Enshrouded 1.0 FREE Dedicated Server Guide

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Updated 19 October 2026 for Enshrouded 1.0. Install the latest server and client updates before configuring; Hotfix 1.0.0.2 fixes the launch-week world-settings editing bug.

This guide uses SteamCMD, which downloads the server without a Steam account or the Steam desktop client. It installs the same dedicated server as the Steam tool. For the Library download, use the Steam setup guide .

Before you start

This walkthrough runs the native 64-bit Windows dedicated server for Steam players. Cross-platform play is unavailable at the 1.0 launch , so console players cannot join this Steam setup.

The server software is free. Players need the game, and the hosting PC must stay powered on, awake and connected while people play. The published hardware recommendations call for 16 GB RAM, an SSD with 30 GB free, and roughly 2 Mbit/s upload per player. The CPU examples are 6 cores/12 threads for 4–6 players and 8 cores/16 threads for 16 players. These recommendations predate 1.0; leave extra resources if you play on the hosting PC.

Already have a server? Stop it and back up its configuration and entire save folder before updating. Keep using its existing installation path; the example folder below is for a new installation.

Downloading with SteamCMD

1. Download SteamCMD for Windows from Valve’s SteamCMD page .
2. Extract it into C:\SteamCMD.
3. In File Explorer, enable View → Show → File name extensions.
4. Save this as update.bat beside C:\SteamCMD\steamcmd.exe. Check that it isn’t named update.bat.txt.

update.bat

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@echo off cd /d "%~dp0" steamcmd.exe +force_install_dir "C:\GameServers\Enshrouded" +login anonymous +app_update 2278520 +quit if errorlevel 1 ( echo Update failed. Check the SteamCMD output before starting the server. pause exit /b 1 ) echo Check above for the successful installation message for app 2278520. pause

5. Run update.bat and wait for SteamCMD to finish. Look for Success! App '2278520' fully installed..
6. Open C:\GameServers\Enshrouded. It should contain enshrouded_server.exe.

App 2278520 is Enshrouded Dedicated Server , not the playable game. If you choose another install folder, change +force_install_dir and use that folder throughout the guide.

If you’re updating an installation made with the older guide, point +force_install_dir at its existing steamapps\common\EnshroudedServer folder. Installing a second copy elsewhere doesn’t transfer your world or configuration.

First launch

In your server folder, enable View → Show → File name extensions in File Explorer. Save this as start.bat beside enshrouded_server.exe:

start.bat

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@echo off cd /d "%~dp0" enshrouded_server.exe pause

Run start.bat. It starts the executable from the correct folder without extra launch arguments. The first run creates enshrouded_server.json, along with the save and log folders.

Wait for [Session] 'HostOnline' (up)! or a transition to Host_Online in the console before continuing.

Stop the server before editing its files. Click inside its console, press Ctrl+C, and wait for the server process to exit. With this batch file, the final Press any key to continue prompt means the executable has returned. Check Task Manager if you’re unsure whether enshrouded_server.exe is still running.

Configuring your server

Open enshrouded_server.json in Notepad. It is beside the server executable, not in your personal Enshrouded saves.

Keep the generated file and edit its existing fields. JSON requires double quotes, commas between entries, and no comma after the last entry in an object or array.

The configuration reference describes these fields and lists queryPort rather than the old gamePort field.

Passwords, friends and admins

Find the userGroups array. Each group has its own password and permission flags. The password a player enters when joining determines their permissions. Give friends the password for your normal playing group, and keep the Admin password private.

Change the passwords in every existing group before opening the server to the internet. An empty password allows public access with that group’s permissions. Older servers can have a default group carried over from the old top-level password field; configure that group’s password too.

Read the flags in your file rather than relying on the group’s name. You become an admin by joining with the password of a group that grants the required permissions; there is no Steam ID or op command to enter here. See Server Roles Configuration .

The 1.0 changelog confirms that dedicated servers still use these group passwords. The new in-game promotion and demotion controls apply to player-hosted sessions.

Difficulty and custom gameplay

Start with "Default" for a normal playthrough. "Relaxed" favors building and resource gathering, "Hard" increases combat pressure, and "Survival" adds survival mechanics.

Individual values inside gameSettings take effect only when gameSettingsPreset is "Custom". The available controls cover:

For example, to turn off weapon durability and keep backpack items after death, change these existing values. This is a fragment to merge, not a replacement for the whole file:

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{ "gameSettingsPreset": "Custom", "gameSettings": { "enableDurability": false, "tombstoneMode": "NoTombstone" } }

Keep all the other gameSettings entries. Day/night and hunger durations use nanoseconds in JSON: 30 minutes is 1800000000000, and 12 minutes is 720000000000.

The gameplay settings reference explains the individual settings. As of 17 October 2026, its full example is still labelled version 0.9.0.0. Use the file generated by your installed server as the starting point; don’t replace it with that older example.

New in 1.0: the release notes add an Automatic enemy-amount option that scales encounters to nearby players, an Updraft charge-duration setting, and a setting to lower the Flame level needed to push back the Shroud. They also change the enemy-damage slider. The support reference has not yet documented all the new JSON keys and ranges, so retain newly generated fields and check the configuration/readme shipped with your server before changing these controls.

Save the file and run start.bat again. If it won’t start, read the console error for the invalid setting. Check commas, double quotes and case-sensitive option names first.

Joining on the hosting PC

Keep the server running, then launch the Enshrouded game with an updated client.

1. Select Play → Join and enable Show dedicated server in the filters.
2. Choose Search by IPv4/Domain and enter 127.0.0.1:15637 when playing on the same PC as the server.
3. Select the returned server, join, and enter your group’s password. Click its star to keep it in your favorites.

The address search uses the query port. Successfully loading the world checks the server and password before you troubleshoot the router.

If the game doesn’t find it, use the Steam favorites method below. You don’t need to wait a fixed number of minutes for a public listing.

Windows Firewall and LAN access

For this setup, allow inbound UDP 15637 , matching queryPort. Steam’s query-port traffic uses UDP .

On the hosting Windows PC, open Start → type PowerShell → Run as administrator, then run:

1	New-NetFirewallRule -Name "TC-Enshrouded-UDP-15637" -DisplayName "Enshrouded Server UDP 15637" -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 15637 -Action Allow

If you use another firewall, allow the same inbound UDP port there. Windows normally allows outbound traffic; this setup doesn’t need the old guide’s four TCP/UDP inbound/outbound rules. On networks that restrict outbound connections, also follow Steam’s required-ports guidance .

To remove only the rule above later, use Remove-NetFirewallRule -Name "TC-Enshrouded-UDP-15637" in Administrator PowerShell.

Find your local address:

1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run ipconfig.
2. Find the active Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter.
3. Note its IPv4 Address, for example 192.168.1.10, and Default Gateway, for example 192.168.1.1. Ignore disconnected and unrelated virtual adapters.
4. On another PC on the same network, use Play → Join → Search by IPv4/Domain with 192.168.1.10:15637, replacing the example IP with your server’s address.

Get this LAN connection working before forwarding internet traffic. Wi-Fi guest networks can block access to other devices.

Port forwarding for internet players

Your router receives traffic at your public IP. A forwarding rule sends the server’s UDP traffic to the hosting PC.

1. Open the Default Gateway address from ipconfig in your browser and sign in to your router, or use its administration app.
2. Reserve the hosting PC’s current IPv4 address in DHCP reservation or Address reservation, so the forwarding destination stays the same.
3. Open Port Forwarding, NAT, Virtual Server or Application Forwarding.
4. Add this rule, replacing 192.168.1.10 with your hosting PC’s actual address:

If the router asks for a port range, use 15637 for both its start and end. Save or apply the rule.

With two routers performing NAT, the path is Internet → ISP router → second router → server. Forward the ISP router to the second router’s WAN address, then forward that router to the server’s LAN address. A switch or bridged access point doesn’t need another NAT rule.

If your ISP uses CGNAT, your router does not control the public IPv4 address. Ask the ISP for an incoming-reachable public IPv4 address. Compare the router’s WAN IPv4 with a public-IP lookup when investigating this; another upstream router can also explain a mismatch.

Having friends join

Search the web for what is my IPv4 on the hosting connection and copy the public IPv4 address. Your friends use Play → Join → Search by IPv4/Domain, entering your public IPv4 followed by :15637, then join with their assigned group password. They can also search for your configured server name with dedicated servers enabled.

Have a friend on a different internet connection test it. Using your public IP from inside your home network depends on the router’s NAT loopback support and doesn’t prove outside access works.

Adding the server through Steam favorites

If IP search doesn’t find your server, add it to Steam favorites :

1. In Steam, open View → Game Servers → Favorites.
2. Click + to add a server and enter its address and query port.
3. Return to Join in Enshrouded, enable dedicated servers, and select the favorite near the top.

Use 127.0.0.1:15637 on the server PC, 192.168.1.10:15637 on your LAN, or public IPv4:15637 from another network. Replace the LAN example and use your configured query port if you changed it. Join from the Enshrouded game rather than relying on Steam’s Connect button to launch the correct program.

Saving, stopping and backing up

To stop, ask players to leave, press Ctrl+C in the server console, and wait for the process to finish saving and exit. This console shutdown is also the method implemented by this Windows server-management tool . Avoid ending the process in Task Manager or switching the PC off while it is writing.

Once stopped:

1. Copy the entire folder selected by saveDirectory, normally savegame beside the executable.
2. Copy enshrouded_server.json and your launch/update scripts.
3. Store the copies in a dated folder outside the server installation, preferably on another drive or backup service.
4. Start the server again when the copies are complete.

The server stores world progression. Each player’s character progression is stored on their own client, so a server backup does not protect everyone’s characters.

Updating an existing world to 1.0

Early Access saves work in 1.0 , with conversion to a new save format. Take your own stopped-server backup before the first updated launch. The 1.0 changelog describes automatic backup and migration of older saves, but your separate copy preserves a recovery point outside the live installation.

1. Stop and back up the old server before updating it.
2. Update the same installation using the method below, retaining its configuration and save path.
3. Start it and watch the console/logs for migration or loading errors.
4. Join with an updated client and check your bases and world progress before inviting everyone back.

1.0 changes the save format and folder structure. Don’t apply older instructions that rename hexadecimal world files or edit a -index file to a newly converted world. For recovery, stop the server, preserve its current files separately, and restore a complete known-good backup with a compatible server version. A converted save is not a substitute for your pre-update backup if you need to return to an older build.

For players backing up characters or importing local worlds, 1.0 puts local client saves under %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\keen games\Enshrouded\default and adds separate local and Steam Cloud tabs to the world and character selectors. That client folder is separate from the dedicated server’s configured saveDirectory.

Installing later updates

Stop the server and take the backup above. Run C:\SteamCMD\update.bat, confirm SteamCMD reports a successful update, then run start.bat inside your server folder. Update the game clients too.

Keep downloading and starting as separate steps so you can back up first and inspect failed updates. You no longer need the old combined auto-update launcher. For a damaged installation, append validate after 2278520 in the update command for a repair, after taking a backup.

Troubleshooting

The latest logs are in the configured logDirectory, normally logs beside the executable. Read the first startup/configuration error before changing networking settings.