To set up an Enshrouded dedicated server on PC, install the server tool from your Steam library, open its installed files, and run the server executable once. That first run creates the server configuration file. Stop the process before editing it, then start it again with your chosen name, player limit, and difficulty preset. This walkthrough covers the Steam installation route; it does not assume that a hosted control panel uses the same menus.
The PC server supports between one and sixteen player slots. A PS5 session has a different player limit, and crossplay was not available at the 1.0 launch. Do not build a mixed PC and PS5 group around a rented PC server. The current launch baseline is version 1.0.0.2, released on October 16, 2026, so update an existing installation before moving a valuable Early Access world into active use.
Decide who will maintain the server
A dedicated server gives your group a separate process to run its world. Before installing anything, choose the person who will keep that process available, maintain its configuration, and keep recoverable copies of its saves. Installing a tool is only the beginning of that responsibility. Someone must still know where the world lives and which installation is actually running.
For a small private group, use a player limit that reflects the people who will join together. Sixteen is the maximum supported slot count on PC, rather than a requirement to reserve sixteen places. More simultaneous players increase CPU and memory pressure. If the machine struggles when the group grows, reducing the slot count is one available way to limit that pressure; it does not diagnose every possible performance problem.
Paid hosting is an alternative if you want a web panel and someone else operating the underlying machine. Compare that route with the Steam tool before starting two worlds by accident. Decide which world is authoritative, who owns its account or machine, and where a backup can be retrieved. Avoid comparing services on an advertised starting price alone because the slot count, billing period, and location may differ.
Find the tool in your Steam library
Owning Enshrouded unlocks its dedicated server tool in the Steam library. The server is a separate library entry, so searching only the normal games list can make it appear to be missing. Open the library filter and enable Tools. Then find Enshrouded Dedicated Server and install that entry.
Use this sequence when you cannot see the download:
- Open the Steam library belonging to the account that owns the game.
- Open the library type filter above the list of installed and available titles.
- Enable the Tools category so that server utilities appear alongside games.
- Search for the Enshrouded dedicated server entry.
- Select the tool and install it to the location you intend to maintain.
This is a library visibility step, not a game repair. Reinstalling the main game is unnecessary just to make the Tools category visible. Also distinguish the dedicated server entry from the main Enshrouded game before starting the download, since their purposes differ.
Open the installed server directory
After the download finishes, right-click the dedicated server entry in Steam and open Properties. Select Installed Files and use Browse to open the installation in Windows Explorer. This gives you a concrete directory for both launching the process and finding the generated configuration later.
Record this directory in your own administration notes before continuing. A common source of confusion is editing a configuration in one installation while running an executable from another directory. The file you edit must belong to the process you intend to start. Using Steam's Browse action makes that relationship easier to establish than guessing a folder name from memory.
The documented installation route recommends launching the executable from the installed directory rather than relying on Steam's Launch button. Run the server executable there once. The configuration file is generated after that first start, so its absence before the first run is expected. Wait until the initial startup has had the opportunity to create its files before deciding that the download failed.
This procedure uses Windows file browsing because that is the installation route described here. It is not a command line guide for Linux, a container setup, or a promise that an older Windows-only support note describes every platform available after 1.0. Follow a platform-specific procedure if you choose a different environment.
Generate and edit the configuration
The file you need is named enshrouded_server.json. It sits with the dedicated server installation after the initial start. Stop the server before changing it. Editing an active server's file risks having your edits replaced when the running process writes its own configuration on shutdown.
Before the first edit, make a separate copy of the generated file. Keep the generated structure and change only the fields you need. A valid JSON file requires quoted property names and string values, correctly separated entries, and balanced braces. A documentation excerpt is not necessarily a complete file you can paste over the configuration. In particular, do not copy an illustrative list with missing separators or a trailing comma into production.
For the initial setup, focus on these fields:
| Field | Purpose | Initial decision |
|---|---|---|
| name | Name visible in the server browser | Choose a name your friends can recognize |
| slotCount | Maximum available player slots | Use a number from one to sixteen |
| saveDirectory | Directory holding the world save | Record the actual configured location |
| logDirectory | Directory holding server logs | Keep it accessible for troubleshooting |
| queryPort | Server query port | Default documented value is 15637 |
| gameSettingsPreset | Overall gameplay configuration | Start with a named preset unless you need custom rules |
The default world save directory is a savegame subfolder relative to the server's location. The default log directory is a logs subfolder, with older logs archived in a backup subfolder. Keep world files and log files distinct. A log can explain a startup problem; it is not a replacement for the world save you want to preserve.
Choose a first difficulty preset
The five preset names are Default, Relaxed, Hard, Survival, and Custom. Default is the straightforward starting point for a first playthrough. Relaxed reduces enemy pressure and provides more resources and loot for a group that prefers building and lighter exploration. Hard increases enemy pressure and aggression. Survival adds further survival demands on top of a tougher environment.
Custom is appropriate when the group has a specific rule change in mind. It exposes individual gameplay settings, but it also creates more configuration to understand and maintain. Do not begin by copying a large old preset simply because its author calls it balanced. A preset assembled before the 1.0 changes can contain assumptions about enemy settings that no longer match the current release.
Ask the group to agree on its intended experience before tuning individual multipliers. A building group and a combat group can reasonably want different rules. Starting from a named preset makes the first session easier to assess because you can change a specific problem later instead of trying to diagnose dozens of simultaneous adjustments.
Check the network setting deliberately
The documented default query port is 15637. The configuration allows changing it to match your network and firewall setup. If you change the configured value, keep the corresponding network rules consistent. A server that starts successfully on its machine has not yet proven that another player can discover or reach it.
The IP field is intended for internal network configuration when needed. Avoid replacing the generated value casually. If you do not understand which network interface a setting refers to, preserve the generated configuration until you have identified the actual connection problem. Changing unrelated fields together makes it harder to establish what solved the issue.
This guide does not prescribe an additional game port, a firewall protocol, or a router forwarding rule that has not been established for your installation. Use the actual current server configuration and the network requirements of your chosen environment. Guessing an old port list is a poor substitute for checking the process and the rules that apply to it.
Perform a first-session acceptance check
A useful acceptance check goes beyond seeing a running process. Confirm that another member of the intended PC group can find the correct server name, join the intended world, and play under the agreed preset. Use a short initial session before asking everyone to move their regular play there.
After that first session, stop the server normally and locate the save directory you recorded. Confirm that you can identify the files belonging to the world and keep a separate copy before making further changes. Also confirm that you can find the latest log. These checks establish that the person maintaining the server can recover evidence when the next update or configuration edit causes trouble.
If the server starts but settings look wrong, first reopen the file used by the running installation. Check its preset, confirm that your edits were saved while the process was stopped, and validate its JSON structure. If the file disappeared or regenerated, compare it with the copy you made before editing. Avoid replacing the world save while investigating a configuration problem.
Finally, keep update work separate from world migration. Version 1.0 introduced a conversion for old saves, and the launch hotfixes did not establish that every damaged character was repaired. Preserve a recoverable copy before continuing an older world. Once the group can join, the intended world persists, and the configuration survives a clean restart, the initial dedicated server setup has met its practical purpose.