How to Host an Enshrouded Server (Step by Step, 2026)

To host an Enshrouded server without leaving a Windows PC on, pick a plan on GamezServers, pay, and your dedicated server is online in about 60 seconds. Friends find it under Join Game by searching its name, then type the password for their role. The world stays up for up to 16 players when you log off, ready for the 1.0 release on 15 October. This guide covers Enshrouded server hosting from choosing a plan to role passwords, uploading your save and backups.

Step 1: Pick the right plan

Enshrouded keeps the whole voxel world, and every base players carve and build, loaded on the server. That makes it heavier than most survival games, so plans start higher.

How to choose:

• Duo or a group of 4: Starter.
• A steady group of 5 to 8, or one big shared base: Standard.
• Big group, or several large bases: Pro. Memory and CPU use grow with player count and base size.

You can move up a plan later without losing anything, and new customers get 50% off the first month. See how much RAM a game server needs for the reasoning behind these numbers.

Step 2: Split the cost with friends (optional)

Enshrouded is at its best with a group, and so is the bill. At checkout choose Split with friends and pick from 2 to 10 people. Each person pays their own share by card, and each share includes a 1 USD payment fee. A Pro server split eight ways comes to about 6 USD each per month.

• You pay your share and the server starts right away.
• Every friend gets their own payment link and pays when ready. Each share that comes in keeps the server running longer.
• If you are a new customer, friends get 50% off their first month too.
• Friends who make an account with the email they paid with see the server in their own dashboard, with the console, actions and files.

If someone leaves, the remaining shares go up (never above the full price), and everyone is emailed first. More in billing and cancellation.

Step 3: Pay and open your dashboard

Name the server, sign in or create an account on the same page, and pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay through Stripe. It is monthly, with no contract, and you can cancel from the dashboard any time. The server runs to the end of the paid month.

Your dashboard opens straight after checkout with the server listed under Your servers. It shows Setting up for a moment, then Online. The getting started doc explains every step of checkout.

Step 4: Copy the address

Open the server to reach its control panel. The address and port sit at the top, click to copy. Most players join by name search, but the address is handy for adding the server to Steam favorites if the in game list is slow.

Step 5: How players join

1. Launch Enshrouded and click Play, then Join Game.
2. Tick Show dedicated servers and Show password protected servers.
3. Search for the server name.
4. Click Join and enter the password for the role you want, such as Admin or Friend.

Every player needs their own copy of Enshrouded on Steam and must be on the same version as the server. If the server does not show up, see Enshrouded server not showing up.

Step 6: First things to set up

Server name

In Settings, the Name and server list card sets the name players search for. Save, then restart so the list updates. The name and the player limit are managed from the panel, so changing those two lines in the config file directly is undone on the next start.

Role passwords and admin rights

Enshrouded does not use one shared password. Access works through user groups in enshrouded_server.json, which you open from the Files tab. Each group has its own password and permissions:

{
  "name": "Admin",
  "password": "pick-a-strong-one",
  "canKickBan": true,
  "canAccessInventories": true,
  "canEditWorld": true,
  "canEditBase": true,
  "canExtendBase": true,
  "reservedSlots": 0
}

Set a different password on every group, give the Admin one only to people you trust, and restart. When a friend joins, the password they type decides their role. Stop the server before editing, keep every quote and comma in place, and restart after saving. A single missing comma stops the server from starting.

Difficulty and game settings

The same file holds gameSettingsPreset: Default, Relaxed, Hard, Survival or Custom. Only Custom unlocks the detailed values under gameSettings, such as enemy damage, resource yield and day length. Every key is explained in our Enshrouded server settings guide.

Upload your existing world

The world lives in the savegame folder. The first world you created is a file called 3ad85aea with no extension. Stop the server, press Backup, upload your world files into savegame (the Files tab works, or use SFTP from Settings > Show SFTP login) and start it again. The file names have to be exact, so follow how to transfer an Enshrouded save to a dedicated server.

Mods

Enshrouded has no official mod support for dedicated servers, so the server runs the game as Keen Games ships it. The custom game settings are the way to change how your world plays.

Backups, updates, Sleep and upgrades

• Backups: press Backup before every update and before 1.0 lands on 15 October. Big releases can change how saves load. You get 3 backups.
• Updates: when a patch comes out, take a backup, then update from the panel with a restart. Players cannot join a server on an older version.
• Sleep when empty: the server stops after 90 minutes with nobody online and starts again in one click, with the world saved. Turn it off in Settings to keep the world running all the time.
• Upgrading: pick a bigger plan in Settings. It is prorated, and the new RAM applies after a restart. If the group moves on, you can switch the server to another game with a same memory plan, with the world backed up first.

Self hosting vs GamezServers

Want to run it on your own machine? Our guide to making an Enshrouded server covers SteamCMD, the config file and ports.

FAQ

How much does it cost to host an Enshrouded server?

From 19.99 USD a month for 8 GB, with 50% off the first month for new customers. Split eight ways, a Pro server for a full group is about 6 USD each.

How many players can join an Enshrouded server?

Up to 16, the limit set by the game.

Do my friends need to own Enshrouded?

Yes, each player needs their own copy on Steam. The server does not.

Is my server ready for Enshrouded 1.0?

Yes. Back up first, then update from the panel when 1.0 releases on 15 October.

Can I play on the server when the host is offline?

Yes. That is the point of a dedicated server: the world runs on its own, so anyone with a password can play any time.