Enshrouded Server Hosting

Why Enshrouded Groups Move to a Dedicated Server

Enshrouded can be hosted in two ways. In a peer-to-peer session one player's game is the host, and the world exists only while that person is playing. Everyone else depends on their schedule, their upload speed and whether their PC is having a good day. A dedicated server is a separate program that runs the world on its own, so the session is there whether the original host is online or not.

The split of data makes this work well. Keen stores world progress on the server and character progress on each player's machine. Bases, Flame Altars, rescued survivors and the state of the map belong to the world; levels, skills, equipment and personal recipes belong to the character. That means anyone can log in and carry on building while the rest of the group is asleep, and nobody loses their character by joining.

You could run the server yourself. Keen ships it as a free tool for owners of the game, but it is Windows only for now, it wants its own machine, and the company suggests around 2Mbit/s of upload per player. Renting moves all of that into a data centre with a fixed address, proper bandwidth and someone to call when it misbehaves.

Enshrouded 1.0: What Changes for Your World

Enshrouded 1.0 came out on 15 October 2026, ending Early Access, and it is the biggest single update the game has had. Keen published the full changelog a day before launch and hotfix 1.0.0.1 the same evening. For a server owner, four parts of it matter most.

• A bigger map: the full world is accessible, including the new Cinder's Cradle biome with 12 Shroud Roots, plus new land at the outer edges of several biomes with more quests and 6 extra Shroud Roots.
• A new save format: older worlds are backed up and converted automatically the first time 1.0 loads them, and the files end up smaller.
• Skill tree reset: returning characters get their skill points back to spend again, which is worth telling your group before they log in.
• New limits: Flame Altars top out at 16 once you reach Flame level 11, and the number of factories per world is now capped.

Keen recommends starting a new world for 1.0, because the opening areas were reworked in detail. A server makes that an easy choice rather than a painful one: take a backup of the Early Access world, generate a fresh one for the release, and keep the old save in case anyone wants to revisit their first castle.

User Groups, Passwords and Permissions

Access to an Enshrouded dedicated server is not handled with an admin list. Instead, enshrouded_server.json defines user groups, each with a password and a set of permissions. The password a player enters when joining decides which group they land in. A fresh config comes with four groups, and you can add your own.

Two habits keep this tidy. Change every default password straight away, because a group with an empty password lets anyone in at that permission level. And remember that roles are fixed by the password: in 1.0 a player cannot be promoted or demoted while they are on the server, so to change someone's role, give them a different password and have them rejoin.

Difficulty Presets and Custom World Settings

The gameSettingsPreset line picks one of five profiles. Default is the standard experience and the one Keen suggests for first-time players. Relaxed means fewer enemies and more resources, aimed at builders. Hard brings more enemies with more aggression, Survival adds extra survival mechanics on top, and Custom unlocks the individual values under gameSettings.

Choosing Slots and Memory for Your Group

Enshrouded caps a world at 16 players, and the slot count in the config must sit between 1 and 16. Our plans follow the natural group sizes: 4 for a duo or a small party, 8 for a circle of friends, 12 for a small community and 16 for a full world. Keen notes that every slot adds load, so a smaller slot count is also a simple way to keep a modest server responsive.

Memory is bundled with each plan. Keen's own numbers put the server process at roughly 4.4GB when idle and up to 100MB more per player, so 5GB covers a party of four. The larger plans step up to 8GB, 12GB and 16GB, the last matching the 16GB that Keen recommends for a machine hosting 16 players. Bases with hundreds of props and a crowd of workers are where extra headroom pays off.

The memory graph in the panel tells you more than any rule of thumb. If it sits near your limit on busy evenings, add the next tier from the client area; nothing about the world changes when you do.

Saves, Rollbacks and Moving a World

World files on the server live in the savegame folder. Each world has a fixed hexadecimal file name (the first world created is always 3ad85aea), an index file that records which copy is current, and an info file with details such as the world name. Enshrouded keeps 10 numbered copies of every world and overwrites the oldest one each time it saves.

1. Stop the server and download the whole savegame folder as a safety copy.
2. Open the world's index file in the File Manager.
3. Change the latest value to the copy you want to load, any number from 0 to 9, using the file dates as a guide.
4. Save the file and start the server again.

To bring a world from your own PC, find it under Saved Games in your Windows user folder (1.0 stores local saves under Saved Games, keen games, Enshrouded, default), stop the server, and upload the world's files into savegame. If you play with Steam Cloud turned on, the game now shows local and cloud saves on separate tabs, so check which one holds the latest copy before you upload.

Getting Everyone Connected

Players find a dedicated server through Join in the main menu. The server filter on the right has a switch for dedicated servers, plus filters for password protection, friends' sessions and free slots. Favourited servers appear at the top, so ask everyone to press the star the first time they find yours.

If the server does not show up in the list, add it as a Steam favourite instead: in the Steam client open View, Game Servers, the Favourites tab, then the plus button, and enter the IP and query port from the panel. Enshrouded uses IPv4 for multiplayer and listens on query port 15637 by default, both of which our network already allows.

What to Compare Before You Rent an Enshrouded Server

Most Enshrouded hosting looks the same on a features list. These are the points that decide whether the server still suits you a month in.

1. Memory included in the priceFind out how much RAM the advertised price really includes, and what the next tier costs. A plan that runs short of memory when a base grows is no bargain.
2. Access to the config fileMake sure you can edit enshrouded_server.json yourself, including the user groups and the custom gameSettings, without opening a ticket for each change.
3. Backups you controlCheck that you can restore a backup from the panel and how many days of offsite copies are kept.
4. Data centres you can testLook for a location near most of your players and test the ping. Combat and gliding feel better on a short connection.
5. Honest slot countsEnshrouded stops at 16 players per world. Be wary of any listing that suggests more.
6. Contract termsCompare monthly and longer billing, and check for setup fees or a minimum term before you commit.

Enshrouded Server Glossary

Dedicated server

A standalone program that runs an Enshrouded world without anyone playing on the host machine.

enshrouded_server.json

The server's config file, holding the name, slot count, user groups and world settings.

User group

A named role with its own password and permissions, such as Admin, Friend, Guest or Visitor.

Query port

The port players add to their Steam favourites to find the server, 15637 by default.

Flame Altar

The heart of a base. It claims the building area and pushes back the Shroud around it.

The Shroud

The corrupting fog that covers much of Embervale and limits how long players can stay inside it.

Shroud Root

A boss-guarded source of the Shroud. Destroying them is a major step in progression.

Flameborn

The player characters, the last survivors of a lost people.

Tombstone

The marker left where a player dies, holding the items they dropped.

Sparkworks

The logic system added in 1.0 that links levers and plates to doors, traps and other outputs.

Enshrouded Server Help and Next Steps

Official documentation and our own pages for running the world.

• Keen's Dedicated Server Configuration articleEvery line of enshrouded_server.json, from the developer.
• Server Roles ConfigurationUser groups, permissions and reserved slots.
• Server Gameplay SettingsPresets and every custom value with its range.
• Gaming Deluxe control panelWhat the panel can do and how to sign in.
• Our server locations
• Contact supportHelp with uploads, passwords and settings, any time of day.