Stationeers Server Hosting

Why a Stationeers Station Belongs on a Dedicated Server

A Stationeers base is a running simulation. Gas moves between rooms, heat leaks through walls, plants grow, batteries drain and IC10 chips keep looping through their code. When one player hosts from their own PC, all of that stops the moment they close the game, and the rest of the crew cannot touch the station until the host returns.

A dedicated server separates the station from any one player. It runs the official Stationeers Dedicated Server on a machine in a data centre, with a fixed address, steady bandwidth and nobody's gaming PC working double shifts. Crew members in different time zones can log in when it suits them, finish a wiring job or check the greenhouse, and log out again. Since December 2025 the dedicated server also saves the world when the last player leaves, so a quiet night does not cost you progress.

Stationeers in 2026: Early Access and the New Save Format

Stationeers entered Steam Early Access on 12 December 2017 and has not reached 1.0. RocketWerkz still releases big updates regularly, and its Early Access notes say development continues until a 1.0 release, without giving a date.

The turning point for server owners was 15 September 2025. That update introduced a new terrain system, redesigned the worlds and replaced the save system with a single compressed .save file. Saves made before it no longer load in the current game. If somebody in your group still has an old station, it can be kept as a memory, but the crew will be building again on the new format.

• 28 January 2026, the Multiplayer Update: a new RakNet networking package and a Unity upgrade, with network messages roughly 30% faster.
• 19 March 2026, the Gases Update: eight new gases and liquids, and Volatiles renamed to Methane.
• 2 July 2026, the Sanitation Update: a sanitation need, the toilet, new admin commands and dedicated server fixes.
• 12 August 2026, the Power Line Update: power pylons, the Cable Gun and changes to multiplayer traffic, followed by a hotfix on 13 August.

Choosing a World and Difficulty for the Server

The September 2025 update redesigned six worlds, each with its own named map. Pick the world before the first session, because moving to another world means a new station.

Difficulty runs from Creative and Easy through Normal to Stationeer, and start conditions change how the crew arrives. Brutal drops you in with almost nothing, while the Community start added in December 2025 spreads players across spawn points with Round Robin spawning, each with a lander of supplies. For a first server, Normal with a standard start is the gentle way in; groups that know their way around a furnace often prefer Stationeer.

How Many Slots and How Much Memory a Station Needs

Out of the box the server's player limit is 10, and RocketWerkz's dedicated server guide lists a range of 1 to 30 for that setting. Our smallest plan has 16 slots, which already covers the default with space for visitors, and the largest has 30, the top of the documented range.

Memory matters more than slots for most crews. A station with a few rooms and a solar array is light work. A base with greenhouses, a furnace line, several pressurised modules, rockets and hundreds of logic devices gives the server far more to track, and so does every mod. That is why our plans add memory as they grow: 8GB on 16 slots, 12GB on 24 slots and 16GB on 30 slots.

The panel shows a live memory graph. If it sits near your allowance while everyone is online, move up a tier from the client area; the order form goes up to 32GB, and the station stays where it is.

Server Settings, Admin Rights and Commands

Stationeers keeps its server options in an XML settings file, which you edit in our panel under Configuration Files with the config editor. Stop the server before editing, or your changes will not apply.

1. Stop the server and open settings.xml in the config editor.
2. Set an admin password and save the file, then start the server.
3. On your PC, close Stationeers and open setting.xml in Documents\My Games\Stationeers.
4. Replace the empty ServerAuthSecret line with one holding the same password.
5. Join the server and run commands from the console with serverrun, for example serverrun save.

Useful commands include save, say, status, kick and ban, and cleanupplayers for clearing out characters that are no longer needed. A clients command arrived in September 2025, and July 2026 added announce, which shows a pop-up to every player. Keep the admin secret to the people you trust, since it gives full control over the station.

Workshop Mods and StationeersLaunchPad on a Server

Mods are officially supported through the Steam Workshop, and RocketWerkz has widened what they can touch. A rework in March 2025 let mods change worlds, difficulty settings and start conditions, at the cost of breaking many older mods, and since September 2025 the whole world-creation process can be modded without Unity.

On a server, mods come in two kinds. XML-only mods are usually older and need nothing extra. Newer code mods run through the StationeersLaunchPad plugin, which in turn needs BepInEx, and the Workshop description normally says so clearly.

• Stop the server, open the Steam Workshop button in the panel, and install the items you want.
• For LaunchPad mods, install StationeersLaunchPad (BepInEx) from the Mod Manager first.
• Ask each player to install BepInEx and the LaunchPad client on their own PC for those mods.
• Add one mod at a time and check the log after each restart, because some mods only work in local games.

Saves, Backups and Moving a Station

Since the September 2025 update, a station is stored as one compressed .save file, which makes moving it simple. To bring a single player station online, stop the server, upload the file with the File Manager or SFTP, set the server to load it and start again. Taking a station home works the same way in reverse.

The game autosaves on a timer you control in the settings file, and newer builds let you cap how many autosaves and quicksaves are kept. On top of that, our Backup Manager takes a snapshot whenever you ask, and offsite copies cover the last 7 days. Take a manual snapshot before anything risky: a new pressure system, a reactor-sized furnace experiment, a mod update or a game patch.

What to Compare Before You Rent a Stationeers Server

Stationeers hosting offers look alike on paper. These are the details that decide how the station runs a month in.

1. Memory, not just slotsA big automated base needs memory long before it needs 30 players. Check how much RAM the price includes and what the next tier costs.
2. Workshop and LaunchPad toolsLook for a way to install Workshop items and the LaunchPad loader without uploading folders by hand.
3. Settings file accessYou need to edit the server's settings file yourself for passwords, the player limit and the admin secret.
4. Ping to your crewChoose a location close to most players and test it, since latency is what everyone feels on a busy station.
5. Backups you controlCheck you can restore a snapshot yourself, and how many days of offsite copies are kept.
6. Billing termsCompare monthly and longer cycles, and look for setup fees or minimum contracts.

Stationeers Server Glossary

Dedicated server

The standalone Stationeers server program that keeps a station running without a player hosting it.

Atmospherics

The simulation of gas mixtures, temperature, pressure, combustion and fire across the station.

IC10

The programmable integrated circuit you write assembly-style code for to automate the base.

Logic system

The network of sensors, switches and devices that lets you automate almost anything in the station.

Stationpedia

The in-game reference for devices, gases and IC instructions.

ServerAuthSecret

The shared secret in your settings file that lets you run server commands from the game.

StationeersLaunchPad

The plugin loader, built on BepInEx, that many newer code mods depend on.

Brutal start

A start condition where you crash-land with next to no equipment.

Round Robin

The Community start that spreads players over several spawn points, each with its own lander.

Slots

How many players can be on the server at the same time.

Stationeers Server Help and Next Steps

Guides and pages for setting up and running your station.

• Stationeers dedicated server guideSettings, launch commands and console commands from RocketWerkz's founder.
• Workshop mods and StationeersLaunchPad on your serverOur step-by-step mod guide.
• Admin commands on your Stationeers serverSetting up the shared admin secret.
• Stationeers Steam Workshop
• Gaming Deluxe control panelWhat the panel does and how to log in.
• Contact support24/7 help with saves, mods and settings.