Stormworks: Build and Rescue Server Hosting
Design the boat, fly the rescue and survive the storm with your crew while the AI copilot keeps the sea open.
What does a Stormworks dedicated server need?
A Stormworks dedicated server is server64.exe from the game folder (or the free Stormworks Dedicated Server, Steam app 1247090), a CPU with a high clock speed because the server runs the physics, about 4–6 GB of RAM, a block of consecutive ports starting at 25564, and a hand-edited server_config.xml. Stormworks server hosting on GameTeam gives you all of that for $0.49/GB a week on Budget, with unlimited slots on our side (the game's own max_players defaults to 32) and an AI copilot that edits the XML, enables addons and adds admins when you ask.
Run your Stormworks: Build and Rescue server by just asking.
Stormworks hides everything in one XML file where a missing quote stops the server cold, and the world rules only apply to a brand-new save. Say what your crew needs and the copilot writes valid XML, picks the right base and Steam IDs, and reads the log when the server won't come up.
Addons Enabled, Confirmed
Missions and addons set in the config by the copilot and read back.
Heavy Vehicles? Add RAM.
Per-GB pricing — grow the plan when the crew's creations get complex.
Same Server, Next Game
Switch the server when the crew rotates.
Stormworks: Build and Rescue with friends
A build-and-rescue sandbox: design boats, helicopters and planes block by block, wire the logic yourself, and take them into storms to save lives. Missions play out over a shared archipelago, and a crew can build and operate a whole rescue service.
Stormworks: Build and Rescue server RAM requirements
4-6 GB. Complex player-built vehicles with heavy logic are what raise it.
| Your server | Starting RAM | From (Budget, weekly) |
|---|---|---|
| A small crew, stock vehicles | 4 GB | $1.96 / week |
| A busy server with big builds and several addons | 5 GB | $2.45 / week |
| Large logic-heavy vehicles, mods and a full player list | 6 GB | $2.94 / week |
Stormworks leans on the CPU more than on memory: the server calculates the physics, and one player's huge, logic-heavy ship can slow the simulation for everyone. Every GameTeam server runs a high-clocked Ryzen 9 7950X. Add RAM in one click when the builds get bigger. Player limit: 8-32 depending on the addons in use.
How to set up a Stormworks: Build and Rescue server on GameTeam
Pick RAM and a location
4 GB is the starting point. Choose the location nearest your crew; every player streams vehicle data from the server, so distance matters. We have 25+ locations.
Shape the world
Tell the copilot the server name, password, starting base, playlists and rules, or edit server_config.xml in the file manager with the server stopped. Add your Steam64 ID to the admins list first.
Bring the crew
In Stormworks open the server browser and search for your server name, or connect directly to the address and port the panel shows. Then authorize the players who should be able to spawn vehicles.
Good to know before you start
Addons and missions are enabled in server_config.xml, and the enabled set defines what players can actually do.
The most common problem
Complex player-built vehicles with heavy logic can slow the server for everyone, and the cost is not obvious from the vehicle itself.
Stormworks: Build and Rescue server settings explained
All settings live in server_config.xml. Server settings apply every time the server starts; world settings such as seed, base_island and the DLC switches only apply when a new save is created (an empty save_name or a save that doesn't exist). The file can't be changed while the server runs, and one XML typo stops it with a parse error. The settings owners reach for first:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
name / password | Server name in the browser (stick to Latin characters) and the join password; empty means open. |
max_players | Player limit. The default is 32. |
port | The first of the server's consecutive game ports. The default is 25564. |
save_name | The world the server loads and saves. Leave it empty to create a new world. |
physics_timestep | Physics resolution: 60, 120 or 180, or 0 for automatic. |
despawn_on_leave | Removes a player's character when they disconnect. |
<admins> / <authorized> | Steam64 IDs with admin rights, and IDs allowed to spawn, despawn and return vehicles at the workbench. |
<whitelist> / <blacklist> | One entry in the whitelist switches the server to whitelist-only. The blacklist fills up from ?ban. |
<playlists> | Missions and environment addons, as folder paths like rom/data/missions/default_cargo. |
<mods> | Mod folders to load, including Workshop items by their folder ID. |
base_island / starting_currency | The base players own at the start (for example data/tiles/island_15.xml, Creative Island) and starting money. New worlds only. |
dlc_weapons / dlc_arid | Search & Destroy and Industrial Frontier DLC content in a new world. |
day_length / night_length | Minutes of day and of night. Changeable later from the in-game Custom menu. |
infinite_resources / infinite_fuel / unlock_components | Career-style limits or a sandbox. Also adjustable later in the Custom menu. |
sea_monsters / vehicle_damage / ceasefire | Aggressive sea monsters, vehicle damage, and weapons use (with the weapons DLC). |
Stormworks: Build and Rescue server commands
Admin commands go in the chat. Find a player's peer ID in the player list (hold ~) and use it with these:
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
?save <savename> | Saves the world. With no name it saves to autosave_server and to the save in the config. |
?kick <id> | Kicks a player. |
?ban <id> | Bans a player and adds them to the blacklist. |
?add_admin <id> | Makes a player an admin. ?remove_admin <id> takes it away. |
?add_auth <id> | Lets a player use the workbench. ?remove_auth <id> revokes it. |
Can I add mods to a Stormworks: Build and Rescue server?
Yes, through Steam Workshop addons and missions, enabled in the server configuration.
Addons come in two kinds in the config: mission and environment playlists (the built-in ones sit under rom/data/missions) and mods, listed by folder. Turn on only what the crew will actually play.
Stormworks: Build and Rescue server ports
Nothing to forward on GameTeam: the panel shows the address and port to connect to. At home the developer's guide says to forward all three game ports and allow the server through the firewall.
Pay per GB of RAM. Never per slot.
You pay for memory, not seats, and billing can be weekly, so you are never locked into a month the group might not play. Change RAM in one click, or switch the same server to another game. The AI copilot is included on every plan.
- ✓ AI copilot included on every plan
- ✓ Unlimited player slots — we never charge per slot
- ✓ Ryzen 9 7950X · NVMe storage
- ✓ DDoS protection included
- ✓ Switch to another game anytime
Hardware & network
Locations
What server owners say
"Honestly didn't expect much from an 'AI manager', but it's how I run my server now. I'll type something like 'why did the server crash last night' and it actually reads the logs and tells me."
Verified review
"I'd been on two other hosts before this. What sold me was the AI manager catching a memory leak in one of my mods and naming the exact one — something I'd been chasing for weeks."
Verified review
"I'm not very technical and setting up servers always stressed me out. Now I just ask the assistant to fix a config, and it either walks me through it or does it for me."
Verified review
Stormworks: Build and Rescue server hosting FAQ
How many players can a Stormworks server hold?
The max_players setting defaults to 32. In practice the limit is the simulation: many players with big, complex vehicles can slow any server, so busy servers keep builds in check. GameTeam doesn't charge per slot.
How much RAM does a Stormworks server need?
Start with 4 GB, the developer's own figure for a single server without mods. Go to 5–6 GB for heavy logic vehicles, mods and lots of addons. CPU clock speed matters more than memory, because the server runs the physics.
Why can't my friends spawn vehicles?
By default only admins and whitelisted players can use the workbench. Add your friends to the <authorized> list, or type ?add_auth <id> in the chat with their peer ID from the player list.
Why don't my world settings change anything?
Settings like the seed, base island, starting money and DLC switches are only read when a new world is created. To use them, clear save_name (back the old world up first) and restart. Day length, damage and resource rules can be changed later from the Custom menu in game.
How do I add Workshop addons and mods?
List missions under <playlists> and mods under <mods> in server_config.xml, each as a folder path, then restart. Ask the copilot to add them and it writes the paths and checks the XML.
Is Stormworks dedicated server hosting better than hosting from the game?
Hosting from your game means the world closes when you do, and your PC runs the physics while you play. A dedicated server keeps the archipelago running for the whole crew, day and night. On GameTeam that costs $0.49/GB a week on Budget, so a 4 GB server is $1.96 a week, or $1.99/GB billed monthly.
Can I upload my existing world?
Yes. Upload the save folder through the file manager and set save_name to its name, or tell the copilot which save to load. Make a backup of the current world first; the copilot does that on request.
My server won't start after I edited the config. Why?
A settings parse error almost always means broken XML: a missing quote or a tag not closed. A wrong file name doesn't stop the server, it changes the world instead: island15.xml in place of island_15.xml starts you on the default base. The copilot reads the log, points to the line and fixes it.
Same server, any game.
Your rescue service, on call around the clock.
Deploy a server, tell the copilot how the world should play, and send your crew the address.
Deploy your Stormworks: Build and Rescue server