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Playing with friends? Godlike.Host runs hosted Euro Truck Simulator 2 servers from 10 data-center locations, with free DDoS protection.
To host an Euro Truck Simulator 2 (ETS2) multiplayer server, install SCS Software’s free Dedicated Server tool (Steam app ID 1948160), export the server package files from your game installation, create and edit server_config.sii, then make the server reachable on its configured network ports. Players need their own copy of ETS2, but they do not need a separate server licence.
The workflow below reflects the SCS Modding Wiki and established community setup guides. No guide specific to the 2026 game build was identified, so verify export commands, configuration names and port behavior against the current SCS documentation before opening the server to the public.
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What an ETS2 dedicated server does
The dedicated server is a separate program from the normal ETS2 client. It runs the multiplayer session without requiring someone to keep a driving game window open. You install the server tool on an always-on Windows PC or rented machine, give it package files describing your map, DLC and mods, and configure the session in a text file.
The server does not supply game licences or downloadable content. Every person who connects must own ETS2. The host machine needs enough reliable upload capacity to serve the players, and it must remain online for the session to remain available.
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A first launch creates a home directory and a default server_config.sii. That file contains the lobby name, password, player limit, network ports, a server logon token and moderator information. The server package files are separate: server_packages.sii and server_packages.dat describe the map and content that the server should load.
Requirements before you start
- ETS2 installed locally: you need the game installation from which to export server packages. Anyone joining must also own ETS2.
- The Dedicated Server tool: it is free and has Steam application ID
1948160. - An always-on host: a home PC can work, but it must stay powered on and connected. A rented game-server machine removes that dependency in exchange for a recurring fee.
- Router access: internet players normally require port forwarding. You will also need permission to allow the server through the host machine’s firewall.
- A persistent account for the server logon token: the SCS configuration uses a token for game-server login.
- Matching content: the exported packages reflect your current map, DLC and mod setup. Re-export whenever that content changes.
Step 1: Install the dedicated server
Install it from Steam
- Open the Steam client and go to your Library.
- Change the Library filter so that Tools are visible. The dedicated server is listed as a separate tool rather than as the ordinary ETS2 game.
- Find and install Euro Truck Simulator 2 Dedicated Server (app ID
1948160). - Note the installation directory. You will copy the exported package files into this directory or the server home directory that you choose later.
If the tool does not appear, the Tools filter is the usual cause. The download is free; owning the game is still required for the package-export step and for every player who joins.
Install it with SteamCMD instead
SteamCMD is useful on a machine without the full Steam desktop client. A community setup uses this batch command, changing the destination to suit your server:
steamcmd.exe +force_install_dir "C:GameServer" +login anonymous +app_update 1948160 +quitRun the command from the folder containing steamcmd.exe, or provide its full path. The +app_update value is the ETS2 dedicated-server app ID; keep the install directory consistent with the location you will use for the exported files and server executable.
Step 2: Export the server package files from ETS2
The dedicated server does not automatically know which map, DLC and mods your session uses. You must export that information from the game installation. The export produces exactly two files:
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server_packages.siiserver_packages.dat
- Start ETS2 on the computer containing the content you want to host.
- Enable the game’s developer and console options in the ETS2 configuration. The setting names and file locations can change with a game build, so use the current SCS Modding Wiki instructions for your version.
- Open the in-game developer console.
- Run the server-package export command documented for the current build. The command writes
server_packages.siiandserver_packages.datusing the active map, DLC and mod setup. - Close the game and copy both files into the dedicated-server folder.
Exporting is a content snapshot, not a permanent link to your game profile. If you add or remove DLC, change maps or alter the mod set, repeat the export and replace both files. Players must have compatible content when they connect; a package set that no longer matches the host’s intended session is a common reason for failed joins.
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Make the first launch
Launch the dedicated-server executable once after copying the package files. On this first run it creates the server home directory and a default server_config.sii. Stop the process after the file appears so you can edit it before inviting players.
By default, the server uses the same Game User Path concept as the game. If you use the -homedir startup parameter to move the server’s home directory, make the corresponding home-directory change for the game as well. Otherwise the server and the game can look in different places for profiles, packages or configuration.
Core session settings
Open server_config.sii in a plain-text editor. The exact formatting is SII syntax; preserve the existing structure and change values rather than deleting sections.
| Setting | What it controls | Evidence and qualification |
|---|---|---|
lobby_name |
The name players see when browsing or joining the session. | Listed by the SCS Modding Wiki configuration documentation. |
| Password | Restricts entry to people who know the session password. | The default configuration includes a password field; use a non-obvious value for a private convoy. |
| Player limit | The maximum number of connected players. | The SCS sample sets the limit to 8 and comments that the limit is 8. Treat that sample as the reliable reference for the current configuration until your game build’s documentation says otherwise. |
max_vehicles_total |
Total vehicle allowance used by the sample configuration. | The wiki sample uses 100. |
max_ai_vehicles_player |
AI-vehicle allowance per player in the sample. | The wiki sample uses 50. |
server_logon_token |
Token used for game-server login. | The SCS documentation describes it as tied to a persistent account. Keep it private and use a different token for each concurrent server instance. |
Do not assume that a hosting company’s advertised player tier changes what the game itself supports. Commercial panels sometimes market packages for 1–8 or 8–32 players, but those figures are provider marketing claims and are not independently verified here; the SCS sample’s eight-player limit is the documented baseline.
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Choose the home directory deliberately
Leaving the default Game User Path is simplest for a single instance. Use -homedir when you need an isolated profile, a separate data drive or multiple instances. Every instance should have its own home data, network ports and server logon token. If two instances share any of those values, they can overwrite files or compete for the same network endpoint.
Step 4: Configure ports and router forwarding
Understand the port values
The SCS sample identifies a connection dedicated port of 27015 and a query dedicated port of 27016. It also lists virtual ports 100 and 101 in the server configuration. Community guides describe 27015 and 27016 as the default server ports and commonly specify UDP.
| Purpose | Sample value | How to treat it |
|---|---|---|
| Connection dedicated port | 27015 |
Use the value shown in your current configuration; forward it to the host machine. |
| Query dedicated port | 27016 |
Forward it alongside the connection port so discovery and queries work. |
| Virtual ports | 100 and 101 |
These are configuration values in the SCS sample. Do not substitute them for the dedicated ports unless current documentation for your build instructs you to do so. |
Most community instructions call for UDP on 27015–27016. One guide lists both TCP and UDP for those numbers. If your router and firewall let you specify protocols independently, allowing both is the safer compatibility choice; at minimum, allow the protocol required by the current SCS documentation and your server build.
Forward the ports for internet players
- Give the host computer a stable address on your home network so the forwarding rule does not point to a different device later.
- In the router’s port-forwarding page, create rules for the configured connection and query ports.
- Set the destination to the host computer’s local address and select UDP; add TCP as well if your equipment supports the broader rule and you are following the community compatibility recommendation.
- Allow the same ports through the host operating system’s firewall.
- Save the router rules and restart the server after changing the configuration.
Players on the same local network may be able to connect without internet forwarding. Friends outside your network require the router rules and a reachable public address. If your ISP or network uses an arrangement that does not provide inbound connections, forwarding rules alone cannot make the server public; in that situation, a rented host or a different network connection may be necessary.
Run more than one server
Each concurrent instance must use its own connection port, query port and server logon token. Give each instance a separate home directory as well. The first server can retain the sample ports; assign unused alternatives to later instances and forward each pair to the correct process.
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Step 5: Start the server and give players the details
- Confirm that the exported package files, edited configuration and firewall rules are in place.
- Launch the dedicated-server executable.
- Watch the server output for configuration or package errors. Stop and correct the indicated file rather than inviting players to a partially loaded session.
- Share the lobby name, password if one is set, and the connection information required by the game’s server browser or join screen.
- Ask one player outside your home network to test the join. A local test can succeed even when internet forwarding is wrong.
Connecting players do not install a second server tool. They need their own licensed ETS2 client and compatible map, DLC and mod content. The host machine’s copy supplies the dedicated process; it does not grant access to content a player does not own.
Keeping the server maintainable
Updating the dedicated tool
Update the Steam tool through Steam or rerun the SteamCMD installation command when SCS publishes a new build. After an update, review the current SCS documentation for changed configuration keys, export procedures or port requirements before assuming an older setup still applies.
Managing DLC and mods
Treat the two exported package files as a matched pair. Re-export them after every map, DLC or mod change, copy both into the server directory, and tell players which content set is required. Updating only one file leaves the server with an inconsistent package description.
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Back up the useful files
Keep a copy of server_config.sii, the two package files and any separate home-directory data before making major edits. A backup lets you restore a known-good lobby name, password, ports and moderator list if a later change prevents startup.
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Both approaches run the same dedicated-server software. The practical difference is who supplies the machine, network and maintenance.
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| Factor | Self-hosted PC | Rented game server |
|---|---|---|
| Software cost | The SCS dedicated tool is free. You still pay for electricity, hardware and internet service. | You pay a recurring hosting fee in addition to the free software. |
| Setup effort | You install the tool, export packages, edit files, configure the firewall and forward router ports. | A control panel generally supplies the machine and handles much of the port and file setup. |
| Uptime | Depends on your PC, power and home connection staying online. | Depends on the provider’s infrastructure and maintenance. |
| Control | Full access to files, startup parameters, logs and operating-system settings. | Panel permissions and provider policies may limit low-level access. |
| Capacity | The SCS sample configuration caps the player limit at 8. | Some providers advertise tiers such as 1–8 or 8–32 players, but those marketing figures are not verified game limits. Check the current build and provider documentation. |
Choose self-hosting when you already have a reliable always-on machine and want complete control. Renting is usually simpler when router access, uptime or home upload capacity is the limiting factor, but evaluate the provider’s actual configuration access and supported game version rather than relying on a tier name.
Troubleshooting an ETS2 server
The dedicated tool is missing in Steam
Display the Tools category in the Library filter and search for the dedicated-server name or app ID 1948160. If you use SteamCMD, verify that the command completed the anonymous login and app update in the intended installation directory.
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Stop the process and confirm that both server_packages.sii and server_packages.dat are present in the server location. Re-export them from the game if you changed DLC or mods, then copy the fresh pair again.
The configuration file is not where you expect
Check the server’s Game User Path and any -homedir parameter. The game and server must use matching home-directory settings when you intentionally move the data. Search the server startup output for the path it actually opened, then edit that instance’s server_config.sii.
Players on the internet cannot join
- Confirm that the server is running and listening on the configured connection and query ports.
- Check the router’s destination address; it must point to the host computer, not another device that received a new local address.
- Verify the selected protocol. Community guidance centers on UDP, while one guide recommends allowing both UDP and TCP.
- Check the host firewall and any security software for blocked inbound traffic.
- Test from a genuinely external connection. A successful connection from the host’s own network does not prove that internet forwarding works.
A second instance will not start
Give the new instance a different home directory, connection port, query port and server logon token. Two processes cannot reliably share the same endpoint or token, and forwarding both instances to one port does not identify which process should receive a connection.
Players report a content mismatch
Compare the host’s current DLC and mod set with the files represented by the exported package pair. Re-export after every content change and have players install the same required content before trying again.
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What to verify for a 2026 deployment
The core procedure is stable, but version-sensitive details deserve a final check. The available documentation was not written specifically for 2026, and the SCS wiki page itself notes that it was last updated some time ago. Before publishing your address or opening a large convoy, verify the current game build’s:
- developer and console-enable settings;
- server-package export command;
- configuration key names and accepted values;
- default connection and query ports;
- logon-token procedure; and
- maximum supported player count.
That check prevents an old sample from being treated as a guaranteed limit or command. The documented baseline remains a free dedicated-server tool, two exported package files, a generated server_config.sii, reachable network ports and a separate ETS2 licence for every player.
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