Dune: Awakening Self-Hosted Server Guide

Is this free?

Yes. Funcom charges no additional fee for self-hosting; you supply the hardware and internet connection. Players still need the game. Self-hosting remains experimental and is PC only; it isn’t included in the console release. See Funcom’s announcement .

This guide covers hosting from a Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro PC using the Steam server tool, checked against the documentation and September 2026 patch notes. For playing alone, the game also has a separate single-player mode, added in Update 1.5 .

What you need

Dune runs several maps and supporting services. A battlegroup is your whole world; a Sietch is a server within it.

You don’t need Windows Server. Hyper-V is an optional feature built into Windows 10 Pro and Windows 11 Pro. Funcom’s installer uses it to run the supplied Linux virtual machine (VM), which contains the game server. Enable the feature below, then let the setup wizard configure the VM. This is part of the normal Windows setup. See Microsoft’s supported editions and Funcom’s explanation .

These are Funcom’s published requirements , not a promise of 40-player performance. Its original hardware test covered 1–4 players together on the same map with ordinary bases. Players spreading across maps increase CPU and memory demand. Hagga Basin’s upper limit is 40 concurrent players, subject to your hardware.

Prepare Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro

Enable the built-in Hyper-V feature before running Funcom’s installer. Windows Home doesn’t include this feature. On your Windows Pro PC:

1. Enable CPU virtualization in your BIOS/UEFI if it is disabled. The option is commonly called Intel Virtualization Technology or AMD-V/SVM.
2. In Windows, search for Turn Windows features on or off.
3. Enable Hyper-V, including its platform and management tools, then restart.

Alternatively, open Windows PowerShell as Administrator and run:

1	Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All

Restart when prompted. If Hyper-V is unavailable, run systeminfo and check its Hyper-V Requirements section. See Microsoft’s installation instructions and hardware checks .

Download the server and get a token

1. In Steam’s Library, enable the Tools filter and install Dune: Awakening Self-Hosted Server.
2. Open Dune Account Management , sign in with Steam, and generate a self-hosting token. Keep it private; you’ll enter it during setup.
3. Right-click the installed tool → Manage → Browse local files.
4. Right-click battlegroup.bat → Run as administrator, then select initial-setup.

Use the live tool and account page above. Older test-server instructions use different downloads and tokens. Follow Funcom’s current setup page , using menu names rather than numbers.

For easier access later, right-click battlegroup.bat → Send to → Desktop (create shortcut). On Windows 11, choose Show more options first. Open the shortcut’s Properties → Shortcut → Advanced, enable Run as administrator, and apply. Keep the original batch file in its installed folder; Steam updates that copy.

First setup

Follow the wizard’s prompts:

1. Choose a drive with enough SSD space and allocate the VM’s memory. Keep enough resources free for Windows.
2. When asked about networking, choose an external virtual switch connected to the Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter you use for internet access. This gives the server its own local IP address.
3. Use DHCP/automatic addressing unless you already have a static addressing plan. Record the IP assigned to the VM.
4. Set a new password for the VM’s dune user when prompted. This is separate from the password players use to join.
5. Enter your world name, region and self-hosting token. Let the downloads and world creation finish.
6. Select start under Battlegroup Commands, then status. Wait for the database and supporting services to become healthy and the starting maps to become ready.

The community Windows walkthrough documents these prompts and status output. Don’t rerun initial setup just because a map is still starting.

Creating the connection can briefly interrupt your PC’s network access, as Microsoft documents . Let the wizard finish before checking the server’s address.

Server name, password and gameplay settings

In battlegroup.bat, stop the battlegroup before editing and leave the VM running. Open File Browser → UserSettings and save a copy of the files you plan to change. Inside the VM, this folder is /home/dune/server/DuneSandbox/Saved/UserSettings. It is separate from your Windows game installation. Funcom documents the shared folder and restart requirement here .

For a single-Sietch world, check the supplied UserEngine.ini template for these entries:

These names are recorded in the DASH project’s audit of Funcom’s templates . Edit the existing entries and preserve their section headers. If a template line starts with ;, it is commented out.

For example, set the join password in UserEngine.ini under its existing [ConsoleVariables] section:

1 2	[ConsoleVariables] Bgd.ServerLoginPassword="ReplaceWithYourOwnPassword"

Replace the example password. This is a fragment: keep the other settings and edit an existing password entry instead of adding a duplicate. Save, start the battlegroup and wait for it to become healthy.

Test password protection with another player. The DASH maintainer reports that its Linux deployment needs an additional launch override for the password flag. An edited INI file alone isn’t proof that your running server rejects unauthenticated players.

Custom settings after Update 1.5

Funcom added UserServerCustomSettings.ini in 1.5.3.1. Use the supplied template from the server’s SteamCMD download folder in UserSettings, preserving any existing custom values.

Then update to 1.5.3.4 or later: that hotfix corrected custom settings failing to apply because ServerCustomSettings.ini lacked DifficultyLevel=Custom. Use the corrected template with its section headers rather than adding the setting to an arbitrary INI file. Both changes are in the September patch notes .

Configuration files affect the whole battlegroup. Use Edit Battlegroup for per-map settings. Director monitoring-page changes don’t persist. See Funcom’s editing instructions .

After restarting, join and open Server settings in the game’s system menu to check the applied gameplay values. This screen is read-only in multiplayer, as the 1.5 patch notes explain .

Passwords and administration

Give friends the world name, region and join password. Keep the self-hosting token and VM’s dune password to yourself. Use battlegroup.bat for server management; sharing the join password doesn’t grant access to those tools. The DASH access-control documentation has not identified a native player whitelist setting, so don’t assume an unlisted world is private. Verify that a player entering the wrong password is rejected before inviting people.

Find the server’s local IP

The Dune server runs inside the Linux VM. Use the VM’s address for networking, even when playing on the Windows PC hosting it. 127.0.0.1 on Windows points back to Windows.

On the hosting PC, open Start → PowerShell → Run as administrator and list the virtual machines:

1	Get-VM | Select-Object Name, State

The default VM name is dune-awakening. If you chose a different name during setup, use that name in the commands below:

1	Get-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName "dune-awakening" | Format-List VMName, SwitchName, MacAddress, IPAddresses

Look for its local IPv4 address, such as 192.168.1.20. If IPAddresses is empty, open your router’s connected-device/DHCP list and match the VM’s MacAddress. Microsoft documents the adapter command here .

Windows might use 192.168.1.10 while the VM uses 192.168.1.20. Keep those separate. In your router’s DHCP reservation, Address reservation or Static lease page, reserve the VM’s current IPv4 address against its MAC address. This keeps the forwarding destination stable after a restart. Use the router’s displayed MAC format; PowerShell can show the same address without separators.

Firewall rules

For the default setup, Funcom requires these incoming connections:

These ports belong to the VM. Dune’s external virtual switch connects the Linux guest to your network. A Windows New-NetFirewallRule command alone doesn’t configure guest or virtual-switch filtering. Microsoft describes these separate switch controls here .

Funcom’s standard wizard handles the appliance networking. If you haven’t added filtering to the VM or virtual switch, continue to the connection test below. If a third-party firewall filters VM traffic, create the two Allow / Inbound rules above in that product, using the VM’s address. Keep database, SSH and management interfaces private.

Existing custom Hyper-V firewall policies are covered under Advanced: Hyper-V networking . Those commands are optional and aren’t part of a fresh home-PC setup.

Test access on your local network

Keep the battlegroup running. From another Windows PC on the same network, open PowerShell and test the VM’s TCP endpoint, replacing the example address:

1	Test-NetConnection -ComputerName 192.168.1.20 -Port 31982

TcpTestSucceeded : True confirms that TCP endpoint is reachable. This command tests TCP ; it doesn’t test UDP game traffic or prove the world can be joined.

Use the game’s Experimental server browser to find the world, as described under Joining your world . If the TCP test fails, check VM readiness, its IP, switch and firewall before changing the router. An advertised public endpoint may also require the internet setup below, even for a player at home.

Port forwarding for friends over the internet

Your router receives your friend’s connection at your public IP. Port forwarding tells it which local machine should receive that traffic. Here, the destination is the Dune VM.

On the hosting Windows PC, open PowerShell. Administrator access isn’t needed for this command:

1

ipconfig

Under the adapter carrying your internet connection, find Default Gateway, for example 192.168.1.1. Hyper-V may expose this through a vEthernet adapter. This gateway is your router’s address.

1. Open the gateway address in a browser, or use your router’s app, and sign in with the router’s administrator credentials.
2. Find Port Forwarding, NAT, Virtual Server or Application Forwarding. Menu names vary by router.
3. Add and enable these two rules. Replace 192.168.1.20 with the VM address found earlier:

For a start/end form, enter 7777 as the start and 7810 as the end. Use the same range internally. Save/apply the rules. If you’ve changed the server’s Port or IGWPort, use the corresponding configured ports throughout.

There isn’t a universal PowerShell command for a home router’s port forwards. The table above supplies the values for its own interface. Keep the router destination on the VM’s address; creating a Windows firewall exception doesn’t create a router mapping.

More than one router or CGNAT

For internet → ISP router → second router → Dune VM, forward these ports on the ISP router to the second router’s WAN address. Then forward them on the second router to the VM’s LAN address. An access point in bridge mode doesn’t add another NAT router.

If the ISP puts you behind CGNAT, your own router’s rules can’t open the ISP’s upstream NAT. Ask for a public IPv4 address. Compare the router’s WAN address with your public IPv4, found by searching what is my IP without a VPN; TP-Link’s guide explains private WAN addresses and CGNAT. Give the setup tool your reachable public address if it asks for a player-facing address.

Have a friend outside your network find and join the world through the game browser. Use the configured password and matching live game version. A test from your own home doesn’t prove internet access; some routers also can’t loop a public-IP connection back inside the LAN.

Joining your world

Launch the normal Steam game and open its server browser. Look under Experimental, the category identified in Funcom’s self-hosting release notes . Find your world, choose its Sietch, and enter its password if configured. The test client uses a separate environment.

Character transfers into self-hosted worlds are one-way. Funcom allows transfers from official/private servers, but not back from self-hosted worlds. Check the destination before transferring. See the self-hosting FAQ .

Saving and closing the server

In battlegroup.bat, select stop under Battlegroup Commands and wait for the operation to finish. Check status before shutting down the VM. If you’re finished hosting, use stop-vm under VM Commands afterward. These are separate controls in Funcom’s launcher .

To host again, start the VM, then start the battlegroup and check its status. Keep the Windows host powered on, awake and connected while friends play. Closing a management window isn’t a substitute for stopping the running services.

Backups and updates

Before an update or settings experiment:

1. Have players disconnect, select stop under Battlegroup Commands and wait for it to finish. Leave the VM running.
2. Choose the database backup action in battlegroup.bat. Wait for completion and note the output location it reports.
3. Save a copy of UserSettings through File Browser. In Edit Battlegroup, also back up the battlegroup specification.
4. Copy all three onto storage outside the VM, in a dated folder such as D:\DuneBackups\2026-09-29-before-update. Record the server version alongside them and check that the exported files are present before continuing.

The database holds world progress; the specification describes the deployment. Keeping only the specification or INI files won’t preserve the world. Funcom provides separate database and specification backup options .

To restore, keep the battlegroup stopped and the VM running, select the database import option, and choose the backup you intend to restore. Restoring replaces progress with that backup’s state. Keep a backup of the current state first, then start the world and check the restored progress before inviting players back.

For an update:

1. Complete the backup steps above and leave the battlegroup stopped.
2. Let Steam update the Windows server tool, then use update in battlegroup.bat for the server running inside the VM.
3. Start the battlegroup and check status before players reconnect.

The Windows walkthrough covers the in-VM update command. If the client updates first, a server update may be needed before you can join again.

Troubleshooting

• Hyper-V is missing: check your Windows edition and BIOS virtualization setting. Windows Hypervisor Platform is a different feature.
• The VM has no IP: check the external switch’s physical adapter and your router’s DHCP leases. The Windows vEthernet address belongs to Windows, not the guest.
• The server isn’t listed: check the live client, live account token, selected region and battlegroup status before changing files.
• Listed but won’t connect: verify both port rules, their VM destination, and any firewall filtering the guest. Test from outside the LAN.
• Custom settings don’t apply: update the server, check the corrected 1.5 template, then restart the battlegroup.
• Running out of memory: reduce simultaneous maps or add RAM before inviting more players.

Use File Browser for each server’s logs and status to see which component has failed. For a closer check, select shell-vm in battlegroup.bat and run this inside the Linux VM, not Windows PowerShell:

1	sudo kubectl -A get pods

Check the READY, STATUS and RESTARTS columns. Repeated restarts or a pod stuck pending identify the component to investigate; they don’t by themselves identify the cause. The launcher’s component-log export and operator-log options provide the next evidence. Funcom documents these diagnostics . Remove tokens and passwords before sharing logs for help.

Advanced: Hyper-V networking

Skip this section if the setup wizard completed and the connection tests work. These checks apply when troubleshooting the virtual switch or adapting an existing restrictive network policy, on either Windows Pro or Windows Server.

Check the virtual switch

On the hosting PC, open Hyper-V Manager → Virtual Switch Manager. Select the switch used by the Dune VM and check that it is External, attached to your active physical network adapter, and allows the management operating system to share that adapter if Windows uses it too. See Microsoft’s switch instructions .

If you’ve configured Hyper-V port ACLs

This subsection is only for an existing restrictive Hyper-V switch policy. On the Windows host, in PowerShell as Administrator, inspect the Dune VM’s rules. These commands use the default VM name, dune-awakening; change it if you named yours differently:

1	Get-VMNetworkAdapterExtendedAcl -VMName "dune-awakening"

No output means this VM has no extended ACLs to adjust; skip these commands. If an inbound deny rule blocks the game, choose two unused weights higher than that deny rule. The example below uses 100 and 101. Run it once, with your VM name and chosen weights:

1 2

Add-VMNetworkAdapterExtendedAcl -VMName "dune-awakening" -Direction Inbound -Action Allow -Protocol UDP -LocalPort "7777-7810" -Weight 100 -Stateful $true Add-VMNetworkAdapterExtendedAcl -VMName "dune-awakening" -Direction Inbound -Action Allow -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 31982 -Weight 101 -Stateful $true

Stateful rules allow replies for these connections. Run the inspection command again and check the ports, protocols and weights. Microsoft’s ACL command reference covers these parameters; its policy guide explains rule ordering. Keep existing Kubernetes networking rules in place.

Optional undo: to remove only the two rules you just added, use the same VM name and weights below. Check the inspection output first; removal matches direction and weight, not a descriptive rule name.

1 2	Remove-VMNetworkAdapterExtendedAcl -VMName "dune-awakening" -Direction Inbound -Weight 100 -Confirm Remove-VMNetworkAdapterExtendedAcl -VMName "dune-awakening" -Direction Inbound -Weight 101 -Confirm

If you chose different weights, change these too. See Microsoft’s scoped removal command .

Can I host on Linux?

Yes. Funcom’s packaged setup uses Windows and Hyper-V; its FAQ leaves native Linux setup to users. Community projects include a manual Ubuntu deployment and a native Linux/Nix implementation . Follow those projects’ installation and update instructions for those deployments.

Undo networking changes before uninstalling

The setup wizard can create an external switch named DuneAwakeningServerSwitch. Windows then uses a virtual adapter called vEthernet (DuneAwakeningServerSwitch) for the host’s connection. This can look like Ethernet was renamed, although the physical adapter still exists. Creating or removing the switch can briefly disconnect the PC. Microsoft explains external switches here .

These steps remove Dune’s network connection while keeping its VM and server data. Work locally on the hosting PC, because a remote session can disconnect during removal. If you want to keep your world, complete the backup steps above first.

Stop the server and check the switch

1. Run battlegroup.bat as administrator. Select stop under Battlegroup Commands and wait for completion, then select stop-vm.
2. Open Start → PowerShell → Run as administrator on the hosting PC.
3. Inspect the adapters and switches:

1 2 3 4

Get-NetAdapter | Format-Table Name, InterfaceDescription, Status Get-NetIPConfiguration Get-VMSwitch | Format-Table Name, SwitchType, NetAdapterInterfaceDescription Get-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName 'dune-awakening' | Format-Table Name, SwitchName

Use your own VM name if you changed it. Note the physical adapter connected to the Dune switch, such as Ethernet. Record the current IP, gateway and DNS settings before proceeding, especially if you configured a static address or custom DNS.

The installer can reuse an existing external switch. Only remove DuneAwakeningServerSwitch if it was created for Dune and nothing else needs it. If your VM uses a different switch, or these commands return errors, stop and check its configuration rather than substituting another switch name. Leave Hyper-V’s Default Switch alone.

Check for other VMs attached to Dune’s switch:

1 2 3

Get-VM | Get-VMNetworkAdapter | Where-Object SwitchName -eq 'DuneAwakeningServerSwitch' | Format-Table VMName, Name, SwitchName

Continue only if this succeeds and lists just dune-awakening, or no attached VMs. If another VM appears, removing the switch would disconnect it too.

Remove Dune’s external switch

With the Dune VM stopped, run these commands one at a time in the same administrator PowerShell window:

1 2	Disconnect-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName 'dune-awakening' Remove-VMSwitch -Name 'DuneAwakeningServerSwitch' -Confirm

Confirm removal of that switch. Expect a brief network interruption while Windows reconnects through the physical adapter. These commands preserve the VM and its virtual disk. See Microsoft’s Remove-VMSwitch reference .

Check the physical connection afterward, replacing Ethernet if your adapter has another name:

1	Get-NetIPConfiguration -InterfaceAlias 'Ethernet'

For a DHCP connection, expect an address from your router and a default gateway; the assigned address can change. Test a website. If the connection doesn’t return, restart Windows and check again. If you previously used a static IP or custom DNS, check those values against the settings you recorded and restore them on the physical adapter if needed.

Finish retiring the server

• In Hyper-V Manager → dune-awakening → Settings → Automatic Start Action, select Nothing so the preserved VM doesn’t start with Windows.
• Remove any router port forwards or DHCP reservations you created specifically for Dune. Remove its custom firewall exceptions if you added them; the optional Hyper-V rule removal commands are above .
• Leave Hyper-V enabled if other VMs or software use it. Disabling the whole feature isn’t necessary to restore Ethernet.

You can then uninstall the Steam server tool. Its setup copies the working VM into DuneAwakeningServer on the drive you selected, so uninstalling the Steam tool alone doesn’t remove that VM, its world data or its switch. The steps above undo the networking changes; keep the VM files until you’ve decided whether to retain the world backup.