How to Update an Enshrouded Server (Ready for 1.0)

To update an Enshrouded dedicated server, stop it, copy the whole savegame folder (every file starting with 3ad85aea, including the -index files) and enshrouded_server.json somewhere safe, then run SteamCMD with app ID 2278520 in the server folder and start it again. The world carries over. Players and server must be on the same version, so update the server as soon as Steam patches the game, and let it load the world before anyone joins.

What an update changes and what it keeps

What goes where

Before you start

• Read the patch notes on Enshrouded's Steam news. Look for save changes, skill resets and new server settings.
• Spend skill points before big updates. When the tree resets, points come back unspent, and players stepping out of a safe base with no skills have a bad time.
• Tell players. Steam updates their game by itself, and nobody can join while the server is on the old version.

Step 1: Stop the server

Stop it from the console or panel. The server writes a new rolling copy when it saves, so stopping cleanly means the newest copy is complete and the index points at it.

Step 2: Back up first

Copy the whole savegame folder and enshrouded_server.json off the server. Count the 3ad85aea files: a world that has been played for a while has around twenty. All of them belong in the backup.

Step 3: Run the update

From the server folder:

steamcmd +force_install_dir C:\enshroudedserver +login anonymous +app_update 2278520 validate +quit

On Linux the server is the Windows build run through Wine or Proton, so add +@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType windows before +login. Use the same folder you installed into, or your start script keeps running the old copy.

Step 4: Start and let the world load

Start the server and watch logs/enshrouded_server.log until it has finished loading. After a large update this takes longer than usual. Then have one person join first, check the base and a few chests, and let everyone else in.

Step 5: Check enshrouded_server.json

Big updates can bring new game settings. Compare your file to the keys in our Enshrouded server settings guide, and if you use "gameSettingsPreset": "Custom", check your gameSettings block still loads the values you expect. Edit the file only with the server stopped.

The gotcha: the rolling saves are not a backup

The server keeps ten numbered copies of the world, so it is tempting to skip the backup and plan to "go back to an older copy" if an update goes wrong. It does not work for long. Each save writes a new copy and drops the oldest, so after a session or two on the new version every one of those ten copies has been written by it. The pre-update world has rolled out of the folder.

The second half of the trap is restoring. If you copy back only the file called 3ad85aea, the -index file still points at one of the newer numbered copies, and the server loads that instead. Restore the whole savegame folder from your backup, every 3ad85aea file and both index files, with the server stopped.

Getting ready for Enshrouded 1.0

Enshrouded 1.0 is planned for 15 October 2026 on Steam and PS5, as Keen Games announced in its release date reveal. For a server owner that means:

1. Back up savegame on the 14th, or before the update reaches Steam.
2. Update and restart the server as soon as Steam has the patch.
3. Expect the skill tree reset, so players respawn with points to spend.
4. Expect hotfixes in the days after, and restart for each one.

PS5 players still cannot join a Steam dedicated server, since crossplay was not announced for 1.0. More in our Enshrouded 1.0 guide.

Common problems

• Players get a version mismatch: the server or a player is on the old version. Update and restart the server, and have players restart Steam to get the patch.
• The world looks older than it should after a restore: only 3ad85aea was restored and the index pointed elsewhere. Restore every file in savegame.
• Server starts a brand new world: the save files went into the wrong folder, or saveDirectory in the json points somewhere else.
• Settings went back to defaults: the json was edited while the server ran, or has a JSON syntax error. Stop the server, fix it, start again.
• Server crashes on start right after a patch: run SteamCMD again with validate. If it still fails, wait for Keen's hotfix and keep your backup.

Updating on GamezServers

On a GamezServers Enshrouded server, the server updates Enshrouded every time it starts, so press Backup, then Restart, and it boots on the new version. The server name, player slots, the Admin and Friend passwords and the Game settings preset are written into enshrouded_server.json from Settings on every start, so change those in the panel. Pick Custom to use your own gameSettings block from the file. To move a world in from another server, see moving an Enshrouded server to a new host.

FAQ

Does updating an Enshrouded server delete the world?

No. The update replaces program files and leaves savegame alone. Back it up anyway, since a world saved on a new version cannot be expected to load on an old one.

Will my Enshrouded world carry over to 1.0?

Keen Games has not announced a wipe, and the skill tree reset note implies characters continue. Keep a backup of savegame from before the update until you have played on 1.0.

Why can nobody join after an Enshrouded patch?

The server is still on the old version. Restart it so it updates, or run SteamCMD for app 2278520 on a self hosted server.

How do I restore an Enshrouded backup?

Stop the server, delete the files in savegame, upload every file from your backup (the world, numbered copies, _info files and index files) and start it again.