How to Host a Clone Hero Server (Standalone Server Guide)

To host a Clone Hero server, download the standalone server from clonehero.net, run the Server program from the folder for your system, and give it a name, port and optional password. It listens on port 14242 by default over UDP, so whoever runs it at home has to forward that UDP port. Friends then open Online, choose Join Server, add your IP and port, and connect. Up to four people play in one session.

What the standalone server is

Since v1.0 (late 2022), Clone Hero has had online play built in, with public servers where the first player in becomes the host. That works for a quick round with strangers, but it has two problems for a regular group: someone has to be first in, and the session lives on that person's connection.

The standalone server fixes both. It is a small separate program, not the game, that sits in the background and relays the session between players. It does not load charts, render anything or need a graphics card. Each player still plays from the songs on their own computer, which matters a lot later on.

Clone Hero note highway with guitar charts

Step 1: Download the server build

Go to the official site at clonehero.net and open the download area.
Pick the standalone server package, not the game. Builds are also published on the official GitHub releases page.
Extract it. Inside you get one folder per platform, such as win-x64, linux-x64, linux-arm and osx-x64.
Open the folder for the machine you will run it on. The program is called Server (Server.exe on Windows).

Use the same version number as the game your group plays. If everyone is on v1.1, run a v1.1 server. A version gap is the most common reason a join fails.

Step 2: Start it with the right flags

Run the program with no arguments and it walks you through setup on screen. For a server you restart often, launch it with flags instead so it comes up the same way every time:

./Server -n "Friday Night Band" -p 14242 -a 0.0.0.0 -ps band_2026 -l 4

Flag	What it does
`-n`	Server name shown to players
`-p`	Port to listen on, 14242 by default
`-a`	Address to bind to. `0.0.0.0` listens on every network card
`-ps`	Password players must enter
`-np`	No password, open server (use instead of `-ps`)
`-l`	Log level from 0 to 4, where 4 logs the most

On Windows the same line works from a Command Prompt in that folder, with Server.exe in place of ./Server. On Linux, run chmod +x Server once first.

Keep the password simple. Letters, numbers and underscores are safe. Spaces and symbols are where people get stuck typing it on a guitar controller.

Step 3: Open the port

This is the part that trips most people up. Clone Hero online needs UDP on the server's port. The official wiki is clear that TCP alone does not work.

Give the PC running the server a fixed local IP in your router.
In the router's port forwarding page, forward port 14242 (or whatever you set with -p) as UDP, or UDP and TCP, to that local IP.
Allow the Server program through Windows Defender Firewall or your Linux firewall.
Find your public IP on any "what is my IP" page. That plus the port is what you give friends.

If your router supports UPnP, it may open the port on its own. Many do not, and some internet providers put you behind carrier grade NAT, where forwarding cannot work at all. Our general guide on port forwarding a game server covers router screens and how to spot CGNAT.

Only the host needs this. People joining do not open anything.

Step 4: How your band joins

Each player does this once:

Start Clone Hero and make sure the game is in Regular mode. Since v1.1 there is also a Leaderboards mode, and it is single player only, so online is hidden while it is on.
Open Online from the main menu, then Join Server.
Press Orange to add a server. Enter your public IP, the port, and the password if you set one.
Save it, then select it to connect.

The first person in the lobby picks the setlist rules. Type \help in the lobby chat to see host commands. The ones you will use most are \setsongcount (how many songs each player picks, 1 to 25), \setmaxspeed and \setlowspeed (song speed limits), \setpass and \kick player 2 style kicks.

Step 5: Get everyone on the same songs

The server never stores songs. A song only shows up as playable when every player in the session has an identical chart. One extra space in a song.ini or a different version of the same chart and it greys out for everyone.

The fix is boring but it works: pick one song pack for the group, share it as a single download, and have everyone rescan songs after copying it in. If a track still shows as unavailable, our guide to Clone Hero songs showing unavailable online goes through it step by step.

Clone Hero gameplay during a song

Running it at home vs hosting it

The server is tiny. A spare laptop or an old desktop can run it. What it cannot do is stay reachable while that machine sleeps, restarts for updates or sits behind a router you cannot forward. If your group plays on a fixed night, that may be fine. If people want to drop in whenever, someone's PC has to stay on all week. Our article on keeping a game server online without your PC compares the options.

A hosted Clone Hero server from GamezServers takes the router out of it. It has its own address, it is live in about a minute, and the panel has fields for the server name, password, log level and a Version setting, so you can pin the exact build your group plays (for example V1.0.0.4080) or leave it on latest. Nobody leaves a PC on, and a band of four can split the bill. Clone Hero is one of the lightest servers there is, so the 1 GB plan covers a normal group.

Common problems when setting up

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Friends time out joining	Port forwarded as TCP only	Forward UDP
Works on LAN, not outside	Wrong IP given out, or CGNAT	Use your public IP, check your provider
"Version" or handshake errors	Server and game builds differ	Match the server build to the game
Online menu missing	Game in Leaderboards mode	Switch to Regular mode
All songs greyed out	Charts differ between players	Share one pack and rescan

If none of those fit, our separate guide on Clone Hero not connecting to a server goes deeper.

FAQ

What port does a Clone Hero server use?

Port 14242 by default, over UDP. You can change it with the -p flag, as long as the router forward and the port your friends type in match.

Does the Clone Hero server need the game installed?

No. The standalone server is its own program. It does not need Clone Hero, a song folder or a graphics card on the machine running it.

How many players can join a Clone Hero server?

Four players per session, each on their own instrument lane: guitar, bass, drums or keys.

Can I run the Clone Hero server on Linux or a Raspberry Pi?

Yes. The standalone server ships Linux x64 and Linux ARM builds next to the Windows and macOS ones, so a small Linux box or ARM board can run it.

Do my friends need to port forward?

No. Only the machine running the server needs the port open. Players joining just need a firewall that lets Clone Hero out.