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Space Engineers Scenarios: How to Choose and Load One on Your Server

Choose scenarios from New game, not Saved worlds. This guide covers built-in, Workshop and custom scenarios, save migration, console support, dependencies and Steam versus EOS networking.
Length10 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Choose a Space Engineers scenario from the dedicated server’s New game path, not from Saved worlds. New game creates a server world from a scenario; Saved worlds opens an existing save. Before starting, check four things: whether every player’s platform is supported, what the scenario asks players to do, which Workshop or custom dependencies it needs, and whether the server will use Steam networking or EOS cross-play.

If you already have a local world, it is not a scenario-selection problem. Copy that save into the dedicated server’s Saves location, then load it through Saved worlds. The distinction prevents the most common setup mistake: looking for a scenario setting while configuring a world that already exists.

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What a scenario is on a dedicated server

A scenario is a packaged starting experience for Space Engineers. It can define an opening world, objectives, progression, scripted events, enemies or restrictions rather than giving players an entirely blank sandbox. A dedicated server can generate a new world from that scenario, or it can load a world that was saved previously.

Keen Software House’s dedicated-server documentation describes the choice as starting “a new world generated from a scenario” or loading “a previously saved world.” In the server configuration utility, those are separate paths. The Scenario setting appears when you choose New game; it is not a selector inside Saved worlds.

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Choose with four checks

Do these checks before creating the server instance. Changing a scenario after players have begun a campaign usually means creating another world, so a few minutes of verification can protect an established save.

1. Platform compatibility

Start with the platforms that must connect. Built-in scenarios have the broadest chance of working across supported editions, while a scenario made for the Steam Workshop may depend on PC-only content or networking. The official scenario reference lists First Jump, Learning to Survive and Never Surrender as supported on consoles. It also states that third-party Steam Workshop scenarios are not supported on consoles.

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That means a PC-only group can consider a wider range of Workshop scenarios, but a group containing PlayStation or Xbox players should begin with a scenario confirmed for consoles. Do not treat “the game runs on every platform” as proof that a particular scenario does.

2. Objective and structure

Decide what the group expects to do during its first sessions:

  • Tutorial: guided tasks and explanations for people learning the controls, building systems and survival loop.
  • Campaign: a sequence of objectives or scripted encounters that gives a regular group a shared direction.
  • Defense or challenge: an immediate threat, timed goal or escalating attack pattern that works best when everyone is ready to cooperate.
  • Open-ended start: a less directed world for players who want to build their own base, faction or exploration plan.

A scenario’s opening conditions matter more than its name. Check the description for spawn locations, required player count, scripted progression and any conditions that can make a casual drop-in server frustrating. A tutorial may be ideal for a new group but restrictive for veterans; an open-ended start gives freedom but requires the group to invent its own goals.

3. Workshop and custom dependencies

Identify every required mod, script, sound pack or other Workshop item before you publish the server address. A scenario can load successfully for the administrator yet fail for players who cannot obtain one of its dependencies. Record the dependency list and verify that the server’s intended platform can access it.

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Custom scenarios deserve an additional check: determine who maintains the files and whether the author has documented an update or recovery process. A private scenario with no documented owner can become difficult to repair if an update changes an asset or script.

4. Server and network model

Choose the network mode alongside the scenario. Steam networking is PC-only. EOS is the cross-play option for PC, PlayStation and Xbox. If even one required player is on a console, selecting Steam networking will block that player regardless of how suitable the scenario itself appears.

Network choice also affects which scenarios are practical. A PC-only Steam server can use the PC Workshop catalogue, subject to each item’s requirements. An EOS server needs content and settings that all participating platforms can use. Confirm this before inviting anyone, not after the first connection attempt.

Scenario sources and what each means

Source What you get Best fit Important limitation
Built-in scenario Content included with the game and exposed in the scenario list Mixed-experience groups, tutorials and platform-conscious servers Still verify the supported platforms and network mode for the edition you run
Steam Workshop scenario A scenario published for other players to download and use PC groups seeking a particular campaign, challenge or setting Third-party Steam Workshop scenarios are not supported on consoles
Custom scenario A scenario created or edited by an administrator or author Private campaigns, scripted events and tightly controlled communities You own the testing, dependency and update responsibility

The game presents three creation choices—Scenario, Workshop and Custom Games—in its scenario reference. They describe where the starting experience comes from, not three different ways to load an existing save.

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Prepare the server before selecting a scenario

  • Install Space Engineers Dedicated Server through Steam’s Tools section, or use the standalone installation method described by Keen Software House.
  • Decide whether the server is PC-only on Steam or must accept PC, PlayStation and Xbox players through EOS.
  • Collect the scenario’s required Workshop items and note whether they are available to every intended platform.
  • Choose an administrator account and a backup location before the first launch.
  • Tell players whether they are joining a fresh scenario world or an existing save; these are different starting conditions.

Do not copy a local save into the server while the instance is running. Stop the instance first, copy the complete save folder, then load it from the server utility. This avoids the server reading a partial or changing world.

How to load a new scenario on a dedicated server

  1. Install the dedicated server. In Steam, open Library, enable the Tools filter, and install Space Engineers Dedicated Server. If you use the standalone method, complete Keen Software House’s dedicated-server installation and launch instructions instead.
  2. Open the server configuration utility. Create a new instance or select the instance that will host the world. Keep separate instances for separate campaigns so that each has its own configuration and save.
  3. Choose New game. This is the branch where the server generates a world. The Scenario control is available here; it is not available when you browse Saved worlds.
  4. Select the scenario. Pick a built-in entry, a Workshop scenario available to that server, or a custom scenario installed for the instance. Read its description and confirm its platform and dependency requirements before proceeding.
  5. Set world options. Configure the options your group needs, such as player access, world rules, progression and other settings exposed by the utility. Avoid changing rules casually after players have learned the scenario’s intended balance.
  6. Set the network model. Select Steam for a PC-only server or EOS when the group requires PC, PlayStation and Xbox cross-play. Make the choice before distributing connection details.
  7. Save and start the instance. Launch the server and wait for the world to finish generating. Join with an administrator account first. Check the spawn, objectives, scripts and required content before inviting the rest of the group.
  8. Record the working configuration. Note the scenario name, source, network mode and dependency list. This gives you a recovery reference if the instance is later rebuilt.

How to load an existing local world

Use this route when the world already exists on a local game installation. A local save is not automatically visible to a dedicated server because the two installations use different Saves locations.

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  1. Stop the dedicated-server instance. Never replace a live save while the server is writing to it.
  2. Find the local Space Engineers Saves directory. Use the location shown by your game installation or server documentation rather than assuming that a newly created server instance can see the local profile.
  3. Copy the complete world folder. Preserve the folder’s contents and name. Copying only a single configuration file can leave the server without the world data or scenario state it needs.
  4. Place the copy in the corresponding dedicated-server Saves folder. The server must have read and write access to the copied files.
  5. Open the server utility and choose Saved worlds. Select the copied world from the list. Do not look for it under New game or expect the Scenario control to convert it into a different starting scenario.
  6. Start the instance and test with one administrator. Confirm that the expected base, inventories, grids, scripts and player permissions are present before the full group reconnects.

This workflow preserves the current state of the world. Starting a new scenario instead would generate a separate world and would not carry over the local bases, vehicles or progression.

Workshop and custom scenario workflow

Using a Workshop scenario on a PC server

First make sure the server’s platform and network model can use the item. A PC-only Steam server is the natural environment for third-party Steam Workshop scenarios. Subscribe to or install the scenario and each required dependency for the account or server installation that will load it, then select it from New game in the configuration utility.

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Test the scenario privately before publishing connection details. A successful menu entry does not guarantee that every script or dependency initialized correctly. Verify the starting location, objective triggers and any scripted encounter that the description promises.

Creating and publishing a custom scenario

Keen Software House’s Visual Scripting Tool lets an author run a scenario directly from the tool by clicking Run on the Ribbon bar. After testing, the author can confirm Publish to add the scenario to the Steam Workshop for other players.

Publishing does not make a custom scenario console-compatible. If the scenario relies on Steam Workshop content, treat it as a PC-focused option unless the author and the platform documentation explicitly confirm broader support. Keep an offline copy of the project and a written dependency list so the server can be rebuilt if the Workshop item changes.

Steam networking or EOS cross-play?

Network option Players Choose it when Check before launch
Steam PC players Everyone is on PC and the scenario depends on the PC Steam ecosystem Every player can access the required Workshop content and has a compatible PC edition
EOS PC, PlayStation and Xbox The group needs cross-play across those platforms The scenario and its dependencies are usable on every participating platform

EOS solves the network-platform problem, not every content problem. A scenario that is unavailable on consoles remains unavailable even when the server uses EOS. Conversely, a console-supported built-in scenario can still fail to connect if the server is configured for a platform or access method the group does not use.

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Troubleshooting common setup failures

The Scenario setting is missing

You are probably in Saved worlds. Return to the instance’s New game path to generate a world from a scenario. If the goal is to use an existing world, keep the saved-world path and copy the save into the dedicated-server Saves location first.

The copied world does not appear

Stop the instance, confirm that the complete world folder is in the corresponding dedicated-server Saves directory, and check that the server account can read it. A folder copied one level too deep, an incomplete transfer or a save still locked by the local game can prevent it from appearing.

Players cannot join after the world starts

Check the network model first. Steam accepts PC players only; EOS is required for PC, PlayStation and Xbox cross-play. Then compare each player’s platform with the scenario’s support statement and verify that required Workshop items are available to that platform.

The scenario loads but objectives or scripts do not work

Stop the server and compare the installed dependency list with the scenario description. Test the scenario in a fresh instance to separate a damaged save from a content problem. For a custom scenario, return to the Visual Scripting Tool, run it there and confirm that the published version contains the current scripts and assets.

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A scenario works for the administrator but not for other players

The administrator may have content or permissions that ordinary players lack. Have a non-administrator join the test instance, check the exact error, and verify that every required Workshop item is installed and allowed by the server configuration.

Practical choices for common server groups

A first-time PC group

Start with a built-in tutorial-oriented scenario, use Steam networking and test the opening sequence with one administrator and one ordinary player. This minimizes dependency surprises while everyone learns the building and survival systems.

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A mixed PC, PlayStation and Xbox group

Choose EOS before creating the world. Prefer a scenario explicitly supported on consoles, such as First Jump, Learning to Survive or Never Surrender, and avoid third-party Steam Workshop scenarios because the scenario reference does not support them on consoles.

An experienced PC group seeking a specific challenge

Use a Workshop scenario only after checking its required items, update history and objective structure. Create a test instance, confirm the scripted sequence, then create the campaign world from New game once the configuration is known to work.

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A community moving an established world to a dedicated server

Do not create a new scenario. Stop the server, copy the local save into the dedicated-server Saves folder, select it under Saved worlds, and test the copied world before reopening it to the community.

Hosting and operational considerations

Running the dedicated-server software yourself is one option; renting a managed instance is another. Keen Software House’s official hosting page names GTX Gaming as the host for the PC version. Treat host availability, geography, pricing and current platform support as details to verify at the time you choose a provider rather than as permanent specifications.

Whichever method you use, keep the scenario name, network mode, dependency list and save backups together. Those records make it possible to restore the correct world instead of accidentally generating a blank replacement.

Final setup checklist

  • Have you decided between a new scenario world and an existing saved world?
  • Does the scenario support every platform that must join?
  • Does the network mode match the group: Steam for PC-only or EOS for PC, PlayStation and Xbox cross-play?
  • Are all Workshop or custom dependencies installed and available to those platforms?
  • Did you select New game for a scenario, or copy the save and select Saved worlds for an existing world?
  • Have you tested the opening, objectives, scripts and ordinary-player access before announcing the server?

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