How to Set Up a RedM (RDR2) Server in 2026: License Key, txAdmin and server.cfg, Step by Step

Updated 11 October 2026

RedM lets Red Dead Redemption 2 players on PC join servers that communities build for themselves, with their own scripts, maps, jobs and rules, and anyone with a Cfx.re account can start one. The server program, FXServer, is the same software that runs FiveM for GTA V; a single setting switches it to Red Dead. This guide follows Cfx.re’s own documentation from an empty folder to a server your friends can reach: the free license key, the two ways to install it (txAdmin’s guided deployer, or a manual setup on Windows or Linux), the lines in server.cfg that matter for RedM, network ports, roleplay frameworks and the database they need, the 48-player ceiling, updates, and the errors that trip up most first-time owners. If you would rather rent one, our ranking of four RedM hosts sets their plans side by side.

What you need before starting

• A Windows or Linux machine that can stay on. Cfx.re builds the server for both systems, though its guide describes the Linux edition as a courtesy port and steers anyone who hits problems toward Windows, where fixes come sooner.
• A Cfx.re account. It is used to create the license key and to link txAdmin to you.
• One open port. By default FXServer listens on 30120, over both TCP and UDP.
• Tools for a manual install. Git to fetch the base resources, plus 7-Zip or WinRAR on Windows, or the xz-utils package on Debian or Ubuntu, to unpack the server build.
• A copy of the game for every player. Each player needs Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC, legally bought and patched to the current version, plus RedM itself, downloaded from redm.net.

How much memory a RedM server needs

Cfx.re’s documentation sets no memory figure for a RedM server, because the load depends on what you run. A bare test world with a few friends needs little, while a roleplay town with a framework, a database, custom maps, extra horses and streamed clothing needs far more, and every added player raises the demand again. Start with the machine you have, watch the memory and processor figures as resources go in, and move to bigger hardware when the numbers creep toward the limit rather than after players start to notice.

Step 1: create your license key

Sign in to the Cfx Portal at portal.cfx.re with your Cfx.re account and open Registration keys in the Servers section to generate a key. There is no charge, no server starts without one, and the same key is what server.cfg’s sv_licenseKey line will hold, or what txAdmin’s deployer will ask you for. Keep it private, the way you would a password.

Step 2: download the server build

Cfx.re calls each server build an artifact and offers them on its Server Download page. Choose the FiveM / RedM platform, since the separate build for FiveM on GTA V Enhanced is not meant for Red Dead, then pick your operating system and the Recommended update branch, which stays supported the longest. Windows gets a server.7z archive and Linux an fx.tar.xz file, and downloading either one counts as accepting Cfx.re’s Platform License Agreement. Unpack the archive into an empty folder that holds nothing but the server program, for example C:\FXServer\server on Windows or ~/FXServer/server on Linux.

Step 3, route A: let txAdmin deploy the server (Windows)

txAdmin is the browser-based control panel that ships with FXServer, and Cfx.re’s quickest setup guide is built on it. Double-click FXServer.exe in the folder you unpacked and a txAdmin page opens in your browser with a PIN already filled in. Click Link Account, sign in to Cfx.re and approve the link, then set a password for txAdmin’s admin login and name your server. Of the community recipes in txAdmin’s list, two are tagged for RedM: RedM Basic Server (CFX Default), a minimal server with no framework, and VORP Core, a roleplay framework covered in Step 6. The basic recipe fetches the standard resources, switches OneSync on and writes a server.cfg made for RedM. The deployer shows each recipe before it runs, asks for the key from Step 1, and finishes once you choose Save & Run Server.

Step 3, route B: set the server up by hand (Windows or Linux)

Done by hand, the setup keeps the server program and the server’s own files in two different folders. Clone Cfx.re’s cfx-server-data repository from GitHub into a separate folder, say C:\FXServer\server-data or ~/FXServer/server-data; it holds the base resources every server starts from. Create a file called server.cfg in that data folder, using the lines in the next section, and always launch the server from inside the data folder so it can find its resources. On Windows that means running C:\FXServer\server\FXServer.exe +exec server.cfg from a command prompt opened in the data folder; on Linux, run bash ~/FXServer/server/run.sh +exec server.cfg from the same place. The +exec part tells FXServer to read your configuration, and forgetting it is one of the classic first-start mistakes.

Step 4: the server.cfg lines that matter for RedM

A minimal RedM configuration, modelled on the one txAdmin’s RedM recipe writes, looks like this:

endpoint_add_tcp "0.0.0.0:30120"
endpoint_add_udp "0.0.0.0:30120"
set gamename rdr3
sv_enforceGameBuild 1491
set onesync on
sv_maxclients 32
sv_hostname "Black Water Riders"
sets sv_projectName "Black Water Riders"
sets sv_projectDesc "A small frontier roleplay town for friends"
sets tags "roleplay, western"
sets locale "en-US"
ensure mapmanager
ensure chat
ensure spawnmanager
ensure redm-map-one
ensure hardcap
sv_licenseKey "paste-your-key-here"

• set gamename rdr3 is what makes it a RedM server. FXServer otherwise assumes GTA V, so this line belongs in every RedM config.
• sv_enforceGameBuild 1491 asks every player’s game to load the September 2022 update. It only takes effect at startup, and 1491 is the single RedM entry in Cfx.re’s table of game builds.
• The two endpoint_add lines, one for TCP and one for UDP, open port 30120 on every network interface. Cfx.re’s sample config advises changing only the port unless the machine has several network interfaces.
• set onesync on turns on server-side state awareness. Cfx.re requires OneSync on or legacy from 32 slots upward and on above 64, and the RedM recipe enables it.
• sv_maxclients is the player cap. Without an Element Club subscription the highest usable value is 48; see the section on bigger servers below.
• sv_projectName and sv_projectDesc, each written with sets in front, give the server its name and description in the list. Leaving either one out, according to Cfx.re’s troubleshooting notes, produces a startup error and can keep the server off the list.
• sets locale ships as root-AQ in the samples; replace it with your community’s language code, such as en-US or de-DE.
• ensure lines start resources by folder name. The five shown here are the ones the RedM recipe starts, including redm-map-one.
• sv_licenseKey holds the key from Step 1.

A few optional settings are worth knowing. add_ace and add_principal give your own account admin rights. rcon_password enables the remote console, which runs over UDP and stays off while the password is unset. sv_endpointPrivacy true hides players’ IP addresses in the server’s public reports. load_server_icon sets a 96 by 96 PNG as the server’s icon. For a private test, sv_lan true keeps the server off the public list and skips the license check, while sv_master1 “” marks a listed server as private by disabling the browser’s connect button, without removing it from the master list. Allowlisted roleplay servers can set sets sv_appearAllowlisted true to show a lock icon, with joining instructions in sets sv_allowlistInstructions.

Step 5: open the port and start for the first time

Allow port 30120 for TCP and UDP in the machine’s firewall and, on a home connection, point a port-forwarding rule on your router at the server machine. On the first start the console lists the resources it found and starts them one by one. When it is running, open http://your-public-ip:30120/info.json in a browser: a block of JSON describing the server means it is reachable, and a port checker such as canyouseeme.org gives a second opinion. Cfx.re notes that a new server can take up to eight minutes to appear in the server list, and that a router or gateway which rewrites UDP source ports can stop it showing up at all.

Step 6: add a roleplay framework and its database

A bare RedM server gives players a map, a chat box and a place to spawn, and little else. Roleplay communities add a framework that supplies the systems their towns run on, such as jobs, money, inventories and stables. For RedM, the framework named on Cfx.re’s frameworks page is VORP; the page adds that Cfx.re has no affiliation with any framework, gives no support for them and sends owners to each framework’s documentation. VORP’s txAdmin recipe builds its tables in a MariaDB database, installs the oxmysql resource that connects the server to it, sets OneSync on and requires a Steam Web API key, which FXServer needs before it can return players’ Steam identifiers. Set up the database server and get that key before you deploy the recipe, and try any framework on a duplicate server first, before your community moves in.

Step 7: get players connected

Players download RedM from redm.net, agreeing to Cfx.re’s terms first, and need the PC edition of Red Dead Redemption 2, fully patched; Cfx.re’s buying page points to Steam, Epic’s store and the Rockstar Warehouse and says RedM refuses to run on pirated copies. Once the server shows in RedM’s server list, they can join from there. Before it is listed, or for a server kept private, they press F8 in the RedM client to open its console and type connect followed by your address and port, for example connect 203.0.113.10:30120. A direct connection that fails points to the port forwarding or a firewall rather than to the server itself.

Going past 48 players

The limit of 48 comes from Cfx.re, not from your hardware, and lifting it takes an Element Club subscription bought on the Cfx Portal. The Argentum tier raises the limit to 64 players. With Aurum you get 64 on standard OneSync or 128 on OneSync Infinity, and Platinum reaches 128 on standard OneSync or 1,024 on Infinity. With the subscription active, Cfx.re’s steps are to run the latest server artifact, set sv_maxclients to a number above 48 that your tier allows, and restart the server.

Keeping the server up to date

Cfx.re releases new artifacts often and limits how long it helps with old ones: a Recommended build is covered for six weeks once its successor ships, and a Latest build for two. Past that point, joining players see a gray end-of-support notice and can still connect. A red end-of-life warning means connections fail until the owner updates, and a server on a build that has been unsupported for over three months can no longer be joined through the server browser. To update, stop the server, replace the contents of the program folder with the new build and start it again; the data folder, with server.cfg and your resources, stays as it is. Take a copy of the data folder and, for a framework server, the database before every update.

Errors new RedM owners run into

• No resources found, or “Failed to start resource”. The server was started from the wrong folder; launch it from the data folder that holds server.cfg.
• Nothing starts, and players time out or are refused. The +exec server.cfg part of the start command is missing.
• “no license key was specified”. Usually one of the two mistakes above, since the key lives in the config that never loaded.
• The server starts as FiveM. set gamename rdr3 is missing from server.cfg.
• Very slow starts on Windows. Microsoft Defender may be scanning the server files. In PowerShell run as administrator, Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath followed by your server folder adds an exclusion.
• Missing from the list, or shown as private. Check the port forwarding and firewall, make sure any sv_master1 line is commented out, and confirm that sv_projectName and sv_projectDesc are set.
• Stuck at 48 slots. Higher limits need an Element Club tier on the Cfx Portal, as described above.

A ready-made RedM server

Not on Cfx.re’s list of authorized RedM hosts (redm.net, 10 Oct 2026). To skip the steps above, Godlike.Host lists RedM on its Red Dead Redemption 2 hosting page, which on 11 October 2026 paired 8 GB of memory with 32 slots, 10 GB with 48 and 12 GB with 64, with a custom size between them. Its FAQ says you add the key generated on the Cfx.re portal while setting the server up, and that deployment begins right after payment, with the server usually ready within a few minutes. The panel controls the server’s RedM resources, its launch options and its configuration, takes uploads of scripts, maps, jobs and other resources, and restarts and monitors the server; a personal firewall filters players by IP address, a config editor shares single files through a link, and a Discord bot lets you run things from chat. Automatic backups, DDoS protection, a plugin installer and scheduled tasks come with every plan, ten data centres are listed, and support answers by live chat or ticket at any hour.

Limit: its RDR2 hosting page lists no txAdmin or database option, its smallest plan already starts at 8 GB, checkout prices differ between countries and move with the page’s current deals, and refunds are voluntary, limited to a first purchase and to requests made within three calendar days.

FAQ

Can I run a RedM server on the PC I play on?

Yes, for testing or a few friends. The game and the server then share one machine’s processor, memory and connection, and the server stops whenever that PC is off, which is why groups that play daily move it to a machine that stays online.

Why does my server behave like a FiveM server?

Because FXServer runs GTA V unless told otherwise. Put set gamename rdr3 in server.cfg, or deploy the RedM recipe in txAdmin, which writes that line for you.

How many players can my RedM server take?

Up to 48 without a subscription. OneSync has to be on, or legacy, once sv_maxclients reaches 32, and fully on above 64, and Element Club tiers on the Cfx Portal unlock caps from 64 up to 1,024 players.

Is self-hosting allowed, or must I rent from a listed host?

Self-hosting is documented: Cfx.re’s setup guides walk through running FXServer on your own Windows or Linux machine, and nothing we read on 11 October 2026 limited servers to listed hosts.

Can I charge players for perks on my server?

Only through the route Cfx.re allows. Cfx.re’s hosting page gives Tebex exclusive rights to server monetization and tells owners to read the Platform License Agreement for the conditions.

Is the Linux server build supported?

It runs, and Cfx.re offers it next to the Windows download, but the docs label it a courtesy port and note that bugs reported on Windows stand a better chance of a fix.