Enshrouded Dedicated Server Setup: Install, Configure, and Connect

Before you install

Install the tool and start it once

1. In Steam Library, enable the Tools filter.
2. Install Enshrouded Dedicated Server. Owning Enshrouded on Steam unlocks the tool.
3. Right-click the tool, open Properties → Installed Files → Browse.
4. Run Enshrouded Dedicated Server.exe from that folder. Keen recommends running the executable rather than Steam’s Launch button.
5. Wait for the first initialization, then stop the server cleanly. The first run creates enshrouded_server.json.

Configure the server

Open enshrouded_server.json in a text editor while the server is stopped. Keep valid JSON: properties need commas, text values need double quotes, and booleans do not.

{
  "name": "Embervale Friends",
  "saveDirectory": "./savegame",
  "logDirectory": "./logs",
  "ip": "0.0.0.0",
  "queryPort": 15637,
  "slotCount": 8,
  "voiceChatMode": "Proximity",
  "enableVoiceChat": true,
  "enableTextChat": true,
  "gameSettingsPreset": "Default"
}

Use current user groups for passwords and permissions

Older examples put one password at the top of the configuration. Keen’s current roles guide says that line is no longer the way to set up dedicated-server passwords. Use userGroups so different passwords can grant different permissions.

• Admin: use a unique password; grant kick/ban and full building permissions only to trusted operators.
• Friend: allow normal play and base interaction without moderation powers.
• Guest: restrict inventory or building access if strangers may join.

Never publish real passwords in a screenshot, support post, or shared config. If an old configuration still contains the legacy password, read Keen’s migration behavior before removing it, then replace it with explicit groups.

Open the network path

1. Keep the default queryPort at 15637 unless you have a reason to change it.
2. Allow the server executable and the selected query port through Windows Firewall for the network profile the host actually uses.
3. If friends connect over the internet, forward the same external port to the host computer’s fixed internal IPv4 address.
4. Review Valve’s current required Steam ports as Keen directs; do not assume the query port is the only Steam networking requirement.
5. If the host is behind carrier-grade NAT or another upstream router, ordinary forwarding may not create a reachable public route. Ask the ISP for a public IPv4 option or use a compatible hosted server.

Start, verify, and connect

1. Start Enshrouded Dedicated Server.exe and leave its console running.
2. Wait for a log line containing HostOnline and the transition to Host_Online. Do not troubleshoot discovery while startup is still in progress.
3. In Enshrouded, choose Join and enable the filter that shows dedicated servers. Search for the configured name.
4. If it does not appear, Steam’s View → Game Servers interface can favorite a server by IP, as described in Keen’s FAQ.
5. Test once from another internet connection. A same-network test does not prove that router forwarding works.

Troubleshoot by symptom

Back up and update safely

Stop the server before copying files. Back up ./savegame and the configuration to a dated folder outside the server installation directory. Keen says the server stores world progression while character progression stays on each client, and world saves are generated about every five minutes. A server backup therefore does not replace each player’s client-side protection.

Before a major update, make a fresh backup, update the Steam tool, read current patch notes, and compare newly documented settings with your config. If the format changes, preserve the backup and let the executable generate a fresh file before transferring only settings that are still documented.

This self-host method is not a PS5 setup

The official installation article describes a Windows executable, while the PlayStation version is a separate multiplayer pool and cross-platform play is not available at launch. Do not assume that a Steam-hosted dedicated server will appear for PS5 players. PS5 groups should use hosting options explicitly documented for the PlayStation version.