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The quickest way to stop unwanted players in Don’t Starve Together is to use Host Game, add a password before starting the world, and set the server to public or local-only according to where your friends play. For an always-on dedicated server, put a non-obvious value in cluster_password inside the master cluster.ini. You can also restrict access by Steam group, local network, or a whitelist of Klei User IDs.
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Privacy has two separate parts: whether people can discover or reach the server, and whether they are authorized to join it. A password controls authentication; local-only, offline, LAN-only, Steam-group, and whitelist settings control who can reach the world or obtain a reserved place. Choosing the narrowest control that still fits your group prevents random joins without blocking intended players.
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Use Host Game for the simplest private world
For a normal hosted world, configure privacy in the game’s Host Game flow before you start the server. This is the practical choice when you want to play with friends online and do not need a separate machine running the world continuously.
Set a password before starting
- Open Host Game in Don’t Starve Together.
- Configure the world as usual, then add a password in the hosting options.
- Choose the server’s visibility: leave it reachable for online friends, or select the local-only option when every player is on the same network.
- Start the world only after checking both settings.
- Send the password or invitation details privately to the people who should play.
Klei’s Help Center specifically recommends adding a password when you want to play with friends only. Treat the password as the join credential: anyone who receives it may attempt to connect, so do not post it in a public chat, stream overlay, forum, or open community channel.
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When to choose local-only
Use the local-only choice when all intended players are on the same physical network. It keeps the hosted world from serving remote friends, so it is unsuitable for a group spread across different homes. For a mixed group, keep the world reachable online and rely on the password instead.
What to do if the password spreads
If an unintended player joins or the password has been copied beyond your group, stop sharing the old value and change it before the next session. Tell the intended players the new value through a private channel. A password is shared access, not an identity check; it works well for a small trusted group but should be replaced when the group changes.
Configure a dedicated server with cluster settings
A dedicated server uses the cluster configuration rather than the in-game Host Game panel. Klei’s dedicated-server settings guide places the join password in the master cluster.ini file and identifies it as the password players must enter to join.
Add a dedicated-server password
- Open the cluster’s master
cluster.iniconfiguration file. - Set
cluster_passwordto a value that is difficult to guess and is not reused for another account or service. - Save the configuration and start the dedicated server using your normal launch process.
- Give the value only to the players who should connect.
The setting is a single shared credential. It does not identify individual players, and it does not stop someone from trying to connect if they know the value. Rotate it whenever it has been exposed or when the membership of your group changes.
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Restrict the server to a Steam group
If your regular players already belong to one Steam group, enable both of the related settings in the master cluster configuration:
steam_group_only=truesteam_group_idset to the matching Steam group ID
With this control, only members of the configured Steam group can connect. Every intended player must join that group, and the ID in the configuration must match the group you actually use. This approach avoids handing a shared password to a changing community, but it adds an administrative requirement: a friend who is not in the group will be refused even if you expected them to play.
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Make an offline local-network cluster
Set offline_cluster=true when the world is intended strictly for players on the local network and should not be publicly listed. Klei’s settings description says an offline cluster is not publicly listed and permits local-network players only.
Offline mode has an important cost: Steam-related functionality does not work. Choose it for a household, classroom, or other local group that accepts that limitation. Do not use it for friends connecting from separate homes.
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Use LAN-only access without offline mode
Set lan_only_cluster=true to accept connections only from machines on the same LAN. This is a network boundary rather than a shared password. Remote players cannot join while the setting is active, even if they know another credential. It is appropriate when every player is physically connected to the same local network.
Reserve places with a whitelist
Whitelist slots are useful when approved players need a guaranteed place in a busy cluster. Configure the whitelist capacity, then add each approved player’s Klei User ID to whitelist.txt in the cluster directory.
A whitelist reserves slots for the listed users; it is not a complete substitute for a password or a network restriction. Pair it with cluster_password, a Steam-group restriction, or a local-only setting when the goal is to keep unapproved people from reaching the world at all.
Choose the control that matches your group
| Goal | Recommended control | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Friends online from different homes | Hosted-world password or dedicated cluster_password |
Anyone who gets the password may attempt to join; rotate it if it spreads. |
| Friends who share a Steam group | steam_group_only=true with the matching steam_group_id |
Every intended player must belong to the configured group and the ID must be correct. |
| Players in one household or physical LAN | offline_cluster=true or lan_only_cluster=true |
Remote friends cannot connect; offline mode disables Steam-related functionality. |
| Keep places for specific users | Whitelist slots plus approved Klei User IDs in whitelist.txt |
A whitelist reserves capacity; it should be paired with another privacy control. |
Understand visibility and authorization separately
It is possible to hide a server while still requiring a credential, or to leave a server reachable while requiring a credential. These are different decisions.
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Visibility and reachability
Public hosting makes the world reachable to the broader online player pool. A local-only hosted world limits access to the local network. On a dedicated server, offline_cluster=true keeps the cluster out of public listings and limits it to local-network players, while lan_only_cluster=true accepts connections only from the same LAN.
Authentication
A hosted-world password or dedicated cluster_password asks a connecting player to supply the shared value. It protects an online world from casual joins but cannot distinguish one friend from another after the value has been shared. Steam-group-only access uses membership rather than a shared password, while a whitelist identifies approved Klei User IDs for reserved slots.
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For online friends, a password is usually the least complicated control. A dedicated community can add Steam-group membership to avoid distributing one secret. A local group can use LAN-only or offline mode so remote machines cannot connect at all. If you need both reserved capacity and privacy, combine whitelist slots with a password or network restriction instead of relying on the whitelist alone.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Practical setups for common situations
Four friends in different homes
Use Host Game, add a password, and keep the world reachable online. Send the password privately. If you move to a dedicated server, put the same kind of shared credential in cluster_password. Do not select local-only, offline, or LAN-only controls because they exclude remote players.
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A stable group organized around one Steam community
On a dedicated server, set steam_group_only=true and provide the correct steam_group_id. Confirm that every intended player is a member before asking them to connect. You can also use a password as an additional barrier, but group membership is the control that determines eligibility.
Players sharing one home network
For a hosted world, select local-only. For a dedicated cluster, choose lan_only_cluster=true. If you also want the cluster not to appear publicly and can accept the loss of Steam-related functionality, use offline_cluster=true instead.
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Use a password or Steam-group restriction to control who may connect, then configure whitelist slots and place approved Klei User IDs in whitelist.txt. The whitelist helps those users obtain reserved places; it does not replace the access control that keeps unapproved players out.
Troubleshoot failed joins without weakening privacy
An intended player cannot connect
- Check whether the server is local-only, offline, or LAN-only while the player is connecting remotely. Those settings intentionally exclude remote machines.
- If the server uses a password, confirm that the player has the current value rather than an older one.
- For Steam-group-only access, verify that the player belongs to the configured group and that
steam_group_idmatches it. - If a whitelist is involved, verify that the player’s Klei User ID is present in
whitelist.txtand that whitelist capacity has been configured.
A random player appears in the world
- Change the hosted-world password or dedicated
cluster_passwordif it may have been shared. - Check that the hosted world was not started without its password.
- For a dedicated cluster, add a stronger boundary such as Steam-group-only access, LAN-only access, or offline mode when those restrictions fit your players’ locations.
- Do not depend on whitelist slots alone; reserved capacity does not by itself provide complete privacy.
Local players can connect but remote friends cannot
This behavior is expected when local-only hosting, offline_cluster=true, or lan_only_cluster=true is enabled. Replace the local-network restriction with a password-based online setup when the group spans different homes.
Steam features stop working
Check whether offline_cluster=true was enabled. Offline clusters intentionally disable Steam-related functionality. If the group needs those features, use a password, Steam-group restriction, or LAN-only configuration that better matches the requirement.
Privacy maintenance checklist
- Decide first whether players are all on one LAN or connecting over the internet.
- For a hosted world, set the password and visibility before starting the session.
- For a dedicated server, place
cluster_passwordin the mastercluster.ini. - Use a non-obvious password and change it when it spreads or the player list changes.
- Use
steam_group_only=truewith the correctsteam_group_idwhen group membership is the preferred gate. - Use
offline_cluster=trueonly when local-network access and the loss of Steam-related functionality are acceptable. - Use
lan_only_cluster=truewhen same-LAN access is required without allowing remote connections. - Use whitelist slots and
whitelist.txtto reserve capacity for approved Klei User IDs, not as the only privacy measure. - Tell players exactly which credential or membership requirement applies so they do not troubleshoot the wrong setting.
Which setup should you use?
For most online friend groups, start with a password: it works in the Host Game flow and through the dedicated-server cluster_password setting. If your players all share one Steam group, Steam-group-only access removes the need to circulate a shared secret, provided membership is kept current. If everyone is on one physical network, local-only hosting, LAN-only access, or an offline cluster gives tighter reachability; offline mode is the option that also removes public listing but disables Steam-related functionality. Add whitelist slots when preserving places for particular users matters, and pair them with one of the other controls when you need genuine friends-only access.
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