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Godlike.Host offers hosted Enshrouded servers with its own game panel, SFTP access and free DDoS protection, if you would rather not host it yourself.
To update a self-hosted Enshrouded dedicated server, warn players, stop the server cleanly, back up the complete savegame directory and enshrouded_server.json off the server, run SteamCMD against the same installation folder, then restart and verify the world before inviting everyone back. Use +app_update 2278520 validate: app ID 2278520 is the dedicated-server package, and validate checks and repairs its files. Rented servers normally provide an update or restart-and-update control instead.
Your world should remain in place when the update uses the same directories, but a major game release can alter save formats or settings. Keeping a complete pre-update backup is therefore the protection against an empty world, reset configuration, or a failed file update.
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What do I need before updating an Enshrouded server?
Confirm how the server is hosted, where its startup script points, and where its saves and logs are located. The procedure differs between a machine you manage yourself and a rented panel, but both require a clean stop and a client/server build match.
- Self-hosted server: You need access to the server installation directory, SteamCMD, the launch script or service, and storage outside that directory for a backup.
- Rented server: You need the provider panel’s update, restart-and-update, or “Update on start” control. Providers do not all handle backups or restarts the same way, so read the panel’s labels before confirming the action.
- Players: Tell everyone when the restart will happen. Each player must run a game build compatible with the server build after the update.
Do not assume that a server process stopping by itself is a clean shutdown. Stop it through the panel, service manager, or console command supplied by your hosting method, and wait for the process to exit before copying files.
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How do I update a self-hosted Enshrouded server?
The safe sequence is notify, stop, back up, update in the existing folder, start, read the log, and perform a one-player inspection. Using a different folder can leave the running service on the old executable even when SteamCMD reports a successful download.
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Post the planned downtime in your community chat and tell players not to join until you announce that the world is ready. Ask them to restart their Steam client after the server update if they receive a version-mismatch message.
2. Stop the server cleanly
Stop the dedicated-server process from the same control path used to start it. Do not overwrite files while the process is still writing the world. A clean stop reduces the chance that the newest world state or index files are incomplete when copied.
3. Back up the complete world and configuration
Copy the entire savegame directory and enshrouded_server.json to storage outside the server installation, such as another disk or a portable external hard drive. Keep every rolling world and index file; a single world file is not a complete backup.
Make the backup before every major update and keep it until players have entered the updated world and you have checked important bases and containers. If the update changes a save format or settings, that pre-update copy is your rollback point.
4. Run SteamCMD in the server’s existing installation directory
Use the same folder that your startup script launches. In SteamCMD, run:
steamcmd +force_install_dir <server folder> +login anonymous +@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType windows +app_update 2278520 validate +quitThe dedicated-server Steam application ID is 2278520. The validate option checks the downloaded server files and repairs files that are missing or damaged. The platform override shown above is for the Windows server package; keep the command’s folder argument aligned with your actual installation.
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Wait for SteamCMD to finish rather than closing the window after the download appears to start. If your startup script uses a relative path, run SteamCMD from the directory layout that the script expects, or explicitly provide the absolute server folder.
5. Start the server and wait for readiness
Start the server with the normal script or service. Do not invite the group immediately. Wait for the world to load, then open logs/enshrouded_server.log and look for the readiness marker documented by Survival Servers:
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6. Join with one player before reopening the server
Have one trusted player connect first. Check the base, important containers, and any area that would reveal a missing or old world quickly. If the world is correct, tell the rest of the group to join. If it appears new or empty, stop the server and follow the recovery steps below instead of letting more players alter the state.
How do I update a rented Enshrouded server?
Use the host’s update or restart-and-update control rather than running SteamCMD manually unless the provider explicitly gives you shell access. The panel is responsible for choosing the installation directory and restarting the process.
Panels with “Update on start”
Loafhosts documents a mode in which the panel applies the update when the server starts and can automatically restart an empty server when Update on start is enabled. “Empty” matters: a provider may defer the restart while players are connected to avoid interrupting an active session.
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Provider-specific backup behavior
Confirm whether the panel makes a snapshot, where that snapshot is stored, and how long it is retained. If the panel does not provide a complete downloadable backup, stop the server and copy the savegame directory plus enshrouded_server.json through the provider’s file manager before updating. Provider controls and labels differ, so do not infer that an update button also creates a rollback copy.
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After the panel reports completion
Wait for the server status to become online, inspect the server log if the panel exposes it, and perform the same one-player world check used for a self-hosted installation. If the panel has both “restart” and “update” actions, a restart alone may leave the old build in place.
Will updating delete my Enshrouded world?
An update replaces server executables and game data while leaving the world and configuration in place when the same directories are used. It does not intentionally delete the world, but a wrong installation path, a changed save location, a damaged save, or a major save-format change can make the server appear empty.
| Item | Where it is stored | What an ordinary server update does |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated-server executable and game data | Server installation directory | Replaces or updates files through SteamCMD or the host panel. |
| World saves, rolling files, and indexes | The directory named by saveDirectory; the official default is ./savegame. |
Remains available when the same directory is used; back up the complete directory before updating. |
| Server configuration | enshrouded_server.json |
Normally remains in place; syntax or path changes can cause defaults or a different location to be used. |
| Server logs | The directory named by logDirectory; the official default is ./logs. |
New entries are written as the updated server starts. |
| Player characters | Each player’s own computer, not the dedicated server | Not rolled back by restoring the server’s world directory. |
Keen Games lists saveDirectory: ./savegame and logDirectory: ./logs as configuration defaults. Those are defaults, not guarantees: a server administrator can set different paths, and the backup must follow the paths actually present in enshrouded_server.json.
How do I check that the update really worked?
Check three separate things: the files SteamCMD updated, the process that your launch script starts, and the game session that players actually join.
- SteamCMD result: Let the command finish with
validate. If it reports repairs or downloads, allow them to complete before starting the server. - Launch path: Confirm that the startup script or service points to the same installation folder passed to
+force_install_dir. - Readiness log: Look in
logs/enshrouded_server.logfor[Session] 'HostOnline' (up)!. - Client connection: Have one player join first and inspect the expected base and containers.
- Build compatibility: If a player receives a version mismatch, update the lagging client or server and restart both sides.
The official default query port is 15637, but an administrator can configure another port. The query port must be reachable through the machine’s firewall and any router or provider networking controls for the server to appear in the browser.
Why can nobody join after the update?
Most post-update connection failures are a build mismatch, an incomplete startup, a browser-filter issue, or an unreachable query port. Work through these checks in order, changing one thing at a time.
Version mismatch
The client and server are on different builds. Update whichever side is behind, then restart it. Steam clients may need a full Steam restart; if the client still reports an old build, use Steam’s Verify integrity of game files action before trying again.
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The server is missing from the browser
Enable the dedicated-server filter, wait until startup has completed, and search for the exact configured server name. Confirm that the configured query port is reachable and that no firewall or router rule blocks it. A running process alone does not prove that the session is discoverable.
The update appears not to apply
Run the SteamCMD command again with validate. Then compare the folder in the command with the executable path in the startup script and inspect the console or log for errors. Updating one directory while launching another produces the appearance of a failed update.
The server starts but the world is empty
Stop the server. Read enshrouded_server.json and identify the current saveDirectory. Restore the complete backed-up savegame folder, including rolling and index files, into that exact directory, then start the server and repeat the one-player inspection.
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Edit enshrouded_server.json only while the server is stopped. Check that the JSON syntax is valid and that custom settings, paths, slot count, and ports are still present. A malformed file or an unintended path can make the server use defaults or fail before it reaches the online state.
Which Enshrouded server settings should I verify after an update?
Open the configuration file while the process is stopped and verify paths, networking, and capacity before inviting the group.
- Save path: Confirm that
saveDirectorystill points to the directory containing the restored or existing world. - Log path: Confirm
logDirectoryso you know where to read the startup and readiness messages. - Query port: The official default is
15637; use your configured value when checking firewall and router rules. - Slot count: Keen Games documents a valid range of 1–16 players. Keep the value as a number, not quoted text.
- Server name and other custom values: Check that the name players search for and any custom settings survived the update.
Save the JSON only after validating its syntax, then start the server and confirm the resulting log path and session state. Do not edit the file while the server is writing it.
How do I recover if an update damages or changes the world?
Use the untouched pre-update copy rather than repeatedly starting the server with a suspected bad save. A controlled restore preserves the evidence needed to determine whether the problem is a path, file, or format issue.
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- Tell players to stay out and stop the server cleanly.
- Copy the current
savegamedirectory and configuration to a separate quarantine location. This preserves the post-update state for later diagnosis. - Restore the complete pre-update
savegamedirectory, including every rolling and index file, to the directory named bysaveDirectory. - Restore the backed-up
enshrouded_server.jsonif the configuration was changed or reset, checking its JSON syntax first. - Start the server, wait for
[Session] 'HostOnline' (up)!, and have one player inspect the world. - Keep the backup until the group confirms that bases, containers, and other important locations are intact.
Restoring server files does not restore player-character files because characters are stored on each player’s computer. The restore therefore targets the shared world state, not local character progression.
What is the safest routine for future Enshrouded updates?
Use the same repeatable routine for every release so that a rushed restart does not become a data-loss incident.
- Announce the maintenance window and the requirement for clients to reach the same build.
- Stop the server cleanly and wait for the process to exit.
- Copy the complete
savegamedirectory andenshrouded_server.jsonoff the server. - Run SteamCMD with
+force_install_dir, anonymous login, app ID2278520, andvalidate, or use the host’s documented update control. - Start the server from the same directory that was updated.
- Wait for the online marker in
logs/enshrouded_server.log. - Join with one player, inspect the world, and only then reopen the server to everyone.
- Retain the pre-update backup until the updated world has been accepted.
That process addresses the two failures that cause most confusion: launching an old directory after updating a new one, and mistaking a running process for a fully loaded, joinable session.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I update the server while players are connected?
Do not replace server files while the process is active. Ask players to leave, stop the server cleanly, perform the backup and update, and reopen access only after the log shows the online session marker.
What does SteamCMD’s validate option do for Enshrouded?
It compares the dedicated-server installation with the expected Steam files and downloads or repairs files that are missing or damaged. It does not substitute for a world backup, because save data and configuration must still be copied separately.
How can I tell whether my server uses a custom save location?
Open enshrouded_server.json while the server is stopped and read the saveDirectory value. Back up and restore the folder at that path rather than assuming the official ./savegame default.
Why does restoring the world not restore a player’s character?
Dedicated-server world files and player-character files are stored separately. Restoring the server’s complete savegame directory recovers the shared world, while each player’s character data remains on that player’s own computer.
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