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Install the Space Engineers Dedicated Server, create or select a world, then add each mod’s numeric Workshop or Mod.io ID in the server manager’s Active Mods or Subscribed Mods control. Save and start the server, and verify the list under World Settings > Mods. Steam Workshop is the workflow for Steam PC servers; Xbox and mixed PC/Xbox servers should use Mod.io-hosted mods.
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Choose the correct mod service first
A mod’s hosting service determines whether players on your server can use it. Steam Workshop mods fit a Steam PC server. For a server that Xbox players will join, or a mixed PC/Xbox server, use mods published through Mod.io instead. This is an administrative requirement, not merely a preference: Keen Software House’s administrator guidance says Xbox-only and mixed-platform servers should use Mod.io-hosted mods.
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| Server audience | Use this service | ID format in the server manager |
|---|---|---|
| Steam PC players | Steam Workshop | Steam:123456789, or the numeric Workshop ID where the interface accepts one |
| Xbox players | Mod.io | mod.io:123456789 |
| Mixed PC and Xbox players | Mod.io | mod.io:123456789 |
Do not choose a mod solely because its description looks compatible. Confirm that it is published on the service your server audience can access, and record the service name together with the ID before adding it.
Install the dedicated server software
You can install the Windows dedicated server through Steam’s graphical client or with SteamCMD. Both methods install the same server application; choose the method that matches how you manage the rest of your server.
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Steam client method
- Open Steam and select Library.
- Use the library filter to show Tools.
- Find Space Engineers Dedicated Server and select Install.
- When installation finishes, launch
SpaceEngineersDedicated.exe.
The dedicated-server application opens its configuration workflow. The server does not receive mods merely because the game is installed on the same computer; mods are assigned later to a specific server world.
SteamCMD method
SteamCMD is useful on a machine where you do not want the full Steam client. Open a command prompt in the SteamCMD directory and run the following, replacing <folder> with the directory in which you want the server installed:
+login anonymous +force_install_dir <folder> +app_update 298740 +quitThe app ID 298740 identifies the Space Engineers Dedicated Server. After SteamCMD reports that the update is complete, open the installation directory and launch SpaceEngineersDedicated.exe.
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If you later install an update with SteamCMD, use the same installation directory so that the configuration and downloaded content remain associated with the server instance you manage.
Create the server instance and world
The official quick-setup flow starts inside the dedicated-server executable. The wording can vary slightly between builds, but the sequence is:
- Run
SpaceEngineersDedicated.exe. - Choose the local or console server entry presented by the application.
- Continue to the server configuration screen.
- Enter a server name and a world name, or select an existing world.
- Save the configuration and start the server.
Complete the world selection before adding mods. A mod list belongs to a world, so adding a mod to one saved world does not automatically add it to every other world handled by the same dedicated-server installation.
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Add Workshop or Mod.io IDs in the server manager
With the server instance and world selected, find the control labeled Active Mods or Subscribed Mods. This is the normal administration interface for server mods; placing downloaded files in the installation folder is not the Workshop workflow.
Find the right ID
- Steam Workshop: use the numeric ID in the mod’s Workshop URL. The ID is the number associated with that published item, not the mod’s display name.
- Mod.io: open the published mod page and use the mod’s numeric ID shown there.
- Service-qualified entry: when the field supports it, identify both service and item with a value such as
Steam:123456789ormod.io:123456789.
Entering a title, author name, or a complete web address where the field expects an ID can prevent the server from resolving the item. Copy the digits exactly and keep the service prefix attached when the interface uses the qualified format.
Add each mod
- Open the server instance’s Active Mods or Subscribed Mods control.
- Choose the option to add a mod.
- Enter the numeric ID, or the complete
Service:Mod IDvalue required by that field. - Repeat for every mod needed by the selected world.
- Save the server configuration.
- Start, or restart, the server so it can resolve and download the selected items.
Keep the list tied to the world you intend to run. If the configuration interface offers more than one server or save, check the instance and world name before pressing save; editing a different entry will leave the running world unchanged.
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Verify that the world actually has the mods
After saving the list, open the selected world’s settings and navigate to World Settings > Mods. This view is the authoritative check that the mods are associated with that world. Confirm the expected service and IDs, then start the world from that configuration.
Pay attention to ordering when a mod list has dependencies or when two mods alter the same game systems. Keen Software House notes that the dedicated-server GUI and save files display order differently. Do not assume that the visual order in one location is identical to the order shown in the other; inspect the order in the interface you will use to make the next edit.
Use Mod.io correctly for Xbox and mixed servers
Xbox players cannot use a Steam Workshop-only setup. If the server is intended for Xbox players, or for both PC and Xbox players, select Mod.io versions of the required mods and enter them with the Mod.io service identifier where the manager supports qualified IDs. Tell players which platform service the server uses so they do not try to prepare a Steam-only collection for an Xbox-compatible world.
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A PC-only server can use Steam Workshop IDs, while a mixed server must be planned around the Mod.io catalog. If a creator publishes separate items on the two services, treat them as separate IDs and verify that the one you add is the edition available to the intended players.
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When a Workshop item fails, start with the server’s log rather than repeatedly changing the ID. The official setup guidance identifies workshop_log.txt in the dedicated-server logs directory as the place to read the final failure reason.
| Symptom | What to check | Recovery |
|---|---|---|
| The server starts but a Workshop mod is absent | Read the final error in workshop_log.txt; verify that the ID is numeric and belongs to the intended Workshop item. |
Correct the ID or service prefix, save the list, and restart the server. |
| Workshop downloads fail after installation or an update | The server may not be loading the Steam runtime DLLs it needs. | Copy steamclient64.dll, tier0_s64.dll, and vstdlib_s64.dll from the Steam client or SteamCMD folder into DedicatedServer64, then retry the download. |
| The same failed download persists after the files are corrected | The Workshop cache manifest may be corrupted. | Stop the server, delete appworkshop_244850.acf, and start the server again so its mod cache is downloaded again. |
| A mod was copied into a general installation folder but never appears | The normal installation-folder Mods directory is not used for Workshop server mods. |
Remove the assumption that the folder is scanned and add the item through Active Mods or Subscribed Mods using its service and ID. |
| The ID is present, but the world runs without the mod | The list may have been edited for another world or server instance. | Select the intended world and verify the item under World Settings > Mods, then save and restart that instance. |
| The order appears different in two places | The GUI and save files represent dedicated-server mod order differently. | Use the ordering shown by the interface you are actively editing, and check the resulting world settings after saving. |
Refresh Steam runtime files
For a Workshop download failure, the official recovery procedure is to locate the Steam client or SteamCMD installation that contains the runtime libraries, copy steamclient64.dll, tier0_s64.dll, and vstdlib_s64.dll, and place the copies in the server’s DedicatedServer64 directory. Restart the dedicated server after copying them and inspect workshop_log.txt again. The log’s last failure line should determine whether this fixed the download or whether the manifest must also be reset.
Reset the Workshop manifest
The file appworkshop_244850.acf records the Workshop cache state for this application. If that manifest is damaged, stop the server and delete the file. On the next launch, the server rebuilds its Workshop download state and attempts to fetch the configured mods again. This removes the local manifest; it does not change the IDs saved in your server configuration, so verify the active list afterward.
What to check before declaring the installation complete
- The dedicated server was installed through Steam’s Tools library or with SteamCMD app ID
298740. SpaceEngineersDedicated.exelaunches the instance you intend to administer.- The server and world names in the configuration screen identify the correct save.
- Every entry uses the right numeric ID and service prefix, if required.
- The selected world lists the mods under World Settings > Mods.
- The server log shows whether each Workshop download succeeded or why it failed.
- An Xbox or mixed PC/Xbox audience is using Mod.io-hosted items rather than Steam Workshop-only items.
- After any DLL or manifest recovery, the server has been restarted and the world’s mod list checked again.
How the workflow differs from installing mods in the game client
A local game client can subscribe to Workshop items, but a dedicated server still needs those items assigned to its own world through the server manager. Client-side subscriptions do not replace the server’s Active Mods or Subscribed Mods list. Conversely, adding an ID to the server does not make it part of every world on that installation; the association is saved per world.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallThis distinction explains two common false fixes: subscribing to a mod in the regular game client and copying files into the installation folder. Neither action is the documented server-side configuration path. The server must resolve the item from its configured service and ID, download it, and show it in the selected world’s mod settings.
Quick Recap
Fastest reliable procedure
- Decide whether the audience is Steam PC, Xbox, or mixed; select Steam Workshop or Mod.io accordingly.
- Install Space Engineers Dedicated Server from Steam Library > Tools, or install app
298740with SteamCMD. - Launch
SpaceEngineersDedicated.exe, choose the local or console server entry, and create or select the world. - Open Active Mods or Subscribed Mods and enter every numeric item ID, using
Steam:IDormod.io:IDwhen the field requires a service-qualified value. - Save and start the server.
- Confirm the list under World Settings > Mods.
- If a Workshop item fails, inspect
workshop_log.txt; then apply the DLL-copy orappworkshop_244850.acfreset procedure only when the log points to those failures.
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