How to Host a Nuclear Option Server (Step by Step, 2026)

To host a Nuclear Option server without leaving your own PC running, pick a plan on GamezServers, choose your missions at checkout and pay. The official Shockfront dedicated server installs itself, starts in a few minutes and appears in the in game server list under the name you gave it. This guide covers every step, from picking a plan to running admin commands from the panel.

Step 1: Pick the right plan

Nuclear Option plans are sized by players. The server idles at around half a gigabyte of memory with no mission loaded and grows once a mission spawns its units, aircraft and missiles, all of which are simulated on the server. That makes CPU just as important as RAM, so bigger plans also get more cores.

Rules of thumb:

• A squadron of friends: Starter covers up to 8 players in any built in mission.
• A regular group or a small public server: Standard. 16 players is the size Shockfront recommends, since the server list shows a performance warning above it.
• Big public PvP or unit heavy Workshop missions: Pro.

The player cap follows your plan automatically, and you can change plan at any time. New customers get 50% off the first month. For more on sizing, see Nuclear Option server requirements.

Step 2: Choose your missions and password

The checkout shows the settings that matter most before you pay:

• Join password: leave it empty for an open server anyone can join from the list, or set one for a private squadron server.
• Missions: the rotation the server plays.

Under More settings you will find the mission length (120 minutes by default), the rotation order (in order, random, or shuffled so each mission plays once before repeating) and the vote kick switch. All of them can be changed later in the panel. The full walkthrough of rotations and Workshop missions is in how to set up a Nuclear Option mission rotation.

Step 3: Split the cost with friends (optional)

At checkout you can choose Split with friends for 2 to 10 people. Everyone pays their own share by card, each share including a 1 USD payment fee. A Standard server split four ways comes to about 3.50 USD each per month.

• Your share starts the server straight away. Nobody waits on anyone.
• Each friend gets their own payment link and pays when they are ready.
• Friends who make an account with the email they paid with see the server in their own dashboard and can use the console and buttons too.

If someone drops out, the other shares go up, never above the full server price, and everyone is emailed first. Details are in billing and cancellation.

Step 4: Pay and watch it install

Name your server, sign in or create an account on the same page, then pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Billing is monthly with no contract.

You land on your dashboard, where the server shows Setting up while SteamCMD downloads the dedicated server (app 3930080, a little under 1 GB). Once it is Online, the console shows the line Waiting for Players before loading next map. That means the server is up, listed with Steam and idling until someone joins.

Step 5: How players join

Nuclear Option joins dedicated servers from its own server list, so players search for your server's name rather than pasting an address:

1. Launch Nuclear Option and open Multiplayer from the main menu.
2. Find your server's name in the server list and join it.
3. Enter the password if you set one.
4. Pick a side and an aircraft once the mission has loaded.

Two things surprise new owners:

• A fresh server can take a minute or two to appear in the list while it registers with Steam.
• The first player waits a little. An empty server has no mission loaded. When the first player joins, it loads the next mission in the rotation, so that first join takes a few extra seconds.

If your server will not show up, or players see Failed to join: Invalid version, our Nuclear Option server not showing up guide has the fixes.

Step 6: Run the server from the panel

Shockfront's dedicated server is managed through remote commands, a small command interface on the server itself. On a home server you need a script or Shockfront's control panel tool to use them. On GamezServers they are wired to the panel, so there is nothing to install.

The control panel has one click buttons for:

• Broadcast: a message to everyone in chat.
• Players online: the Steam ID and faction of everyone on the server.
• Current mission and Mission timer: what is running, what loads next and how long is left.
• Set next mission and Set time left: jump the rotation or shorten a mission that drags.
• Kick player, Ban player and Unban player: by Steam ID. Bans are saved to ban_list.txt.
• Reload config file: apply changes to DedicatedServerConfig.json without a restart.

You can also type commands in the Console tab, like say Next mission in 5 minutes or set-next-mission Escalation Co-op as BDF. Type help for the list. Every command is explained in Nuclear Option server commands.

Step 7: Change settings later

Open the server and go to Settings:

• Name and server list: the name players search for. Changes show after a restart.
• Game settings: password, missions, mission list, mission minutes, rotation order, vote kick and update on start. Saved settings apply on the next start.

Everything else in DedicatedServerConfig.json, like vote kick thresholds or extra ban list files, can be edited in the Files tab. The panel only rewrites the keys it manages, so your other edits stay. DedicatedServerConfig.json explained goes through every key.

Updates, sleep and backups

• Updates: the server checks Steam for a new build on every start. After a game patch, restart it so players on the new version can join. Update game in Settings reinstalls the server completely if anything goes wrong, keeping your config, ban list and uploaded missions.
• Sleep when empty: the server stops after 4 days with nobody online, and anyone with access starts it again in one click. Turn it off in Settings if you want it listed around the clock for public players.
• Backups: press Backup before you change a lot of settings or upload missions. You get 3 backups.

Self hosting vs GamezServers

Prefer to run it yourself? How to make a Nuclear Option dedicated server covers SteamCMD, ports and the config file on Windows and Linux.

FAQ

How much does a Nuclear Option server cost?

Plans start at 7.99 USD a month for up to 8 players, with 50% off the first month for new customers.

Do my friends need to own Nuclear Option?

Yes, every player needs their own copy on Steam. The server itself is a free download and needs no copy of the game.

Can we play co-op against the AI?

Yes. Pick one of the co-op rotations and everyone flies for the same side against the AI.

Can I use Steam Workshop missions?

Yes. Choose My own list and add Workshop: followed by the item id. The server downloads the mission itself and keeps it updated.