How to Enable Persistent Worlds on a Space Engineers Dedicated Server

Use the Space Engineers Dedicated Server rather than a player-hosted session. A dedicated server runs the simulation independently of any player client, so the world can remain available when the original host disconnects or is offline. Load your saved world into the server’s Saves folder, enable Auto-Save and backup saves, and stop the process gracefully whenever you restart it. Those steps prevent the most common causes of lost progress and apparent world resets.

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What “persistent world” means in Space Engineers

A player-hosted world exists inside the host’s game session. When that player exits, the simulation ends and other players cannot continue in the same world. Persistence in the practical multiplayer sense means that the simulation is hosted by a separate server process and its save files remain available between player sessions.

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The supported way to achieve that arrangement on PC is the Space Engineers Dedicated Server. The server loads a world, runs it without a participating player, writes saves to disk, and can be configured to start again after a machine reboot. Players then connect to the server instead of relying on one person to keep a client open.

Persistence does not mean that every last second of activity is written instantly. Save intervals, shutdown behavior, backups, and the condition of the storage device still determine how much progress can be recovered after a crash or power loss. Configure all four deliberately.

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Check the host requirements before installing

The current dedicated-server guide publishes these baseline specifications and software requirements:

The figures are published guidance, not a player-count or uptime guarantee. A machine that meets the minimum can still need more headroom for the world, scripts, mods, background services, and the operating system. Reserve additional disk capacity for recurring saves and copied backups rather than treating the approximately 8 GB installation estimate as the total requirement.

Install Space Engineers Dedicated Server

You can install the server through Steam’s Tools section or with SteamCMD. For SteamCMD, the documented application ID is 298740.

Install through Steam

1. Open the Steam client and switch the library filter to Tools.
2. Find and install Space Engineers Dedicated Server.
3. Allow Steam to finish downloading the server files before creating an instance.

Install with SteamCMD

1. Install SteamCMD on the Windows machine that will host the server.
2. Sign in as required by your SteamCMD installation.
3. Use the documented app ID 298740 to download or update the dedicated-server files.
4. Keep the installation directory and its data directories on storage that is included in your backup plan.

Installing the program is only the first step. A server process without a configured instance and a selected world has nothing persistent to load.

Create a server instance

Start SpaceEngineersDedicated.exe. The setup path depends on whether you want to watch the server in a console window or have Windows run it in the background.

Foreground Local/Console mode

1. Launch SpaceEngineersDedicated.exe.
2. Choose Local/Console when prompted for the server mode.
3. Continue to the server-configuration screen.
4. Set the instance’s world, networking options, and save settings before starting it.

This mode is useful while you are validating a world, testing settings, or diagnosing startup errors because the server output remains visible in the console.

Background service mode

1. Run the dedicated-server program as Administrator.
2. Choose Add new instance.
3. Give the instance a distinct name.
4. Configure the world and server settings, then save the instance.
5. Assign ports that are not used by another instance on the same machine.

Service mode is intended for unattended operation. The service starts after a Windows reboot, so the world can become available again without someone manually opening the server program. Administrator rights are required during the service setup, and every instance needs unique ports; two instances cannot share the same port assignments.

Load a new or existing world

Select a world already visible to the server

1. Open the instance’s New game / Saved worlds screen.
2. Choose the saved world you want the server to host.
3. Apply the selection and start the instance.
4. Join from a separate game client to confirm that the world loads and that the expected settings are present.

Move a local world to the dedicated server

A world created in the normal game client is not automatically listed by the dedicated server. Copy the complete world folder while the source game and server are stopped, or immediately after a confirmed save.

1. On the computer containing the local world, open the regular game save location: AppDataRoamingSpaceEngineersSaves.
2. Identify the folder for the world you want to migrate. Use the folder’s contents and modification date to distinguish it from other saves.
3. Copy the entire world folder, not just individual files inside it.
4. Paste it into the dedicated-server Saves directory. Depending on the installation and configuration, that directory is commonly %APPDATA%SpaceEngineersDedicatedSaves or the documented ProgramDataSpaceEngineersDedicated location.
5. Start the dedicated-server instance and open New game / Saved worlds.
6. Select the copied world and start the server.
7. Connect with a client and verify the expected grids, inventories, progression, and world settings before allowing players to continue.

The folder can be in one of two documented locations because the server supports per-user data under the home directory and machine-wide data under ProgramData. If the world does not appear, check both locations for the instance you actually launched, then verify that the copy preserved the world-folder structure.

Turn on saving and rollback protection

Enable Auto-Save

In the server configuration, enable Auto-Save. This makes the server periodically write the active world to disk instead of relying only on a manual stop. Auto-Save is the first line of defense against a crash, but it still has an interval: activity since the most recent save can be lost.

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Set Max Backup Saves above zero

Set Max Backup Saves to a value greater than zero. The server then retains restore points instead of continually replacing the only current save. Backups can be opened from the load screen, allowing you to roll back to an earlier state when a save becomes damaged or an unwanted change has propagated.

Choose a number that fits your available storage and the age of rollback you need. More retained saves consume more disk space; fewer saves reduce the number of recovery points. The setting does not replace an off-machine backup because every copy on the host can be lost with that host.

Confirm that saving is actually occurring

• Make a small, recognizable change in the world.
• Wait for an Auto-Save cycle or perform a controlled stop.
• Restart the instance and check that the change remains.
• Open the load screen and verify that backup entries exist when Max Backup Saves is enabled.

Restart and stop the server without losing recent progress

A graceful stop gives the server an opportunity to save the current world. The official server documentation identifies this command as a correct stop method:

taskkill /IM SpaceEngineersDedicated.exe

Run it when you intend to stop the dedicated-server process and want the latest progress preserved. Do not add the forced-termination switch /f for a normal restart. Forced termination can end the process before the final save completes, leaving the next start at an older Auto-Save or backup.

A safe restart sequence

1. Warn connected players that the server is going offline.
2. Stop new activity and allow any visible save operation to finish.
3. Use taskkill /IM SpaceEngineersDedicated.exe rather than a forced kill.
4. Wait for the process to exit completely.
5. Start the console instance or allow the configured service to start again.
6. Connect and check the world before announcing that maintenance is complete.

Understand -ignorelastsession

The -ignorelastsession startup option deliberately ignores the last automatic save and loads values from configuration. It is not a persistence safeguard. Use it only when you intentionally need to bypass the last session state; otherwise, it can make a healthy recent save appear to have been discarded.

Back up the world outside the server

Routine Auto-Saves and in-game backup saves protect against some mistakes, but they are still stored on the server host. Keep separate copies of the world folder so a failed disk, accidental deletion, or damaged installation does not remove every recovery point.

1. Stop the server gracefully, or wait until you have confirmed a completed save.
2. Copy the active world folder from the dedicated-server data location.
3. Store the copy on separate storage, such as another internal disk, removable storage, or a separate backup system.
4. Use dated folder names so you can identify when each copy was made.
5. Periodically restore a copy to a test location and confirm that it can be selected and loaded.

Normal game data is under %APPDATA%SpaceEngineers; dedicated-server data is under %APPDATA%SpaceEngineersDedicated when the per-user layout is used. The dedicated-server guide also documents ProgramDataSpaceEngineersDedicated for machine-wide data. Steam Cloud does not save Space Engineers worlds, so do not treat cloud synchronization as a substitute for copying the world folder.

Back up while the server is stopped whenever possible. If you must copy while it is running, first confirm an Auto-Save and copy the files promptly; a live copy taken during a write can represent an inconsistent point in time.

Why a server appears to reset after a restart

The world was never copied into the dedicated-server Saves folder

If a migrated world is still only in the regular game’s AppDataRoamingSpaceEngineersSaves directory, the dedicated server cannot select it. Copy the complete folder to the instance’s dedicated-server Saves path, then reopen New game / Saved worlds.

The server is looking in a different data location

Check both documented layouts: %APPDATA%SpaceEngineersDedicatedSaves and ProgramDataSpaceEngineersDedicated. The location used by the instance depends on its installation and configuration. Verify the path for the executable or service you actually started rather than copying the world to a different installation.

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Auto-Save is disabled or no backup saves are retained

Enable Auto-Save and set Max Backup Saves above zero. Without Auto-Save, a crash can leave only an older manual save. Without backup saves, there may be no in-game restore point when the current file is damaged.

The process was forcibly terminated

A forced kill can discard changes made since the last completed save. Repeat the test with a graceful stop using taskkill /IM SpaceEngineersDedicated.exe, then restart and verify the change.

-ignorelastsession was supplied

Remove that option for normal launches. It intentionally bypasses the last automatic save and reads configuration values instead, so it can produce an older-looking world by design.

The service did not start the instance you edited

Service mode supports multiple instances. Confirm the instance name, its selected world, and its ports. Each instance needs unique ports, and editing one instance does not change another instance that the service may be starting after reboot.

The copy was made during a write

Replace the questionable copy with one made after a confirmed save and a clean stop. Keep the original until the replacement has been loaded successfully.

Choose between self-hosting and paid hosting

Self-hosting gives you direct access to the executable, save folders, logs, configuration, backups, and Windows maintenance. It also makes you responsible for the hardware, operating-system updates, network reachability, port forwarding, power, storage failures, and recovery procedures.

A paid host shifts much of that operational work to a provider. Before choosing one, compare these practical points:

• Uptime after reboots: determine whether the service automatically restarts the instance and how maintenance is handled.
• Administrative control: check whether you can access the dedicated-server settings, logs, save files, and backup copies you need.
• Hardware responsibility: establish who handles CPU, memory, storage, operating-system updates, and failed hardware.
• Backup access: confirm whether you can download world folders and restore a chosen backup rather than relying only on a provider’s internal snapshots.
• Network setup: determine whether ports and external connectivity are configured for you or remain your responsibility.
• Cost: compare the recurring service charge with the hardware, electricity, storage, and maintenance cost of running the server yourself.
• Geographic latency: select a region close to the intended players when the provider offers regional locations.

Do not assume that a hosting plan includes a particular player count, uptime percentage, region, or backup policy unless those terms are stated for the exact plan and date you are buying.

Operational checklist for a persistent server

• Windows, .NET Framework 4.8, and the x64 Visual C++ redistributable 2017 or newer are installed.
• The host has at least the published 3.2 GHz, 3-logical-core, 6 GB RAM minimum; the published recommendation is 4.5 GHz, 3 logical cores, and 10 GB RAM.
• There is room beyond the approximately 8 GB server installation estimate for logs, saves, and mods.
• The intended world appears under New game / Saved worlds.
• Auto-Save is enabled.
• Max Backup Saves is greater than zero.
• Each service instance has unique ports.
• The service instance has been tested after a Windows reboot.
• A graceful stop has been tested with taskkill /IM SpaceEngineersDedicated.exe.
• A world copy exists on separate storage and has been successfully loaded in a test.
• The team knows not to use /f for routine shutdowns and understands what -ignorelastsession does.

What to expect once it is configured

Players can disconnect without ending the world, and the server can continue simulating until it is stopped or encounters an outage. After a planned reboot, service mode can bring the instance back automatically. Auto-Save preserves routine progress, Max Backup Saves provides in-game rollback points, and separate folder copies protect against failures that affect the host itself.

The dedicated-server model is therefore the persistence mechanism; the save settings and operating procedures determine how reliably that persistence survives mistakes, crashes, and maintenance.

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