How to set up an Enshrouded dedicated server

Yes, Enshrouded has dedicated servers. Rent one, or run Keen's free PC server tool yourself on Windows, or on Linux through Proton with a community container. A rented server stays online when everyone logs off, and berrybyte plans start at $9.95 a month. PS5 and PC servers are separate at 1.0, so pick the platform your group plays on.

berrybyte installs Enshrouded after checkout. Wait for HostOnline in Console, then share the allocated address and a suitable role password.

Playing on PlayStation? Choose the PS5 server option and follow our Enshrouded PS5 setup guide. The Steam, SteamCMD and Linux installation steps below are for PC servers.

Set up on berrybyte

Invite friends

On PC, copy Overview → Server address, including the port. Friends open Play → Join → Search by IPv4/Domain, enter it, and use their assigned role password.

On PS5, share your server name and player password. Friends find the PS5 server in the game's dedicated-server browser.

Follow join a server for browser filters and Favorites. If joining fails, use connection fixes.

Self-host on Windows

Check the machine requirements and leave at least 30 GB free. The host needs to stay powered on and connected while friends play.

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

See Keen's Windows installation guide.

Self-host on Linux with Docker

Linux can run the Windows server through Proton. This example uses the community sknnr container, which handles SteamCMD downloads and the compatibility runtime. Use a Linux x86-64 host with Docker Engine and Compose.

git clone https://github.com/jsknnr/enshrouded-server.git
cd enshrouded-server/container
cp docker-compose-external-config.yaml compose.yaml

sudo chown 10000:10000 enshrouded_server_external.json

docker compose up -d
docker compose logs -f enshrouded

The template mounts your config into the server and stores the world in the Docker volume enshrouded-persistent-data (Compose adds a project prefix). Use docker compose stop before edits or backups, then docker compose up -d to start again. Preserve that volume and the JSON; docker compose down -v deletes the world volume.

Self-hosted settings and joining

Edit the existing JSON while the server is stopped. This is an excerpt to merge, so preserve the generated userGroups and other keys:

{
  "name": "Our Enshrouded World",
  "ip": "0.0.0.0",
  "queryPort": 15637,
  "slotCount": 8,
  "gameSettingsPreset": "Default"
}

Slots can be 1 to 16. Set passwords inside userGroups; keep Admin's password separate from the one you give friends. The settings guide covers permissions and difficulty. See Keen's configuration reference for the full file.

Friends join with your public IPv4 address or domain plus :15637 and their role password. Use the actual query port if you changed it; update Docker's port mapping too. 0.0.0.0 is a listening address, so share your reachable address. Keen's server FAQ covers readiness and networking. If your ISP uses CGNAT, ordinary router forwarding may need a public IPv4 address from the ISP or a different host.

Before an update, stop and back up the config and complete save folder. On Windows, update through Steam or rerun the SteamCMD command. For this Linux container, after backing up run docker compose pull, then docker compose up -d --force-recreate; it checks Steam for game updates at startup. Update the players' clients too, then test one connection.

Existing worlds and updates

• Move an existing world: copy the complete save family while both sides are stopped.
• Update your server: back up first, then enable Auto Update and start.
• All Enshrouded guides: current PC coverage and 1.0 preparation.

If setup stops progressing, open a support ticket with the server linked.