menu, choose Play and pick or create a character.
- Select Join a Game.
- Join through Steam, or choose IP/LAN and type the server’s address and port, for example
203.0.113.10:7777. - Enter the server password.
Your character, inventory and appearance come with you. Progress can travel back to your own world through Play Solo.
Steam, Epic and crossplay
The dedicated server itself installs from Steam or SteamCMD with an anonymous login, so you don’t need a Steam copy of the game to run it. On the player side, Inflexion’s docs store each connecting player’s character under their Steam or Epic ID, and the two ways into a dedicated server are the Steam option and IP/LAN. Cross-play between Steam and Epic is officially confirmed for Join Codes: the February 2026 update added them for hosted games, and they fall back to Steam Datagram Relay when a direct connection isn’t possible.
Nightingale on Linux and Docker
The Linux build is in the same app: install with SteamCMD, then run ./NWXServer.sh with your arguments. Inflexion doesn’t publish a Docker image, but because the server is a plain anonymous SteamCMD download with a shell launcher, it fits in any generic SteamCMD container: mount NWX/Saved and NWX/Config as volumes so saves and settings survive updates, and publish 7777/udp. For logs that tools can parse, add -ini:Engine:[JsonLogger]:bEnable=true -ini:Engine:[JsonLogger]:bStdout=true -noconsole.
Status endpoint for monitoring
Start the server with -statusPort=8080 and poll http://localhost:8080/status. While it’s loading you get HTTP 503 and "status":"loading"; once players can join, HTTP 200 with "status":"ready", the player count and player names. It binds to localhost unless you add a listener override.
Saves, backups and moving your world
| What | Where |
|---|---|
| Realm data | NWX/Saved/Offline/DedicatedServer/Deploy |
| Characters | NWX/Saved/Offline/<Steam or Epic ID>/Profiles |
| Logs | NWX/Saved/Logs |
| Settings | NWX/Config and NWX/Saved/Config |
To back up a Nightingale server, copy three folders: NWX/Saved/Offline, NWX/Saved/Config and NWX/Config. The server also makes its own copy: the first time it starts on a given weekday, it copies Offline into OfflineBackup. To reset to an empty world, delete NWX/Saved/Offline and NWX/Saved/Config.
To move an existing world onto the server, either connect first with the character whose realms you want (the server imports them), or copy your PC’s NWX/Saved/Offline folder to the server with it stopped. Online characters from before the dedicated server update have to be downloaded from the Main Menu first, while that download is still offered.
Common Nightingale server problems and fixes
| Problem | Most likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Friends can’t connect by IP | UDP 7777 not forwarded, or the firewall | Forward UDP 7777 to the server, allow NWXServer through the firewall |
| “Waiting for server” or no response right after start | Server still loading | Wait for it to finish; the status endpoint says loading until it’s ready |
| Port change ignored | Missing = in -port= |
Use -port=7778, not -port 7778 |
| Max players or cheats not applied | Set in the ini file | Those only work as launch arguments |
| Wrong person’s realms on a new server | The first player to join imported theirs | Reset (delete Offline and Saved/Config), then join first with the right character |
| Odd behaviour with 7+ players | Max players raised above six | Six per realm is the supported limit |
| Server issues after a game update | Server on an older build | Stop, back up, rerun SteamCMD, start again |
Skip the setup: Nightingale server hosting
Self-hosting means a PC that stays on, a forwarded UDP port and launch arguments that only work in one place. With Nightingale server hosting on GameTeam, your estate gets a fixed address in minutes. You pay per GB of RAM, from $0.49/GB a week (8 GB is $3.92 a week) or $1.99/GB billed monthly; slots are unlimited on our side, while Nightingale itself supports six per realm. The built-in AI copilot does the server work: tell it “set the password to ‘portal’, turn on the admin panel and restart” and it edits the settings and launch arguments, or ask “why did the server stop last night?” and it reads NWX/Saved/Logs and tells you. Prefer weekly billing for a game you play in bursts; when the party moves on, switch the server to another game.
FAQ
Does Nightingale have dedicated servers?
Yes, since the July 2025 update. You can run the free dedicated server tool yourself on Windows or Linux, or rent one from a host.
Is the Nightingale dedicated server free?
The software is free from Steam or SteamCMD. Running it costs the hardware and electricity, or a hosting plan.
How many players can join a Nightingale server?
Six per realm by default. You can raise it with the MaxPlayers launch argument, but Inflexion says anything above six is unsupported.
Are there official Nightingale servers?
Not for play anymore: Inflexion moved away from its own hosted infrastructure in 2025, and multiplayer now runs on listen servers and player-run or rented dedicated servers.
Can I run a private Nightingale server for just my friends?
Yes. Set a Password, share the IP and port, and keep the AdminPassword to yourself so you can kick and ban.
Where should I host a Nightingale server?
As close to most of your group as possible: latency matters more than raw power for a party this size. Pick the server location nearest the majority of players.
Does Nightingale support mods on dedicated servers?
No, there’s no official mod support for dedicated servers. The admin panel and cheats are the built-in way to change things.