How to Make an Enshrouded Server: Step-by-Step Dedicated Server Setup

You can host an official Enshrouded dedicated server by installing Enshrouded Dedicated Server from Steam’s Tools library on a Windows PC, running its executable once, editing the generated enshrouded_server.json, and opening the configured IPv4 port (15637 by default) in your firewall and router. After the process reports HostOnline, players find it through Enshrouded’s dedicated-server browser.

This guide covers the supported Windows workflow, hardware and bandwidth planning, JSON settings, role permissions, external access, joining, backups, and the most common connection failures. Keen Games’ support material is update-sensitive, so recheck the official documentation after major server or game updates.

What do I need before making an Enshrouded server?

You need a Windows host, Steam, enough CPU, memory, SSD space, and upload bandwidth for the number of players you expect. Keen Games currently documents Windows as the supported platform; its installation guidance says Linux support is planned for later, so Linux workarounds are not an officially supported setup.

Supported operating system

• Use a Windows PC or Windows server that can remain powered on while people play.
• Install Steam and sign in to the account that will download the dedicated-server tool.
• Do not assume a Linux, Proton, container, or compatibility-layer deployment is supported unless Keen Games changes its official guidance.

Hardware and network capacity

The published recommendations scale with player count. They are planning targets rather than a guarantee for every world, mod, background process, or future update.

Expected players	CPU recommendation	Memory	Storage	Upload bandwidth
4–6	3.2 GHz Intel Core i7 equivalent AMD processor, 6 cores/12 threads	16 GB RAM	SSD with at least 30 GB free	2 Mbit/s per player
Up to 16	3.7 GHz Intel Core i7 equivalent, 8 cores/16 threads	16 GB RAM	SSD with at least 30 GB free	2 Mbit/s per player

Keen Games’ 2025 server notes report about 4.4 GB of idle RAM use, up to 100 MB of additional RAM per player, and no more than 6 GB of physical RAM expected for the server process. Leave headroom for Windows, Steam, security software, and other services instead of allocating every available gigabyte to the game.

Reserve at least 30 GB of free SSD space. The server files are approximately 13 GB uncompressed, and a typical save can range from 1 MB to 100 MB. Keep additional space for logs, archived logs, Windows updates, and backups.

How do I download the Enshrouded dedicated server?

Install the dedicated-server tool from Steam’s Tools section, then launch the executable directly from its installation folder. The first run creates the configuration file you will edit.

1. Open Steam and select the Library view.
2. Use the library filter and enable Tools.
3. Find Enshrouded Dedicated Server and install it.
4. Right-click the tool, choose Properties, open Installed Files, and select Browse.
5. In the folder that opens, run the server .exe directly. Keen Games specifically recommends this instead of Steam’s Launch button.
6. Wait for the initial files and folders to be created, then stop the process cleanly.

The first launch creates enshrouded_server.json beside the executable. If the file is missing, verify that you ran the executable from its folder and that Windows allowed it to create files there.

Where is enshrouded_server.json and what should I edit?

The file is in the same directory as the dedicated-server executable. Stop the server before editing it, save a backup copy of the original, and use a JSON-aware editor so quotation marks, commas, and braces remain valid.

Core identity, paths, and network fields

Field	Purpose	Documented behavior
name	Name shown in the public server list	Choose a recognizable name for your group; changing it does not replace the server’s save directory.
saveDirectory	Location of world saves	Defaults to ./savegame relative to the server folder.
logDirectory	Location of current logs	Defaults to ./logs; older logs are archived under ./logs/backup.
ip	Local address on which the server listens	Defaults to 0.0.0.0. Use a specific internal address only when your local network requires it.
queryPort	Port used for server queries and listing	Defaults to IPv4 port 15637. Any firewall and router rule must match a custom value.
slotCount	Maximum simultaneous players	Accepts values from 1 through 16. More slots increase CPU, memory, and network pressure.

Do not change several settings at once while diagnosing a failure. Make one edit, start the server, and check the log so you know which change had an effect. A malformed value or invalid JSON can prevent the process from booting.

Chat and gameplay choices

The configuration supports voice chat in Proximity or Global mode, plus independent switches for voice and text chat. Select the communication behavior your group wants before inviting players.

gameSettingsPreset accepts Default, Relaxed, Hard, Survival, and Custom. Use Custom only when you also intend to define individual values under gameSettings. Invalid custom values can stop the server from starting, so change one gameplay value at a time and keep a known-good backup of the file.

How do I configure admins, friends, guests, and visitors?

Use the current user-group schema rather than relying on the older single, top-level password format. Create passwords and permissions for the groups your community actually needs, then give each player only the access appropriate to that group.

Available groups and practical use

• Admin: reserve for trusted operators. Admin permissions include kicking and banning players.
• Friend: use for regular players who should join and play without administrative powers.
• Guest: use when players need access but should not freely alter the base or inventories.
• Visitor: use for the most restricted access when you want to limit world-impacting actions.

The role schema supports per-group passwords, permissions, and reserved slots. Set a different strong password for each group, distribute it privately, and change it if it is shared outside the intended group. The exact permission names and available controls can change with server updates, so review the generated schema and current Keen Games documentation rather than copying an old configuration file.

What port does an Enshrouded server use?

The documented default is IPv4 query port 15637. The host firewall must allow the server through that port, and a router must forward the same port to the Windows PC when players are connecting from outside your home network.

Allow the server through Windows Firewall

1. Start the dedicated server once so Windows can detect the executable.
2. When a firewall prompt appears, allow the server on the network profiles you actually use. A private home network is normally appropriate; avoid exposing a machine on public networks unnecessarily.
3. If no prompt appears, open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security, create an inbound rule for the server executable or its configured port, and allow the documented query port.
4. If you changed queryPort, change the firewall rule to the same number.

Forward the port on a home router

1. Give the host PC a stable local address, either with a router DHCP reservation or a correctly configured static address.
2. Open the router’s port-forwarding page.
3. Forward IPv4 port 15637 (or your custom query port) to the host PC’s local IPv4 address and the protocol required by the router’s Enshrouded rule.
4. Save the router configuration and restart its networking service if it requests one.

Steam can require additional platform ports. Those requirements change, so use Steam’s current Required Ports documentation instead of copying an old third-party list. A server that works for a player on the same LAN can still be unreachable from the internet if forwarding, carrier-grade NAT, or the host’s public IPv4 path is wrong.

How do I start the server and confirm it is online?

Start the executable from its installation folder after saving the JSON. The startup log is the fastest way to distinguish a healthy host from a configuration or port problem.

1. Confirm that enshrouded_server.json contains the intended name, port, slot count, roles, and preset.
2. Run the server .exe directly.
3. Keep the console or log window open during the first test.
4. Look for a line containing [Session] 'HostOnline' (up)! and a transition to Host_Online.
5. If those entries do not appear, stop the process, correct the first reported error, and start again. Do not keep changing unrelated settings while the original error is unresolved.

Leave the process running for players to connect. Closing the console stops the dedicated server, so a 24/7 setup needs a Windows machine that stays powered on and a separate operating procedure for starting it after reboots. Keen Games’ documented material does not provide a complete automatic-restart or rollback runbook; test any task-scheduler or service wrapper separately before relying on it for a live world.

How do friends join my dedicated server?

Players join from Enshrouded’s multiplayer browser, not by opening the server executable themselves.

1. Launch Enshrouded.
2. Choose Join.
3. Enable the dedicated-server filter.
4. Search for the server name you set in name.
5. Enter the appropriate group password when prompted.

If the listing is difficult to find, Keen Games documents favoriting the server. Players can also open Steam’s View > Game Servers flow and add the server’s IP when that method is available in their Steam client. Use the host’s reachable address, not its private LAN address, for players outside your home network.

Why can’t my friends see or join the server?

Work from the inside out: prove the process is healthy, then check the local firewall, router path, address family, Steam networking, and packet loss. A visible LAN listing does not prove that internet clients can reach the host.

The server process never reaches HostOnline

• Reopen the JSON and check commas, quotation marks, field names, and value types.
• Restore the last known-good copy and reapply one change at a time.
• Verify that slotCount is between 1 and 16.
• If using Custom, remove or correct invalid entries under gameSettings.
• Check that another program is not already using the configured query port.

It works on the host or LAN but not for outside players

• Confirm that the Windows inbound rule uses the same port as queryPort.
• Confirm that the router forwards that port to the host’s current local IPv4 address.
• Make sure the server is using IPv4, as documented by Keen Games, rather than relying on an unsupported address path.
• Check whether the internet provider uses carrier-grade NAT, which can prevent inbound forwarding even when the router settings look correct.
• Review Steam’s current required-port guidance if the game browser does not populate.

The listing appears, but connections time out or drop

• Use a wired connection for the host when Wi-Fi packet loss is high. Keen Games specifically advises switching to a cable connection in that situation.
• Temporarily stop bandwidth-heavy uploads, cloud synchronization, and downloads on the host network.
• Check that the host has enough CPU and memory headroom for the selected slot count.
• Have the player favorite the server or try Steam’s Game Servers flow with the reachable IP.

Steam or the game browser behaves inconsistently

1. Clear Steam’s download cache.
2. Flush the Windows DNS cache.
3. Restart Steam, the game, and the dedicated-server process.
4. Recheck IPv4, firewall, and router settings before changing the JSON again.

Where are world saves stored, and what gets backed up?

World progression is stored on the dedicated server, while character progression remains on each player’s client. The default world-save location is the saveDirectory value, normally ./savegame beside the server files.

Keen Games reports that world saves are created every five minutes. That reduces the amount of progress at risk after an abrupt failure, but it is not a substitute for a separate backup. Stop the server cleanly before copying the save directory, keep dated copies on another drive, and verify that a backup can be restored to a test directory before trusting it.

Logs are stored under ./logs by default, with older logs moved to ./logs/backup. Keep a recent log with each troubleshooting report; it records startup errors and helps identify whether a failure began after a configuration or game update.

How do I run an Enshrouded server continuously?

A continuous server needs reliable power, a persistent Windows installation, stable local addressing, and a tested way to start the executable after maintenance or a reboot. The official setup establishes the game process and network path; it does not promise automatic restart, monitoring, or off-site backups.

Practical 24/7 checklist

• Disable sleep and hibernation on the host, while keeping normal security updates enabled.
• Reserve the host’s local IPv4 address so router forwarding does not break after a DHCP change.
• Keep the server folder, save directory, and logs on an SSD with free space.
• Schedule manual or scripted copies of the save directory only after testing that the copy does not include a partially written file.
• Record the current server version and JSON backup before applying a game or server update.
• After a reboot, verify the HostOnline log entry and have one player test joining before announcing the server as available.

Should I self-host locally or use managed hosting?

Local self-hosting gives you direct control and avoids a recurring provider bill, but you supply the Windows hardware, upload bandwidth, router access, maintenance, and recovery plan. Managed hosting shifts those tasks to a provider in exchange for recurring cost and less control over the underlying machine.

Consideration	Self-hosted Windows PC	Managed server or Windows VPS
Cost pattern	Upfront hardware, electricity, storage, and network costs	Recurring provider charge; no separate host purchase in many plans
Network setup	You configure Windows Firewall, router forwarding, and IPv4 reachability	Provider normally supplies a public endpoint; you still configure the game
Uptime	Depends on your power, internet, reboots, and restart process	Often includes data-center availability and restart controls, subject to the provider’s terms
Backups	Complete control over save copies and retention	Convenient backup features may exist, but retention and restore rules vary
Latency	Usually best for players near your home connection	Choose a location close to the group; distant regions add latency
Operating-system support	Official workflow currently targets Windows	Confirm that the service actually provides a supported Windows environment
Control	Direct access to JSON, logs, saves, permissions, and maintenance	Control depends on the provider’s panel, file access, and policies

For a small group that already owns a suitable Windows PC and can configure its router, local hosting is the simplest capability-based option. Choose managed infrastructure when supplying always-on hardware, upload capacity, physical access, or maintenance is the larger problem.

What should I check after every update?

Enshrouded’s dedicated-server fields and support matrix can change. Treat an update as a compatibility check rather than assuming an old server folder and JSON will behave identically.

1. Read the current Keen Games installation and dedicated-server notes.
2. Back up enshrouded_server.json, the save directory, and useful logs.
3. Record the previous server version and working query port.
4. Update the game and dedicated-server tool through Steam.
5. Start the process locally and wait for HostOnline.
6. Test a join, chat, permissions, and world loading with one player before opening the server to everyone.
7. If the update fails, restore the documented-compatible files and saves only after confirming that the game supports that rollback; do not assume rollback safety from an old third-party guide.

Enshrouded dedicated-server launch checklist

• Windows host meets the CPU, RAM, SSD, and upload target for the intended player count.
• Enshrouded Dedicated Server is installed from Steam’s Tools filter.
• The executable has been run directly and created enshrouded_server.json.
• Name, save/log paths, IP behavior, query port, slots, chat, roles, and gameplay preset are reviewed.
• Group passwords and permissions are set, with administrative access limited to trusted users.
• Windows Firewall allows the configured port.
• Router forwarding points the same port to the host’s stable IPv4 address when outside access is required.
• The log reaches HostOnline and Host_Online.
• A player can find the server with the dedicated-server filter and join using the correct role password.
• Save and configuration backups exist before inviting the full group.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change the Enshrouded server’s port after people have joined?

Yes, but every network layer must change together: edit queryPort, update the Windows Firewall rule, change router forwarding, restart the process, and tell players the new endpoint. A mismatch leaves the server running locally while clients continue trying the old port.

How many players can an official Enshrouded dedicated server hold?

The documented maximum for slotCount is 16. Setting a lower value is useful when your CPU, upload link, or group size cannot reliably support the maximum.

Does a dedicated server keep my character when I join another world?

The documented storage model separates world and character progression: the world is saved by the dedicated server, while character progression remains on each client. Keep your client profile and server world backups as separate recovery items.

Can I give someone building access without making them an admin?

Use the Friend, Guest, or Visitor group whose permissions match the role you want, rather than sharing an Admin password. Guest and Visitor roles can be restricted from base and inventory changes, while Admin is intended for trusted operators with kick and ban powers.