A V Rising dedicated server runs your vampire world around the clock on its own machine, so your clan can log in, raid and build without anyone hosting from their game. Stunlock’s server app is a free Windows download (Steam app 1829350). You configure it in two JSON files, ServerHostSettings.json and ServerGameSettings.json, and open two UDP ports. This guide covers setting one up, the ports, admin, moving a private game to the server, wipes, PS5, Linux, and the fixes for a server that isn’t showing up or won’t connect.
Private game vs dedicated server
When you start a private game from the V Rising menu, the game runs a copy of the server in the background, on your PC, and it stops when you quit. A dedicated server is that same server software running by itself. So the real difference is whether the world depends on one player’s PC being on.
| Private game (hosted by your client) | Dedicated server | |
|---|---|---|
| World runs when the host is offline | No | Yes |
| Players | Small groups, solo or with friends | Up to 128 technically; 10 to 40 is typical |
| Settings | Picked when you create the world | Two JSON files you can edit any time (restart to apply) |
| Scheduled wipes, RCON, auto-save control | No | Yes |
| Load on your PC while you play | Game plus server | None |
For solo play or a duo who always play together, a private game is fine. For a clan in different time zones, or a PvE world people drop into when they like, you want your own server.
V Rising dedicated server requirements and specs
Plan on 6 to 10 GB of RAM for the server alone. Memory grows with the number of castles and how much territory is claimed, so a server that’s fine in launch week can struggle once every plot is taken. The server is Windows-only, and wants a CPU with good single-core speed and an SSD.
- RAM: 6 GB for a small group, 8 to 10 GB for a full clan server with established castles.
- CPU: a modern processor; the server targets 30 FPS by default (
ServerFps). - Storage: an SSD. Auto-saves are written every 2 minutes by default.
- OS: Windows. Stunlock only ships a Windows version. Linux works under Wine (see below).
- Network: the game port open for players, plus the query port if you want to show up in the server list.
Raspberry Pi? No. The server is a Windows x86 program and there’s no ARM build, so a Pi would need Wine plus x86 emulation on top. AWS or another cloud VM? Yes, a Windows instance runs it like any PC. Budget for the instance size the RAM above requires, and open the ports in the cloud firewall. Or skip the VM setup with V Rising server hosting.
How to set up a V Rising dedicated server
To set up a V Rising dedicated server, download the free server tool, copy the example start script, put your own copies of the two settings files in the override folder, forward the ports and start it. The one rule that saves the most grief: never edit the default files, because updates overwrite them.
1. Download the server
In Steam, the V Rising Dedicated Server tool is in the Tools section of your library, free for everyone. Or use SteamCMD with an anonymous login:
steamcmd +force_install_dir C:\VRisingServer +login anonymous +app_update 1829350 validate +quit1829350 is the server’s app ID for downloading. When it runs, it uses the game’s own ID (1604030), which comes in the steam_appid.txt file. The download is the same for every PC player. For PS5, see below.
2. Make your own start script
The install folder has an example script. Copy it to a new file before editing, because updates overwrite the original. Stunlock’s example looks like this:
@echo off
set SteamAppId=1604030
echo "Starting V Rising Dedicated Server - PRESS CTRL-C to exit"
VRisingServer.exe -persistentDataPath .\save-data -serverName "My V Rising Server" -saveName "world1" -logFile ".\logs\VRisingServer.log"-persistentDataPath is the important one. It decides where your settings (Settings subfolder) and saves (Saves subfolder) live. Without it, they go to %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Stunlock Studios\VRisingServer\. Set it, so you always know what to back up, and so you can run two servers on one machine without them sharing a world.
3. Put your settings in the override folder
The default settings ship in VRisingServer_Data/StreamingAssets/Settings/. Don’t edit those: updates overwrite them. Copy ServerHostSettings.json and ServerGameSettings.json into <persistentDataPath>/Settings/ and edit the copies. You can also keep only the values you change there; the server fills in the rest from the defaults.
The host file controls the server itself:
{
"Name": "Night Court",
"Description": "PvE. Wipe every 4 weeks. Be nice.",
"Port": 9876,
"QueryPort": 9877,
"MaxConnectedUsers": 20,
"MaxConnectedAdmins": 4,
"ServerFps": 30,
"SaveName": "world1",
"Password": "",
"ListOnSteam": true,
"ListOnEOS": true,
"AutoSaveCount": 20,
"AutoSaveInterval": 120,
"GameSettingsPreset": ""
}| Host setting | What it does |
|---|---|
Name / Description |
Name in the server list; the description shows in the details panel and in chat on connect |
Port |
UDP game port |
QueryPort |
UDP port for Steam server list features |
MaxConnectedUsers |
Player cap; 128 is the technical maximum |
MaxConnectedAdmins |
Admins who can still join when the server is full |
Password |
Makes it a private server; leave empty for open |
ListOnSteam / ListOnEOS |
Show the server in the Steam / Epic Online Services lists. The game looks at the EOS list by default |
HideIPAddress |
Hide your IP in the EOS list; players connect through relays |
LanMode |
LAN-only server |
Secure |
VAC protection; VAC-banned players can’t connect |
SaveName |
Name of the save folder to load or create |
AutoSaveCount / AutoSaveInterval |
How many auto-saves to keep, and seconds between them |
GameSettingsPreset |
Load a ready-made game settings preset, for example StandardPvP |
GameDifficultyPreset |
Difficulty_Easy, Difficulty_Normal or Difficulty_Brutal |
ResetDaysInterval / DayOfReset |
Scheduled wipes (see below) |
Every host setting can also be set from the command line or an environment variable, for example -maxUsers 20 or VR_MAX_USERS=20. Game rules, like PvE or PvP, clan size, loot and castle decay, are in ServerGameSettings.json. They’re explained one by one in V Rising server settings explained.
4. Open the ports
The default host settings file ships with UDP 9876 as the game port and UDP 9877 as the query port. Stunlock’s documentation uses 27015 and 27016 in its examples, and many guides copy those. Whichever numbers you set in Port and QueryPort, those are the ones to forward. Allow VRisingServer.exe through Windows Firewall. Stunlock’s rule: to appear in the server list, open and forward both ports. To let friends direct connect only, the game port is enough.
5. Start it and connect
Run your script and wait for the log to settle. To connect, open the server list in V Rising and search for your server’s name. Or use direct connect with your public IP and game port, for example 203.0.113.25:9876. Players on your home network use the server’s local IP instead.
How to become admin on a V Rising server
- Add your SteamID (the 17-digit steamID64), one per line, to
adminlist.txtin<persistentDataPath>/Settings/. No restart needed. - In the game, enable the console in the options menu.
- Press
~to open it and typeadminauth.
Once authenticated, you can use the admin commands, including kick, banuser, bancharacter, banned and unban. Bans are written to banlist.txt in the same folder, and you can edit that by hand too.
RCON commands
For admin from outside the game, enable RCON in ServerHostSettings.json. It needs a password and uses TCP, port 25575 by default:
"Rcon": {
"Enabled": true,
"Password": "somepassword",
"Port": 25575
}| RCON command | What it does |
|---|---|
announce <message> |
Message to everyone online |
announcerestart <minutes> |
Localized “restart in X minutes” warning |
shutdown <message times> <message> |
Schedules the server shutting down, with warnings |
cancelshutdown [message] |
Cancels it |
name / description / password |
Change them while running |
version / time / help |
Server version, server time, command help |
V Rising server save file location
Saves live in <persistentDataPath>/Saves/, by default %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Stunlock Studios\VRisingServer\Saves. Inside is a v4 folder (the current save format version), and in that, one folder per SaveName. The server auto-saves every 120 seconds and keeps 20 by default. Stunlock still recommends regular backups, especially before and after a patch.
How to move a private game save to a dedicated server
You can transfer a world you started as a private game to your dedicated server and keep playing it. Here’s Stunlock’s process:
- Find the save. In the game’s Load Game menu, select the world and choose Go to Directory. It’s a folder with a random GUID name, under
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Stunlock Studios\VRising\CloudSaves\<SteamID>\v4\(or...\VRising\Saves\v4\). - Back up the whole folder before you touch anything.
- Tidy it (optional). If your server already has its name, password and player count, delete
ServerHostSettings.jsonfrom the copy. You only need the latestAutoSave_#, but copying all of them is fine. - Copy it to the server into
<persistentDataPath>/Saves/v4/. Rename the folder to something simple, likeclanworld. - Point the server at it with
-saveName clanworld, and setGameSettingsPresetto empty. To keep the world’s original rules, don’t put a modifiedServerGameSettings.jsonin the server’s Settings folder. The copy inside the save carries them. - Remove the local copy from the in-game Load Game menu so it doesn’t show up twice. If you use Cloud Saves, do it from inside the game, or Steam’s cloud sync puts the files back.
If the server loads a brand-new world instead, the folder name and -saveName don’t match exactly.
Wipes and how to delete a V Rising server
To wipe on a schedule, set ResetDaysInterval (days between wipes, 0 = off) and optionally DayOfReset. For example, 14 and Saturday means every other Saturday. When the server starts and a wipe is due, it backs up the old save and starts a new one. For a manual wipe, stop the server and either change SaveName or move the old save folder out of Saves/v4/. To delete a server for good, stop it and remove its persistentDataPath folder. Back it up first if you might want that world back. A private game is deleted from the Load Game menu.
V Rising dedicated server for PS5 players
PS5 players need a server built for the PS5 version of the game. It’s the same download (app 1829350) from a different branch, ce-1:
steamcmd +force_install_dir C:\VRisingPS5 +login anonymous +app_update 1829350 -beta ce-1 validate +quitThe PS5 server is configured with the same two JSON files. Stunlock’s PS5 instructions list the EOS server list rather than Steam, and leave out the VAC and in-game admin sections. Run a separate server for your PC players and one for your PS5 players.
V Rising dedicated server on Linux
There’s no native Linux server. The Windows build runs under Wine, and the easiest way is a Docker image such as TrueOsiris/docker-vrising (Ubuntu with Wine):
services:
vrising:
image: trueosiris/vrising
environment:
- SERVERNAME=Night Court
volumes:
- ./persistentdata:/mnt/vrising/persistentdata
ports:
- '9876:9876/udp'
- '9877:9877/udp'Settings and saves end up in ./persistentdata/Settings and ./persistentdata/Saves, the same layout as on Windows.
How to update a V Rising server
Stop the server, back up the saves, and run the SteamCMD line again. It checks the files and downloads the new version. Stunlock also recommends restarting the server every day, ideally when it’s least busy, and an update is a good moment for that restart. If players see a version mismatch, the server is almost always the one that’s behind.
Mods
V Rising mods use BepInEx, with packages from Thunderstore. Anything that changes gameplay needs the same version on the server and on every player’s game, so a V Rising update can break mods until their authors catch up. Keep a vanilla backup of your world before you add any.
Common V Rising server problems and fixes
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated server not showing up in the list | ListOnSteam / ListOnEOS are false in the default file, or the query port is closed |
Set both to true, forward the QueryPort, restart. Meanwhile, use direct connect |
| Can’t connect / connection timed out | Game port not forwarded or blocked by the firewall, or wrong IP or port | Forward the UDP Port, allow VRisingServer.exe, and connect with the public IP and game port |
| Settings not working | Edited the default file or the wrong file, or a preset is overriding you | Edit the copies in <persistentDataPath>/Settings/, check host vs game file, clear GameSettingsPreset, restart |
| Server not starting | Broken JSON (a missing comma or quote) or a port already in use | Check the log at your -logFile path; validate the JSON |
| Version mismatch, or server down after a game update | Server not updated | Re-run app_update 1829350 validate |
| Crashing when joining, or server crashing | Out of memory on a mature world, or mods out of date after a patch | Add RAM, update or remove mods, read the log |
| Server full | MaxConnectedUsers reached |
Raise it; admins can still join up to MaxConnectedAdmins |
| Transferred save starts a new world | Folder name and -saveName don’t match, or wrong v4 path |
Match them exactly under Saves/v4/ |
Before you work through a Reddit thread about servers not being listed, check the two list settings in the first row.
Skip the setup: rent a V Rising server
Self-hosting means a Windows PC running day and night, two JSON files where a change in the wrong one does nothing, ports, daily restarts and manual updates. If your clan would rather hunt, V Rising server hosting on GameTeam takes the Windows box and the port forwarding off your hands. RAM is what you pay for, per GB, and slots are unlimited, so the whole clan costs the same as a duo: $0.49/GB a week on Budget, or $1.99/GB billed monthly. A mid-range 8 GB world runs $3.92 a week, and paying weekly lines up with a game played in seasons.
The built-in AI copilot knows which file each setting lives in. Tell it “make it PvE, clan size 6, halve castle decay and wipe every four weeks on Saturday”. It edits ServerGameSettings.json for the rules, sets ResetDaysInterval and DayOfReset in ServerHostSettings.json, and restarts the server. When the server falls over after a patch, ask it why: it reads the server log and names what broke, often a mod that hasn’t caught up. It can also back up the world before a wipe or a patch. There’s a 72-hour money-back window, and between seasons the same server can run your clan’s other game.
FAQ
Is the V Rising dedicated server free?
Yes. The server tool is free for everyone in Steam’s Tools section or through SteamCMD (app 1829350). You pay for the machine, or for hosting.
Can I host my own V Rising server?
Yes. Download the server, copy the start script, set your name and password in ServerHostSettings.json, forward the game port and start it. Or start a private game from the menu if you only play while you’re online.
How many players can a V Rising server have?
MaxConnectedUsers sets it; 128 is the technical maximum. The default file uses 40, and 10 to 40 is typical depending on the world settings.
What ports does a V Rising server use?
Whatever you set in Port and QueryPort, both UDP. The default file uses 9876 and 9877. RCON, if enabled, uses TCP 25575.
How do I connect to a V Rising dedicated server?
Search the server list for its name, or direct connect with the public IP and game port. Set a password in ServerHostSettings.json to keep it private.
Can I move my private game to a dedicated server?
Yes. Copy the save folder from Load Game → Go to Directory into the server’s Saves/v4/ folder and start the server with -saveName set to that folder.
Can I run a V Rising server on Linux or a Raspberry Pi?
Linux, yes, under Wine (Docker makes it easy). Raspberry Pi, no: there’s no ARM build.
Does a V Rising server work for PS5 players?
Yes, with the PS5 server build from the ce-1 branch of the same Steam download.