Space Engineers dedicated server on a Windows VPS: SteamCMD, ports and setup

Short answer: the Space Engineers dedicated server is a Windows program, and Keen supports no Linux build. To host one, take a Windows VPS, install SteamCMD, download app 298740 with an anonymous login, add .NET Framework 4.8 and the Visual C++ runtimes, open UDP 27016 and set up the world in the server’s configurator. Keen recommends 10 GB of RAM.

This guide runs through that on Windows Server 2022 or 2019: the configurator, the config file, mods from the Steam Workshop, a server that starts by itself after a reboot, backups, and which plan size fits. It is written from Keen’s dedicated server page, the official Space Engineers wiki and Microsoft’s documentation, read in October 2026; nothing here was run on a Space Engineers server for this article.

Can the Space Engineers server run on Linux?

Not officially. Keen’s requirements and the official wiki both name a Windows PC, and there is no Linux build. Community projects run the Windows server under Wine, usually in a container, and some groups play on such servers for years. The trade-offs:

For a group that wants to play rather than debug Wine, pick Windows. One more note on names: this guide is about Space Engineers, the first game. As of October 2026 Keen has not released a dedicated server for Space Engineers 2, which is still in early access, so check Keen’s roadmap before you plan around one.

How much RAM and CPU does a Space Engineers server need?

Keen’s dedicated server page gives a minimum of a 3.2 GHz CPU with three logical cores and 6 GB of RAM, and recommends 4.5 GHz, three logical cores and 10 GB. Two consequences follow:

• Clock speed matters more than core count. Keen’s CPU figures stay at three logical cores and only the clock goes up. The physics and simulation lean on few threads, and a struggling server shows it as a falling sim speed (1.0 is real time). Large grids, pistons, rotors and many active scripts drive it down faster than player count does. The block limits (PCU) in the world settings are the main lever to keep it up.
• Windows comes on top. Keen’s RAM figures are for the server; Windows Server itself takes a few gigabytes. As an estimate, not a Keen figure: a 12 GB plan for a small group, 16 GB and up for a busy survival world with many grids.

The official wiki adds a catch: a machine below the minimum still runs the server, but Experimental mode is forced on. Stay above the minimum so that switch remains your own decision.

How do I install the server on Windows Server?

These steps run in PowerShell as Administrator on Windows Server 2022 or 2019.

1. 1Connect as Administrator

   Log in over Remote Desktop; connecting to a Windows server with RDP covers every client. The configurator in step 6 is a window, so you need the desktop at least once. Lock RDP down before you open game ports: securing a Windows RDP server.

2. 2Check .NET Framework 4.8

   Keen lists .NET Framework 4.8 or higher. Per Microsoft’s version table, Windows Server 2022 ships with 4.8, while Server 2019 ships with 4.7.2 and needs 4.8 installed. A Release value of 528040 or higher means 4.8 is there:

   (Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full').Release
   # 528449 on Windows Server 2022; anything below 528040 means install .NET Framework 4.8
   # from Microsoft's .NET Framework download page, then restart Windows

3. 3Install the Visual C++ runtimes

   Keen names the 2013 and 2017 packages. The current v14 package covers 2017 and later; 2013 is separate. Both links are the ones Microsoft Learn lists:

   $ProgressPreference = 'SilentlyContinue'
   Invoke-WebRequest https://aka.ms/vc14/vc_redist.x64.exe -OutFile $env:TEMP\vc14_x64.exe
   Invoke-WebRequest https://aka.ms/highdpimfc2013x64enu -OutFile $env:TEMP\vc2013_x64.exe
   Start-Process $env:TEMP\vc14_x64.exe -ArgumentList '/install','/quiet','/norestart' -Wait
   Start-Process $env:TEMP\vc2013_x64.exe -ArgumentList '/install','/quiet','/norestart' -Wait

4. 4Install SteamCMD

   [Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12
   New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path C:\steamcmd | Out-Null
   Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd.zip -OutFile C:\steamcmd\steamcmd.zip
   Expand-Archive -Path C:\steamcmd\steamcmd.zip -DestinationPath C:\steamcmd -Force

5. 5Download the dedicated server

   No Steam account is needed. The install directory goes before the login, and the first run also updates SteamCMD itself, so give it a few minutes:

   C:\steamcmd\steamcmd.exe +force_install_dir C:\SEDS +login anonymous +app_update 298740 validate +quit

6. 6Open the configurator

   Start C:\SEDS\DedicatedServer64\SpaceEngineersDedicated.exe as Administrator. Instead of a console, a configurator window opens; the next section walks through it.

How do I set up the world in the configurator?

The configurator lists server instances. One is always there, Local/Console, which runs as a normal program while you are logged in. Add new instance creates further instances that run in the background as Windows services, which is what a VPS wants. Test with Local/Console first, then create a service instance with the same settings:

• Server name and world. Pick a new world from a scenario such as Star System, or load an existing save. Saves you upload go into the instance’s Saves folder.
• Admins. Add your SteamID64 (the 17-digit number from your Steam profile) so you can use admin tools in game.
• Password and player limit. A password keeps strangers out while you build; the player limit can also be forced with -maxPlayers.
• Block limits and world size. These decide sim speed later; start conservative and raise them when you have measured.

Save the config, then press Start. Where the files land depends on the install and the instance: for Local/Console the official wiki names %AppData%\SpaceEngineersDedicated on a Steam install and <InstallFolder>\TempContent on a SteamCMD install, while service instances live under C:\ProgramData\SpaceEngineersDedicated. Rather than guess, ask Windows:

Get-ChildItem -Path $env:APPDATA, C:\ProgramData, C:\SEDS -Filter SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
  Select-Object FullName, LastWriteTime

What goes in SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg?

The configurator writes an XML file; you can edit it in Notepad with the instance stopped. An excerpt with the parts people change most:

<MyConfigDedicated>
  <SessionSettings>
    <GameMode>Survival</GameMode>
    <OnlineMode>PUBLIC</OnlineMode>
    <MaxPlayers>8</MaxPlayers>
    <AutoSaveInMinutes>5</AutoSaveInMinutes>
    <MaxBackupSaves>5</MaxBackupSaves>
  </SessionSettings>
  <IP>0.0.0.0</IP>
  <SteamPort>8766</SteamPort>
  <ServerPort>27016</ServerPort>
  <ServerName>Kepler Shipyard</ServerName>
  <WorldName>Kepler</WorldName>
  <PauseGameWhenEmpty>true</PauseGameWhenEmpty>
  <Administrators>
    <string>76561198000000000</string>
  </Administrators>
  <Mods />
</MyConfigDedicated>

PauseGameWhenEmpty saves CPU when nobody is online, at the price of a world that stands still overnight. One trap: the config seeds a new world, but an existing world carries its session settings in its own Sandbox_config.sbc, in the world folder. If a change to the .cfg seems to do nothing, look there.

Which ports does a Space Engineers server need?

The game itself talks over UDP 27016, the one port Keen tells you to forward and allow in the firewall. The config also carries a SteamPort, 8766 by default, which many setups open as well, and Keen’s Remote API example uses TCP 8080. Open the first two; the Remote API only from your own address, if you use it at all:

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName 'Space Engineers game (UDP 27016)' -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 27016 -Action Allow
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName 'Space Engineers Steam (UDP 8766)' -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 8766 -Action Allow
# Remote API, only if enabled; replace 203.0.113.7 with your own public IP
# New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName 'SE Remote API' -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 8080 -RemoteAddress 203.0.113.7 -Action Allow

# with the server running: which UDP ports does it hold?
Get-NetUDPEndpoint -OwningProcess (Get-Process SpaceEngineersDedicated).Id | Select-Object LocalAddress, LocalPort

If the process holds a UDP port you have not opened and players still cannot see the server, allow the program instead of single ports. The Windows Firewall port guide explains port rules, program rules and restricting a rule to one IP.

How do I add mods from the Steam Workshop?

In the configurator, the Mods tab takes Workshop items, and the server downloads them at start; players’ games fetch the same mods when they join. By hand, each mod is one ModItem in the Mods list, with the number after ?id= in the Workshop address:

<Mods>
  <ModItem FriendlyName="Example mod">
    <Name>1234567890.sbm</Name>
    <PublishedFileId>1234567890</PublishedFileId>
    <PublishedServiceName>Steam</PublishedServiceName>
  </ModItem>
</Mods>

For an existing world, the list that counts is the one in its Sandbox_config.sbc, as with the other session settings. Older guides say every mod needs Experimental mode; which options and mods require it has changed between game versions, so read what the configurator shows before you publish the world. Add mods one at a time and watch sim speed after each: script-heavy mods cost more than blocks.

How do I keep the server running after a reboot?

Use the service instance from the configurator. A Windows service needs nobody logged in and can start with Windows. Check that it does:

# the instance name you chose appears in the service's name or display name
Get-Service | Where-Object { $_.Name -like '*Space*' -or $_.DisplayName -like '*Space*' } |
  Select-Object Name, DisplayName, Status, StartType

Set-Service -Name 'NAME-FROM-ABOVE' -StartupType Automatic
Start-Service -Name 'NAME-FROM-ABOVE'

Updates work the same way every time: stop the service, run the SteamCMD line from step 5 again, start the service. Players who see a version mismatch after a game patch are waiting for exactly that.

Stop-Service -Name 'NAME-FROM-ABOVE'
C:\steamcmd\steamcmd.exe +force_install_dir C:\SEDS +login anonymous +app_update 298740 validate +quit
Start-Service -Name 'NAME-FROM-ABOVE'

How do I back up a Space Engineers world?

The game already keeps copies. Per the official wiki’s session settings, AutoSaveInMinutes defaults to 5 and MaxBackupSaves to 5: each save also lands as a dated copy in a Backup folder inside the world folder. Those copies sit on the same disk, so add a daily archive that you can move off the server. Archiving the whole world folder includes the Backup copies, so even a save caught mid-write leaves complete versions in the zip:

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path C:\scripts | Out-Null
@'
# point this at your instance's Saves folder (see the search command above)
$saves = 'C:\ProgramData\SpaceEngineersDedicated\MyInstance\Saves'
$root  = 'C:\se-backups'
$stamp = Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd_HHmm'
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $root | Out-Null
Compress-Archive -Path "$saves\*" -DestinationPath "$root\se-$stamp.zip"
# keep the newest 14 archives
Get-ChildItem "$root\se-*.zip" | Sort-Object LastWriteTime -Descending | Select-Object -Skip 14 | Remove-Item
'@ | Set-Content -Path C:\scripts\se-backup.ps1

$a = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute 'powershell.exe' -Argument '-NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File C:\scripts\se-backup.ps1'
$t = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Daily -At 5am
$p = New-ScheduledTaskPrincipal -UserId 'SYSTEM' -LogonType ServiceAccount
Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName 'Space Engineers Backup' -Action $a -Trigger $t -Principal $p

To roll back, stop the service, move the world folder aside, unpack an archive (or copy a folder out of Backup) in its place, and start the service. Before a big game update, a backup of the whole VPS from your provider’s panel is the quicker way back; at VMHeaven that is the Backups tab of the server.

What usually goes wrong?

Which VPS plan fits a Space Engineers server?

Windows Server 2022 or 2019 can be chosen on every VMHeaven KVM line; the Windows VPS page explains the setup and the licence. Matched against Keen’s figures, with room for Windows:

Because Keen asks for clock speed rather than cores, our Hi-CPU KVM line (AMD EPYC 7443, ECC memory) is the natural first pick; Standard KVM (Intel, DDR4 ECC) reaches the same vCores and RAM on a lower price step. vCores on both lines are shared, not reserved, so watch sim speed with your group online before you raise limits. Mind the disk as well: Windows and its updates take a good share of a small one, and at the same RAM the Hi-CPU plans carry twice the disk (120 GB on HI-CPU 5 against 60 GB on STANDARD KVM 3). Windows comes on a time-limited evaluation licence; the evaluation licence guide shows how to check and replace it. Every plan sits behind always-on DDoS filtering, and the gaming VPS page compares the lines across other games.

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