Do I need to buy Enshrouded again for the server?

No. Keen bundles the dedicated server with the game: owning it unlocks the server in the Tools section of your Steam library. On a rented machine you can also fetch it with SteamCMD as app 2278520.

Is there a Linux version I can use instead?

Not from Keen yet. Its documentation limits support to Windows at present, with Linux promised for later. Running it through Wine or Proton is a community workaround that Keen does not support.

What happens to my character if the server is wiped?

Your character is safe on your own PC, because Keen keeps character progress on each player's computer. What lives on the server is the world itself: your bases, the map and its progress. That is why the savegame folder is the thing to back up.

How often does the world save?

Keen's FAQ says save files are written every 5 minutes. There is one file per world, from about 1 MB when new to roughly 100 MB once it holds a lot of big bases.

Can I change the port from 15637?

Yes. Set queryPort in enshrouded_server.json to the number you want and restart the server. Remember to allow it through the firewall and to tell anyone who saved your server as a Steam favourite with the old port.

How do I know the server has finished starting?

Watch the console window or the log. Keen says a line reporting the session reaching Host_Online means it is fully up and ready for players to join.

Enshrouded Dedicated Server Your Group Can Share

Why a dedicated server instead of hosting from your PC

Hosting from inside the game ties the world to one person's computer: when they log off, everyone else stops too. A dedicated server is a separate program that holds the world on its own, so your group can drop in at any hour. Keen's server saves the world every 5 minutes, while each player's character travels with them, stored on their own PC rather than on the server.

Putting it on a rented machine rather than a spare PC at home means your home connection, your power cuts and your electricity bill stay out of it.

Will it keep up with your whole group?

Yes, if the processor keeps up: Keen's guidance asks for more cores and a higher clock as the group grows. For four to six players it suggests a 6-core, 12-thread processor at 3.2 GHz (a Core i7 or the AMD equivalent) with 16 GB of memory. For a full server of 16 it asks for 8 cores and 16 threads at 3.7 GHz, with the same 16 GB.

Memory: Keen measured the server program at about 4.4 GB sitting idle, plus up to 100 MB for each player, and says it should not pass 6 GB.
Disk: an SSD with 30 GB free. The installed files are around 13 GB, and each extra world adds up to 100 MB.
Connection: roughly 2 Mbit/s of upload per player, with similar download.

When you compare machines, check both numbers against Keen's: at least 6 cores at 3.2 GHz for a small group, 8 cores at 3.7 GHz for a full server of 16.

It has to be Windows, for now

Keen's setup article is clear that only Windows is supported at the moment, with Linux support planned for a later date, and the Steam listing for the server tool shows Windows alone. So plan on Windows Server on the machine.

With us, Windows Server (up to 2025) is a priced licence added to the server. Windows Server Standard is counted per core: one flat price up to eight cores, then charged for each core beyond that. Licences are billed at their monthly price on every billing cycle, without the discount longer terms give on the machine. ARM machines cannot run Windows at all.

You will find guides that run Enshrouded on Linux through Wine or Proton. Those are community efforts, not something Keen offers or supports, and a game patch can stop them working overnight. If you want the game to just keep working, stay on Windows.

Up and running in an evening

Keen's own instructions use the Tools section of a Steam library that owns the game. On a server it is tidier to use SteamCMD, the text-only Steam client Valve publishes, which downloads the same files without a desktop.

Download SteamCMD from Valve, unzip it into a folder of its own and open a command prompt there.
Run the line below. Valve says an anonymous sign-in works for the majority of servers, though a few insist on a real account; if this one refuses, sign in with the Steam account that bought Enshrouded instead.
Open the install folder and run the server program by hand (Keen's settings article names it enshrouded_server.exe). Keen advises against Steam's Launch button.
Wait for the console window to report Host_Online, then close it. You now have a fresh enshrouded_server.json to edit.

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

Run it again while the server is off to pick up game updates later. You can leave out validate for routine updates: Valve says it is useful when you suspect files are missing or damaged, and warns that it replaces any game file you have edited.

Choosing who can build, loot and kick

Enshrouded decides what a player may do from the password they type. The settings file holds a list called userGroups, and a new file starts with ready-made groups (Admin, Friend, Guest and, on current versions, Visitor), each given a random password. Admins can kick and ban; friends can open chests and change bases; guests can explore and fight but cannot touch your bases or chests; visitors cannot change the world at all.

{
  "name": "Friend",
  "password": "pick-your-own-long-secret",
  "canKickBan": false,
  "canAccessInventories": true,
  "canEditBase": true,
  "canExtendBase": true,
  "reservedSlots": 3
}

Those passwords are the keys to your world, so handle them like any other secret: share each one only with the people meant to have it, never post the settings file in a chat or a screenshot, and change a password if it leaks. reservedSlots holds places open for a group, so your friends can still get in on a busy night.

Upgrading an older server? The single password line near the top is no longer how a dedicated server sets its password. If it still has a value, the game turns it into one group named default with that password and the same rights as Friend, so the server stays protected until you set up groups of your own.

The settings worth changing first

Setting	Default	What it does
`name`	Enshrouded Server	How your world appears in the public list
`queryPort`	15637	The port players reach; change it to match your firewall
`slotCount`	16	How many can play at once, from 1 to 16
`gameSettingsPreset`	Default	Relaxed, Hard, Survival, or Custom to tune each value
`saveDirectory`	./savegame	Where the world file lives

If you choose Custom, the individual values sit in a gameSettings section. A number outside its allowed range is quietly set to the nearest limit, but an invalid text value stops the server from starting, and the console tells you which value it did not like.

Letting your friends find it

Allow the server program through Windows Firewall, and allow the ports Steam itself uses, which Keen's FAQ points to in Valve's documentation. In the game, players choose Join and switch on the filter that shows dedicated servers. If yours still does not show up, Keen's fix is to add it as a favourite in Steam's Game Servers window using its IP and query port, for example 198.51.100.7:15637.

The server that fits

Our game server hosting puts your world on a whole physical machine on HPE enterprise hardware, with a port nobody else shares at the access switch. Every server comes with an unmetered connection, so a busy weekend never turns into a bandwidth bill; even 16 players at Keen's 2 Mbit/s each come to about 32 Mbit/s, our sum, which is a small part of the port.

A server already in the rack is ready about 30 minutes after your order is approved; payment checks can add time.
Rack servers and blades have a remote console you can open from your dashboard after you set up a console login, so a Windows update that hangs on reboot is something you can see and fix yourself.
Pick from five cities, three in the US and two in Europe, on our locations page: whichever sits closest to most of your group.
Month to month with no contract, and 24/7 support by phone, chat and email.

Keep copies of the savegame folder and your settings file away from the server itself, made as often as you like. Stopping the server before you copy is the cautious choice, since Keen does not describe a way to back up while it runs. Hosting more than one game? Our Palworld guide walks through another world you can host yourself.

Questions people ask

Do I need to buy Enshrouded again for the server?: No. Keen bundles the dedicated server with the game: owning it unlocks the server in the Tools section of your Steam library. On a rented machine you can also fetch it with SteamCMD as app 2278520.
Is there a Linux version I can use instead?: Not from Keen yet. Its documentation limits support to Windows at present, with Linux promised for later. Running it through Wine or Proton is a community workaround that Keen does not support.
What happens to my character if the server is wiped?: Your character is safe on your own PC, because Keen keeps character progress on each player's computer. What lives on the server is the world itself: your bases, the map and its progress. That is why the savegame folder is the thing to back up.
How often does the world save?: Keen's FAQ says save files are written every 5 minutes. There is one file per world, from about 1 MB when new to roughly 100 MB once it holds a lot of big bases.
Can I change the port from 15637?: Yes. Set queryPort in enshrouded_server.json to the number you want and restart the server. Remember to allow it through the firewall and to tell anyone who saved your server as a Steam favourite with the old port.
How do I know the server has finished starting?: Watch the console window or the log. Keen says a line reporting the session reaching Host_Online means it is fully up and ready for players to join.

An Enshrouded dedicated server that keeps your world open around the clock