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The simplest way to make an ETS2 or ATS game private is to host a Convoy with the private-session option enabled and protect it with a password. Give the exact session name and password only to the people you want to drive with. If the group needs a world that remains online when the host leaves, install the official dedicated-server tool and set its password value in server_config.sii.
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Privacy has three separate parts: who is allowed to join, whether strangers can easily find the session, and whether players can reach it through the network. A password controls joining; a distinctive name or unlisted presentation limits casual discovery; public IP, port forwarding, and NAT determine reachability. Treat those as separate settings rather than assuming one makes the others unnecessary.
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What “private” means in ETS2 and ATS
Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator both include native Convoy multiplayer. SCS Software describes Convoy as allowing players to host private sessions, with a password optional. That gives you two practical ways to restrict a drive:
- Private session plus password: the normal choice for a small group and the strongest protection available in the hosted Convoy flow.
- Private session without a password: convenient for a temporary group if the session is shared only through direct invitations or an exact, obscure name, but weaker if other players can discover the session.
A dedicated server is a different operating model. It runs as a separate server process and can remain online when nobody is currently playing. Its configuration file includes a password field and networking fields, so you can keep access restricted while allowing the server to be available to the group at any time.
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Do not confuse “private” with “invisible.” A password is the join-control mechanism. Search visibility, browser listing, and network exposure affect how a session is found and reached, but none of those replaces a password.
Choose the right private-server method
| Choice | Best for | Privacy control | Availability | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosted Convoy | One-off drives or a group that plays together at set times | Private-session setting, password, and controlled sharing of the session name | Only while the host is running the session | Fast to set up, but the host is required |
| Official dedicated server | A persistent group server or a community with scheduled access | password in server_config.sii, plus controlled distribution of the name and password |
Can stay online with no players connected | Requires installation, configuration, updates, and network administration |
| Managed hosting | People who want an always-on server without operating the software themselves | Password setting supplied by the provider’s control panel | Depends on the provider’s service and maintenance | Recurring cost; available game versions and features must be checked |
For most friends-only sessions, start with Hosted Convoy. Move to a dedicated server when the host’s presence is the problem, not when you merely need a password.
Make a normal Convoy private
1. Open the hosting flow
- Start ETS2 or ATS and open the game’s Convoy or multiplayer hosting screen.
- Choose the option to host a session. Menu wording can change between game releases, so use the current label shown in your installation.
2. Enable the private-session option
Select the private-session setting when it is offered. This reduces casual discovery and tells the game that the session is intended for a controlled group. If your current interface does not show that label, look for the equivalent privacy or visibility control in the Convoy setup screen rather than assuming that an unlisted name alone is sufficient.
3. Create a separate password
Use a long, unique passphrase that is not reused for your Steam account, email, or any other personal service. Share it only with the intended drivers. A password is the part that actually prevents an uninvited player who learns the session name from joining.
4. Give the session a distinctive name
Choose a name that is unlikely to collide with another convoy, then copy it exactly. SCS’s Convoy FAQ specifically advises searching for the session name exactly as written, including symbols, numbers, punctuation, and abbreviations. Send invitees the spelling and punctuation in a private message; a single missing character can make a legitimate session appear to be absent.
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5. Invite players through a private channel
Send the session name and password only to the people who should join. If the game offers direct invitations, use them as an additional step, but do not treat an invitation as a substitute for the password. Avoid posting credentials in a public chat, stream description, or open community channel.
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A hosted Convoy depends on the host being in the session. If the host closes the game or loses the connection, the group may no longer have a session to join. For an always-available world, use the dedicated-server method below.
Set up the official dedicated server
SCS provides an official dedicated-server tool for both games. The tools are distributed through Steam’s Tools list; SCS identifies the ETS2 Dedicated Server app ID as 1948160 and the ATS Dedicated Server app ID as 2239530. SteamCMD installation is also documented by SCS, but the exact command syntax and files can change, so follow the instructions bundled with the tool you install.
1. Install the matching tool
- In Steam, open the Library and change the library filter to show Tools.
- Install the dedicated-server tool that matches your game: ETS2 Dedicated Server for Euro Truck Simulator 2 or ATS Dedicated Server for American Truck Simulator.
- If you use SteamCMD instead, install the app for the matching ID and keep the server files in a directory you can back up and administer.
2. Launch it once to generate its files
Run the server once before editing anything. The first launch creates the server home directory and the server_config.sii file. Stop the process after those files appear so you can make the configuration change cleanly.
3. Set a non-empty password
Open server_config.sii in a plain-text editor and set the password field to a unique value, for example:
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password: "use-a-unique-passphrase"The documented field accepts up to 63 characters. Use a passphrase that is long enough to resist guessing and is different from every personal account password. Keep the quotation marks and the file’s existing syntax intact.
4. Give the server a distinctive lobby name
Set or retain a lobby name that your group can identify without confusing it with similarly named servers. Share the exact spelling privately along with the password. A distinctive name helps people find the right result; it does not replace the password.
5. Review the other relevant fields
The same configuration includes player and networking settings. The documented reference lists these fields:
| Field | Purpose | What to do |
|---|---|---|
password |
Controls whether a player may join with the correct credential | Set a non-empty, unique value; the documented maximum is 63 characters |
max_players |
Sets the configured player capacity | The reference lists 8; verify the value generated by your installed release before relying on that limit |
connection_virtual_port |
Virtual connection port used by the server configuration | Leave the generated value unless your network plan requires a coordinated change |
query_virtual_port |
Virtual query port used for server discovery/status | Keep it consistent with the generated configuration |
connection_dedicated_port |
Dedicated network port for player connections | Use the value supplied by the installed release and any matching firewall or forwarding rule |
query_dedicated_port |
Dedicated query port for discovery/status traffic | Use the generated value and expose it only as required by your network setup |
Port names and compatibility can change with updates. The server_config.sii generated by your installation and the readme bundled with that release are the authoritative references for the values you should use.
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Save the file, then restart the dedicated-server process. Treat the restart as required: the running process must reload the edited configuration before the new password or port values take effect.
7. Share access details
Give players the exact lobby/session name and password through a private channel. They can search for the server using that name. If your group has moderators, register them through the configuration’s known-player mechanism; SCS recommends a known-players list for administrative controls.
8. Keep the process maintained
Because a dedicated server can remain online without players, decide who will apply game and server-tool updates, back up the configuration, and restart the process after maintenance. A password is not a substitute for operational access control: restrict who can edit the server directory and who receives administrator credentials.
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Password protection
Password protection answers one question: may this player join? Anyone who has the session name and the password can normally attempt to connect, so remove access by changing the password and distributing the new value only to the current group.
Search and browser visibility
A private presentation or an obscure session name reduces accidental discovery. SCS also says that exact session-name matching matters when searching. Search behavior is therefore a usability and visibility issue, not the main security boundary.
NAT, public IP, and port forwarding
The official dedicated-server reference states that the server does not perform NAT punching. To appear in the session browser, it needs a public IP address or suitable port forwarding. Direct search can still work when the server is behind NAT, but success depends on the network path and the ports used by the installed release.
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This creates an important distinction:
- A server may be password-protected but unreachable because the network blocks its ports.
- A server may be reachable and easy to find but still protected against joining by a strong password.
- Port forwarding can improve reachability; it does not make the server private.
Do not buy a special router, steering wheel, shifter, or separate server PC merely to add a password. Those are optional hardware choices and are not privacy controls.
How invitees should join
- Start the same game (ETS2 or ATS) and open the Convoy/server browser.
- Search for the exact session name, preserving punctuation, symbols, numbers, and abbreviations.
- Select the matching result and enter the password exactly as provided, including capitalization if the current game version treats it as significant.
- If the result is missing, try direct search rather than relying on a broad public listing.
- If the result appears but the password is rejected, ask the host to confirm that the dedicated-server process was restarted after the password edit and that you are using the current password.
Players must use the matching game and a compatible installed release. If the host has updated and a client has not, update both before treating a failed connection as a privacy or NAT problem.
Troubleshoot the common failure modes
The session cannot be found
- Confirm that the player searched the exact name, including punctuation and symbols.
- For a dedicated server, check whether the server is behind NAT and whether the required public IP or forwarding arrangement exists for browser visibility.
- Try direct search if the server is intentionally not presented broadly.
- Verify that the server process is running and that the host has not closed a hosted Convoy.
The password is rejected
- Copy the password again from the private message instead of retyping it.
- Check for an extra space, a missing character, or smart quotation marks accidentally inserted into the configuration.
- Confirm that the dedicated server was stopped and restarted after editing
server_config.sii. - Ask the host to change the password if it may have been shared outside the intended group.
Players can find the server but cannot connect
- Check the host’s firewall and router rules against the generated configuration and bundled readme.
- Confirm that the connection and query ports are not already used by another service.
- Remember that a password controls authorization after the connection reaches the server; it cannot repair a blocked route.
- Test with one player first, then add others so that a single network problem is easier to isolate.
The server disappears when the host leaves
That behavior is expected for a hosted Convoy. A hosted session is tied to the host’s running game. Use the official dedicated-server tool when the group needs the session to remain available without that player online.
Operate a private server safely
- Use a unique passphrase: never reuse an email, game-account, or workplace password.
- Share narrowly: send credentials one-to-one or in a trusted private group, not in a public post or stream overlay.
- Rotate after a leak: change the password immediately if an unintended person receives it.
- Back up the configuration: keep a copy of
server_config.siibefore updates, while protecting the backup because it contains access information. - Limit file access: only trusted administrators should be able to edit the server directory or known-player list.
- Verify after updates: compare the newly generated configuration and readme with your previous settings. Menu labels, limits, and networking behavior may change.
- Keep the lobby name non-sensitive: do not put personal names, addresses, or other information in a publicly visible session title.
Player limits and version qualifications
SCS’s 2021 Convoy FAQ describes Convoy as supporting up to eight players. The dedicated-server configuration reference lists max_players: 8. Those figures are useful planning points, not a guarantee that every current release exposes the same limit. Check the Convoy screen and the generated server_config.sii in the version you actually run before promising a group a specific capacity.
The Convoy FAQ cited by SCS dates from 2021, and the dedicated-server announcement dates from 2022. Since game updates can change labels, limits, and networking behavior, use the current in-game interface, generated configuration, and bundled readme as the final authority for your installation.
Which setup should you use?
Use Hosted Convoy when
- The same person will normally start and supervise each drive.
- You want the fewest files, ports, and maintenance tasks.
- The group only needs a private session during scheduled play.
Use an official dedicated server when
- Players need to join while the original host is offline.
- You are comfortable maintaining a configuration file, firewall rules, and updates.
- You want a persistent lobby with a stable name and password.
Use managed hosting when
- You want persistence but do not want to run the server process or manage a home network.
- You have confirmed that the provider supports your game edition, current server version, password control, player limit, and restart policy.
- The recurring fee is preferable to doing the network and maintenance work yourself.
Whichever method you choose, the reliable privacy pattern is the same: restrict joining with a strong password, share the exact session name only with the intended group, and solve reachability separately through the host’s presence or the dedicated server’s network configuration.
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