The supported way to host an Enshrouded world for friends is to install Enshrouded Dedicated Server from Steam’s Tools library on a Windows PC. Run the executable once to generate enshrouded_server.json, edit that file for the server name, save paths, port, player limit, gameplay preset and user roles, then open the query port and Steam’s required ports on the Windows firewall and router. Friends can join from the in-game dedicated-server browser or by adding IP:15637 in Steam’s Game Servers favorites. Because the world is saved by the dedicated server, friends can continue playing while the host is offline—as long as the server computer remains running and reachable.
What you need before installing
A dedicated server is a separate Enshrouded process, not a world hosted from the normal game client. It can run without rendering the game, so the host does not need to keep Enshrouded open. A DOS/console window remains visible while the process runs, and the server can be operated headlessly in that sense.
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- A Windows PC: Keen Games’ supported self-hosting instructions use the Windows dedicated-server executable distributed through Steam.
- An unlocked copy of Enshrouded: Keen Games says purchasing and unlocking the game unlocks the dedicated-server tool in Steam.
- SSD storage: Keep at least 30 GB free on an SSD for the recommended configuration. The uncompressed server is currently about 13 GB, but saves, logs, updates and temporary files require additional room.
- A stable network connection: Plan for 2 Mbit/s upload per active player, with download capacity roughly matching upload. Six active players therefore represent about 12 Mbit/s of recommended upload capacity.
- Router access: Internet players need a port-forwarding rule to the server PC’s stable LAN address unless every player is on the same local network.
- A backup plan: The server owns world progress, so protect its
savegamedirectory before changing settings or updating the software.
Enshrouded multiplayer currently uses IPv4. A host behind carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT), a restrictive apartment network or a mobile connection may be unable to accept incoming connections even after local firewall rules are correct; in that case, a managed server or a network service that provides a public IPv4 endpoint is usually simpler.
Choose hardware for your group
Keen Games’ recommended dedicated-server specification lists the same 16 GB of RAM for both a small 4–6-player server and a 16-player server. The processor and network target increase with player count.
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| Target group | CPU recommendation | Memory | Storage | Network target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4–6 players | 6 cores / 12 threads at about 3.2 GHz | 16 GB RAM | SSD with at least 30 GB free | 2 Mbit/s upload per active player; download roughly similar |
| Up to 16 players | 8 cores / 16 threads at about 3.7 GHz | 16 GB RAM | SSD with at least 30 GB free | 2 Mbit/s upload per active player; download roughly similar |
These are Keen Games’ 2024 recommendations, not a guarantee of a fixed frame rate or latency. A busy world, background applications, antivirus scans and other services can reduce headroom. The 16-player CPU target is notably higher even though the stated RAM target remains 16 GB.
Keen Games’ FAQ, updated in 2025, reports about 4.4 GB of physical RAM at idle and up to 100 MB of additional RAM per player. That explains why 16 GB is a practical baseline: it leaves room for Windows, the server process, logs and normal system activity rather than allocating all memory to the game.
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- Open Steam and go to Library.
- Use the library’s filters and enable Tools.
- Find Enshrouded Dedicated Server and install it. Keen Games states that purchasing and unlocking Enshrouded unlocks this tool.
- Open the tool’s installed folder in File Explorer. Run the dedicated-server executable directly from that folder rather than relying on Steam’s green Launch button.
- Let it start once, then stop the process cleanly. The first launch creates
enshrouded_server.json, the file that controls the server’s identity, paths, network binding, slots, access roles and gameplay settings.
Keep the installation folder in a location where the Windows account running the server can read and write files. If Windows Security or third-party antivirus asks whether to allow the executable, allow it on the intended private network and review the rule later if you change the network profile.
Edit enshrouded_server.json safely
Stop the server before editing its JSON. Make a copy of the original file first; a backup lets you recover immediately from a typo or an unsupported value. Use a text editor that preserves plain UTF-8 text and JSON punctuation. Change one setting at a time, save, and start the server to confirm that it still boots.
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Core identity and paths
name: Choose a recognizable name containing your group name or play style so friends can identify the listing.saveDirectory: Keep the default./savegameunless you have a specific reason to store worlds elsewhere.logDirectory: Keep./logsunless you are deliberately relocating logs for administration.ip: Set0.0.0.0for the normal all-interface bind. This allows the process to listen on the host’s available network interfaces.queryPort: The official default is15637. Keep it unless another service or your network design requires a different port.slotCount: Set a value from1through16, matching the number of simultaneous players you actually intend to support.
A minimal fragment can look like this; preserve every other field generated by your installed version rather than replacing the whole file with a shortened example:
{
"name": "Friends World",
"saveDirectory": "./savegame",
"logDirectory": "./logs",
"ip": "0.0.0.0",
"queryPort": 15637,
"slotCount": 6
}The exact generated file may contain additional keys. Do not delete unknown keys simply because they are not in this example.
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Gameplay presets
The documented first-time choice is Default. The available presets are Relaxed, Hard, Survival and Custom. Choose the preset using the field and value format present in the generated configuration file for your server version. Invalid text, spelling or out-of-range values can prevent startup, which is why a backup and one-change-at-a-time editing matter. Custom settings are useful when the group wants a particular balance, but they also create more opportunities for a configuration error.
Roles, passwords and reserved slots
The current roles format separates Admin, Friend and Guest groups, each with its own password. Use the least powerful password that meets a player’s needs:
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| Group | Capabilities | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Admin | Can kick and ban players and edit bases | Only the owner and trusted moderators |
| Friend | Can use inventories and edit bases, without the Admin moderation powers | Regular co-op players who need building access |
| Guest | Restricted access to bases and inventories | Players who should explore without broad world permissions |
Give friends the Friend password when they need to build or use shared inventories. Keep the Admin password private. The reservedSlots setting can reserve places for Admins or Friends, preventing a full server from locking out the people who manage or maintain it. Use that setting only for the groups you genuinely need to guarantee; reserving too many slots reduces space for guests.
Open the Windows firewall and router
Local installation is not enough for internet play. The host must allow the configured query port through Windows and expose it through the router, while also allowing the Steam ports required by Steam. Keen Games’ official default query port is 15637; if you change it, use the new number consistently in the firewall rule, router rule and Steam favorite.
- Give the server PC a stable LAN address. Create a DHCP reservation in the router for that computer’s network adapter, or configure a static address using your network administrator’s preferred method. A forwarding rule that points to a changing address will eventually break.
- Create Windows Defender Firewall rules. Allow the dedicated-server executable and the configured query port on the network profile your router uses. Also allow the Steam ports required by the Steam service; the exact port list can change, so use the current Steam and Enshrouded documentation rather than guessing numbers.
- Create the router port-forwarding rule. Forward the configured query port to the server PC’s stable LAN address. Router screens and protocol selectors differ by manufacturer, so follow the labels on your model and the current official server guidance.
- Check for CGNAT or double NAT. If the router’s WAN address is private, or another upstream router sits in front of it, an apparently correct rule may never receive internet traffic. Put the downstream router in bridge/access-point mode where appropriate, forward through both routers, or use a managed host.
- Do not expose more than necessary. Forward only the ports required for the server and Steam, keep the Admin password unique, and remove old rules when you stop hosting.
Players on the same LAN may be able to connect without an internet-facing forwarding rule, but the server still needs the Windows firewall exception and the correct query-port configuration.
Start the server and verify that it is healthy
- Launch the dedicated-server executable from its installed folder.
- Watch the console window and the files under
./logs. - Look for a successful startup indicator such as
[Session] 'HostOnline' (up)!or a console transition from Lobby toHost_Online. - Leave the process running. Closing the console or stopping the process takes the world offline.
If the process exits immediately after a configuration edit, stop trying random changes. Restore the last known-good JSON, confirm that punctuation and value ranges are valid, then reapply one change at a time. A healthy console line proves that the process came online; it does not by itself prove that the router is reachable from the public internet, so test from a friend’s connection rather than only from the host PC.
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How friends join
Use the in-game dedicated-server browser
- Start Enshrouded on the player’s PC.
- Choose Join.
- Enable the dedicated server filter.
- Search for the recognizable server name and connect with the password appropriate to the player’s role.
Discovery depends on the query port, Steam connectivity and the host’s network exposure. A server that does not appear in the list may still be reachable directly.
Add the server through Steam Game Servers
- In Steam, open View and choose Game Servers.
- Open the Favorites tab and add the host’s public IPv4 address followed by the query port, for example
203.0.113.25:15637. - Save or favorite the result, then return to Enshrouded’s Join screen and use the discovered entry.
The example address is a documentation placeholder, not an address to enter. The host must supply the actual public IPv4 address and the configured port. If the port is not 15637, replace the number in the favorite with the value from queryPort.
Keep the world available when you are offline
Yes. A dedicated server is specifically intended to let friends play without the owner being logged into the game. The server process and the Windows PC still have to remain powered on, connected to the network and able to accept traffic. Set Windows sleep and hibernation to stay disabled for the hosting power plan, and configure the server to start again after a reboot if your household can tolerate automatic startup.
World progress is stored on the dedicated server, while each player’s character progression remains on that player’s client. Save files are generated every five minutes. Back up the entire savegame directory before server updates, configuration changes or major gameplay experiments. Store at least one backup outside the live installation folder so a disk failure or accidental deletion does not remove both copies.
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Backups, updates and routine maintenance
Back up before a change
- Stop the server and wait for the process to close.
- Copy
./savegameto a dated backup location. - Copy
enshrouded_server.jsonas well, especially before changing roles or gameplay values. - Record the installed server version and the date of the backup.
Update cautiously
Use Steam to update the dedicated-server tool, then start it once and inspect the log before inviting players back. If an update changes the generated JSON schema, keep the new file as the working configuration and merge only the settings you understand from your backup. Do not overwrite a new configuration wholesale with an old file without checking for newly added fields.
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- Keep free SSD space above the 30 GB recommendation rather than allowing the disk to fill with saves and logs.
- Watch memory and CPU use during the busiest normal play session, not only while the server is idle.
- Check that upload capacity remains available when other household devices are streaming or uploading files.
- Rotate old logs and backups according to the storage available, while retaining enough history to diagnose a failed start.
Troubleshoot the problems hosts see most often
The server is missing from the list
- Confirm that Show dedicated server is enabled in the Join screen.
- Verify that the server is actually online and that
queryPortmatches the Windows firewall rule and router forward. - Confirm that Steam’s required ports are allowed.
- Try Steam View → Game Servers → Favorites with the public IPv4 address and
IP:queryPort. - Ask a friend outside the host’s LAN to test; a local test cannot prove that the public forwarding path works.
Friends time out or lose the listing
- Check for CGNAT or double NAT and verify that the router’s WAN address is genuinely public IPv4.
- Clear Steam’s download cache on the affected client.
- Run
ipconfig /flushdnsin an elevated Windows Command Prompt on the affected Windows PC. - Test a wired connection for the host and, if possible, for the player. Wireless interference and saturated upload can look like a game-server failure.
- Recheck that the server is using IPv4; Enshrouded multiplayer currently uses IPv4.
The server will not boot after editing JSON
- Restore the last known-good backup.
- Check commas, quotation marks and braces for valid JSON.
- Check that
slotCountis between 1 and 16 and that the gameplay preset is one of the documented values. - Change only one field at a time and keep the console or log open while testing.
Friends can join but cannot build or use inventories
They are probably connecting with Guest access or the wrong password. Give regular co-op players the Friend password and reserve Admin credentials for the people who need kick, ban or administrative base powers.
The host PC becomes unstable
Compare peak CPU, memory and network use with the group’s size. A small group still needs the 16 GB baseline, and a full 16-player server is specified with an 8-core/16-thread processor around 3.7 GHz. Stop unrelated background workloads, move the server to an SSD, and reduce the configured slot count if the machine cannot maintain headroom.
Self-hosting versus a managed server
For a small group, the decision is less about game settings than about who owns the infrastructure work. Keen Games names GPORTAL as a rental partner, but its current price, region availability and program terms change and must be checked when you order.
| Consideration | Self-hosted Windows server | Managed rental |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront and recurring cost | Uses an existing Windows PC, but electricity, hardware wear and an SSD upgrade are your costs; no monthly rental is required. | Requires a recurring subscription; current price depends on region, capacity and provider terms. |
| Does the host PC need to stay on? | Yes. Friends can play without the owner in-game, but the server computer must remain powered and online. | Usually no home PC needs to stay on; the provider runs the process. |
| Router and CGNAT | You must manage Windows firewall rules, forwarding and any CGNAT or double-NAT limitation. | The provider supplies the public endpoint, avoiding most home-router work. |
| Backups and updates | You are responsible for save backups, updates, logs and recovery. | Tools and policies vary; confirm whether automated backups and version control are included. |
| Configuration control | Direct control over enshrouded_server.json, roles, slots, paths and gameplay presets. |
Control depends on the provider’s panel and what configuration fields it exposes. |
Self-host when you already have a suitable Windows PC, can forward IPv4 traffic and want complete file-level control. Choose managed hosting when the home network is behind CGNAT, the computer cannot stay on reliably, or you prefer a provider to handle availability and routine infrastructure.
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A short launch checklist
- Enshrouded is purchased and unlocked in Steam.
- Enshrouded Dedicated Server is installed from the Steam Tools library.
- The executable has been run once and generated
enshrouded_server.json. - The server name, paths,
0.0.0.0bind, query port and slot count are valid. - The Default preset is working, or a documented alternative has been tested one change at a time.
- Friend and Admin passwords are separate, and reserved slots are intentional.
- The Windows firewall and router allow the query port and Steam’s required ports.
- The server log shows
[Session] 'HostOnline' (up)!or the equivalent Host_Online state. - A friend has tested the in-game browser or a Steam favorite using the public IPv4 address and query port.
- The
savegamedirectory and JSON file have dated backups.
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