When an Enshrouded dedicated server will not start, first determine whether the server process is failing or whether it is running but hidden from the browser. Launch Enshrouded Dedicated Server.exe directly from Steam’s Tools installation, let it create enshrouded_server.json, finish Steam updates on both the game client and server, and then use the newest log to choose between configuration, resource, and network fixes. The default query port is 15637, and Enshrouded multiplayer currently uses IPv4.
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The sequence below avoids wasting time changing router settings for a process that is actually crashing, while also covering the firewall, NAT, and discovery problems that make a healthy server appear offline.
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These failures look similar but occur at different layers:
- Launch or initialization failure: the executable closes immediately, never creates or updates normal logs, or reports a configuration, loading, or crash error.
- Discovery failure: the process remains open and may be usable by a local client, but it does not appear in the public server browser.
- Connection failure: the server is listed, yet players time out or cannot complete a join.
Watch the process after starting it and check the newest file in ./logs. If the process exits before becoming online, work through installation, updates, configuration, Windows, memory, and disk checks first. If it stays online, move to IPv4, firewall, port forwarding, NAT, and DNS checks. A blocked query port can hide a running server from the browser without stopping the process.
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1. Install and launch the dedicated server the supported way
Install it from Steam Tools
Keen Games distributes the dedicated server through Steam’s Tools section. In the Steam client, enable the Tools filter in your Library, install the Enshrouded dedicated-server tool, and allow Steam to finish its download before attempting to run it. The supported platform is Windows for now.
Run the executable, not Steam’s Launch button
Open the installation folder and start Enshrouded Dedicated Server.exe directly. Keen Games’ installation guidance specifically recommends the executable rather than Steam’s Launch button. On the first successful run, the server creates enshrouded_server.json; that file is the starting point for world, name, and network settings.
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- Open Steam’s Enshrouded dedicated-server tool properties and use Browse local files.
- Double-click Enshrouded Dedicated Server.exe.
- Wait for the first-run files, including
enshrouded_server.json, to appear. - Keep the window open long enough to see whether initialization completes; then inspect
./logs.
If the executable is missing, Steam reports a corrupt install, or the JSON file never appears, use Steam’s file verification and reinstall the tool before troubleshooting networking. A router cannot make an installation that never initializes start.
2. Complete Steam updates and align client and server versions
Steam can update the game client and the dedicated-server tool separately. A client/server version mismatch is a documented reason that a server does not appear in the browser, and it can also produce failed joins after the server starts.
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- Exit Enshrouded and the dedicated server.
- In Steam, open Downloads and let every pending update finish.
- Check the Enshrouded game and the dedicated-server tool separately; neither should show an update waiting.
- Restart Steam, start the server again, and then start the client.
Do this before changing ports. For connection problems, Keen Games also recommends clearing Steam’s download cache: open Steam > Settings > Downloads > Clear Download Cache, sign in again when prompted, and retry. Clearing the cache does not replace a required update; it helps when Steam is stuck serving stale or incomplete files.
3. Validate enshrouded_server.json and read the logs
Use the expected folders
The FAQ identifies these default relative paths inside the server installation:
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| Path | Purpose |
|---|---|
./savegame |
World and save data |
./logs |
Current server logs |
./logs/backup |
Prior logs retained for bug reports |
A custom working directory or launch arrangement can place these folders elsewhere, so use the locations created beside the executable if they differ from the defaults.
Check JSON safely
Open enshrouded_server.json in a plain-text editor and look for malformed JSON: missing quotation marks, an extra comma, or a brace in the wrong place. Keep a copy of the file before editing. Change one setting at a time, save, and launch again so the next log identifies the effect of that change. Do not paste comments into JSON; standard JSON does not accept them.
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Use the newest log as the decision point
- Sort
./logsby modified time and open the newest file after a failed start. - Read the final lines first, then work upward to identify the first configuration, initialization, or crash message.
- Compare the message with the current JSON rather than immediately editing the router.
- If the newest file is incomplete, compare it with the most recent file in
./logs/backup.
Errors that occur before the server announces it is online indicate a local process or configuration problem. A clean startup followed by failed joins points toward firewall, port, NAT, or version alignment instead.
4. Check Windows, memory, and disk capacity
Operating-system support
Keen Games states that Windows is supported for the dedicated server for now. A non-Windows host is therefore outside the documented support target. On a Windows host, install current system updates and restart after updates that require it.
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Memory requirements
Keen Games reports approximately 4.4 GB of RAM while idle and up to 100 MB of additional RAM per player (figures published for 2025). The server needs headroom for Windows, Steam, the game client, and other services. Close memory-heavy applications and watch Task Manager while the server starts and while players join. If available memory falls sharply or Windows starts paging, reduce other workloads or move the server to a machine with more RAM.
Disk requirements
The FAQ recommends about 30 GB of free space; the server files are approximately 13 GB uncompressed (Keen Games, 2025). Keep extra space for updates, logs, and save growth. A nearly full system or installation drive can make Steam updates fail or prevent the server from writing its JSON, logs, or world data.
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Do not confuse server and client baselines
Steam Support lists Windows 10 64-bit and 16 GB of RAM as the minimum client baseline on its current support page (accessed 2026). Those figures describe running the game client, not a promise that every dedicated-server workload will fit comfortably. Apply the server’s separate memory and disk guidance when sizing a host.
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5. Configure IPv4, firewall rules, and router forwarding
Use IPv4
Keen Games documents IPv4-only multiplayer. Give the host a stable private IPv4 address on the local network, such as a DHCP reservation, so forwarding rules do not break when the router assigns a new address. An IPv6-only or IPv6-preferred path will not provide a supported Enshrouded connection.
Understand the query port
The default configuration uses "queryPort": 15637. The query port is used for server discovery; blocking it can keep an otherwise running server out of the browser. If you changed the game port, verify that the query port is GamePort + 1, as stated in Keen Games’ known-issues guidance. Always use the values shown in your current enshrouded_server.json when custom settings differ from defaults.
Allow the server through Windows Firewall
- Start the executable once so Windows can create a firewall prompt, if one appears.
- Allow the dedicated-server executable on the private network profile used by the host. Only enable public-network access when you understand the exposure.
- If no prompt appeared, open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security and create inbound UDP rules for the configured query port and the game ports required by Steam and the current Enshrouded configuration.
- Ensure outbound traffic is not blocked by a separate security product.
Do not open a port that is not used by the current configuration. Record each rule’s protocol, port, and profile so you can remove obsolete rules after changing settings.
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Forward ports on the router
- Reserve the host’s private IPv4 address in the router’s DHCP settings.
- Create forwarding entries for the configured query port and the game ports required by Steam, targeting that private address.
- Save the router configuration and restart the server.
- Test from outside the home network, such as a friend’s connection or a mobile hotspot; testing only from the same LAN can succeed even when internet forwarding is wrong.
Port forwarding cannot overcome carrier-grade NAT or a router that does not have a public IPv4 address. If the router’s internet-facing address is private or differs from the address reported by an external service, ask the internet provider for a public IPv4 address or use a host that can provide one.
6. Flush DNS and retry server discovery
Keen Games notes that flushing DNS can fix connection errors. On the Windows host and, when relevant, the client PC:
- Open Command Prompt (search for
cmd). - Run
ipconfig /flushdns. - Wait for the successful confirmation.
- Restart Steam.
- Restart the dedicated server and wait for it to finish initialization.
- Search the browser again, then test a direct local connection and an external connection separately.
Flushing DNS refreshes cached name-resolution data; it does not repair a malformed JSON file, a blocked query port, or a missing public IPv4 route.
7. Match the symptom to the most likely fix
| Symptom | Most likely layer | Next check |
|---|---|---|
| Executable closes immediately | Installation, JSON, Windows, memory, or disk | Run the executable directly, inspect the newest log, validate JSON, and check resources. |
enshrouded_server.json is never created |
Launch method or write access | Use the Steam Tools installation and start the executable from its folder. |
| Server runs but is absent from the browser | Version, query port, firewall, or discovery | Finish updates, confirm queryPort, open it in the host firewall and router, then flush DNS. |
| Server is listed but players time out | Game port, firewall, NAT, or IPv4 route | Test from outside the LAN and verify forwarding, public IPv4, and Steam-required ports. |
| Failure begins after an edit | Configuration parsing or invalid value | Restore the saved JSON copy, change one field at a time, and compare logs. |
8. Preserve evidence before escalating to Keen Games
If the process still fails after the checks above, preserve the state that reproduces the problem instead of repeatedly deleting files or saves.
- Copy the host’s
./logsdirectory. - Include the prior files in
./logs/backup. - Back up the relevant
./savegamedata before reinstalling or changing storage locations. - Keep the exact
enshrouded_server.jsonused during the failed launch, removing only sensitive information you do not want to share. - Record the Windows version, server and client versions, whether the process stayed open, the host’s private/public IPv4 situation, and the time of the failure.
Submit a technical report with the logs and a short reproduction sequence. State whether the failure happens before the server becomes online or only when a client connects; that distinction directs support to the correct layer and prevents an unverified “fix” from masking the cause.
When a different hosting arrangement is the practical answer
A self-hosted server requires a supported Windows machine, enough memory and disk, a reachable public IPv4 path, and a router you can configure. If any of those are unavailable—especially carrier-grade NAT, an IPv6-only connection, or no Windows host—managed hosting or another reachable Windows machine may be more practical than repeatedly changing local firewall rules. Whichever host you choose, retain the same logs and save backups and confirm that its control panel exposes the configured query and game ports.
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