Enshrouded Server Setup: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

An Enshrouded server setup takes five steps: own the game on Steam, install the Enshrouded Dedicated Server tool (or download app 2278520 with SteamCMD) on a Windows PC, run enshrouded_server.exe once so it writes enshrouded_server.json, set the name, slots and passwords in that file, and let port 15637 through your firewall and router. Up to 16 players can then join from the in-game server browser. Keen Games recommends a 6-core CPU and 16 GB of RAM for a group of 4 to 6, so if that PC is also the one you play on, a hosted server is often the easier route.

Below are the exact steps on your own PC, taken from Keen Games’ help center, then how the same setup looks on TheGameHosting.

Enshrouded server setup: what you need first

Enshrouded left Early Access with version 1.0 on October 15, 2026, and the dedicated server follows the same versions as the game. Keen’s recommended server specifications depend on how many people play at once:

The server itself is only Windows for now. Keen’s installation article says plainly that only Windows is supported and that Linux support is planned for later, and the Steam tool ships a Windows build only.

How much RAM does the Enshrouded server use?

Keen’s dedicated server FAQ gives real numbers: about 4.4 GB of RAM while idle, up to 100 MB more for each player, and no more than 6 GB in total. The 16 GB on the spec sheet is for the whole machine. The catch is that the game client also asks for 16 GB of RAM on its Steam page, so running the server and playing on the same PC means both fight for memory and CPU.

Step 1: Install the Enshrouded dedicated server

There are two ways to get the files. Both give you the same enshrouded_server.exe.

From your Steam library

1. In the Steam library, tick the Tools filter. Owning Enshrouded unlocks Enshrouded Dedicated Server there.
2. Install it, then right-click it and choose Properties → Installed Files → Browse.
3. Start enshrouded_server.exe from that folder. Keen recommends running the .exe directly instead of Steam’s Launch button.

With SteamCMD (headless machine or spare PC)

On a box where you don’t want to log in to Steam, install SteamCMD and download the server as app 2278520, a free tool on Steam:

steamcmd +force_install_dir C:\enshrouded-server +login anonymous +app_update 2278520 validate +quit

Run the same line again to update after a patch. Some of Keen’s hotfix notes say when servers don’t need an update; when they don’t say so, update the server along with the game.

Step 2: First start and enshrouded_server.json

The first time you run the .exe, a console window opens and the server writes enshrouded_server.json next to it, along with the savegame and logs folders. When the console shows [Session] 'HostOnline' (up)!, the server is running. Close it before you edit the file. Here is a trimmed example with the keys from Keen’s Dedicated Server Configuration and Server Roles articles:

{
  "name": "Embervale Crew",
  "saveDirectory": "./savegame",
  "logDirectory": "./logs",
  "ip": "0.0.0.0",
  "queryPort": 15637,
  "slotCount": 8,
  "userGroups": [
    {
      "name": "Admin",
      "password": "change-this-admin-pass",
      "canKickBan": true,
      "canAccessInventories": true,
      "canEditBase": true,
      "canExtendBase": true,
      "reservedSlots": 1
    }
  ],
  "voiceChatMode": "Proximity",
  "enableVoiceChat": true,
  "enableTextChat": true,
  "gameSettingsPreset": "Default"
}

Voice and text chat are off in the default file, so set enableVoiceChat and enableTextChat to true if your group wants them. Difficulty presets and the 30-plus custom values have their own guide: Enshrouded server settings explained.

Step 3: Set passwords with userGroups

Old guides show a single "password" line at the top of the file. Since Update 2 that line no longer sets the server password; access works through userGroups. Each group has a name, a password and a set of permissions, and players get the rights of the password they type when they join. A freshly generated file comes with random passwords, which keeps strangers out until you replace them.

The permission keys are canKickBan, canAccessInventories, canEditBase and canExtendBase. Add "reservedSlots": 1 or more to a group so admins or friends can still get in when guests fill the server. You can also create your own groups, for example one that can use chests and workstations but not change your buildings.

Step 4: Open port 15637

The current default file has one port entry, "queryPort": 15637, and Keen’s FAQ says Steam also uses its standard ports. If you see guides that tell you to forward a separate game port, check your own enshrouded_server.json: Keen’s current default lists only the query port. On a home PC you need to:

1. Allow enshrouded_server.exe through Windows Defender Firewall for private and public networks.
2. Give the PC a fixed local IP in your router.
3. Forward port 15637 to that IP. Keen’s docs don’t name the protocol, so forwarding it for both UDP and TCP covers you.

Enshrouded multiplayer uses IPv4 only. If your provider puts you behind CGNAT, forwarding won’t work at all. The router side works the same as for any game server, and our port forwarding guide walks through it screen by screen. This is also the step a hosted server skips: on TheGameHosting the server already has a public IP and port, and it sits behind DDoS protection instead of exposing your home connection.

Step 5: Join your server

In Enshrouded, pick Join from the main menu and enable Show dedicated server in the server filter, then look for your server name. If it doesn’t appear, add it as a favorite in Steam: View → Game Servers → Favorites → +, and enter IP:15637. Favorites appear at the top of the in-game list. Players then type the password of the group you want them in.

Move your co-op world to the server

You don’t have to start over. Keen’s Save Game Management article explains where everything is:

• Local worlds are in %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\enshrouded.
• World files have fixed hexadecimal names in order of creation: world 1 is 3ad85aea, world 2 3bd85c7d, world 3 38d857c4.
• Each world keeps 10 numbered rolling copies, a -index file that says which copy is the latest, and _info files with the world name.
• Only the world lives on the server. Characters stay on each player’s PC, so everyone keeps their own gear and level.

Stop the server, back up its savegame folder, then copy every file whose name starts with your world’s code into it and start the server again. Keen’s docs don’t explain how a dedicated server picks between several world files, so test with a copy first. Saves from Early Access still work in 1.0; the game converts them to its new format.

Enshrouded server setup on TheGameHosting

Running the server at home means the PC stays on whenever anyone wants to play. If the host logs off, Embervale goes with them, and a group in different time zones ends up waiting. A rented server removes that. On TheGameHosting it looks like this:

1. Pick a plan of 8 GB or more on our pricing page; Enshrouded needs 8 GB on our plans. Choose Dallas or Amsterdam.
2. The server is ready about 60 seconds after payment. In the panel, open Game Changer and select Enshrouded if the server isn’t on it yet.
3. Open Files, edit enshrouded_server.json in the browser (name, slotCount, userGroups, preset) and save.
4. Start the server from Console and watch it come online.
5. Upload your co-op world to the save folder with Files or sFTP, and make a copy in Backups before every big change.

Your friends connect with the IP and port the panel shows, with no router setup. The hardware is AMD 9950X/7950X3D CPUs up to 5.7 GHz, DDR5 and Samsung NVMe, which covers Keen’s point that CPU and RAM become the bottleneck as players join. The Enshrouded server hosting page has the details. Your server stays up 24/7 whether you play or not, which is why a 24/7 server matters for any group game. If your group also plays Valheim, our Valheim dedicated server setup guide follows the same pattern.

Skip the setup: your Enshrouded server online in 60 seconds

If the spec table made you check how much RAM and upload your PC really has, that is the moment to move the world to a host. An 8 GB plan covers Keen’s figure of up to 6 GB for the server process, and 10 or 12 GB gives a full 16-player world with big bases more room. The same plan can switch to another game with Game Changer, slots are unlimited on our side, and you can cancel any time. Compare sizes on TheGameHosting plans and pricing and use code FULL2026 at checkout for 15% off for life.

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Hosting for these games

• Enshrouded hostingUp to 16 players, from 8 GB
• Valheim hostingViking co-op survival, from 4 GB