Enshrouded Dedicated Server vs. Co-op Hosting: Which Should You Choose?

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Choose player-hosted co-op if your group normally plays at the same time and wants the simplest setup. Choose a dedicated server if players need to enter the same world when the usual host is offline. Enshrouded supports solo play, offline play and online co-op for up to 16 players. A dedicated server can run on your own machine or through a rental provider; player-hosted co-op uses one participant’s active game session as the host.

The practical choice comes down to availability, administration and cost. Co-op avoids server setup and recurring fees, but the world is normally available only when the host starts the session. A dedicated server keeps the world process separate from an individual player’s game, but self-hosting requires suitable hardware, network capacity, configuration and maintenance. Renting removes most hardware administration but adds a provider bill and service-specific limits.

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The short decision

Keen Games describes the purpose of a dedicated server this way: "It will be possible to set up dedicated servers, if you don’t want to always have to be online for your friends to be able to play." That host-availability difference is the central reason to move from ordinary co-op to a dedicated server.

How Enshrouded hosting works

Player-hosted co-op

In ordinary online co-op, one player’s game session acts as the session host. The group joins that session and plays together while it is running. This is the lowest-effort arrangement because the host uses the normal game rather than operating a separate server application. It is a good match for a regular group with overlapping schedules.

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The trade-off is availability. If the host is away, has the game closed or cannot start the session, the rest of the group generally cannot enter that co-op world. That makes co-op inconvenient for asynchronous groups: a player who has an hour free in the afternoon cannot simply continue the shared world unless the host is also available.

Dedicated server

A dedicated server runs the Enshrouded server software separately from a player’s regular game session. It can be placed on a spare Windows PC, a rented game-server instance or another supported environment. Friends connect to that running process at different times, so the person who created the world does not have to be online for everyone else to use it.

The dedicated process does not remove every dependency. Someone still has to start it, keep the machine powered and connected, apply updates, protect the files and decide who can join. A rented service may automate some of those tasks, but the exact features depend on its current terms.

Player capacity

The official Enshrouded FAQ states that online play supports up to 16 players. Treat 16 as the game’s stated ceiling, not a promise that every machine, network or heavily built world will deliver identical performance at that size.

Which option matches your group?

Choose co-op when schedules overlap

• Most sessions include the same people at the same time.
• One person is comfortable starting the world.
• You want to avoid server administration and monthly hosting charges.
• The group is willing to pause when the host is unavailable.

For this group, a dedicated server can add work without solving a real problem. Start with co-op and reconsider only if access gaps, host disconnects or world ownership become persistent issues.

Choose a dedicated server when access is asynchronous

• Players live in different time zones or have irregular schedules.
• People want to build, explore or gather resources when the original host is offline.
• The world has become a long-running shared project that should remain available.
• You want one server location and one set of world files rather than a host’s live game session.

This is the strongest case for dedicated hosting. The benefit is continuity, not a guaranteed frame-rate improvement or an automatic reduction in latency.

Choose self-hosting only if you want the responsibility

Self-hosting is attractive when you already have a suitable always-on PC, a stable connection and confidence with firewall rules, configuration files and backups. It gives you direct access to the server files and avoids a rental invoice, but troubleshooting becomes your job.

Choose rental hosting when convenience is worth the fee

Rental hosting is the middle path: the provider supplies the machine and usually exposes a control panel, while you manage the game configuration and players. Keen Games’ FAQ identifies GPortal as a rental partner and says servers can also be rented through other preferred providers. That statement establishes the rental category, but it does not establish current prices, backup policies, locations, support quality or plan limits. Check those details in the provider’s current documentation before paying.

Hardware and network requirements for a dedicated server

Keen Games publishes different processor recommendations for a 4–6-player server and a full 16-player server. The figures below are recommendations, not performance guarantees for every world, build density or background workload.

Interpreting the bandwidth figure

The recommendation is per connected player. Planning at the stated rate means roughly 8–12 Mbit/s of upload for four to six players and about 32 Mbit/s for 16 players. Those are simple capacity estimates from the 2 Mbit/s-per-player guidance, not measured guarantees or a substitute for testing your connection under load. Leave headroom for other household traffic, operating-system updates and overhead.

Memory and disk headroom

The dedicated-server FAQ reports about 4.4 GB of RAM use while idle and up to 100 MB of additional RAM per player. A 16 GB machine therefore meets the published recommendation while leaving room for the operating system and other services, but do not treat the idle number as a fixed maximum. Usage can vary with the world and connected players.

Keen Games recommends at least 30 GB of free space for server files. World saves themselves can range from about 1 MB to 100 MB; larger, heavily built worlds tend toward the upper end. Keep free space beyond the minimum so updates, temporary files and multiple backups cannot fill the drive.

What the recommendations do not tell you

The published figures do not specify current rental prices, a provider-by-provider latency comparison, backup retention, support response times or a guaranteed tick rate. They also do not guarantee that a particular home connection accepts incoming traffic. Confirm those variables with your internet provider and, for a rental, with the host’s current documentation.

Self-hosting setup on Windows

Keen Games’ installation article, published February 23, 2024, describes Windows support and says Linux support was planned. Because that platform statement is dated, verify the current release notes or server documentation if you intend to run Linux. The following procedure follows the official Windows workflow.

1. Prepare the machine. Use an SSD with at least 30 GB free, the CPU and memory appropriate for your expected population, and a stable connection with roughly 2 Mbit/s upload capacity per player. Install operating-system updates and choose a machine that can remain powered whenever friends may want to play.
2. Download the server tool. Open Steam, switch to the Library view, use the Tools filter, locate the Enshrouded dedicated-server tool and install it. The server is separate from launching the normal game client.
3. Run the executable once. Start the dedicated-server executable so it can create its initial files and configuration. Stop it cleanly after the first launch if you need to edit settings before making it available.
4. Edit the generated configuration. Open enshrouded_server.json in a text editor. Change only valid JSON values, preserve quotation marks and commas, and keep a copy of the original file before making changes.
5. Set the player slot count. The configuration article documents a setting from 1 through 16 players. Select a slot limit that matches your hardware and the people you actually expect to connect rather than automatically choosing 16.
6. Confirm the query port. The documented default query port is 15637. If you change it, record the new value and use the same value in your firewall and router rules.
7. Allow the process through the firewall. Create an inbound rule for the server executable and the configured port according to your Windows firewall policy. If your router uses network address translation, forward the required port to the server’s fixed local address. The exact screens vary by router, so verify the rule with your router documentation.
8. Start the server and monitor its output. Launch the executable, watch for startup errors and confirm that the process remains running. Test a connection from another player before inviting the whole group.
9. Document administration details. Record the server path, configuration location, port, machine address, update procedure and backup location. This turns an otherwise fragile setup into something another trusted player can maintain.

Do not expose the server machine directly to the internet beyond the necessary game traffic. Keep Windows and Steam updated, use a separate operating-system account where practical, and restrict remote administration to a secure method.

Renting a dedicated server

With a rental, the provider supplies the server hardware and network connection. You normally choose a location and player capacity, then use a web panel or in-game integration to start, stop and configure the instance. The official FAQ names GPortal as a partner for rentals from within the game and says other preferred providers may also be used.

Questions to answer before ordering

• Does the current plan explicitly support Enshrouded and your target player count?
• Where is the server region, and is it close enough to most players?
• Are world backups automatic, how many are retained and can you download them?
• Can you upload or download the world save when changing providers?
• Can you edit enshrouded_server.json, change the slot count and set a password or access controls?
• What happens to the files if a subscription expires or a payment fails?
• What are the support hours, restart policy and update process?

Prices and service terms change, so do not infer value from a provider’s brand name or from an old plan listing. Compare the current specification and contract for the exact region and slot count you need.

World saves and character progression

Enshrouded separates the shared world from each player’s character data. The official server FAQ says there is a save file for each game world on the dedicated server, while character save games are not stored there; character progression is stored only on clients.

What the distinction means

• World persistence: buildings, terrain changes and the shared world state belong to the server’s world save. Back up that file when the server is stopped or when the provider offers a consistent snapshot.
• Character persistence: each player’s progression is kept on that player’s client. A server backup alone is therefore not a complete backup of everyone’s characters.
• Moving hosting: transferring the world to another machine or provider moves the shared world save, but every player must protect and retain their own client-side character data.

A practical backup routine

1. Stop the dedicated server cleanly before copying a world save, or use a provider snapshot designed for live servers.
2. Keep several dated copies rather than overwriting one backup.
3. Store at least one copy on a different drive or machine from the server.
4. Have each player back up the client-side character data according to the current game documentation and operating-system location.
5. Periodically test restoring a copy to a separate server directory so a backup is known to be usable.

A world backup cannot restore a lost character progression file, and a character backup cannot recreate a damaged world. Treat the two data types separately.

Performance, reliability and troubleshooting

Players cannot connect

• Confirm the server process is running and has not stopped after an error.
• Verify that the configured port still matches the firewall and router forwarding rule.
• Check that the server’s local address has not changed; assign a reserved address on the local network if your router supports it.
• Test from outside the host’s network, because a local connection can succeed even when internet forwarding is wrong.
• Check whether the host’s internet service uses carrier-grade NAT, which can prevent inbound connections despite correct local rules.

The server becomes unstable as more people join

• Compare the connected population with the published CPU, memory and upload recommendations.
• Watch RAM and CPU use while the world is active, not only when the server is idle.
• Measure upload utilization while other household devices are busy; saturation can cause latency and disconnects.
• Reduce the configured slot count until the machine and connection are upgraded.
• Close unrelated workloads on a self-hosted machine and keep the server on SSD storage.

The world appears to roll back or becomes corrupted

• Stop the server before replacing files with a backup.
• Identify the most recent known-good world save and preserve the damaged copy for diagnosis.
• Check free disk space; a nearly full drive can prevent saves or updates.
• Review provider snapshots and server logs if you rent.
• Ask each player to retain client-side character backups, because restoring the world file alone does not restore character progression.

Updates break the installation

Keep a copy of the configuration and a dated world backup before updating. After an update, confirm the executable path, configuration syntax, port, player limit and firewall rule. If the server fails immediately, compare the edited JSON with the default generated file and correct invalid commas, quotation marks or unsupported settings.

Cost and effort trade-offs

The cheapest option is not always the least expensive in time. If a self-hosted machine sits powered all day, consumes electricity and requires troubleshooting, a rental may be worth the fee. If you already own an idle PC and enjoy administration, self-hosting can provide persistent access without a monthly bill.

A decision checklist

1. Count schedule conflicts. If players frequently want to play at different times, favor a dedicated server.
2. Choose a target population. Four to six players calls for the lower published CPU tier; a full 16-player target calls for the stronger 8-core/16-thread tier.
3. Check your connection. Plan around roughly 2 Mbit/s upload per player and leave headroom for other traffic.
4. Decide who will administer it. If nobody wants to maintain a machine, compare rental services instead of forcing a self-hosted setup.
5. Plan backups before inviting players. Protect both the server’s world save and each player’s client-side character data.
6. Test with one or two friends. Confirm external connectivity, stability and save behavior before opening all available slots.
7. Reassess after the first month. Move from co-op to dedicated hosting when host availability is the actual problem; reduce slots or upgrade hardware when capacity is the problem.

Bottom line for common group types

Two to six friends with shared evenings

Use player-hosted co-op first. It avoids a separate server and fits a group that can meet at the same time. A dedicated server becomes worthwhile when the host’s absence repeatedly blocks progress.

A larger group with staggered schedules

Use a dedicated server. Start by matching the machine to the expected population, not the game’s maximum, and increase capacity only after observing real CPU, memory and network behavior.

A technically comfortable owner with spare hardware

Self-hosting is reasonable if the machine can remain online, the connection has adequate upload headroom and you are willing to manage updates, firewall rules and backups.

A group that wants persistence without administration

Rent a dedicated server after checking current region, slot, backup, transfer and cancellation terms. The official FAQ confirms the rental model and names GPortal as a partner, but provider-specific commercial details must be verified at the time of purchase.

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