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Core Keeper Server Settings: World, Slots and Game Options

A practical guide to Core Keeper dedicated-server arguments and ServerConfig.json, including world slots, first-launch modes, disputed player limits, networking, passwords and troubleshooting.
Length8 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Core Keeper dedicated servers take their settings from launch arguments and, optionally, ServerConfig.json. Set the save slot with -world, choose the world type with -worldmode before first launch, and verify player capacity in the server’s own ARGUMENTS.txt because published defaults conflict. The standard network endpoint is UDP port 27015.

Where Core Keeper server settings come from

A dedicated server can read options from two places:

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  • Launch arguments: parameters appended to the server start command.
  • ServerConfig.json: an optional configuration file for values exposed by the server build.

One commonly cited setup guide says command-line values override values in ServerConfig.json. That makes launch arguments the safest place to make a one-off change, while the JSON file is useful for a persistent configuration. Parameter names and accepted values can change between builds, so check the ARGUMENTS.txt shipped in your server folder; a guide reports that this reference has been included with the server since update 1.1.0.

Check the server build before editing anything

Stop the server before changing its save selection or configuration. Copy the complete save directory and configuration files first, especially when converting a single-player world. The exact location depends on the operating system and installation method, but the dedicated server normally uses a DedicatedServer subfolder inside the game’s default save location.

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Do not assume instructions written for a commercial control panel apply to a self-hosted installation. Panels may hide the launch command, write a different JSON file, or expose only a subset of the available arguments.

Choose the world and save slot

-world selects the save slot

Use -world to tell the dedicated server which world slot to load. When continuing a world created in single-player, the number must match the leading number in that save file’s name. For example, if the save begins with slot number 7, start the server with:

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-world 7

A guide lists slots from 0 through 29, but that range comes from one guide rather than an official parameter reference. Treat the files present on your installation and the local ARGUMENTS.txt as authoritative.

Loading an existing single-player world

  1. Exit Core Keeper and make a backup of the world save.
  2. Locate the save file in the default save location and identify its leading slot number.
  3. Place or copy the save into the dedicated server’s DedicatedServer save subfolder, preserving the filename and directory structure.
  4. Start the server with -world set to that leading number.
  5. Join once, confirm the expected terrain and character access, then stop the server cleanly before making further changes.

If the server generates a new world instead, the slot number, save path, or file permissions do not match. Stop the process and verify those three items rather than repeatedly launching, which can create additional saves and make identification harder.

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Set world creation options before the first launch

World seed: -worldseed

-worldseed is reported to apply only when a world is created for the first time. It does not re-roll an existing save. If the selected slot already contains a world, changing the seed will not regenerate that world; use a new slot or remove the old save only after making a verified backup.

World mode: -worldmode

Published setup guides list four modes: Normal, Hard, Creative and Casual. One guide maps them to numeric values as follows:

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Mode Reported value Important limitation
Normal 0 Choose when creating the world.
Hard 1 Choose when creating the world.
Creative 2 Cannot be switched after creation.
Casual 4 One guide omits this mode; verify your build.

The numeric mapping is secondhand and should be checked against the local argument reference. More importantly, the mode is fixed when the world is created. You cannot convert an established Normal, Hard or Casual world into Creative, or reverse that change, by editing the launch command. To use another mode, create a separate world in another slot.

Season: season

One guide documents a season setting in which -1 means the current season and the explicit value takes precedence over date-based season selection. This parameter has lower confidence than the core world and network options. Confirm the accepted values in ARGUMENTS.txt for your build before relying on it, and test on a disposable slot if seasonal behavior matters to the server.

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Set the player limit carefully

Maximum-player documentation is inconsistent. Most guides cite a default of eight players, while one ServerConfig.json example lists maxNumberPlayers with a default of 100. A separate support statement attributed to Pugstorm describes PC play as supporting one to eight players. Because those figures cannot all describe the same effective limit, do not advertise a 100-player capacity without confirming that your exact server build accepts and serves it.

Setting Reported value How to handle it
-maxplayers Usually cited as 8 Use the value accepted by your build and verify in the startup log.
maxNumberPlayers in ServerConfig.json 100 in one guide Conflicting report; do not treat 100 as a universal limit.
PC support guidance attributed to Pugstorm 1–8 players Use eight as the conservative planning ceiling unless your version documents otherwise.

For a full lobby of eight on a well-explored world, one guide suggests allowing roughly 3–4 GB of RAM. That is a sizing suggestion, not a guaranteed requirement or performance benchmark. World size, exploration history, operating-system overhead and other processes can change actual usage.

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Configure networking

Port and protocol

The reported default is UDP port 27015. Open or forward that UDP port on the host firewall and router when players connect from outside the local network. If another service already uses it, select an unused port with -port and forward the same UDP number to the server machine.

-port 27015

Forwarding TCP instead of UDP, forwarding the wrong internal machine, or changing the server port without changing the router rule are common reasons a server appears online locally but cannot be reached remotely.

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Steam dedicated-server application ID

The Steam dedicated server application ID reported for Core Keeper is 1963720. Use that ID when installing or updating the dedicated-server application through Steam’s tooling. It identifies the server package; it is not a gameplay setting and does not replace the game’s network port.

Passwords and administrator access

-password

Set a join password with:

-password YourPrivatePassword

Guides report that the server has no separate administrator password. Administrative actions are performed through the in-game pause menu by an authorized player. If no password is supplied, a random session password may be generated, so read the startup output or server panel for the value needed by joining players.

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Keep the password out of publicly shared screenshots and scripts. If you change it, restart the server and give players the new value; existing clients may need to reconnect.

Game ID and identity settings

-gameid

If -gameid is empty, the server is reported to generate an ID at startup. Published guides disagree about the required length and character rules: reported minimums range from 15 to 28 characters, with other guidance specifying 23 or 28 as the minimum. Because those rules conflict, the least error-prone approach is to leave the option empty unless your build’s ARGUMENTS.txt requires a manually supplied value. If you do set one, use only characters and a length explicitly accepted by your installed build.

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A practical first-time configuration

The following sequence keeps irreversible world choices separate from changeable network settings:

  1. Install or update the dedicated server package using Steam app ID 1963720.
  2. Open the server directory and read ARGUMENTS.txt. Record the accepted syntax for your build.
  3. Back up the default save directory, including the DedicatedServer subfolder.
  4. Choose a new slot for a new world, or identify the leading number of the existing save you intend to load.
  5. Set -world to that slot number.
  6. For a new world only, set -worldseed and -worldmode. Do not expect either value to alter an existing save.
  7. Set a conservative player limit, normally eight unless your local documentation confirms another value.
  8. Set -port to 27015 or another unused UDP port, then match the firewall and router rules.
  9. Set -password, or deliberately leave it unset and retrieve the generated session password from startup output.
  10. Leave -gameid empty unless the local parameter reference says otherwise.
  11. Start the server and inspect its log for the selected world, port, player limit and any rejected arguments.
  12. Join from the host machine first. Only after that succeeds should you test a connection from another network.

Launch arguments versus ServerConfig.json

Use the JSON file when you want a repeatable baseline shared by restarts, and use launch arguments for temporary overrides or automation. Do not define contradictory values in both places without checking precedence. The commonly cited behavior is that command-line options win over the JSON configuration, but this should be verified after updates because a changed parser or renamed property can silently alter the result.

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After editing JSON, validate its syntax and preserve the property names used by your server version. A misspelled key may be ignored rather than reported clearly. When a value appears not to apply, remove the command-line override, check the server log, and compare the property name with the shipped argument reference.

Troubleshooting by symptom

The wrong world loads

  • Confirm that -world matches the save filename’s leading number.
  • Check that the file is under the dedicated server’s save path, normally the DedicatedServer subfolder.
  • Make sure a command-line -world value is not overriding a different JSON value.
  • Stop the server before moving or renaming saves.

The mode or seed change has no effect

  • Both settings are creation-time choices.
  • Use a new slot for a different seed or world mode.
  • Do not delete the original until the backup has been tested.

Players cannot connect from outside the LAN

  • Confirm that the selected port is UDP, not only TCP.
  • Check the host firewall and router forwarding target.
  • Ensure the public connection uses the same port configured with -port.
  • Test locally first to separate game configuration from network routing.

The server rejects the player limit

  • Check whether your build expects -maxplayers, maxNumberPlayers, or another property.
  • Start with eight, the most consistently reported default and the conservative PC support figure.
  • Inspect ARGUMENTS.txt and startup output before trying values above eight.

The server will not start after setting a game ID

Remove the manual -gameid value and let the server generate one. The published length requirements conflict, so an ID accepted by one build may be rejected by another.

Settings reference

Option Reported behavior Confidence and qualification
-world Selects the save slot; one guide lists 0–29. Medium; range is from a single guide.
-worldseed Used when a world is first created. Medium.
-worldmode Normal, Hard, Creative and possibly Casual; one mapping is 0, 1, 2 and 4. Medium; verify mode names and codes locally.
-maxplayers / maxNumberPlayers Usually eight; one JSON example says 100. Low; conflicting documentation.
-gameid Generated at startup when empty. Low for manual length rules; published limits conflict.
-port UDP, default 27015. Medium.
-password Sets the join password; no separate admin password is reported. Medium.
season -1 reportedly means current season and overrides date-based selection. Low; verify in the installed reference.
Save path DedicatedServer subfolder of the default save location. Medium; installation method can change paths.

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