Change a dedicated Don’t Starve Together server’s player cap in the Master shard’s cluster.ini: stop the server, edit [GAMEPLAY] so max_players = N, save, and restart. Klei’s settings guide lists 16 as the default. If you launch the server from a command line, -players N is an alternative; Klei’s 2026 command-line guide documents values from 1 through 64, and that argument overrides the file setting.
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What the player limit actually controls
The setting is a cap on how many players may be connected to the server’s cluster at the same time. It is not a permanent roster limit, a world-size setting, or a limit on how many accounts can be invited over the life of a save.
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Reserved whitelist slots are counted within the maximum. For example, if your configured cap is full of reserved capacity, fewer unreserved players can join even when the server appears to have open places from a general-player perspective. Treat the number as the total simultaneous capacity available to the cluster, including reservations.
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Choose the configuration method
You can make the change persist in the configuration file or supply it when the server process starts. Both methods control the launched server, but they are useful in different operating setups.
| Method | Where it is set | When it applies | Precedence and best use |
|---|---|---|---|
max_players = N |
[GAMEPLAY] in the Master cluster.ini |
Every start that reads that file | Persistent setting for a normally managed server |
-players N |
The server launch command | That process start | Useful for scripts, containers, or temporary changes; it overrides the file value |
If both are present, the command-line value wins. A file can therefore show one number while the running process uses another number if its startup command includes -players.
Change the limit in cluster.ini
Use this method when you want the cap stored with the cluster and applied consistently whenever the server is restarted.
- Stop the dedicated server cleanly. Do not edit a live configuration while the process is still running. Stopping first prevents the server manager or a shutdown routine from rewriting the file after you save it.
- Open the cluster’s configuration directory. Find the
cluster.iniassociated with the cluster you launch. If the installation contains several shard folders, identify the copy used by the Master shard rather than editing a secondary shard’s file. - Make a backup. Copy the existing
cluster.inito a separate file before changing it. This gives you a direct rollback if the value is mistyped or another setting is accidentally removed. - Locate the
[GAMEPLAY]section. The player cap is not a standalone file property. It must be under the section header written exactly as[GAMEPLAY]. - Set the value. Add or edit the line
max_players = N, replacingNwith the desired simultaneous-player cap. Keep the setting in the Master cluster’s file. A typical entry looks likemax_players = 12. - Save the file without changing its structure. Preserve the section header and the other entries in the file. Avoid leaving two competing
max_playerslines in the same section; keep one deliberate value so it is clear which setting should be read. - Restart the server. The running process must load the edited configuration. A saved file alone does not change a process that is already online.
The exact number is a capacity decision for your community. Klei’s guide identifies 16 as the default, but the file method itself is simply the [GAMEPLAY] value you choose for the Master cluster.
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Use the -players launch option
When you control the command that starts the dedicated server, you can pass the cap directly:
-players NReplace N with the desired value and place the option in the same launch command that starts the server process. Klei’s 2026 command-line guide documents a valid range of 1 through 64. The guide describes the option as setting “the maximum number of players that will be allowed to join the game.”
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When a launch argument is the better choice
- Scripted starts: Keep the cap in the startup script so every automated launch supplies the intended value.
- Temporary events: Pass a larger or smaller cap for one scheduled session without permanently changing the cluster file.
- Managed services: If a service definition owns the command line, edit the service’s launch settings rather than a file that the service may override.
After changing a launch command, stop the old process and start a new one. The option is read when the process is created; adding it to a script does not alter a server instance that is already running.
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Multi-shard servers: edit the Master configuration
A cluster can contain more than one shard, but max_players is a Master-cluster-only setting in Klei’s documentation. The practical rule is simple: find the cluster.ini used by the Master shard and make the change there.
Editing a secondary shard’s copy is a common reason for an apparently ignored setting. Secondary files may contain other shard-specific configuration, but duplicating max_players there does not create an additional cap or override the Master value. Once the Master configuration is correct, restart the cluster so the newly loaded configuration governs the running session.
How to identify the file you should change
- Start from the cluster directory referenced by your normal dedicated-server start procedure.
- If several
cluster.inifiles exist, map each one to its shard directory and determine which directory the Master process uses. - Check the launch definition as well as the files. A command containing
-playerstakes priority over the Master file’s value.
Why a server may still show the old limit
When the displayed or enforced cap does not match your edit, work through the causes in this order.
The server was never restarted
Configuration is read during startup. Stop the dedicated server, confirm that the process has ended, and start it again after saving the file. Merely closing an editor or refreshing a control panel does not reload a running process.
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The wrong cluster.ini was edited
In a multi-shard layout, only the Master cluster’s file controls this setting. Compare the path used by the launch procedure with the path you edited. If they differ, restore the backup and apply the change to the file the Master process actually reads.
A command-line value is overriding the file
Inspect the complete launch command for -players. Its value takes precedence, so changing max_players will not affect the running cap until you remove or update the argument and restart.
The line is outside [GAMEPLAY]
The setting is section-based. A line placed above the header, under another header, or in an unrelated configuration file is not the documented location for this option. Move the entry into the Master cluster.ini section headed [GAMEPLAY].
The file contains a malformed or duplicate entry
Compare the edited file with your backup. Keep one clear max_players = N entry in [GAMEPLAY], preserve the equals sign and numeric value, and remove accidental duplicate lines. If you are unsure which unrelated edits were made, restore the backup and change only the player-limit line.
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Reserved slots consume the capacity
Whitelist reservations count toward the maximum. A server can therefore reject an unreserved player even though the configured total has not changed. Review reservation settings and calculate capacity using reserved and unreserved places together.
The chosen value is outside the documented launch range
For the command-line method, stay within Klei’s documented range of 1–64. If you need a value outside that range, do not assume the launcher will accept it; verify current Klei documentation before deploying the change.
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Safely plan a larger player cap
Increasing the limit changes how many clients may attempt to connect; it does not by itself add hardware, bandwidth, or administrative capacity. Before opening the server to a larger group, decide who will monitor the session and how you will roll back the change.
- Record the previous value. Keep the original line or backup so you can restore the prior cap quickly.
- Change one control point. Either update the Master file or the launch argument. If both are changed at once, it becomes harder to tell which value is active.
- Schedule a restart. Players connected to the old process will not experience a live, in-place limit change; the new value takes effect after restart.
- Communicate the window. Tell players when the server will stop and when the new capacity should be available.
- Check reservations. Include whitelist-reserved places in your capacity plan because they reduce the number of unreserved players who can join.
- Keep a rollback path. If the new cap causes operational problems, stop the server, restore the previous value or launch argument, and start it again.
These steps separate the configuration change from unrelated performance tuning. The player-limit setting determines the allowed connection count; it is not a promise that every machine or network arrangement will perform identically at that count.
Persistent file versus launch override
The two approaches are not competing features so much as two layers of configuration. The file is the durable baseline for the cluster. The command-line option is a higher-priority value supplied to one process start.
Quick Recap
| Question | cluster.ini |
-players N |
|---|---|---|
| Does it persist in the cluster configuration? | Yes, until edited again | No; it applies to starts that include the argument |
| Which scope does the documentation assign? | Master cluster setting | The launched server process |
| What happens if both are supplied? | The file value is the baseline | The command-line value overrides it |
| Best operational fit | Stable, manually managed configuration | Automation, scripted deployment, or a temporary cap |
A concise verification checklist
Use this checklist after every change:
- The dedicated server was stopped before the edit.
- The edited file is the Master cluster’s
cluster.ini. - The value is under
[GAMEPLAY]and written asmax_players = N. - No unintended duplicate or misplaced entries remain.
- The startup command does not contain an unexpected
-playersvalue. - If
-playersis intentional, its number is within Klei’s documented 1–64 range. - The server was restarted after the file or launch command was changed.
- Whitelist reservations were included when estimating how many unreserved players can join.
Key points to remember
- The documented file setting is
[GAMEPLAY] max_playersin the Mastercluster.ini. - Klei’s settings guide lists 16 as the default.
- Klei’s command-line guide documents
-players Nfrom 1 through 64. - A command-line
-playersvalue overrides the file value. - A restart is required for the running server to load the change.
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