Squad Server Hosting

Why Squad Communities Run Their Own Server

Squad is built around teamwork: nine-person squads inside 50-person teams, a squad leader on the radio, logistics runs and FOBs that win or lose a flag. That kind of play depends on the people around you, which is why so much of the game happens on community servers with their own rules and regulars rather than on random lobbies.

A server of your own lets the group pick the layers it enjoys, write rules that suit its style, from relaxed to milsim, and keep a trusted admin team on hand. Rented hardware stays online when nobody is at home, gives the community a fixed address, and keeps a 100 player match off anyone's home broadband.

• Clans and units: private training on chosen layers, then public nights under the clan name.
• Regional communities: a server close to your players, tagged with up to two languages.
• Modded groups: faction or map mods that never show up on licensed vanilla servers.

Squad in 2026: Updates That Matter to Server Owners

Squad entered Early Access in December 2015 and reached full release on 23 September 2020. Update 9.0 moved the game to Unreal Engine 5, and since then Offworld has kept a steady rhythm of numbered updates and hotfixes. The Steam store page now lists 13 factions and 24 maps.

• 10.1, 1 December 2025: Fireteam, the 5 player PvE co-op mode, plus a Mod SDK update.
• 10.4, 30 April 2026: servers accept multiple RCON connections from the same host, useful for admin tools.
• 10.5, 15 June 2026: a new mod version number and a fix for players failing to join when tags or rules were set in Server.cfg.
• 10.5.4 and 10.5.5, September 2026: fixes for vulnerabilities used to crash servers and disrupt queues.
• 10.6, 1 October 2026: party system, anti-stacking rules, team imbalance options and new map vote defaults.
• 10.6.1 and 10.6.2, 7 and 15 October 2026: stability fixes, with 10.6.1 also changing the server build.

Slots, Seeding and the Licensed Browser

Squad's browser has two tabs. Licensed servers sit in the primary tab; everything else, including servers with custom rules or mods, is listed under Custom Servers. A license is granted by Offworld through its Server License Portal, never by a host, and the policy is strict: servers must stay public with no password, carry at least 10 admins per server, avoid the word official in their name, run on approved hardware and keep good server health. The policy also notes that virtual machines are not accepted for licensing, and Offworld can refuse any application.

Seeding is how a Squad server fills: a handful of early players start on small Seed or Skirmish layers until enough people arrive for a full match. The layer vote can switch to a separate low population list for this, covered below. Our knowledge base points license applicants to Offworld's own guide, and our team can help with server details on a ticket.

Server.cfg Settings Worth Knowing

Server.cfg in the ServerConfig folder holds the main options, one per line. Offworld does not overwrite existing config files on update, so new options added in a patch have to be typed in by hand.

Tags matter more than they look. The browser filters by them, and a server without tags only appears to players who are not filtering on that category. Offworld allows up to 2 language tags, 3 game mode tags, 1 playstyle, 1 experience and 1 map rotation tag. Team kill auto-kick and a few other options are required on licensed servers but can be changed on an unlicensed one.

Layers, Rotation and Map Voting

Squad separates a level, the terrain and buildings, from a layer, which adds the game mode, flag layout and time of day. Factions are further split into units such as Armored, Mechanized or Air Assault, each with its own vehicles. Your rotation is therefore a list of layer names, optionally with factions and units attached.

1. Pick a MapRotationMode in Server.cfg: LayerList for a fixed order, LayerList_Vote for end-of-match votes.
2. For a fixed order, list one layer per line in LayerRotation.cfg.
3. For votes, fill LayerVoting.cfg with the layers for a full server and LayerVotingLowPlayers.cfg with seeding layers.
4. Set the low population threshold and vote timings in VoteConfig.cfg.
5. Block factions you never want with ExcludedFactions.cfg, then restart and watch the console as the first layer loads.

Update 10.6 changed the vote defaults for new servers: 3 faction choices instead of 6, a faction cooldown of 5 rounds instead of 3, a unit cooldown of 4 instead of 3 and a map cooldown of 2 instead of 1. Existing servers keep their own values, so it is your decision whether to copy the new defaults across.

Admins, RCON and Bans

Admins.cfg works in two steps. First you define groups with permissions, then you assign SteamID64s to those groups. A moderator group might hold only chat, kick and ban, a senior group adds changemap, balance and cameraman, and a whitelist group just gets reserve for a reserved slot.

Offworld's policy for licensed servers also gives a useful model for any community: bans need a valid reason and evidence, players need a way to appeal, rules must be readable in game and apply to everyone. Licensed admins may only disable vehicle claiming while they are present, using AdminDisableVehicleClaiming 1.

Workshop Mods on a Squad Server

Squad's mods live on the Steam Workshop. Offworld's wiki describes the server side simply: each mod goes into SquadGame/Plugins/Mods in a folder named after its Workshop ID, and on boot the server prints the vanilla maps followed by every modded map it found.

• Upload: copy the mod folder from your own Workshop download over SFTP, or into place with the File Manager.
• Rotate: add the mod's layer names to LayerRotation.cfg or the voting lists.
• Tell players: list the required Workshop items in your Discord and MOTD, since clients need the same files.
• Find Match: it only offers modded servers to players who already have those mods installed.

Licensed servers that run mods face extra conditions: mods must perform well, work on Linux and Windows out of the box, and avoid forced ads or hidden controls. On an unlicensed server you have more freedom, but the same habits keep loading times down.

Patches, Restarts and Keeping the Server Healthy

Offworld rates licensed servers by tick rate: green above 35 TPS, yellow below 25 and red below 15, where a license is at risk. Even without a license those numbers are a fair target for a smooth match, and regular restarts are one of the simplest ways to hold them.

• Schedule a daily restart in a quiet hour, and an update check before it.
• After a hotfix that changes the server build, update straight away; out-of-date servers lose their players.
• When the mod version rises, unload Workshop mods until their creators rebuild them.
• Keep a backup before editing configs, so a bad line can be rolled back in minutes.

Backups cover your configs and mod folders for the last 7 days, and you can download any of them from the panel to keep a copy of your own.

What to Check Before Renting a Squad Server

Offers can look alike at first glance. These are the points that shape day-to-day life as an admin.

1. Slot sizes that fit SquadPlans should run up to 100 slots for 50v50, with smaller sizes for training or seeding.
2. Honest licensing termsLicenses come from Offworld alone. Be wary of any rental that presents one as a product feature.
3. Direct config accessYou should be able to open Server.cfg, Admins.cfg and the layer files yourself, at any hour.
4. Mod uploadsSFTP or a file manager that handles large Workshop folders without fuss.
5. Clock speedA 100 player server leans on single-thread speed to hold its tick rate.
6. Location and pingTest from where your players actually are before you commit.
7. Billing flexibilityLook at monthly against longer terms, setup fees and minimum contracts.

Squad Server Glossary

Level

A map: the terrain, buildings and foliage, such as Al Basrah.

Layer

A playable version of a level with its own mode, flags and time of day.

Unit

A faction setup with its own vehicles and emplacements, such as Armored or Air Assault.

AAS and RAAS

Advance and Secure, and its randomised variant, where teams fight over a chain of flags.

Invasion

A mode with one side attacking a series of objectives while the other defends.

Seeding

Filling an empty server with a few players on small layers until a full match can start.

Licensed server

A server approved by Offworld and shown in the primary browser tab.

Custom Servers tab

The browser list for unlicensed, modded and custom-rule servers.

FOB and HAB

Forward operating base and the spawn point built at it; the HAB now carries an ammo kit since 10.6.

TPS

Ticks per second, the server's simulation rate and Offworld's health measure.

SteamID64

The 17 digit account ID used in Admins.cfg and Bans.cfg.

Squad Server Help and Next Steps

Official documentation and our own guides.

• Squad Wiki: Server ConfigurationEvery ServerConfig file, layer voting and tags, linked from the official Squad site.
• Offworld licensed server policiesRequirements, health tiers and how to apply.
• Squad Wiki: adding a mod to a dedicated server
• Our knowledge base: Squad server licensingWhere to start and how we help.
• Gaming Deluxe control panelLogging in and what each menu does.
• Our locationsEvery site, with a ping test.
• Contact support24/7 help with configs, mods and updates.