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The most reliable way to keep a Space Engineers world online is to run Keen Software House’s dedicated-server application on a Windows PC or rent a game-server instance. A dedicated server runs separately from the game client, does not render graphics or audio, and remains available when no player is connected. Keen provides the dedicated-server software at no extra charge to people who own Space Engineers. You will need the Windows software and prerequisites, a configured world, UDP networking on the server’s listening port, and an administration plan.
Choose between self-hosting and renting
Decide where the server will run before installing anything. Self-hosting gives you direct control over files, settings, mods, backups and update timing, but you are responsible for the Windows machine, electricity, network configuration, security and recovery. Renting moves those maintenance tasks to a provider, usually through a control panel, but you accept the provider’s available locations, controls, policies and recurring charges.
| Decision factor | Self-hosted Windows PC | Rented game server |
|---|---|---|
| Software installation | You install and maintain Keen’s dedicated-server tool. | The provider supplies an installed server environment. |
| Hardware and uptime | You supply a PC that meets Keen’s requirements and keep it powered and connected. | The provider supplies the server hardware and data-center connection. |
| Network access | You configure a static public address, router forwarding and the Windows firewall. | The provider normally exposes the instance through its service; exact networking controls vary. |
| Control | Full access to worlds, configuration files, logs, mods and Windows services. | Control depends on the provider’s panel and plan. |
| Cost evidence available here | No purchase is automatically required if you already own suitable hardware. | Current prices and plan differences are not established by the official material used for this guide. |
| Official provider names | Not applicable. | Keen identifies GTX Gaming for PC servers and Nitrado for Xbox servers. These are named official options, not a performance or price ranking. |
For a small group that already has an always-on Windows machine, self-hosting can be the simplest and least expensive route. Renting is more practical when nobody wants to maintain Windows, troubleshoot a home router, or leave a personal computer running continuously. Keen’s official guide describes dedicated servers as available to everyone who owns the game and says no additional Steam account is required.
If you would rather rent, Godlike.Host offers Space Engineers servers managed from its own Pterodactyl-based game panel, with up to three free backups a day, a task scheduler, sub-users with permissions and 24/7 support by live chat or ticket. See the current plans for what each option includes.
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Hardware, operating system and software requirements
Keen’s published figures are minimum and recommended requirements for the dedicated-server application. They are not independent benchmarks and do not guarantee a particular simulation speed for every player count, world size or mod collection.
| Requirement | Published minimum | Published recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | 3.2 GHz CPU with 3 logical cores | 4.5 GHz CPU with 3 logical cores |
| Memory | 6 GB RAM | 10 GB RAM |
| Bandwidth | 5 Mbps | Not stated separately |
| Operating system | Windows PC | |
| Framework | .NET Redistributable 4.8 or higher | |
| Runtime libraries | Visual C++ Redistributable packages 2013 and 2017 | |
| Public hosting network | Keen’s guide says a static public IP is needed for connections from outside your LAN. | |
Leave additional disk capacity for the server installation, saved worlds, logs, backups and downloaded mods. The official page does not publish a current disk-space figure, so do not treat a bare installation estimate as sufficient capacity. A machine that only meets the minimum can be useful for a lightly populated world, but the published numbers do not describe how performance changes with simulation complexity or scripts.
Install the dedicated server
Install through Steam
- Open the Steam client and select Library.
- Use the library filter or search to show Tools.
- Find Space Engineers Dedicated Server and select Install.
- Choose an installation drive with room for the application, worlds, logs and mods.
The dedicated server is a separate tool; installing the normal game client alone does not create a continuously running dedicated instance.
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If the Steam client is not being used, Keen documents SteamCMD installation with application ID 298740. In a command prompt, adapt the installation directory in this command pattern:
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steamcmd.exe +login anonymous +force_install_dir somedirectorypath +app_update 298740 +quitUse a real directory path in place of somedirectorypath. Confirm that SteamCMD completes without an update error, then locate SpaceEngineersDedicated.exe in the installed files. Keep the installation directory separate from your backup destination so an update or repair does not become your only copy of a world.
Create and start a world
- Run
SpaceEngineersDedicated.exe. - Select Local/Console.
- Choose Continue to server configuration.
- Create a new world or select an existing saved world.
- Enter a server name and world name that players will recognize.
- Set the listen IP and port, access controls, player lists and active mods.
- Select Save & start.
The manager can run an instance in the foreground or create a Windows service. To create service instances, run the manager as an administrator. Each service instance needs its own port, so assign a distinct listening port when operating more than one world on the same machine.
Move an existing save
To transfer a world from a player-hosted game, copy the game save into the dedicated server’s relevant save directory, then select it from the manager. The exact directory depends on the installation and instance configuration; use the manager’s saved-world selection rather than assuming that a client save folder is automatically visible to the server. Make a backup before converting or opening the transferred world, particularly if you plan to add or remove mods.
Important server settings
- Listen IP: the local network interface on which the server accepts traffic.
- Listen port: the UDP port used by the instance; the default is
27016. - Server and world names: the labels shown to players and used to distinguish multiple instances.
- Steam Group ID: an optional visibility restriction for a private group.
- Password: a direct access control for players who know the password.
- Player lists: administrator, banned-player and reserved-slot settings.
- Active mods: the mods loaded by the world and offered to connecting clients.
Open the server to the internet
A server that works on the same home network may still be unreachable from outside it. For public access, forward incoming UDP traffic on the configured listen port from your router to the Windows computer running the server. Keen’s default is 27016/UDP; if you choose another port in the manager, forward that port instead. Allow incoming UDP on the same port in Windows Firewall.
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- Give the server PC a stable address on your local network so the router rule continues pointing to it.
- In the router’s port-forwarding page, create an incoming UDP rule for the server’s configured port and destination PC.
- Create or enable a Windows Firewall inbound rule allowing UDP on that port.
- Start the server and have a player outside your LAN test the connection.
- If it remains unreachable, verify the public-IP arrangement with your internet provider and confirm that the router and firewall rules use the same port shown in the server manager.
Keen’s guide says a static public IP is needed for outside-internet connections. Do not add unrelated query or remote-management ports unless you have separately verified that a particular tool requires them; the game’s listening port is the one established here. Never publish your Windows remote-administration ports merely because a game server is running.
Protect access and administer players
Use a password or Steam Group ID restriction when the world is intended for friends rather than the public server browser. A password is easy to distribute but can be shared; a group restriction ties visibility to group membership. Keep an administrator list and a ban list, and reserve slots only when you understand how they affect ordinary players.
Keen’s administration documentation supports promoting administrators through the Dedicated Server Manager or the VRage Remote Client. The Remote API is another administration route used by providers and experienced operators. Give administrative access only to people who need it, and keep a written record of who has it so you can remove access when the group changes.
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Cross-platform hosting depends on enabling EOS networking and console compatibility in the server configuration. Keen states that dedicated servers can enable EOS networking and console compatibility. Xbox and mixed PC/Xbox groups should use mods hosted on Mod.io according to Keen’s administration and mod guidance.
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Compatibility details can change as the game and console services evolve. The crossplay announcement that documents these capabilities is dated May 2, 2021, so verify the current in-game and server-manager options before promising a particular PC/Xbox combination. Keen’s guidance also says that server mods with scripts can run only when they do not require client-side scripts. Treat a mod’s current compatibility information as authoritative for your target platforms; a mod that works for PC clients alone may prevent an Xbox player from joining.
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The server manager includes auto-restart and auto-update options, but Keen specifies that auto-update works only while the Dedicated Server GUI is running. If the GUI is closed, you need your own update and restart procedure. A Windows service can keep an instance available without a player logged into the game, but service recovery still needs to be configured deliberately.
Foreground operation
Foreground mode is easiest while setting up a world because you can watch the manager and react to errors immediately. Leave the manager running on the Windows session that owns the instance, and test a clean stop and restart before inviting players.
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For a machine intended to run unattended, create a service instance from the manager as administrator. Configure Windows service recovery actions so the service can restart after a failure, and use the Task Scheduler check described in Keen’s guide as an additional health check. Ensure that every instance has a unique port and its own world configuration.
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Updates and backups
- Back up the world before changing the game version, adding a large mod set or migrating the instance.
- Record the active mod list and server settings so the world can be reconstructed after a disk failure.
- Schedule updates when players are offline, because a version mismatch can prevent connections.
- Do not assume the GUI’s auto-update setting is active when the GUI is not running.
- Keep at least one backup outside the live server directory.
Troubleshoot the problems that stop players joining
The server does not appear or cannot be joined from outside
- Confirm the server is running and listening on the port shown in its configuration.
- Check that the router forwards UDP, not only TCP, to the correct local address.
- Check Windows Firewall for an inbound UDP rule on that same port.
- Confirm that the public-address requirement is satisfied and that the ISP or network is not blocking inbound connections.
- Test from outside the host’s LAN; a local test does not prove internet reachability.
Players receive a version or mod mismatch
- Verify that the server and clients are on compatible game versions.
- Compare the server’s active-mod list with the world’s intended list.
- For Xbox or mixed groups, remove mods that are not available through Mod.io or that require client-side scripts.
- Restart the instance after changing the world’s mod configuration.
A transferred world is missing
Stop the server, confirm that the save was copied into the dedicated server’s relevant save directory, and select it in the manager. Do not overwrite the only copy of the original client save while troubleshooting.
A second instance will not start
Assign the second instance a different listen port and forward that port separately if it must be public. Keen’s guide cautions that each instance needs its own port.
What “free” means in practice
The dedicated-server software is included for existing game owners, and Keen says an extra Steam account is not required. That removes a separate server-software license in a self-hosted setup; it does not eliminate the cost of a Windows computer, electricity, internet service, backups or your time. Renting replaces those responsibilities with a recurring service charge. Keen names GTX Gaming as its official PC hosting option and Nitrado as its official Xbox hosting option, but current prices, plan limits, locations and availability are not established here.
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Quick Recap
A practical launch checklist
- Choose self-hosting or a rented instance and decide whether PC-only or mixed-platform play is required.
- For self-hosting, verify Windows, .NET 4.8 or higher, Visual C++ 2013 and 2017 Redistributables, CPU, RAM, bandwidth and disk capacity.
- Install through Steam Library > Tools or SteamCMD app ID
298740. - Create or copy the world, set its name, password or Steam Group restriction, administrators, player lists and mods.
- Set a listen port, using
27016/UDPunless another port is necessary. - Forward the UDP port to the server PC and allow it through Windows Firewall.
- Test from outside the local network before announcing the address.
- Enable EOS and console compatibility only when your platform mix requires it, and select Mod.io-compatible mods for Xbox participation.
- Choose foreground or Windows service operation, configure recovery, and establish backups.
- Document the settings and test a controlled restart and restore before the world becomes your group’s only copy.
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