The complete guide · 5 min read
SCUM Server Hosting: The Complete Guide
This guide covers running your own SCUM island after the 1.0 release: why a private server is worth it, the settings that shape the game, admin and access lists, the economy and quests, base building and raids, NPC difficulty, and saves and wipes. It is written for whoever in the squad has to keep the server alive.
By Matthew Griffin, Owner, Gaming DeluxePublished · Updated
In this guide
- Why Run a Private SCUM Server
- ServerSettings.ini: Shaping the Island
- Admins, Bans, Whitelists and Exclusive Servers
- Traders, Economy and Custom Quests
- Base Building, Flags and Raid Times
- Puppets, NPCs and Difficulty
- Saves, Wipes and Clean Shutdowns
- What to Compare Before You Rent a SCUM Server
- SCUM Server Glossary
- SCUM Server Help and Next Steps
Why Run a Private SCUM Server
SCUM drops prisoners onto a 225 square kilometre island inspired by Croatia, as contestants in a televised survival show. On Gamepires' official servers the rules, the population and the wipe schedule are set for everyone. Official servers grew to 80 players in July 2026, and the next update is planned to bring a partial wipe of official servers that keeps character stats and gold.
A private server changes all of that. You choose who plays, how dangerous the island is, how much loot there is, when bases can be raided and whether the island is ever wiped. Gamepires released the SCUM Server with 1.0 as a free tool in every owner's Steam library; renting it from us means a fixed address, a data centre connection and a panel instead of a PC left running at home.
ServerSettings.ini: Shaping the Island
Almost everything that makes one SCUM server different from another sits in ServerSettings.ini, which you edit from Configuration Files with the server stopped. Gamepires has documented these settings in its 1.0 notes and later updates:
| Setting | What it changes |
|---|---|
| MaxPlayers | Player cap, 1 to 128 (default 64) |
| MaxAllowedPuppets / Animals / NPCs | How many puppets, animals and NPCs can be active |
| ArmedNPCDifficultyLevel | Armed NPC difficulty from 1 to 3, with separate health and damage multipliers |
| AnimalGlobalDensityMultiplier | How many animals roam; the default became 0.5 in July 2026 |
| Vehicle limits | Maximum numbers of each vehicle type, such as tractors and boats |
| EnableFog | Turns fog on or off |
| AllowFirstPerson / ThirdPerson / Crosshair | Which camera views and aiming aids players get |
| QuestsEnabled | Whether quests are available |
| DisableBaseBuilding / AllowMultipleFlagsPerPlayer | Whether players can build, and if they may hold more than one flag |
| FullWipe | Triggers a full wipe of the island |
Admins, Bans, Whitelists and Exclusive Servers
Access to a SCUM server is handled by plain text files next to ServerSettings.ini, each holding one SteamID64 per line. Gamepires' server tutorial describes them like this:
| File | What a listed player gets |
|---|---|
| AdminUsers.ini | Admin rights; tags such as [SetGodMode] and [RestartServer] add extra commands |
| ServerSettingsAdminUsers.ini | Can change server settings from the in-game admin menu |
| BannedUsers.ini | Cannot join |
| WhitelistedUsers.ini | Priority access, even when the server is full |
| ExclusiveUsers.ini | Only listed players may join at all |
| SilencedUsers.ini | Muted in chat |
The difference between the last three catches people out. A whitelist on SCUM is a priority queue for regulars, while the exclusive list is what locks a server to a group. Admins listed with the right tags can use commands such as #SetGodMode and #RestartServer, and #ListDLCItems shows the DLC items available.
Traders, Economy and Custom Quests
Outposts are the safe zones where traders sell gear and vehicles; since 1.0 their safe radius is 500 metres. On your own server, EconomyOverride.json lets you change trader prices, which is the quickest way to make money tight on a hardcore server or generous on a casual one.
Version 1.0 also opened quests to server owners: a quest file lets you write your own quests for players, and QuestsEnabled switches the system on or off. The Into the Wild update added three tiers of fishing quests and a server leaderboard for the biggest catches, which gives a PvE community something to compete over.
Base Building, Flags and Raid Times
Bases in SCUM are claimed with flags. Gamepires raised the limit to 100 flags per person in July 2026, and AllowMultipleFlagsPerPlayer decides whether players can hold more than one. DisableBaseBuilding turns building off entirely for a pure survival or event server.
- RaidTimes.json sets when bases can be raided, so a PvP server can protect bases outside agreed hours.
- Turret settings decide what base turrets attack, including sentries.
- Raid protection messages tell players when their base is safe and when it is not.
- Flag limits keep a few large groups from claiming the whole map.
Puppets, NPCs and Difficulty
Puppets are former contestants, re-animated and wandering the island; mechs and sentries guard the military areas; and armed NPCs add human threats. Each has its own settings. Raising the puppet and NPC limits makes the island more dangerous and busier, and also puts more load on the server, which is one reason our larger plans include more memory.
For a PvE community, a lower armed NPC difficulty, fog off and third person on make the island friendlier. For a hardcore server, first person only, no crosshair, higher NPC difficulty and tight loot do the opposite. Gamepires is also exploring an optional, harsher Survivalist ruleset for a future update.
Saves, Wipes and Clean Shutdowns
The island is saved in the server's SaveFiles folder. Gamepires' tutorial warns that if SCUM.db-shm and SCUM.db-wal files are left behind, the server did not shut down cleanly, so always stop or restart it from the panel rather than forcing it closed. Take a panel backup before every patch or big settings change, and remember we keep offsite copies for the last 7 days.
When the community wants a fresh start, the FullWipe setting wipes the island. Announce it in advance, back up the old save in case anyone wants it, and use the wipe as a chance to retune loot, raids and the economy.
What to Compare Before You Rent a SCUM Server
SCUM is demanding, and the cheapest offer is not always the one that copes on a busy night.
- Memory includedSCUM is a heavy game. Check how much RAM comes with the plan and what the next tier costs.
- Full file accessYou need ServerSettings.ini, the user lists, the economy and raid files, not a handful of sliders.
- Processor speedA fast CPU keeps a busy island responsive; look for upgrade options.
- Steam updates you controlMake sure you can update the server the moment a patch lands, or schedule it.
- Location and pingTest latency from where your players are; gunfights depend on it.
- Backups and restoresCheck you can back up and restore yourself, and how long offsite copies are kept.
- Billing termsCompare monthly and longer terms and look for setup fees or minimum contracts.
SCUM Server Glossary
- Puppets
- Former contestants re-animated as zombie-like enemies that roam the island.
- Mechs and sentries
- Robotic guards that protect some of the island's best loot.
- Fame points
- Points that make up a prisoner's reputation, earned through play and as quest rewards.
- Outpost
- A safe zone with traders who sell gear and vehicles.
- Flag
- The item that claims a base area; limits are set by the server.
- Secret bunker
- A locked military bunker opened with a keycard.
- Metabolism
- SCUM's detailed nutrition system, which tracks what your prisoner eats and drinks.
- ServerSettings.ini
- The main configuration file of a SCUM server.
- Exclusive users
- The list that locks a server to named players only.
- FullWipe
- The server setting that triggers a full wipe of the island.
SCUM Server Help and Next Steps
Useful pages for setting up and running your island.
How this guide was made: researched from Gamepires' patch notes and announcements on Steam, its official server tutorial and the SCUM website, drafted with AI assistance, checked against our live order form for every plan, price and location, and reviewed by Matthew Griffin before publishing. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Sources, checked 14 October 2026:
- SCUM on Steam
- SCUM official site, Gamepires
- SCUM 1.0 patch notes, Steam news
- SCUM Server release with 1.0, Steam news
- SCUM Server Tutorial, Gamepires
- Into the Wild October Update, Steam news
- Hotfix 1.3.4.2, Steam news
- Roadmap and mod support update, Steam news
- Official servers at 80 players, Steam news
- Server settings update, December 2025, Steam news
- Hotfix with flag and animal changes, July 2026, Steam news
- Gaming Deluxe order form, Scum Dedicated Game Server
