Barotrauma server hosting: a skull stares out of the glass helmet of an armoured diving suit in front of a red and green submarine blueprint

Campaign servers for crews of up to 16

Barotrauma Server Hosting

Barotrauma server hosting for crews who want their submarine, their campaign and their house rules waiting whenever they log in. Set karma and traitors your way, add Workshop mods and welcome friends from Steam or Epic, on 5.0GHz hardware.

Choose your server Test your ping

Excellent on Trustpilot Hosting since 2004 9 locations 24/7 support in 9 languages

Size your crew

Barotrauma Server Hosting: Plans & Pricing

Choose a plan by the size of your crew. Barotrauma tops out at 16 players a server, so every plan here fits inside the game's own limit, and the bigger crews get more memory for larger submarines and mod lists. Paying for 3, 6 or 12 months lowers the monthly price.

  1. 8player slots
    5GB RAM

    A crew of friendsLowest price

    • The game's default server size
    • Free 5GB memory tier
    • Ideal for a first campaign
    £6.00/moMonthly, no contract
    Order 8
  2. 10player slots
    5GB RAM

    Every role filled, plus guests

    • Captain to assistant, all covered
    • Free 5GB memory tier
    • Add slots later from the client area
    £7.50/moMonthly, no contract
    Order 10
  3. 12player slots
    8GB RAM

    A bigger crew on a bigger sub

    • 8GB for Workshop mods
    • Room for PvP missions
    • Bots can fill any gaps
    £11.99/moMonthly, no contract
    Order 12
  4. 16player slots
    8GB RAM

    Barotrauma's full player countFull crew

    • The most players a server allows
    • Two full crews for PvP
    • 8GB for a modded campaign
    £14.99/moMonthly, no contract
    Order 16

Every plan: NVMe 7500MB/s · 5.0GHz · Up to 100GB. No setup fee. Upgrades and details

In short

Gaming Deluxe hosts Barotrauma dedicated servers from £6.00/mo, with 8 to 16 player slots and 5GB to 8GB of RAM depending on the plan. Every server runs the official Barotrauma dedicated server on 5.0GHz CPUs and NVMe storage in 9 locations across the UK, France, Germany, the US and Australia, and is set up automatically once your payment clears.

Key facts checked against our order form, updated .

  • 8 to 16 player slotsBarotrauma allows 16 players per server
  • 5GB to 8GB RAMMore memory for the bigger crews
  • Steam and Epic crossplayHosting and joining work across both stores
  • Workshop modsMod downloads for joining players are on by default
  • Karma and traitorsBoth optional, both off by default
  • Private to startList it publicly with one setting
  • 9 locationsOne price in the UK, EU, US and Australia
  • DDoS protectionAt every location
  • 24/7 support in 9 languagesHosting game servers since 2004

Run the station

Your Barotrauma Server Hosting Control Panel

The panel covers the server itself: settings files, permissions, updates, backups and logs. Round settings can still be changed in the server lobby by anyone with the right permissions.

Gaming Deluxe game server control panel with the server menu, connection details and Stop and Restart buttons

The Gaming Deluxe control panel, shown with a Windrose server. Barotrauma servers use the same panel and menu.

Configuration Files

serversettings.xml and clientpermissions.xml open in the text editor. Stop the server before you edit, as our guide recommends.

Admins and moderators

Add a Client line with the player's name, Steam64 ID and the Admin or Moderator preset to clientpermissions.xml.

Public or private

Servers start private. Switch the public setting on in serversettings.xml to appear in the in-game server list.

File Manager and SFTP

Upload mods, read logs or download a copy of the server's files for safekeeping.

Steam Update

Players and servers need the same game version, so update after each Barotrauma release.

Scheduled Tasks and backups

Restart, update and back up on a timetable, with offsite copies of the last 7 days behind you.

Still surfacing updates

Barotrauma in 2026: Updates and the Home & Harbor Expansion

Barotrauma left Early Access with version 1.0 on 13 March 2023, and FakeFish and Undertow Games still release seasonal updates. Each one asks players to update before they can host or join again, so the server has to move with them.

Early Access5 June 20191.013 March 2023Latest hotfixv1.13.4.0 · 18 June 2026

01

Summer Update 2026

Released on 16 June 2026 as v1.13.3.1, with reworks of five vanilla submarines (Humpback, Orca 2, Azimuth, Typhon and Herja), Steam Cloud backups for custom subs and several multiplayer fixes.

02

Crossplay hotfix

Two days later, v1.13.4.0 fixed the crossplay problems the Summer Update caused, traced to an incompatibility in one of the reworked submarines.

03

Spring Update 2026

On 9 April 2026, v1.12.6.2 polished the Tier 1 submarines, let characters be fed into a deconstructor and added custom mission features for modders.

04

Home & Harbor

An expansion with outpost ownership, base building and a new faction called the Descendants. Steam lists it as coming in 2026, without an exact date when we checked.

Mods & crossplay

Mods, Crossplay and Server Rules for Barotrauma Server Hosting

Barotrauma was built to be modded: most game data sits in XML files, the source code is public on GitHub, and mods are shared on the Steam Workshop. Since 2024 the game is also sold on the Epic Games Store, with crossplay between the two.

Mods

Workshop mods

Mods are shared and found on the Steam Workshop, and the game ships with submarine, character and animation editors, so custom subs and creatures are common on servers.

Mods for joining players

AllowModDownloads is on by default in serversettings.xml, so a server can offer its mods to players who join without them.

Code mods need care

Some popular mods, such as Lua for Barotrauma, change the game's code. The developers warned in 2024 that these need updating after game updates, so check them before you update the server.

Crossplay and rules

Steam and Epic together

Barotrauma arrived on the Epic Games Store on 28 March 2024. With crossplay enabled, the developers say hosting and joining servers works across both stores.

Karma

An optional system, off by default, that rewards repairs, firefighting and steering, and penalises friendly fire, sabotage and stealing dangerous items. Choose a preset such as Default or Strict.

Traitors

TraitorProbability is 0 by default, so traitor rounds only happen when you raise it. A minimum player count and a danger level shape how they play out.

SteamEpic Games Store

Memory by crew

RAM for Barotrauma Server Hosting by Crew Size

FakeFish and Undertow do not publish memory requirements for the dedicated server, so these are our own sizes: the free 5GB tier for crews of 8 and 10, and 8GB for 12 and 16, where larger submarines and longer mod lists are more common.

  • Friends on a vanilla campaign

    Plan: 8 Slots
    RAM included: 5GB

    When to add more: Rarely, even on long campaigns.

  • Full crew with guests

    Plan: 10 Slots
    RAM included: 5GB

    When to add more: Move to 8GB if you add a large mod pack.

  • Bigger crew, bigger sub

    Plan: 12 Slots
    RAM included: 8GB

    When to add more: Heavy content packs may want 12GB.

  • Full 16-player server or PvP

    Plan: 16 Slots
    RAM included: 8GB

    When to add more: Step up if the memory graph runs near the limit during busy rounds.

Memory tiers on the order form: 5GB (free), 8GB, 12GB, 16GB, 20GB, 24GB and 32GB. You can change tier later from the client area and the server keeps its files.

Low ping, worldwide

Barotrauma Server Hosting Locations and Ping Test

Choose from 9 locations across the UK, France, Germany, the United States and Australia. Barotrauma is a game of shouted orders and split-second repairs, so run the test from your own PC and pick the location that suits most of the crew.

LondonUnited Kingdom · Europe -
ParisFrance · Europe -
FrankfurtGermany · Europe -
New York (Buffalo)United States · North America -
DallasUnited States · North America -
Los AngelesUnited States · North America -
ChicagoUnited States · North America -
MiamiUnited States · North America No test
SydneyAustralia · Oceania -

Always-On Protection

Barotrauma Server Hosting with DDoS Protection

Watch how our multi-layered defence system filters malicious traffic while legitimate connections pass through uninterrupted.

Internet DDoS Protection Game Server

Malicious traffic is filtered at the edge, while legitimate traffic passes through uninterrupted.

Malicious Traffic (Blocked)Legitimate Traffic (Allowed)

At Every Location
Included
Full Protection
Layer 3/4/7
24/7 Active Filtering
Always-On
Added Latency
<1ms

In every hull

What Barotrauma Server Hosting Includes

No setup fee and nothing else to buy before you dive. Every plan includes the following, as listed on our order form.

  • Game serverThe official Barotrauma dedicated server, kept current with Steam Update
  • Player slots8, 10, 12 or 16 here; any count from 8 to 16 on the order form
  • Memory5GB on 8 and 10 slots, 8GB on 12 and 16; tiers up to 32GB
  • Configurationserversettings.xml and clientpermissions.xml in the browser editor, plus SFTP
  • Storage100GB NVMe at 7,500MB/s, upgradable to 200GB and 14,000MB/s
  • Processor5.0GHz as standard, with 5.2GHz+ and 5.6GHz+ options
  • Locations9, same price everywhere
  • BackupsOffsite copies of the last 7 days, plus backups you take yourself
  • ProtectionDDoS filtering at every location
  • Support24/7 tickets from a team that has hosted game servers since 2004

Optional upgrades

Added at checkout, billed with your plan.

  • Memory AllocationTiers up to 32GBtiered
  • Hard DiskNVMe 14,000Mb/sfrom £4.99
  • CPU Clock Speed5.2GHz+ - 5.6GHz+from £4.99
  • CPU PriorityHigh CPU Priority - Realtime CPU Priorityfrom £4.99
  • VIP Ticket Priority SupportPrioritise My Ticket Pleasefrom £1.99
  • Disk SpaceUp to 120GB - Up to 200GBfrom £6.99

Each plan includes the RAM on its card: the free 5GB tier on 8 and 10 slots and 8GB on 12 and 16. Slots are sold one at a time from 8 to 16, and memory tiers go up to 32GB. All 9 locations cost the same, so pick the one nearest most of your crew. Prices read from our order form on 22 October 2026. Taxes, if any, are shown at checkout.

Built for crews

Barotrauma Server Hosting Features

The parts of the service Barotrauma crews notice most.

A campaign that waits

Your multiplayer campaign lives on the server, ready whenever the crew logs back in.

Permissions done properly

Give admins and moderators presets in clientpermissions.xml instead of sharing a password.

Friends on Epic welcome

Crossplay lets Steam and Epic Games Store players share one server.

Same version as players

Steam Update and scheduled tasks keep the server on the latest release.

DDoS protection

Attack traffic is filtered before it reaches the server.

5.0GHz CPUs, NVMe drives

Fast hardware for physics-heavy rounds with water, fire and monsters.

Before your first dive

Barotrauma Server Hosting Essentials Before You Order

Five things to sort out before your first dive.

  1. Pick your crew size

    Count the players who will be on at once. The order form sells any size from 8 to 16, and bots can fill the gaps.

  2. Collect Steam64 IDs

    Each admin or moderator needs a Client line in clientpermissions.xml with their name and Steam64 ID.

  3. Decide on traitors and karma

    Both are off by default. Agree with your crew whether betrayal and karma penalties are part of the fun.

  4. Plan your mods

    Check every Workshop mod supports the current game version, especially code mods such as Lua for Barotrauma.

  5. Public or private

    Servers start private. Switch to public only when you want strangers to find you.

Answers

Barotrauma Server Hosting Questions

Short answers to what new Barotrauma server owners ask us.

Getting started

How quickly is my Barotrauma server ready?

It is set up automatically after payment and your panel login arrives by email. Game servers are usually online within 20 minutes.

How do I make myself an admin?

Stop the server, open clientpermissions.xml from Configuration Files and add a Client line with your in-game name, your Steam64 ID and preset set to Admin. Use Moderator for helpers. Save and start the server.

Why can't I see my server in the list?

New servers start private. Stop the server, set the public setting in serversettings.xml to true, save and restart. Friends can still join a private server directly.

Which location should I choose?

Run the ping test on this page from your own PC and choose the lowest result for most of your crew. All 9 locations cost the same.

Crew, modes and crossplay

How many players can a Barotrauma server have?

Up to 16, the limit built into the game. Our plans run from 8 to 16 slots, and the order form sells every size in between.

Can bots fill empty roles?

Yes. Barotrauma lets you supplement the player count with bots, and the server settings allow up to 16 of them.

Which game modes can the server run?

The multiplayer modes are sandbox, missions, PvP and the multiplayer campaign. The server can lock one mode or let players vote.

Can friends on the Epic Games Store join?

Yes. Since March 2024 Barotrauma supports crossplay between Steam and the Epic Games Store, and players can turn it on or off in their game settings.

Campaign and updates

Is our campaign saved on the server?

Yes. A multiplayer campaign is saved by the server that hosts it, so it is there whenever you return. We also keep offsite backups for the last 7 days.

What happens when Barotrauma updates?

Players need the same version as the server, so run Steam Update in the panel or schedule it. Check code mods such as Lua for Barotrauma first, as they often need their own update.

How do I turn on traitors?

Raise TraitorProbability in serversettings.xml above its default of 0, or change it in the lobby with admin rights. You can also set the minimum players and danger level for traitor rounds.

Billing and plans

How much does Barotrauma server hosting cost?

The 8 slot plan is the cheapest, at £6.00 a month. Slots are priced one at a time, and 3, 6 or 12 month terms lower the monthly cost.

Can I add slots later?

Yes, up to the game's limit of 16. Change the slot count from the client area, pay the difference and restart the server.

Is there a contract?

No. Monthly billing renews month by month and you can cancel whenever you like. The 3, 6 and 12 month terms are paid upfront for a lower monthly rate.

The complete guide · 5 min read

Barotrauma Server Hosting Explained: A Complete Guide

This guide explains how a hosted Barotrauma server works in 2026, from crew size and roles to serversettings.xml, permissions, karma and traitors, mods, crossplay and updates. It is written for the crew member who always ends up looking after the server.

By , Owner, Gaming DeluxePublished · Updated

In this guide
  1. Why a Dedicated Barotrauma Server
  2. Crew Size, Roles and Bots
  3. serversettings.xml: The Settings That Matter
  4. Admins, Moderators and Permissions
  5. Karma and Traitors
  6. Mods and Crossplay on a Server
  7. Updates, Saves and Backups
  8. What to Compare Before You Rent a Barotrauma Server
  9. Barotrauma Server Glossary
  10. Barotrauma Server Help and Next Steps

Why a Dedicated Barotrauma Server

Barotrauma is a 2D co-op submarine simulator set beneath the ice of Jupiter's moon Europa, with survival horror and RPG elements. Any player can host from the in-game menu, but that server lives and dies with the host's PC. When the developers released the anonymous SteamCMD server in June 2019, they described it as the option for people who want a server running around the clock on a remote machine.

That is the main reason crews rent one. The multiplayer campaign is saved by the server, so it waits for you, any admin can start a round, and nobody has to keep their own PC on. A fixed server also gives a community a stable home with its own rules, mods and permissions.

Crew Size, Roles and Bots

A Barotrauma server holds up to 16 players. The dedicated server's own default is 8, and our plans cover 8, 10, 12 and 16, with every size in between on the order form. Steam lists six classes, each with three talent trees: Captain, Engineer, Mechanic, Medic, Security Officer and Assistant.

  • 8 slots: a group of friends with most roles covered.
  • 10 slots: every class taken, with room for guests.
  • 12 slots: a larger crew on a larger submarine, or PvP missions.
  • 16 slots: the full count, two complete crews for PvP.

Short of players? Bots can supplement the crew in multiplayer, and the server allows up to 16 of them. Set how many in the lobby or in serversettings.xml.

serversettings.xml: The Settings That Matter

The server keeps its configuration in serversettings.xml, which you open from Configuration Files in our panel with the server stopped. Many of the same options can be changed in the server lobby by players with the right permissions, and the server writes them back to the file. These are the ones owners change most:

SettingDefaultWhat it does
MaxPlayers8The player limit, up to 16
GameModeIdentifiersandboxThe mode: sandbox, mission, pvp or multiplayercampaign
ModeSelectionModeManualWhether admins choose the mode or players vote
KarmaEnabled, KarmaPresetFalse, defaultTurns karma on and picks its preset
TraitorProbability0The chance of traitor events in a round
AllowFriendlyFireTrueWhether crew can hurt each other
BotCount, MaxBotCount0, 16Bots added to the crew
KickAFKTime600Seconds before an idle player is kicked

Admins, Moderators and Permissions

Barotrauma does not use one shared admin password. Instead, clientpermissions.xml in the server's Data folder lists each trusted player with a name and a Steam ID, and gives them a preset or a set of permissions. The game ships with Moderator and Admin presets; Moderator can manage rounds, kick players, read the server log and use a set of console commands.

  1. Stop the server and open clientpermissions.xml from Configuration Files.
  2. Add a Client line with the player's in-game name and Steam64 ID.
  3. Set preset to Admin or Moderator.
  4. Save, start the server, and check the player has their rights in the lobby.

Karma and Traitors

Karma is Barotrauma's built-in answer to griefing, and it is off by default. When enabled, players gain karma for repairs, extinguishing fires, steering and fighting enemies, and lose it for damaging the submarine or friends, overheating the reactor, cutting wires and taking dangerous items from others. The Default and Strict presets set how hard it bites, and very low karma can even give a player space herpes.

Traitors are the opposite: deliberate chaos, and also off by default. Raise TraitorProbability to bring them in, and use the minimum player count and danger level to keep them fair for the size of your crew. Many groups run a serious campaign without either and keep a second evening for traitor rounds.

Mods and Crossplay on a Server

Steam lists built-in submarine, character and animation editors, Workshop sharing and most game data in XML, with the source code public on GitHub. On a server, mods are uploaded and enabled like any other content, and AllowModDownloads, on by default, lets joining players get what they are missing.

Crossplay arrived with the Epic Games Store release on 28 March 2024. Players choose whether to enable it, and with it on, the developers say hosting and joining work across both stores. Since a Summer Update 2026 submarine briefly broke crossplay until the 18 June hotfix, keep the server updated promptly after each release.

Updates, Saves and Backups

  • Updates: each Barotrauma update asks players to update before hosting or joining, so run Steam Update after every release.
  • Code mods: check them before updating; the developers warned in 2024 that mods such as Lua for Barotrauma need their own updates.
  • Campaign saves: the server stores the multiplayer campaign, and our offsite copies cover the last 7 days.
  • Before big changes: take a backup from the panel, so a bad mod never costs you a campaign.

What to Compare Before You Rent a Barotrauma Server

Barotrauma offers look alike at first. These details decide how the server feels after a month of campaigns.

  1. Honest slot countsThe game allows 16 players. Anything sold above that will not add crew.
  2. File access for permissionsYou need to edit clientpermissions.xml and serversettings.xml yourself.
  3. Updates on your schedulePlayers cannot join an out-of-date server, so check you can update in a click.
  4. Backups of the campaignAsk how long backups are kept and whether you can restore one yourself.
  5. Location and pingChoose a data centre near most of the crew and test it first.
  6. Memory with modsCheck how much RAM each plan includes if you plan large Workshop packs.

Barotrauma Server Glossary

serversettings.xml
The server's main configuration file.
clientpermissions.xml
The list of players with admin or moderator rights.
Preset
A ready-made set of permissions, such as Admin or Moderator.
Karma
An optional system that rewards helpful play and penalises griefing.
Traitor
A player secretly given a harmful objective, if traitors are enabled.
Multiplayer campaign
The persistent mode where the crew travels Europa between outposts.
Europa
Jupiter's icy moon, where the game is set.
Workshop
Steam's mod platform, where Barotrauma mods are shared.
Crossplay
Steam and Epic Games Store players sharing the same servers.

Barotrauma Server Help and Next Steps

Our guides and the official sources.

How this guide was made: researched from the Steam store page, the developers' announcements on Steam and the official Barotrauma source code on GitHub (the official wiki blocks automated reads, so it was not used), drafted with AI assistance, checked against our live order form and knowledge base for every plan, price, location and panel step, and reviewed by Matthew Griffin before publishing. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Sources, checked 22 October 2026:

  1. Barotrauma on Steam (FakeFish, Undertow Games, Daedalic Entertainment, 13 March 2023, 16 players, classes, Workshop, editors)
  2. Barotrauma news on Steam (Early Access 5 June 2019, SteamCMD server June 2019, Epic Games Store 28 March 2024, Spring and Summer Updates 2026)
  3. Barotrauma - Home & Harbor Expansion on Steam (coming 2026)
  4. Barotrauma source code, FakeFishGames on GitHub (NetConfig, ServerSettings, permission and karma presets)
  5. Barotrauma official wiki (blocks automated reads, not used)
  6. Gaming Deluxe knowledge base: Barotrauma category (serversettings.xml, admins and moderators, server browser)
  7. Gaming Deluxe order form, Barotrauma

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