How to Roll Back Risk of Rain 2 to Join a Dedicated Server

To join a Risk of Rain 2 dedicated server you have to run the same build as the server, and the official dedicated server has been stuck on version 1.2.4.1 since May 2022. Open the Steam console, run download_depot 632360 632361 7660073450841700654, wait for the download to finish, then launch Risk of Rain 2.exe from the downloaded folder and connect from there. Your normal Steam install stays on the current patch for everything else.

Why you have to roll back at all

Risk of Rain 2 has two separate things on Steam: the game (app 632360) and the free Risk of Rain 2 Dedicated Server tool (app 1180760). The game kept getting patches, including the Seekers of the Storm expansion in 2024. The dedicated server tool did not. Its last update shipped build 1.2.4.1 in May 2022, and players on the game's Steam discussion boards have been asking Gearbox to update it ever since.

A Risk of Rain 2 client refuses to join a server running a different build. If you try with the current game you get a version mismatch and drop back to the menu. There is no setting on the server side that fixes this, because no newer server build exists. Every dedicated server running the official tool, ours included, runs that older build.

So the choice is simple. Either the group plays on the 2022 build when it uses a dedicated server, or it skips the dedicated server and hosts peer to peer lobbies from the game menu. This guide covers the first option.

What you lose on build 1.2.4.1

Be clear with your group about this before anyone downloads anything:

If Seekers of the Storm content is the reason your group plays, a dedicated server is the wrong tool right now.

Step 1: Check the server's build

Before downloading, confirm what the server is running. When the dedicated server starts, it prints its build in the console window. On our servers you see this in the live console in the panel right after a start or restart. Make a note of it. If it says 1.2.4.1, the command below is the one you need. If a future update ever changes it, you would need the manifest that matches the new build instead, and you can find manifest IDs on SteamDB's depot history page for depot 632361.

Step 2: Download the old build through the Steam console

Steam has a hidden console that can download any past build of a game you own.

1. Make sure Steam is running and you are signed in to the account that owns Risk of Rain 2.
2. Press Win + R, type steam://open/console and press Enter. Steam opens a Console tab.
3. Paste this line and press Enter:

download_depot 632360 632361 7660073450841700654

4. Nothing seems to happen for a while. That is normal. The console prints a line with the folder path when the download is done, usually after a few minutes depending on your connection.

The files land in a folder like this:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\content\app_632360\depot_632361\

The numbers in the command are the app ID (632360), the depot ID for the Windows game files (632361) and the manifest ID that points at build 1.2.4.1.

Step 3: Move the old build somewhere safe

Steam can clean out the content folder later, so copy the whole depot_632361 folder to a place you control, for example C:\Games\RoR2-1.2.4.1\. Keep your normal Steam install where it is. That way you have two copies: the current game in your library and the old build for server nights.

Some players overwrite their main install with the old files instead. That works, but Steam will try to update it again, and you lose the current version until the update finishes. Two separate folders is less hassle.

Step 4: Launch the old build and connect

1. Keep Steam open.
2. Open your copy of the old build and run Risk of Rain 2.exe directly.
3. If the game refuses to start or opens through Steam as the current version, create a text file named steam_appid.txt in the same folder as the exe, put 632360 in it, save it and try again. This tells the Steam API which game it is without going through the library.
4. On the title screen, open the developer console with Ctrl + Alt + ~ (the tilde key).
5. Type the join line, with your server's password and address:

cl_password "yourpassword"; connect "203.0.113.10:27015";

If the server has no password, keep the empty quotes: cl_password ""; connect "203.0.113.10:27015";. Our Risk of Rain 2 hosting guide explains the rest of the config and the console join in more detail.

Step 5: Get everyone on the same build

Every player needs to repeat steps 2 to 4. Send the group the command line, and tell them up front that it is a few minutes of setup once, not every time. A pinned Discord message with the download command, the steam_appid.txt note and the connect line saves a lot of back and forth.

When someone still cannot get in, the cause is nearly always one of these:

Mods and the old build

If your group wants mods, they have to target the same 1.2.4.1 build on every PC and on the server. Older releases of popular mods often still exist on Thunderstore under their version history. Our guide to installing mods on a Risk of Rain 2 server walks through matching a mod profile to the server's build. Keep the modded old build in its own folder too, separate from your normal game.

Going back to the current version

Nothing about the rollback touches your Steam library copy if you kept separate folders. Launch Risk of Rain 2 from Steam as usual and you are on the newest patch with Seekers of the Storm. If you did overwrite your main install, right click the game in Steam, open Properties, Installed Files and click Verify integrity of game files. Steam downloads the current build back.

Is a dedicated server still worth it?

For a lot of groups, yes. A dedicated lobby stays up when your usual host is offline, nobody's home upload is the bottleneck, and friends can drop into the next run without anyone sending invites. Runs do not save, so the value is convenience, not a persistent world. If your group is happy on the 2022 build, especially with Survivors of the Void, the rollback is a one time job.

If that trade off works for you, a Risk of Rain 2 server on GamezServers is live within about a minute, with the password, hostname, max players and public listing set in the panel and a live console that shows the server build at startup. Four players can split the bill so each pays their own share. If your group needs the latest patch, stay on peer to peer lobbies until Gearbox updates the server tool.

FAQ

What version is the Risk of Rain 2 dedicated server?

Build 1.2.4.1, from May 2022. The dedicated server tool on Steam (app 1180760) has not been updated since, so it sits behind the current game.

Will rolling back delete my save or unlocks?

Your profile with unlocks is stored separately from the game files, so it carries over. Content added after 1.2.4.1, like Seekers of the Storm survivors, simply does not exist on the old build.

Can I play Seekers of the Storm on a dedicated server?

Not with the official server tool. Seekers of the Storm came out in 2024, after the last server build. Use peer to peer lobbies for that content.

Do I need to roll back every time I play?

No. Download the old build once, keep it in its own folder, and launch that copy on server nights. Your Steam library copy stays current.

Can the server be updated to the newest version instead?

Not by the server owner. Only Gearbox can release a newer dedicated server build, and none exists. Auto update keeps the server on the newest build the tool offers, which is 1.2.4.1.