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How to Make a Space Engineers Server Private

Set player-hosted worlds to Private and invite players through Steam. For dedicated servers, use OnlineMode=PRIVATE, a password and optional Steam Group ID, then verify firewall and UDP forwarding.

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To make a normal, player-hosted Space Engineers world private, set Online Mode or Lobby Type to Private, then invite the players you want through Steam. For a dedicated server, set OnlineMode to PRIVATE, assign a password, and optionally enter a numeric Steam Group ID. Save the configuration that the running server actually loads, restart when required, and check firewall and UDP port-forwarding rules if remote players still cannot connect.

What each Space Engineers privacy mode does

Space Engineers offers four access modes. The setting controls whether multiplayer is disabled, who may discover the session, and who may enter it.

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Mode Multiplayer status Who can join Typical use
OFFLINE Disabled Nobody else Solo play or troubleshooting multiplayer problems
PUBLIC Enabled Anyone who finds the session or server in the list Open community play
FRIENDS Enabled The host’s Steam friends A friends-only session when you do not need an invitation list
PRIVATE Enabled Only players explicitly invited by the host A controlled session for a selected group of players

The Space Engineers Wiki’s SessionSettings reference defines the private value as: “PRIVATE – multiplayer enabled and only invited players can join.” That is narrower than Friends: a friend of the host is not automatically admitted to a private lobby unless the host invites that person.

Make a player-hosted world private

This method applies when one player’s game is hosting the world directly rather than a separate dedicated-server application.

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Set the world to Private

  1. Start Space Engineers and load the existing world, or create a new world.
  2. Open the world’s multiplayer settings from the main menu or the in-game settings screen. The exact label can appear as Online Mode or Lobby Type, depending on the screen and game version.
  3. Choose Private. Do not leave the value on Friends if you need an invitation-only list; Friends allows every Steam friend of the host to join.
  4. Apply or save the world settings, then return to the game.
  5. Open Steam’s Invite control and send an invitation to each intended player.

Invite only the accounts that should have access. A private lobby is not a permanent whitelist that survives every change to the world settings: if you switch the lobby to Friends or Public later, the new mode determines who can discover and join it.

Invite players through Steam

Steam invitations are the admission mechanism for a player-hosted private lobby. Have each invited player accept the invitation while the host is in the world. If someone cannot see or accept the invite, confirm that the host is online, the recipient is using the intended Steam account, and the world is still set to Private rather than Offline.

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Do not rely on the world name alone. Several sessions can have similar names, and a player may accidentally open a different listing or an older invite. Send a fresh invitation after changing the privacy mode or restarting the host’s game.

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Make a dedicated server private

A dedicated server runs separately from the player’s game client and keeps the world available while the administrator is away. Its access controls are configured in the Dedicated Server Manager or in the active SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg file.

Configure the access mode

  1. Stop the dedicated server before editing its configuration, unless the manager explicitly supports live changes.
  2. Open the Space Engineers Dedicated Server Manager, or locate the SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg file used by the server instance.
  3. Find the server’s OnlineMode setting and set it to PRIVATE. Some manager versions show the same choice with a drop-down labelled Online Mode.
  4. Set a strong value in the server’s Password field. Use a password that is not reused for Steam, email, or another service.
  5. Optionally enter the numeric value of your Steam group in the Steam Group ID field.
  6. Save the profile or configuration file, then restart or reload the server if the manager requires it.

After restarting, inspect the active profile again. Dedicated-server tools can maintain multiple profiles, and editing a file that is not loaded by the running instance will not change access.

Use a Steam Group ID for group-based access

A Steam Group ID is a numeric identifier for a Steam group. Keen’s dedicated-server documentation states that a non-zero group ID makes the server visible only to that Steam group. Enter the number exactly as shown by Steam; do not paste the group’s display name, vanity URL, or a name containing spaces.

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A group restriction does not add people to the group. Every intended player must join the Steam group with the account they use to connect. If a player is not a member, the group-restricted server may remain invisible even when the server is running correctly.

Use a group ID when a persistent community needs a shared access boundary and the server should be less discoverable than a normal private listing. Keep direct invitations or another communication channel available for onboarding, because group membership and server access are separate steps.

Password versus Steam Group ID

Control What it protects What administrators must do Limitation
Password Entry to the server Set it in the active configuration and give it only to approved players A person who knows the password may attempt to join; it does not by itself define a Steam membership list
Steam Group ID Visibility and group-based eligibility Enter the numeric ID and ensure every player is a member of that group Players who are not group members may not see the server; membership is not created automatically
Both together Two independent checks Maintain the group and distribute the password separately More administration, and exact behavior can vary between server-manager versions

For a persistent private server, using both controls provides a practical defense-in-depth arrangement: the group limits who can discover the server, while the password adds a second requirement at connection time. Official documentation describes both controls but does not promise that one universally replaces the other in every manager version. Test the combination with a group member and a non-member before inviting a larger community.

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Network requirements still apply

Privacy settings decide who is allowed to join; they do not create a network route to the server. A private server can be correctly configured and still be unreachable from outside the host’s network.

Firewall rule

Keen’s dedicated-server instructions require incoming UDP traffic on the listening port to be allowed through the server computer’s firewall. Create or verify an inbound rule for the actual port configured in the server profile. Apply the rule to the network profile used by the host computer, and avoid opening unrelated ports.

Router port forwarding

The Space Engineers Wiki setup guide uses UDP port 27016 in its default example. Your server may use a different port, so read the active configuration rather than assuming 27016. Forward that UDP port from the router to the local IP address of the computer running the dedicated server. Reserve the computer’s local address in the router, or the forwarding target can change after a DHCP lease expires.

One active listener

Only one server instance should listen on a given UDP port. If an old instance, test profile, or second installation is using the port, the intended server may fail to bind or players may reach the wrong world. Stop duplicate instances and confirm which process owns the configured port before changing privacy settings.

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How to verify that the server is actually private

  1. Read the running server’s active profile and confirm the access mode is PRIVATE, not PUBLIC or FRIENDS.
  2. Confirm the password shown in the loaded configuration is the one you intend to distribute.
  3. If using a Steam Group ID, verify that the field contains a current numeric ID and not a group name.
  4. Ask an approved player who is a group member to connect with the password.
  5. Ask a test account that is not invited, or not in the Steam group, to check whether the server is visible. Do not share the password with this test account.
  6. Check the server name and world name so players select the intended instance rather than another server with a similar name.

Run this check after every migration, profile change, game update that changes the server manager, or restoration from backup. A configuration file can be valid while the running process is still using an older copy.

Troubleshoot a private server that friends cannot join

The server appears to everyone

  • Change the active access mode from PUBLIC to PRIVATE and restart or reload the server.
  • Check that the manager did not save the change to a different profile.
  • If a Steam Group ID is intended to limit visibility, confirm it is non-zero, numeric, and present in the running profile.
  • Verify that players are looking at the correct server listing; a similarly named public instance may be a separate server.

An invited player cannot see a player-hosted world

  • Confirm the host is currently in the world and the lobby remains set to Private.
  • Send a new Steam invitation after changing the setting or restarting the game.
  • Check that the invitation went to the player’s current Steam account and that Steam is online.
  • Make sure the world was not changed to OFFLINE, which disables multiplayer entirely.

A dedicated-server player is rejected after entering the password

  • Copy the password from the configuration actually loaded by the running server, not from an unused backup or profile.
  • Check for leading or trailing spaces and confirm letter case exactly.
  • Restart the server after saving if the manager does not apply password changes live.
  • Verify that the player is connecting to the intended server and not another instance with the same or a similar name.

The server is invisible to a group member

  • Confirm the player joined the Steam group with the same account used for Space Engineers.
  • Check the Steam Group ID for transcription errors; it must be the numeric identifier, not the group’s title.
  • Allow time for Steam membership changes to propagate, then restart the game or refresh the server list.
  • Temporarily test without the group restriction only if you control the network and can keep the password private; restore the intended restriction after isolating the problem.

The server is private but unreachable from outside the home network

  1. Read the configured listening port from the active server profile.
  2. Confirm an inbound UDP firewall rule exists on the server computer for that port.
  3. Confirm the router forwards the same UDP port to the server computer’s current local IP address.
  4. Check that no second server process is using the port.
  5. Have a remote player test again after the firewall and forwarding changes. Changing Private to Public will not repair a missing network route.

Practical privacy checklist for administrators

  • Use Private for invite-only player-hosted worlds.
  • Use OnlineMode=PRIVATE on a dedicated server.
  • Set a unique, strong password and distribute it through a private channel.
  • Use a numeric Steam Group ID when access should follow group membership and the listing should be less visible.
  • Confirm every intended player is actually a member of the Steam group.
  • Save the profile used by the running server and restart when required.
  • Allow the configured UDP port through the host firewall.
  • Forward that UDP port to the server computer when players connect from outside the local network.
  • Keep only one server instance on the listening port.
  • Re-test visibility and login after changing profiles, ports, passwords, group membership, or server software.

Choosing the right setup

Use a private player-hosted world when

You are playing with a small, known group and do not need the world to remain online when the host leaves. Steam invitations are quick, and there is no dedicated-server configuration or router administration beyond the normal connectivity requirements of the host’s connection.

Use Friends when

Every Steam friend of the host is acceptable as a potential participant. Friends is convenient, but it is broader than an invitation-only Private lobby. Review the setting whenever your friends list changes or a world becomes more restricted.

Use a private dedicated server when

The world must persist independently of one player’s game session, several administrators need a stable address, or a community needs controlled access. Combine OnlineMode=PRIVATE with a password, and add a Steam Group ID when group membership should control visibility. Plan for firewall rules, UDP forwarding, profile management, and regular verification.

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