Short answer
How many players does an Enshrouded server support?Up to 16 at the same time. The number is slotCount in enshrouded_server.json and can be changed any time in the panel — the game does not allow more than 16.
What a dedicated Enshrouded server gets you
Enshrouded takes up to sixteen players — but only a dedicated server keeps Embervale running while you are offline. In normal co-op one player hosts the world. If that person is away, the whole project stops and all progress sits on a single machine. A dedicated server removes that dependency: the world lives in one place, runs around the clock, and everyone plays when they have time.
The short version: the entire configuration lives in one file called enshrouded_server.json. Understand that file and you can change anything — name, slots, roles, difficulty. The three classic traps are called out in boxes below.
Step 1: create the server
With us this part takes minutes because the install and SteamCMD run automatically. If you host it yourself, pull the server through SteamCMD with app ID 2278520 — everything after that is identical.
Order the server
Pick your Enshrouded server with the slot count you want. Installation starts right away, there is nothing to download.
Note the address
The customer area shows your server's IP and port. That address is what your friends need to join — send it to them straight away.
Start it once
Start the server once before changing anything. On its first run Enshrouded creates the world and fills in every config field that is still missing. Editing only makes sense after that.
Step 2: understanding enshrouded_server.json
The file sits in the server's root folder and is the only place anything is configured. In the panel you open it through the file manager. At its core it looks like this:
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
name | The name your server shows up under in the server list. |
saveDirectory | Folder for the world. All of your progress lives here — this is the folder worth backing up. |
ip | Must be 0.0.0.0. Put a public IP here and the server refuses to start with address not available. |
queryPort | The port the game finds you on. Default is 15637. |
slotCount | Number of player slots. The game caps this at 16. |
gameSettingsPreset | Difficulty template: Default, Relaxed, Hard, Survival or Custom. |
gameSettings | Every individual value — damage, loot, day length. Only applies with the Custom preset. |
userGroups | Roles with their own passwords. All server access runs through these. |
The most common wild goose chase: if gameSettingsPreset is set to anything other than "Custom", the server silently ignores every value in gameSettings. No error, no log line. Anyone who spends an hour tuning numbers and sees no change in game has almost always missed this one line. See Enshrouded server settings for the full picture.
Stop the server before editing. Enshrouded rewrites the file when it shuts down. Edit it while the server runs and your work is overwritten on the next stop. So: stop, edit, start.
Step 3: roles and passwords
Enshrouded no longer has a single server password. Since content update 2, access runs through roles: each role has its own password and its own permissions. Enter the admin password when joining and you are an admin; enter the guest password and you can play along but not touch anyone's base.
- canKickBan — may kick and ban other players.
- canAccessInventories — may open chests and containers. Usually the first thing you take away from strangers.
- canEditBase — may build and demolish inside your bases.
- canExtendBase — may move a base's boundaries.
- reservedSlots — keeps slots free, so a full server is still joinable for that role.
Change the default passwords immediately. When the server creates the roles itself, the passwords are ChangeMe1, ChangeMe2 and ChangeMe3. Everyone who has ever read a guide knows them. While they are in place, anyone with your address can hand themselves admin rights on your world.
Open servers: leave a role's password empty and anyone can walk in with those permissions. That is fine for a public community round — for your private world, set a password on every role. Up to ten roles are possible.
Step 4: how players join
Choose "Join" in game
From the main menu go to Play and open the server tab.
Enter the address
Type the IP and port from your customer area, for example 87.138.159.35:15637. You can then save the server as a favourite and it shows up by itself next time.
Enter the role password
When the server asks for a password it means the password of the role that person should get. For friends, the friends password — not the admin one.
Characters stay with the player. Enshrouded stores your character and gear locally on your own device, while the world lives on the server. That is why you can take the same character to several servers — and why a server backup does not bring back a lost character.
Step 5: updates, backups and swapping worlds
Enshrouded gets regular content updates, and the 1.0 launch on 15 October 2026 is the biggest of them. Only one rule really matters:
Server and game must run the same version. After a Steam update you cannot join a server still running the old build. With us that is one click on Update in the panel and a restart.
Back up before big updates
Download the savegame folder before applying a major update — in the panel, as a ZIP. We also back up daily, but your own copy from right before an update is the calmer option.
Upload your own world
Your single-player world is not in Documents, it is with Steam: Steam\userdata\<your SteamID64>\1203620\remote, as files named like 3bd85c7d and 3bd85c7d_info. Stop the server, rename both to 3ad85aea and 3ad85aea_info (the server's first world slot), upload them into savegame and start again.
Start fresh
For a clean start, empty the savegame folder (back it up first) and start the server. Enshrouded then generates a new world.
When something does not work
Server missing from the list: join by direct address first. The list can take a few minutes; a direct connection works immediately.
"Address not available" in the log: the config has a fixed IP instead of 0.0.0.0. Change it and restart.
Settings have no effect: gameSettingsPreset is not set to "Custom".
Changes gone after a restart: the file was edited while the server was running. Stop, edit again, start.
A friend cannot get in but you can: almost always the wrong role password. Every role has its own.
Frequently asked questions
How many players does an Enshrouded server support?
How do I set a password for my Enshrouded server?
Why do my settings have no effect on the server?
Which ports does an Enshrouded server need?
Can I move my single-player world to the server?
Why are my changes gone after a restart?
Does my progress survive an update?
Personal support for our customers
Rent a Enshrouded server with us and you get real people, not a ticket system. Sebbo and Langnesi help you personally on Discord — with setup, mods and troubleshooting. We run these servers ourselves every day, so we know the pitfalls.
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Rent Enshrouded ServerLast updated: 2026-09-16 · Written by the Agrar Chaoten team