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When a Space Engineers dedicated server will not start, first determine whether the process is crashing, stuck while loading a world, failing because of a mod, or running normally but unreachable. The fastest reliable test is a fresh default world with every mod and custom launch option disabled. If that works, the installation is usually healthy and the fault is in world data, workshop content, or networking. If it does not, check the server files, port ownership, updates, storage, and logs before deleting anything.
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Identify exactly where startup fails
Write down what you see before changing settings. Different symptoms point to different branches, and changing several variables at once can hide the cause.
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| Observed symptom | Most useful first branch | Evidence to collect |
|---|---|---|
| The executable closes immediately | Installation files, permissions, port conflict, or a process crash | Final server-log lines and Windows event details, if available |
| The control panel remains at “Starting” | World or mod loading, a blocked process, or a port already in use | Server log and workshop_log.txt |
| Only one saved world fails | Save corruption, incompatible world data, or a mod referenced by that save | A clean-world comparison and a backup of the failing save |
| The server starts but nobody can join | UDP reachability, router forwarding, or firewall rules | Successful local connection, configured port, and host-network settings |
Do not treat a player connection failure as proof that the server failed to start. If the console stays running and a client on the host machine can connect, startup has succeeded and the remaining work is network reachability.
Use five comparisons to keep the diagnosis precise: the failure stage (process launch, world load, or player connection), its scope (one save or every save), the reversibility of the proposed fix, the evidence in the logs, and whether the server is self-hosted or managed. A specific error naming a mod or port is stronger evidence than a generic loading message, so make the smallest change that tests that evidence.
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Run the clean-world test first
Keen support repeatedly asks administrators to start once without mods and without custom launch options. This controlled test separates a world or workshop problem from an installation or infrastructure problem.
- Stop the dedicated server completely. Confirm that no server window or background process remains.
- Create or select a fresh default world rather than the save that fails.
- Disable every mod in the server configuration.
- Remove custom launch options from the server and, for this test, from the client.
- Start the server and wait for it to reach its normal running state.
- Record whether a local client can connect.
A clean world that reaches the running state proves that the executable can load a basic session. It does not prove that every save, mod, port, or router setting is correct, so continue with the branch that matches the result.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallKeep the original port for this first comparison unless the log clearly identifies a conflict. Changing the world, port, launch command, and workshop cache simultaneously creates a result that cannot be interpreted. The clean-world result is most useful when it differs from the failing setup by only the save, mods, and custom options.
If the clean world starts: isolate the world or mod
Restore the saved world safely
Stop the server and make a complete copy of the failing save before testing it. Keep the original backup outside the active save directory. Start the copied save with all mods disabled. If it still fails, the save itself or data embedded in it is implicated; if it starts, a mod or workshop download is the more likely cause.
Do not overwrite the only working copy while experimenting. Give each test a clear name or timestamp, and note whether the copied save reaches the same loading point as the original. That record prevents a partially converted or accidentally edited save from being mistaken for the baseline.
Add mods in controlled batches
- Start from the clean configuration that worked.
- Add a small batch of mods, or one mod at a time when the list is short.
- Start the server and wait for the same point in the loading process.
- When the failure returns, remove half of the newly added mods and test again.
- Continue narrowing until one mod or a small dependency group reproduces the failure.
This is faster and more reliable than removing and reinstalling the entire server. A mod can fail because it is obsolete, has a broken dependency, contains a circular reference, or did not download completely from the Workshop. A failure that appears only after restoring one batch gives you a reproducible boundary; keep that boundary while testing updates or replacements.
Read the workshop and server logs
Open workshop_log.txt after the failed attempt and inspect its final entries. The log records the reason for a workshop failure and can identify the download or manifest involved. The Workshop manifest file, appworkshop_244850.acf, is the index of downloaded content; an error naming that file or a specific item gives you a concrete lead rather than a generic “Starting” symptom.
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Also inspect the main server log around the first error, not only the last line. Look for a mod identifier, dependency message, file-access error, or a repeated retry loop. Remove or update the identified item, then test the same save again. Keep the rest of the configuration unchanged so you know which change fixed the startup.
If a workshop item repeatedly fails to download, verify that the host has free space and write access to the workshop and data locations before blaming the mod itself. A failed download can be an infrastructure symptom, and deleting files without checking capacity can make the next download fail in exactly the same way.
If every world fails: check the process, port, and files
Look for a second server or a port conflict
Only one server instance can use a given port. Close other dedicated-server windows and stop abandoned server processes before launching again. Check other applications on the host that may have claimed the configured port. A port conflict can leave a launcher stuck at “Starting” or cause the executable to close while the rest of the installation appears intact.
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Keen’s setup documentation supports the -port command-line option. Verify that the command line, saved server configuration, and any router rule all refer to the same intended port and host. Do not assume that changing the number alone fixes the problem: the new port must also be permitted by the firewall and forwarded by the router if players connect from outside the local network.
After changing a port, test locally first, then test from outside the LAN. If local access disappears, the server configuration or firewall rule is wrong; if local access remains but remote access fails, focus on forwarding, the public address, and upstream network restrictions.
Update both sides of the installation
Use Steam to update the game and the dedicated-server tool. A game update paired with an older server executable, or the reverse, can prevent a world from loading. After updating, stop any running instance and launch again with the clean-world, no-mod configuration so the result remains comparable.
Verify the dedicated-server files
- Open Steam and go to the Library.
- Find the Space Engineers Dedicated Server tool.
- Open its Properties and select the Installed Files section.
- Choose Verify integrity of tool files and wait for the operation to finish.
- Start the server again without mods or custom launch options.
Verification replaces damaged or missing tool files without immediately destroying saves or workshop data. If verification reports files that must be reacquired, allow Steam to complete that process before testing. Do not combine verification with a cache purge on the same attempt; if the result changes, you want to know which operation mattered.
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Separate startup from a connection problem
A dedicated server communicates with clients over UDP. If the process remains running and a client on the host can join, investigate the path between the Internet and the host rather than reinstalling the server.
Confirm the configured UDP port
Read the port in the server configuration or command line and use that exact value in the router and firewall rules. A Keen support setup example forwards incoming UDP traffic on port 27016; that number is an example for that configuration, not a universal requirement for every server. Forward the port your instance actually uses.
Forward the port to the correct machine
- Give the host computer a stable local address, preferably with a DHCP reservation.
- Create a router port-forward rule for the server’s configured UDP port.
- Set the destination to the host computer’s current local IP address.
- Save the router rule and restart the server if the router requires it.
- Test from a client outside the host’s local network; a test from the same LAN may not exercise the router’s external path.
If the host’s local address changes, the forwarding rule can silently point to the wrong computer. Double-check the address shown by the operating system before changing the game configuration.
Allow the executable through the firewall
Create an inbound rule for the dedicated-server executable and permit the configured UDP port. Check both the operating-system firewall and any security suite installed on the host. Keen support specifically advises ensuring that required dedicated-server ports are forwarded and not blocked by a firewall or router.
Do not open unrelated ports as a guess. Use the port shown by the server configuration, then confirm that the server is listening while it is running. If local connections work but external connections fail, the remaining suspects are the firewall, router forwarding, upstream carrier-grade NAT, or an incorrect public address.
Preserve and read logs before destructive fixes
Save the complete server and game logs from the failed attempt. Support requests the full logs when a case must be escalated, and a complete timestamped file is more useful than a screenshot of a launcher message.
- Copy the server log immediately after a failure, before starting another test that may overwrite or rotate it.
- Copy
workshop_log.txtand note the final error line and the workshop item it names. - Record the world name, mod list, configured port, launch options, and whether a local client connected.
- Keep the clean-world result beside the failing-world result so the difference is obvious.
Deleting workshop cache or manifest files can force every mod to download again. Use that as a later recovery step, not a first reaction. Stop the server, preserve a backup, and remove only the cache or manifest implicated by the log. Expect a full redownload and allow enough time and disk space for it to complete.
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When escalating, include the complete files rather than only the final line. The first actionable error may precede several timeout or shutdown messages, and support needs the sequence to distinguish a failed dependency from a secondary cleanup warning.
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The server installation is only one part of the footprint. Saved worlds, log files, and downloaded mods also consume storage. A nearly full drive can produce incomplete Workshop downloads, failed saves, or startup errors that look like a mod problem.
- Check free space on the volume containing the server files and configured data path.
- Confirm that the account running the server can read the installation and write saves, logs, and workshop content.
- Check that the configured save directory still exists and was not moved or renamed.
- Remove only known temporary files after preserving saves and logs.
Permissions problems are especially likely when the server was moved between accounts, installed under a different Windows user, or pointed at a protected directory. Correct the data path or permissions and repeat the no-mod test before restoring a large save.
Storage and permissions are reversible checks: inspect them before reinstalling. A reinstall that leaves the same full volume or inaccessible data directory will not solve the underlying failure and may make recovery harder if saves were not copied first.
Use a reversible troubleshooting order
The following order minimizes data loss and keeps each test informative:
- Classify the symptom: immediate exit, endless “Starting,” one-world failure, or unreachable server.
- Back up the failing save and copy the current logs.
- Launch a fresh default world with no mods and no custom launch options.
- If it works, restore the save and add mods incrementally while watching
workshop_log.txt. - If it fails, close duplicate processes, check the configured port, update the game and tool, and run Steam file verification.
- Check free space and write permissions on the installation and data paths.
- Only after preserving evidence, clear a workshop cache or manifest when the log points to corrupted downloaded content.
- If the server runs locally but not for remote players, configure UDP forwarding and firewall access for the actual port.
Change one variable per test whenever possible. A clean world plus the original port is a more useful comparison than a clean world, a new port, a deleted cache, and a changed launch command all at once.
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If the software starts reliably but router administration, firewall policy, public-address changes, or host uptime are the recurring obstacles, a managed game-server provider can remove those infrastructure tasks. Keen’s official setup information identifies GTX Gaming as the official PC server host. Treat hosting as an escalation for administration and reachability problems, not as a cure for a broken save or incompatible mod; those still need to be corrected in the world configuration.
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Before moving a world, document its mod list, game version, port expectations, and backup location. Hosting can simplify forwarding and uptime, but it does not make an obsolete mod compatible or repair damaged world data. Transfer only a verified backup and test it first with the same no-mod baseline.
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Provide enough context for someone else to reproduce the failure:
- Whether a fresh default world with all mods disabled starts.
- Whether the failing save starts with all mods disabled.
- The exact point of failure and the approximate time it occurred.
- The complete server log, game log, and relevant ending lines from
workshop_log.txt. - The configured UDP port, whether
-portis used, and whether another local client can connect. - The game and dedicated-server versions, available disk space, and any recent update or file move.
Remove passwords, public credentials, and private network details before sharing logs. Do not omit the lines immediately before the crash; those often contain the first actionable error.
Quick decision checklist
- Clean world starts: restore the save, then add mods in batches and use the workshop log to identify the failing download or dependency.
- Clean world fails: close duplicate processes, check port ownership, update both game and server tool, verify Steam files, and check storage and permissions.
- Server runs locally but remote players cannot join: verify the actual UDP port, forward it to the host’s current local IP, and allow the executable through the firewall.
- Cache deletion seems necessary: save logs and backups first, stop the server, then expect all affected workshop items to download again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my Space Engineers server stuck on “Starting”?
First stop every server instance and launch a fresh default world with all mods and custom launch options disabled. If it starts, isolate the save or Workshop content. If it still hangs, check for a second process using the configured port, update the game and dedicated-server tool, verify Steam files, and inspect the server and workshop logs.
Why does the server crash only when I add mods?
A mod may be obsolete, missing a dependency, involved in a circular reference, or incompletely downloaded. Return to the working no-mod configuration, add mods in small batches, and inspect workshop_log.txt and the main server log when the failure returns.
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Is UDP port 27016 required for every server?
No. Keen support documents 27016 in one setup example. Use the UDP port shown by your own server configuration or -port option, then apply that same value to the router and firewall.
The server runs on the host but friends cannot join. What should I check?
Confirm that a local client can connect, then forward the configured UDP port to the host’s current local IP and allow the dedicated-server executable through the firewall. Test from outside the local network and check for an upstream NAT or incorrect public address if local access works.
Should I delete the Workshop cache when startup fails?
Not first. Save the logs and a backup, stop the server, and delete cache or manifest files only when the log points to corrupted downloaded content. This can force every affected mod to download again and requires sufficient disk space.
What information should I include in a support request?
Include the clean-world result, whether the failing save works without mods, the exact failure stage and time, complete server and game logs, the relevant end of workshop_log.txt, the configured port and any -port option, local-connectivity results, versions, free space, and recent file moves or updates.
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Start with a fresh no-mod world, then follow the evidence. A successful clean launch points to the save or Workshop content; a universal failure points to processes, ports, files, storage, or permissions; and a server that works locally but not remotely needs UDP forwarding and firewall checks. Preserve logs and backups before clearing caches or reinstalling.
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