How to Set Up a Conan Exiles Enhanced Dedicated Server

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To host a Conan Exiles Enhanced dedicated server, install the Conan Exiles Dedicated Server tool from Steam, configure the server files in ConanSandboxSavedConfigWindowsServer, launch it with StartServer.bat or ConanSandboxServer.exe, and expose the required ports. Every connecting player must use the matching Enhanced PC build; an older UE4 client or a different server version will not connect.

Enhanced is the Unreal Engine 5 PC edition. Official PC Enhanced access is tied to Steam, while Xbox and PlayStation remain on the UE4 version. The server also needs substantially more capable hardware than a lightweight legacy server: a 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 system, 16 GB of RAM, an SSD, DirectX 12, broadband internet, and the published CPU and GPU tiers below.

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What Conan Exiles Enhanced server hosting requires

Enhanced changes the dedicated-server installation and save layout, so treat it as a separate server build rather than a simple graphical upgrade. The client and server versions must match exactly enough for the current patch. A Steam Enhanced client is the normal way to join an official PC Enhanced server. Epic Games Store and Windows Store players can still use solo, co-op, or private/self-hosted arrangements, but Xbox and PlayStation players remain on UE4 and cannot join an Enhanced PC server.

Published hardware and software requirements

These are Funcom’s published Enhanced requirements for 2026. They are not a player-count guarantee or a benchmark. An SSD is required, not merely preferred, and the listed GPU and DirectX 12 requirements should be treated as part of the supported configuration even when the machine is used primarily as a server.

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Decide where the server will run

• Self-hosting: You control the files, save backups, ports, mods, and RCON, but you provide the hardware, internet connection, firewall rules, maintenance, and power.
• Rented hosting: The provider supplies the machine and network access. Confirm that the plan explicitly supports Conan Exiles Enhanced/UE5, current patches, your region, backups, mod installation, RCON, and migration from a legacy save. Support for Enhanced is a volatile provider-side fact.

Do not assume that a host advertising the older Conan Exiles server build also supports Enhanced. Funcom has said it is working with select providers for the UE5 version; ask the provider for its current Enhanced support details before moving a world.

Prepare Windows before installing

Use a dedicated SSD location

Install the server and its saves on an SSD with enough free space for the program, logs, world data, backups, and future mod downloads. Avoid placing the live save inside a folder that is automatically synchronized or aggressively scanned while the server is writing; those services can lock files during a save.

Reserve a stable local address

If other people will connect over the internet, give the host a stable address on your LAN with a DHCP reservation in the router or a manually assigned address outside the router’s DHCP pool. Port-forwarding rules tied to a changing local address will stop working when the host receives a different address.

Record your access details

• Choose a public server name and a player password, if you want the server private.
• Choose a separate, long administrator password. Never reuse the player password for administration.
• Write down the Windows account that will run the server and the router account used for port forwarding.
• If you plan to use RCON, choose an RCON password and restrict who can reach that port.

Install the Conan Exiles Enhanced dedicated server

1. Open Steam and select Library.
2. Change the library filter to Tools.
3. Install Conan Exiles Dedicated Server. Let Steam finish the download and any current update before editing files.
4. Open the installation directory and browse to ConanSandboxSavedConfigWindowsServer.
5. Make a copy of the entire WindowsServer configuration directory before changing it. Keep a dated copy outside the live server folder.

The server executable and configuration are installed with the tool; you do not need to launch the game client to start a dedicated server. Keep the Steam installation updated in the same way you would update the client, because a client/server version mismatch prevents connections.

Configure Engine.ini and ServerSettings.ini

Set the network and public identity in Engine.ini

Open Engine.ini in a plain-text editor. Use the online-subsystem section documented for the current Enhanced build to set the server name and player password. Keep the player password separate from the administrator password. Do not add duplicate sections when an entry already exists; edit the existing value so the file has one authoritative setting.

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• Dominate the Exiled Lands - Carve out your piece of the Exiled Lands, taking it from other players if you must! Build siege weapons and use explosives to break down the walls of your enemy’s city.
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The game port is controlled in the [URL] section. The default is:

[URL]
Port=7777

You can leave the default or choose another unused UDP port. If you change it, use the same value in the firewall and router rules and remember that the browser pinger uses the game port plus one.

Set administration in ServerSettings.ini

Open ServerSettings.ini and, under [ServerSettings], set an administrator password:

[ServerSettings]
AdminPassword=replace-with-a-unique-admin-password

Use a password that is not used for Windows, Steam, the player join password, or RCON. Save the file as plain text and verify that the editor did not append an extra extension such as .txt.

Choose between file settings and launch parameters

The documented command-line switches are useful when you want a temporary port or a scripted launch:

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• Survive: stay warm, cool yourself down, drink and eat, weather scouring sandstorms, prevent your mind from being corrupted when exploring dark dungeons, and battle vicious monsters to stay alive
• Build: harvest resources to craft tools and weapons, then build anything from a Small home to entire cities. Build walls, traps, elevators, and more
• Dominate: wage war against your enemies, use siege weapons and explosives and see their walls crumble to dust, then unleash your savage Fury in violent and brutal combat
• Play together or alone: play alone locally or fight for survival and dominance in persistent multiplayer on public servers. You can also host your own server and invite others to join you

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• -Port changes the game port.
• -QueryPort changes the server query port.
• -RconPort changes the RCON port.

Use one source of truth for each setting. If a launch shortcut supplies a switch that conflicts with the INI file, the command-line value can make troubleshooting confusing.

Launch the server correctly

1. Open the ConanSandboxSavedConfigWindowsServer directory or the directory containing the server launch files, depending on the installation layout.
2. Run StartServer.bat, or launch ConanSandboxServer.exe directly.
3. Leave the command window open and watch for startup errors. The first start can take longer while the server creates its save directories.
4. Do not start the dedicated server by pressing the Play button in the Steam client. Funcom warns that this route can display Steam DLL errors; the batch file or executable is the recommended launch method.
5. After the process finishes initialization, keep the host awake and prevent Windows from sleeping. A sleep or shutdown stops the world for everyone connected.

If you want automatic restarts, create a Windows Task Scheduler job or a wrapper script only after a manual launch works. Make the task run under an account that has read/write access to the server and save directories, and ensure it does not start a second copy while the first process is still running.

Open the firewall and router ports

Allow the server executable through Windows Defender Firewall on the network profiles you actually use. Then create router port-forwarding rules to the host’s stable LAN address when players will connect from outside your home network.

Windows Firewall procedure

1. Open Windows Security and choose Firewall & network protection.
2. Select Allow an app through firewall, add the dedicated-server executable if it is not listed, and allow it on the private network profile you use.
3. For precise control, open Advanced settings, create inbound UDP rules for the game, pinger, and query ports, and create a TCP rule for RCON only if needed.
4. Apply the same protocol and port values to outbound rules if your security policy blocks outbound traffic by default.

Router procedure

1. Sign in to the router and open its Port Forwarding, NAT, or similarly named page.
2. Create rules that forward the required external ports to the host’s stable LAN address. Keep the protocol as UDP or TCP exactly as listed above.
3. Save the router configuration and restart the router only if it requires that step.
4. Test from a different network, such as a phone hotspot. Testing from inside the same LAN can fail on routers without NAT loopback even when outside players can connect.

If your internet provider uses carrier-grade NAT, inbound forwarding may not be possible. In that case, ask the provider for a public IPv4 address or use a hosting service that supplies reachable networking.

Join and verify the Enhanced server

1. Start the dedicated server and wait until initialization completes without a fatal error.
2. From a matching Enhanced/Steam client, open the server browser and search for the server name.
3. If it does not appear, use the direct-connect option with the host’s public address and game port, subject to the current client interface.
4. Enter the player password if one is configured.
5. Join as a normal player first. Use the administrator password only through the game’s administration controls or the separately configured RCON connection.
6. Confirm that a new character can enter, move, interact with objects, and leave without errors. Then stop the server cleanly and verify that the save files receive a recent timestamp.

A server visible on the LAN but not from the internet almost always points to a router, firewall, carrier-grade NAT, or wrong-address problem. A server that is visible but rejects the connection more often has a client-version, password, mod, or port mismatch.

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• Explore a giant world, from the burning desert in the South to the snow-capped mountains in the North
• stay warm, cool yourself down, drink and eat, weather scouring sandstorms, prevent your mind from being corrupted when exploring dark dungeons, and battle vicious monsters to stay alive
• harvest resources to craft tools and weapons, then build anything from a small home to entire cities piece by piece

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Add and maintain mods on Enhanced

Enhanced fully supports mods, but Funcom warns that some individual mods need to be upgraded for Enhanced. A mod that worked on the UE4 build is not automatically compatible with UE5.

Use an identical mod set

• Choose mods that explicitly support the current Enhanced build.
• Keep the server’s load order and mod list documented.
• Install the same mods and compatible versions on every client’s Steam installation.
• When the server updates a mod, have clients update before they reconnect.

Handle mod-transfer and startup failures

Supported clients may download mods through the documented TCP offset from the game port. Open that derived TCP port only when you need automatic transfer and verify the current port calculation after changing the game port.

If the server stops during startup, remove the most recently added or updated mod from the server list and test again. If the server starts but a client receives an incompatible-version error, compare the mod versions and the base game build on both sides. Do not solve a mod problem by randomly changing the game, query, or RCON ports; those settings do not repair an incompatible mod.

Migrate a legacy UE4 server to Enhanced

Back up before installing the update

1. Stop the old server and wait for its process to exit.
2. Copy game.db to at least two separate locations, including one outside the server installation.
3. Back up the configuration files, mod list, and any custom scripts.
4. Record the old server’s map, ports, passwords, and administrator settings.

Never begin migration without a restorable copy of game.db. Keep the old server folder untouched until the Enhanced world has been checked in game.

Understand the folder and save conversion

Funcom’s migration process changes the folder name to Conan Exiles Enhanced Dedicated Server. When the updated server runs, the existing game.db is converted into separate Enhanced save data. Allow the conversion to finish before interrupting the process, and do not point two server builds at the same live database.

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• Explore a vast world: explore a giant world, from the Burning desert in the south to the snow-capped mountains in the north. Discover ancient cultures, ruins, and dungeons
• Survive: stay warm, cool yourself down, drink and eat, weather scouring sandstorms, prevent your mind from being corrupted when exploring dark dungeons, and battle vicious monsters to stay alive
• Build: harvest resources to craft tools and weapons, then build anything from a Small home to entire cities. Build walls, traps, elevators, and more
• Dominate: wage war against your enemies, use siege weapons and explosives and see their walls crumble to dust, then unleash your savage Fury in violent and brutal combat
• Play together or alone: play alone locally or fight for survival and dominance in persistent multiplayer on public servers. You can also host your own server and invite others to join you

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Migration restrictions differ for the Isle of Siptah. Do not promise that every map’s bases, structures, or other world data will transfer identically. After conversion, inspect the map, clan ownership, containers, progression, and mods before inviting the full player group back.

Recovery if conversion fails

1. Stop the Enhanced process.
2. Move the generated Enhanced save data aside rather than deleting it.
3. Restore the untouched backup of game.db and the original configuration to a separate test installation.
4. Check the current Funcom migration guidance and map-specific restrictions before trying again.
5. Do not overwrite your only backup with a partially converted save.

Self-hosting versus rented hosting

For either option, re-check Enhanced compatibility after major game updates. Provider support, mod behavior, and migration tooling can change independently of your subscription or hardware.

Security and routine maintenance

• Use separate player, administrator, RCON, router, and Windows passwords.
• Expose only the required ports. Keep RCON closed when you do not use it.
• Back up the live save on a schedule and retain multiple dated generations. Test restoring a copy rather than assuming a backup is usable.
• Stop the server cleanly before copying database or save files.
• Update the dedicated server and client together, then check mods before allowing players to reconnect.
• Review logs after updates and after adding a mod. A new warning that coincides with a startup failure is a useful rollback point.
• Monitor free SSD space, Windows updates, and unexpected reboots. A full disk or sleeping host can look like a game-server failure.

Troubleshooting common setup failures

The server window shows Steam DLL errors

Close the Steam-launched process and start the server from StartServer.bat or ConanSandboxServer.exe in the server installation. The Steam client launch route is not the recommended method.

No one outside the house can see or join

Confirm the host’s current LAN address, Windows Firewall rules, router forwarding, and public address. Check UDP 7777, UDP 7778, and UDP 27015, and test from a separate network. If all settings are correct but inbound traffic never reaches the host, investigate carrier-grade NAT with the ISP.

The server appears, but the client is rejected

Verify that the player is running the Enhanced Steam build and that the dedicated server has finished updating. A client version must match the server version. Check the player password and compare the complete mod list and versions.

Players cannot download a supported mod

Verify the documented TCP mod-transfer offset for the current game port, allow it through the firewall and router when required, and make sure the mod is actually Enhanced-compatible. Installing the mod manually on both server and client can help distinguish transfer problems from compatibility problems.

RCON does not respond

Confirm that RCON is enabled in Game.ini under [RconPlugin] or supplied with -RconPort, that TCP 25575 is forwarded only if you changed the default, and that the RCON password is correct. Check that another service is not already using the selected port.

The migrated world is missing structures or progress

Stop using the converted copy and restore the pre-migration game.db backup to a separate test installation. Review the map-specific migration restrictions, especially for Isle of Siptah, and check whether a mod supplied the missing content before attempting another conversion.

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Final launch checklist

• Enhanced-compatible Windows 10 or 11 64-bit host, SSD, 16 GB RAM, DirectX 12, broadband, and a published CPU/GPU tier.
• Dedicated Server installed from Steam’s Library > Tools section.
• Engine.ini and ServerSettings.ini edited in ConanSandboxSavedConfigWindowsServer.
• Separate player and administrator passwords.
• Server started with StartServer.bat or ConanSandboxServer.exe.
• UDP 7777, UDP 7778, and UDP 27015 reachable; TCP RCON and mod-transfer ports opened only when needed.
• Every player using the matching Enhanced/Steam build and the same compatible mod set.
• A tested backup of game.db before any legacy migration.

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