Arma Reforger Server Setup

Your first hour: from a new server to the first deployment

A new game server is normally running within 20 minutes of the order. Six steps take it from a default install to a server your group can find in the browser and join.

1. Open the game panelSign in at cpdeluxe.com and pick your Arma Reforger service. Start, Stop and the More menu sit side by side; More holds the Reforger tools such as Delete Mods Cache.
2. Stop the serverReforger reads its config when it boots. Edits made while it runs do not take, so stop it before touching any file.
3. Name it and set passwordsUnder Configuration Files, open Server.json with the Config Editor. Give the server a name (up to 100 characters), a password if it is private, and a passwordAdmin without spaces.
4. Choose a scenarioPick one from the scenario dropdown: Conflict on Everon is the classic, Game Master suits a hosted evening. The scenarios chapter lists the rest.
5. Start and waitPress Start. The panel can read zero CPU and memory for 30 to 60 seconds while it makes a safety copy, and a long mod list adds download time on the first boot.
6. Find it and joinIn the game's server browser, search for your server's name. Players on Xbox and PlayStation see it too once crossplay is on, as the crossplay chapter explains.

The server config line by line: Server.json explained

Bohemia's dedicated server reads one JSON file, named by the -config startup parameter; on our servers it is Server.json under Configuration Files. Keys are case-sensitive, so maxPlayers works and MaxPlayers does not. The Config Editor shows the common fields as a form; the Text Editor shows the raw file.

The game block: who joins and what they play

gameProperties: how the world plays

operating: the server's housekeeping

Official scenarios: Conflict, Game Master, Combat Ops and more

A Reforger server plays exactly one scenario, identified by a scenarioId: a resource code in curly brackets followed by the scenario's .conf file. The Config Editor's dropdown writes it for you, so you only need the names below.

Update 1.6 (30 October 2025) added the island of Kolguyev with Game Master and Combat Ops versions, and rebuilt Conflict as HQ Commander on Everon, Arland and Kolguyev. Players missed the old style, so update 1.6.0.87 on 5 December 2025 brought legacy Conflict back as an option. Operation Omega, Air Support and Elimination are singleplayer and do not run on a dedicated server. The exact list on your build is easy to check: the -listScenarios startup parameter prints every scenario the server can load, and our Config Editor dropdown follows it.

Changing scenario

1. Stop the serverA running server keeps the scenario it booted with.
2. Pick the new oneOpen Server.json in the Config Editor and choose another scenario from the dropdown, or paste its ID into scenarioId in the Text Editor.
3. StartThe server loads the new scenario. Persistent progress belongs to the scenario it was made on, so do not expect a Conflict war to carry across islands.

The mission header can be tuned too. A missionHeader block inside gameProperties overrides the scenario's own settings, which since update 1.8 includes the minimum number of players needed to contest a base, or switching contesting off.

Workshop mods: paste the links, the server does the rest

Reforger mods come from Bohemia's own Reforger Workshop, not Steam, and players never install anything by hand: joining a modded server downloads its mod list automatically. Your job is the list itself.

1. Collect the linksBrowse the Reforger Workshop and copy each mod's page URL.
2. Stop the serverThen press the Reforger Workshop button in the panel.
3. Paste and ExecutePut each URL on its own line, then press Execute. Any mod a mod depends on comes along automatically, so there is nothing to chase.
4. Start and be patientThe server downloads the mods as it boots. Large mods lengthen that first start; give it time before you assume something is wrong.

Versions: latest by default, pinned when you need it

Each entry in the mods list of Server.json holds a modId (the mod's GUID), a name that is only a label, and an optional version. Without a version, the server fetches the newest one every time it restarts, which is how our installer writes the list. When an update breaks something, pin the older version: stop the server, type the version from the mod's Changelog tab into its version field in the Config Editor, and press Delete Mods Cache under More so the right files download.

Habits that keep a modded server stable

• Grow the list in small batches and play a round between them. When something clashes, you know which batch to look in.
• Expect breakage after a Reforger update. The longer the list, the more likely one mod lags behind; pinning versions buys time.
• If a mod refuses to update, Delete Mods Cache under More forces a fresh download.
• For a custom setup, Generate Mods Code under More turns a list of URLs into ready-made JSON, with or without version numbers, for you to paste into Server.json.

Workshop scenarios: running community missions

Community game modes, from milsim campaigns to RHS Status Quo, are Workshop items with their own scenario IDs. They install like mods and are then selected like an official scenario.

1. Install the scenarioStop the server, open the Reforger Workshop button, paste the scenario's Workshop URL (plus any extra mods) and press Execute.
2. Switch the scenario typeBack in the Config Editor for Server.json, switch the Type of scenario field to Workshop Scenarios and choose yours from the Workshop Scenario list.
3. StartThe server downloads the scenario and loads it.

Doing it by hand? Copy the scenario ID from the Scenarios tab of the Workshop page and paste it into scenarioId with the Text Editor; it ends in the scenario's .conf file, just like the official ones. The Plant Scenario Names action under More fills the Workshop Scenario dropdown from a list of URLs, and many scenarios ship several variants, so choose the one that fits your group.

Crossplay: PC, Xbox and PlayStation players on one server

Reforger is one of the few military sims where PC and console players share a battlefield. Two settings decide who gets in.

Bohemia documents which mixes are allowed. Without mods, a server takes PC players alone or PC and both consoles together; one console plus PC, or consoles with no PC, will not work. PlayStation 5 joined on 12 December 2024 with update 1.2.1, at first without mods, which is why the docs of that time limited modded servers to PC and Xbox. Update 1.4 on 22 May 2025 opened the Workshop on PS5, and Bohemia now calls modded content fully cross-platform. If PlayStation players report they cannot see a modded server, check this first.

Mods and console players

• Consoles download a server's mods just as PC does, within their own storage: 25GB on PS5 since update 1.4, and on Xbox a space that grows from 1GB up to 50GB since update 1.7.
• Console mod downloads are limited to about 25Mbps, so a lean mod list gets console players into the fight far sooner.
• Mods can be browsed and downloaded on every platform but only published from PC, and Bohemia warns that some limitations apply on console. Test new mods with a console player before a big event.

Admins, IdentityIDs, RCON and the priority queue

There are two routes to admin rights on Reforger: knowing the admin password, or being listed by ID in the config, which also earns a place in the priority queue.

Logging in with the password

Open chat (C in the lobby, Enter in game) and type #login followed by your passwordAdmin; #logout gives the rights back. Since update 1.8, admins can also promote or demote a player and move the editor camera to a player from the Player List.

Listing admins by IdentityID

1. Find the RCON passwordPress Server Details in the panel and note the BIS RCON password.
2. Read the player's IDWith the player online, open the Web Console, enter the RCON password and type players. Copy their IdentityID, the player UID.
3. Add itStop the server, open Server.json in the Config Editor, enable a free admin slot such as Admin 1 and paste the IdentityID into its UID field. Start the server.

Steam64 IDs work as well (steamid.io finds them), but only admins listed by IdentityID get the priority queue: their own queue, served before everyone else. Bohemia raised the admin list from 20 to 30 entries in update 1.4.0.53 (August 2025). Missed someone's ID? With the Log Level option in Start.bat set to Normal, past console.log files in Log Viewer record player names and IDs. The Config Editor can also switch an admin off without deleting the ID.

RCON

The rcon block opens a remote console on UDP 19999 by default. Its password needs at least three characters and no spaces, permission is either admin (every command) or monitor (read-only), up to 16 RCON clients can connect at once, and blacklist and whitelist restrict which commands they may run.

Saves, restarts and game updates

Reforger servers update often and restart cleanly, and a little routine keeps progress and mods in step with what players run.

What the server keeps

Players are saved every playerSaveTime seconds (120 by default), and scenarios that support it save the session too: on a timer, on demand, and since update 1.7 on every clean shutdown, with the server waiting for a save in progress before it exits. Update 1.7 also changed the save format and ignored older saves, and Bohemia lists saves on modded builds as a known issue, so back up before every big update. Want a clean start? Bohemia's -backendFreshSession parameter boots without loading the last save, and a reinstall wipes the server files while keeping your panel backups.

Timed restarts and updates

1. Schedule a restartIn Scheduled Tasks, create a Scheduled Restart, set the first run in server time (the suggested time is server time plus about ten minutes), recur every 1 day and repeat every 6 hours for 24 hours.
2. Let mods refreshMods without a pinned version update themselves on each restart, so the schedule doubles as your mod updater.
3. Schedule Steam updatesA Steam Update task stops the server, updates the game and starts it again. Run it every 12 hours or so, and by hand on patch day.

Bohemia's current stable build is 1.8.0.13 (3 September 2026). Version 1.9 is on Experimental with a rewrite of vehicle handling, and it has no release date yet. When it goes stable, update straight away: players on the new build cannot join an old server. Expect a few mods to lag for a day or two; pin their previous versions or take them out until their authors catch up.

Memory, CPU and performance on our Arma Reforger plans

AI, vehicles, view distance and mods drive a Reforger server's load more than raw player count. Our plans differ by player slots and memory; every one runs on the same hardware. Figures from the order form, checked on 16 October 2026.

• Slots: 10 to 128 players; 128 is the most Reforger allows.
• Memory: 10GB is included; 12GB, 14GB, 16GB, 20GB, 24GB and 32GB are paid tiers on the order form.
• CPU: 5.0GHz included, with 5.2GHz+ and 5.6GHz+ upgrades and High or Realtime CPU priority.
• Storage: NVMe at 7,500MB/s with up to 100GB included, room for a long mod list.

Settings that change the load

• Frame cap: Bohemia's hosting page insists on a -maxFPS value in the 60 to 120 range; without one, the server will happily use every resource it can reach.
• AI ceiling: aiLimit caps how many AI can exist, the quickest fix for a Conflict server bogged down by bots.
• View distances: each extra hundred metres of serverMaxViewDistance and networkViewDistance means more for the server to stream to every player.
• Navmesh: turning navmesh streaming off makes AI sharper but costs memory, so pair it with a bigger tier.
• Mods: big vehicle and terrain mods raise memory use the most; watch Activity and Stats after adding one.
• Measure it: the -logStats startup parameter writes server FPS, frame time, memory, players, AI and vehicles to the log at the interval you choose, so you can see what is actually busy.

To move up a tier, open the client area, go to Services, My Services, your server and Upgrade/Downgrade options. An upgrade raises an invoice for the difference; once it is paid, restart the server to use it. Slots and CPU priority change the same way.

Coming from Arma 3: what changes for the server admin

Reforger runs on Bohemia's Enfusion engine, and almost every server habit from Arma 3 has a new equivalent. If your unit is moving across, this is the short version.

What carries over is the craft: an admin password and #login, BattlEye on public servers, restarts on a timetable, and AI as the thing that eats performance. What does not is any file: Arma 3 missions, mods and configs do not run on Reforger, so a unit moving across rebuilds its setup from scratch. Arma 4, which Bohemia plans for 2027, will be a separate game, and Bohemia says it will keep updating Reforger.

When something breaks: the fixes we reach for first

Most Reforger tickets fall into a few patterns. Try these before reinstalling anything.

• The server is missing from the browserCheck visible is true, give a modded server time to finish downloading, and search by exact name. Console players only see it if crossplay is on and the platform mix is a valid one.
• Console players cannot join a modded serverCheck that crossPlatform is true and that the mods are within console storage limits. A very large mod list is the usual culprit.
• A mod will not update or seems stuck on an old versionStop the server, check its version field is empty (or set to the one you want), then press Delete Mods Cache under More and start again.
• The Workshop scenario does not appearStart once on an official scenario so the download can finish, then select the Workshop scenario on the next start.
• Nobody can join after a Reforger updateThe server is on the old build. Run Steam Update, start it, and pin or remove any mod that has not been updated yet.
• #login does not workpasswordAdmin cannot contain spaces. Change it with the server stopped and try again.
• Edits to Server.json vanish or do nothingThey were saved while the server was running, or a key's capital letters do not match Bohemia's spelling. Stop, correct, save, start.
• Admin does not get the priority queueThe priority queue only recognises IdentityIDs. Swap the Steam64 ID for the player's IdentityID, read from the Web Console.
• Zero CPU and memory right after StartNormal for 30 to 60 seconds while the panel takes its safety copy.
• Lag late in a long Conflict roundLower aiLimit or the view distances, restart at least twice a day, and check the memory graph before buying a bigger tier.

Self-host or rent: what running your own takes

Bohemia publishes the dedicated server free on Steam, for Windows and Linux. It runs well on a spare machine; the question is how much of your evening you want to give it.

Self-hosting means installing the server with SteamCMD (app 1874900 for stable, 1890870 for experimental) using an anonymous login, starting ArmaReforgerServer with -config pointing at your JSON file and -maxFPS 60, and opening UDP 2001 on your router, plus 17777 if you want server queries to answer. Bohemia has no official hardware requirement; its Docker example gives the container four CPU cores and 6GB of memory.

A Game Master evening for a handful of friends runs fine at home. Once your group wants a Conflict server that is up when you are not, renting buys back the time. Plans are on our Arma Reforger Server Hosting page.