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Choose player-hosted co-op if your group normally starts and finishes sessions together and wants the simplest, no-maintenance option. Choose a dedicated server if players need to enter the same world at different times, even when the usual host is offline. A dedicated server can run on your own PC or on a rented game-server service.
Both approaches support Enshrouded’s online multiplayer, with up to 16 players according to Keen Games’ official FAQ. The important difference is not the maximum party size; it is who keeps the world available, who maintains the machine, and where your world and character data are stored.
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Player-hosted co-op
In ordinary co-op, one player starts the session and acts as the host. The other players join that session. This is usually the fastest arrangement because nobody has to install, configure, patch, or monitor a separate server application.
The trade-off is availability. Keen Games describes dedicated servers as the solution for players who do not want to be online every time their friends want to play. In practical terms, a co-op world is tied to the host’s playing schedule: when that player is unavailable, the group generally cannot use that world.
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Dedicated hosting
A dedicated server runs separately from any player’s active game client. It can run on a spare home computer, a rented server, or another machine that meets the requirements. Friends connect to the running server whenever they want, subject to the server’s uptime and access settings.
This model adds administration. Someone must install the server, keep the operating system and server files maintained, protect access, monitor storage, and make backups. Renting removes much of the hardware work but adds a recurring charge and leaves you dependent on the provider’s published features and terms.
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Side-by-side comparison
| Option | Best fit | World availability | What you manage | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player-hosted co-op | Friends who usually play at the same time | Generally depends on the usual host being online | Only the game session and normal client settings | Easy to start, but scheduling is tied to one player |
| Self-hosted dedicated server | Groups wanting persistent access and control | Available while your server machine and service are running | Hardware, network, installation, updates, security, and backups | No rental bill, but you supply the equipment and maintenance |
| Rented dedicated server | Groups wanting persistent access without operating a server PC | Determined by the rental service’s uptime and account terms | Configuration, access, backups, and provider-specific administration | Recurring cost and provider features must be checked before purchase |
Keen Games’ official material establishes the host-availability distinction, dedicated-server hardware guidance, and the availability of rental hosting. It does not establish current prices, provider-by-provider backup policies, regional latency, support quality, or administration features. Treat those as questions to verify in the service’s current documentation rather than assumptions.
Choose player-hosted co-op when these conditions describe your group
Everyone’s schedule is synchronized
If the same four or five people normally play in one scheduled block, co-op avoids server administration that may provide little benefit. The host opens the world, the others join, and the group stops together. For a casual group that rarely plays independently, this is the lowest-effort choice.
You want to avoid hardware and network work
A dedicated server requires a machine that can stay available, adequate upload capacity, storage headroom, and a setup that permits friends to connect. Co-op lets the host use the normal game client and avoids maintaining a separate service.
Your group is still experimenting
Start with co-op if you are unsure whether the game will become a regular long-term activity. You can decide later whether the group’s schedule justifies a dedicated world. Before changing arrangements, understand the save distinction described below so that nobody assumes a server backup contains every character.
Choose a dedicated server when availability matters more than simplicity
Players log in at different times
The decisive benefit is asynchronous access. A player can work on the shared world when the person who originally hosted the co-op session is away, provided the dedicated service is running and the player has the required connection details.
The world has become a long-term shared project
Large builds and ongoing community projects benefit from a world that is not tied to one person’s play schedule. A persistent service also gives the group a clear place to coordinate access, planned maintenance, and backups.
You can assign an administrator
Someone should own the practical responsibilities: installing updates, controlling who receives access, checking disk space, and restoring a world save if necessary. If nobody wants that role, renting may be easier than self-hosting, but rental terms still need to be reviewed.
Dedicated-server capacity and hardware requirements
Keen Games’ specifications are recommendations, not a guarantee for every world. Actual load can vary with player count, world activity, and the amount of construction. Use the figures as a planning baseline, then leave operating-system and backup headroom.
| Target population | CPU recommendation | Memory recommendation | Storage recommendation | Network guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4–6 players | 6 cores / 12 threads at 3.2 GHz; Intel Core i7 or equivalent AMD processor | 16 GB RAM | SSD with at least 30 GB free | About 2 Mbit/s upload per player; download should roughly match upload |
| Up to 16 players | 8 cores / 16 threads at 3.7 GHz; Intel Core i7 or equivalent AMD processor | 16 GB RAM | SSD with at least 30 GB free | About 2 Mbit/s upload per player; download should roughly match upload |
Turning the bandwidth guidance into a plan
Applying the stated 2 Mbit/s-per-player recommendation gives approximately 8–12 Mbit/s of upload capacity for four to six simultaneous players. A full 16-player target implies about 32 Mbit/s of upload capacity. These are planning calculations from Keen Games’ per-player guidance, not a measured performance guarantee. Your internet connection may advertise a headline rate that is shared with other household traffic, so leave margin for normal use and consider whether the provider’s upload rate is sustained.
Memory and storage behavior
The dedicated-server FAQ reports about 4.4 GB of RAM use while idle and up to 100 MB of additional RAM per player. It also recommends 30 GB of free disk space for server files. World saves can range from about 1 MB to 100 MB; heavily built worlds tend toward the larger end. The free-space recommendation therefore covers more than the current save alone: it provides room for the server installation, updates, logs, temporary files, and backups.
Self-hosting: installation and first configuration
The official installation article published February 23, 2024 describes Windows support and says Linux support was planned. Because that platform statement is dated, confirm the current support status before choosing a Linux machine.
- Use Steam’s Tools section. In the Steam client, open Library, change the library filter to show Tools, and download the Enshrouded dedicated-server tool.
- Run the server executable once. The first launch creates the files and the configuration file named
enshrouded_server.json. - Stop the process before editing. Close the running server cleanly, then open the generated JSON file in a text editor. Keeping the process stopped while editing avoids competing writes.
- Set the player limit. The official configuration documentation shows a slot setting from 1 through 16. Choose a limit that matches your intended group rather than automatically selecting 16.
- Review the query port. The documented default query port is
15637. If you change it, record the new value and apply the same value wherever your firewall or router requires it. - Configure network access. Permit the server’s required traffic through the host firewall and, for a machine behind a home router, configure the router according to the current Enshrouded documentation. A correct JSON file alone does not make a server reachable from outside your network.
- Start the service and test locally. Confirm that the process remains running, the configured world appears, and a local client can connect before asking friends to troubleshoot an internet path.
- Test from another network. A friend on a different connection can reveal router, firewall, or ISP restrictions that a same-machine test cannot detect.
Keep the original configuration file before making major changes. JSON formatting errors can prevent startup, so change one setting at a time and preserve a known-good copy.
Renting instead of self-hosting
Keen Games’ official FAQ names GPortal as a rental partner and says dedicated servers can also be rented through players’ preferred providers. That confirms a rental category, not a universal price or feature set.
What to verify before paying
- Enshrouded support for the game version you intend to run.
- The advertised player-slot range and whether slots can be changed later.
- Where the server’s region is located and whether that location suits most players.
- How world backups are created, retained, downloaded, and restored.
- Whether you can upload or replace an existing world save.
- Who controls configuration files and whether the query port can be changed.
- What happens to the world when a subscription expires or payment fails.
- Whether support covers connection failures, corrupted saves, and version updates.
Do not infer these details from the fact that a service sells Enshrouded servers. Check the provider’s current terms and control-panel documentation, because the official game sources do not publish a provider comparison or current rental pricing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Enshrouded stores worlds and characters
The official server FAQ makes a distinction that affects every migration and backup plan: each game world has a save file on the dedicated server, while character save games are not stored there. Character progression is stored on the clients.
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What a server backup protects
A backup of the dedicated server protects the shared world state: the terrain changes, buildings, and other world data represented by that world save. It does not automatically provide a copy of every player’s character progression.
What each player must protect
Players should protect their own client-side character data. If a player loses the local machine or its game data, restoring the server’s world file may not restore that character’s progression. A group moving from co-op to dedicated hosting should therefore preserve both the world data and each player’s relevant local saves.
Moving between hosting arrangements
Before switching, identify which world file is being transferred and make a separate copy. Confirm that every player has retained their client-side character data. Test the imported world with one player before inviting the full group, and do not delete the original until the new arrangement has been verified.
Operational pitfalls and practical fixes
The server is reachable only when the owner is home
That is still effectively co-op behavior if the server process runs only during someone’s play session. Run the dedicated service on a machine that can remain powered and connected, or choose a rental arrangement whose uptime meets the group’s schedule.
Friends cannot connect
- Confirm the server process is running and the configured slot limit has not been reached.
- Check that the client is using the current server address and port.
- Review the host firewall and router rules against the configured query port.
- Test locally, then from a separate network, to distinguish a server problem from an internet-path problem.
- Check whether an update changed the server and client versions.
The server stops or performs poorly
- Compare the machine with the CPU, RAM, SSD, and upload recommendations for the intended player count.
- Check available memory while players are connected; the FAQ’s 4.4 GB idle figure does not include the additional per-player usage.
- Watch free SSD space as world saves, logs, updates, and backups accumulate.
- Reduce competing network traffic when testing upload capacity.
- Keep a recent world backup before changing configuration or installing updates.
A world appears to be missing progress
First determine whether the missing progress belongs to the shared world or to an individual character. Restore the appropriate data type: the server’s world save for world changes, or the affected player’s client-side data for character progression. Restoring only one cannot substitute for the other.
A decision checklist for your group
- Do players need to enter the world without the usual host? If yes, choose a dedicated server.
- Does everyone normally play at the same time? If yes, co-op is likely sufficient.
- Can someone maintain a server? If yes, self-hosting is viable; if not, evaluate rental hosting.
- Does the proposed machine meet the target player count? Check CPU, 16 GB RAM, SSD space, and upload capacity against Keen Games’ recommendations.
- Have you assigned backup responsibility? Protect the server world and each player’s client-side character data.
- Have you checked volatile details? Confirm current platform support, provider terms, game-version compatibility, and network requirements before committing.
Verdict
For a group with synchronized play sessions, player-hosted co-op is the sensible default: it is simpler and avoids running another service. For a group that wants a shared world available throughout the week, a dedicated server is the better fit. Self-host when you have suitable hardware, upload capacity, and an administrator; rent when persistent access matters but maintaining a server machine does not.
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