Gaming Servers·7 min read

Space Engineers

Install and run a Space Engineers dedicated server on Windows (native) or Linux (Wine)

Platform	Support	Notes
Windows	✅ Native	Recommended (official support)
Linux	⚠️ Wine/Proton	Requires compatibility layer, higher overhead

Space Engineers

Space Engineers supports dedicated servers on both Windows (native, recommended) and Linux (Wine/Proton).

Windows Server (Recommended)

System Requirements

Step 1: Download Server on Windows

powershell

steamcmd +force_install_dir "C:\SpaceEngineers-Server" +login your_steam_username your_steam_password +app_update 298740 validate +quit

Step 2: Configure SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg

Create C:\SpaceEngineers-Server\SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg (use same config as Linux guide in Configuration File section).

Step 3: Create Startup Batch

Create C:\SpaceEngineers-Server\start-server.bat:

batch

@echo off
cd /d C:\SpaceEngineers-Server
SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.exe
pause

Step 4: Run as Service (Optional)

powershell

nssm install SpaceEngServer "C:\SpaceEngineers-Server\SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.exe"
nssm start SpaceEngServer

RAM: 8GB minimum (12GB+ recommended for large worlds with active players)
vCPU: 4 cores minimum (more for large grids and high player counts)
Storage: SSD required, 50GB+ available space
Network: Stable upstream bandwidth for player synchronization
OS: Windows Server 2016+ or Windows 10/11

Linux Server (Wine/Proton)

System Requirements

Space Engineers is extremely RAM-intensive when running under Wine. Large persistent worlds with multiple active grids consume 8-12GB+ of RAM. An SSD is mandatory for adequate save performance. We recommend 12GB+ RAM for production servers.

Install Wine

Update your system:

bash

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt install -y wine wine32 wine64 libwine libwine:i386 winetricks

Install Wine-GE for better compatibility:

bash

cd ~/
git clone https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom.git
cd wine-ge-custom
./install.sh

Initialize Wine prefix:

bash

export WINEPREFIX=~/.wine
export WINEARCH=win64
wine wineboot

Install SteamCMD and Download Server (Linux)

Create a dedicated user:

bash

sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash spaceeng
sudo su - spaceeng

Install SteamCMD:

bash

mkdir -p ~/steamcmd
cd ~/steamcmd
curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | tar zxvf -

Download Space Engineers server tool (AppID 298740):

bash

cd ~/steamcmd
./steamcmd.sh +login your_steam_username your_steam_password +app_update 298740 validate +quit

The server tool installs to ~/steamapps/common/SpaceEngineers/.

Configuration File (Linux)

Create SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg in the server directory:

bash

nano ~/steamapps/common/SpaceEngineers/SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg

SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg:

ini

[ServerName]
ServerName=DeluxHost Space Engineers Server

[World]
WorldName=DW_DeluxHost
WorldPath=./Saves/DW_DeluxHost
LoadWorld=true
SessionName=DeluxHost World
Description=Survival world hosted on DeluxHost

[ServerRules]
ServerPassword=your_server_password
AdminPassword=your_admin_password
MaxPlayers=4
MaxFloatingObjects=256000
MaxGridSize=100000
MaxBlocksPerPlayer=500000
MaxBackupSaveSize=50000
PersistentEditsTimeLimit=8
EnableRemoteBlockRemoval=true
AutoSaveInMinutes=5
EnvironmentHostility=Moderate

[Gameplay]
Difficulty=Normal
GameMode=Survival
EnableWeapons=true
EnableRespawnShips=true
StartInRespawnScreen=false
EnableContainerDrops=true
EnableSpiders=true
EnableDrones=true
EnableWolves=false
EnableRats=false
VoxelGeneratorVersion=2
ProceduralDensity=0.4
ProceduralSeed=0
AsteroidAmount=Normal

[Network]
Port=27016
ServerQueryPort=27017
GroupId=0
WorldDataModifierId=

[Logging]
LogFile=./Logs/server.log
LogLevel=Debug

Configuration Explanation

Running with Wine (Linux)

Create a wrapper script:

bash

nano ~/start-space-engineers.sh

start-space-engineers.sh:

bash

#!/bin/bash
export WINEPREFIX=~/.wine
export WINEARCH=win64
export STAGING_SHARED_MEMORY=1
export DXVK_HUD=off

cd ~/steamapps/common/SpaceEngineers/

echo "Starting Space Engineers Server..."
wine SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.exe

Make it executable:

bash

chmod +x ~/start-space-engineers.sh
./start-space-engineers.sh

The first startup will create necessary world files. This can take 5-10 minutes. Monitor the process and ensure it completes before connecting players.

Port Configuration

Open required UDP ports:

bash

sudo ufw allow 27016/udp
sudo ufw allow 27017/udp

Port assignments:

Systemd Service (Linux)

Create /etc/systemd/system/space-engineers.service:

bash

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/space-engineers.service > /dev/null <<'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=Space Engineers Dedicated Server
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=spaceeng
WorkingDirectory=/home/spaceeng/steamapps/common/SpaceEngineers
Environment="WINEPREFIX=/home/spaceeng/.wine"
Environment="WINEARCH=win64"
Environment="STAGING_SHARED_MEMORY=1"
ExecStart=/usr/bin/wine SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.exe
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=30
StandardOutput=journal
StandardError=journal
TimeoutStartSec=180

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

Enable and start:

bash

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable space-engineers
sudo systemctl start space-engineers

Monitor:

bash

sudo systemctl status space-engineers
sudo journalctl -u space-engineers -f

Save Files and Backup

Save files are stored in the Saves/ directory. Back them up regularly:

bash

tar -czf space-engineers-saves-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S).tar.gz \
  ~/steamapps/common/SpaceEngineers/Saves/

Store backups remotely:

bash

scp space-engineers-saves-backup-*.tar.gz user@backup.server:/backups/

To restore:

bash

cd ~/steamapps/common/SpaceEngineers/
tar -xzf space-engineers-saves-backup-YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.tar.gz
sudo systemctl restart space-engineers

Workshop Mods and Plugins (Linux)

Download Workshop Mods

Find the mod ID on Steam Workshop, then download:

bash

./steamcmd.sh +login your_steam_username your_steam_password +workshop_download_item 244850 mod_id +quit

Mods download to ~/steamcmd/steamapps/workshop/content/244850/.

Enable Mods

Copy mod folders to your world's Mods/ directory:

bash

mkdir -p ~/steamapps/common/SpaceEngineers/Saves/DW_DeluxHost/Mods
cp -r ~/steamcmd/steamapps/workshop/content/244850/mod_id \
  ~/steamapps/common/SpaceEngineers/Saves/DW_DeluxHost/Mods/

Mods must match across server and all clients. Mismatched mods will prevent players from connecting. Always test mods on a test world before production.

Performance Tuning (Linux)

Memory Allocation

Enable shared memory for Wine:

bash

export STAGING_SHARED_MEMORY=1
export WINE_CPU_TOPOLOGY=4:2

Add to your start script or systemd service.

Monitor Resource Usage (Linux)

bash

top -p $(pgrep -f "wine.*SpaceEngineers")
free -h
df -h ~/steamapps/common/SpaceEngineers/

Reduce Lag (Linux)

RAM: 8GB minimum (12GB+ recommended for large worlds with active players)
vCPU: 4 cores minimum (more for large grids and high player counts)
Storage: SSD required, 50GB+ available space
Network: Stable upstream bandwidth for player synchronization
OS: Ubuntu 20.04+ or similar
Wine: Wine 7.0+ or Wine-GE
MaxPlayers — Set between 1 and 16 (higher = more resources)
MaxGridSize — Maximum blocks per grid (100000 is reasonable)
MaxFloatingObjects — Floating object limit
AutoSaveInMinutes — Backup interval (5 min minimum recommended)
EnvironmentHostility — Peaceful, Normal, or Realistic
AsteroidAmount — None, Normal, or High
ProceduralDensity — World generation density (0.3-0.6 recommended)
27016/UDP — Game server port
27017/UDP — Query port (server discovery)
Limit MaxPlayers to 4-6 for stable performance
Reduce MaxGridSize if grids are causing slowdowns
Increase AutoSaveInMinutes to reduce I/O overhead
Decrease ProceduralDensity for asteroid fields

Troubleshooting

Server won't start: Check logs in ./Logs/server.log

bash

tail -50 ~/steamapps/common/SpaceEngineers/Logs/server.log

Players can't connect: Verify UDP ports 27016/27017 are open

bash

sudo ufw status numbered

Out of memory: Monitor with free -h and consider reducing MaxPlayers

Lag/Slowdown: Reduce MaxGridSize, disable dynamic voxels, or add RAM

bash

free -h
watch -n 1 free -h

World won't load: Check that world directory exists and has correct permissions

bash

ls -la ~/steamapps/common/SpaceEngineers/Saves/DW_DeluxHost/

Mods cause crashes: Remove mods from Mods/ folder and restart

bash

rm -rf ~/steamapps/common/SpaceEngineers/Saves/DW_DeluxHost/Mods/*

Tips & Tweaks

Sandbox.sbc Key Settings

Parameter	Value	Impact
`MaxPlayers`	1-16	Server capacity
`MaxGridSize`	50000-500000	Maximum blocks per grid
`MaxBlocksPerPlayer`	50000-500000	Per-player block limit
`PCULimit`	100000-1000000	Total Performance Cost Units
`MaxFloatingObjects`	100000-500000	Floating wreckage limit
`AutoSaveInMinutes`	5-15	Backup interval
`EnvironmentHostility`	Peaceful/Normal/Realistic	Difficulty setting
`AsteroidAmount`	None/Normal/High	Asteroid density

Admin Commands (DS Configurator Tool)

Space Engineers uses DS Configurator for admin control. Key features:

Download: DS Configurator

World Backup Strategy

Critical for persistent worlds:

bash

# Windows (PowerShell)
$source = "C:\SpaceEngineers-Server\Saves\YourWorld"
$dest = "C:\Backups\space-engineers-$(Get-Date -f 'yyyyMMdd-HHmmss')"
Copy-Item -Path $source -Destination $dest -Recurse

# Linux
tar -czf /backups/space-engineers-world-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).tar.gz ~/steamapps/common/SpaceEngineers/Saves/YourWorld/

Schedule via cron (Linux) or Task Scheduler (Windows).

PCU (Performance Cost Unit) Management

Each block has a PCU value. Limit total per-player or per-world to prevent lag:

Set appropriate limits based on your hardware and player count.

Player kick/ban management
Save file manipulation
Server property editing
World backup/restore
Heavy blocks (reactors, thrusters): 10-50 PCU each
Medium blocks (cargo, assembler): 1-10 PCU
Light blocks (armor, windows): 0.01-1 PCU

Maintenance

Regular Updates (Windows/Linux)

bash

cd ~/steamcmd
./steamcmd.sh +login your_steam_username your_steam_password +app_update 298740 validate +quit
sudo systemctl restart space-engineers

Check World Integrity

After server restart, verify saves loaded correctly:

bash

tail -100 ~/steamapps/common/SpaceEngineers/Logs/server.log | grep -i "error\|warning"

Recommended Backup Schedule

bash

# Daily backup
0 3 * * * cd ~/steamapps/common/SpaceEngineers && tar -czf /backups/space-engineers-$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).tar.gz Saves/

# Weekly full backup
0 4 * * 0 cd ~ && tar -czf /backups/space-engineers-full-$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).tar.gz steamapps/common/SpaceEngineers/

Add to crontab:

bash

crontab -e

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DeluxHost, founded in 2023, offers high-quality hosting solutions for various digital needs. We provide shared hosting, VPS, and dedicated servers with advanced security and global data centers.

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DeluxHost, founded in 2023, offers high-quality hosting solutions for various digital needs. We provide shared hosting, VPS, and dedicated servers with advanced security and global data centers.

All Systems Operational

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Space Engineers

Space Engineers

Windows Server (Recommended)

System Requirements

Step 1: Download Server on Windows

Step 2: Configure SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg

Step 3: Create Startup Batch

Step 4: Run as Service (Optional)

Linux Server (Wine/Proton)

System Requirements

Install Wine

Install SteamCMD and Download Server (Linux)

Configuration File (Linux)

Configuration Explanation

Running with Wine (Linux)

Port Configuration

Systemd Service (Linux)

Save Files and Backup

Workshop Mods and Plugins (Linux)

Download Workshop Mods

Enable Mods

Performance Tuning (Linux)

Memory Allocation

Monitor Resource Usage (Linux)

Reduce Lag (Linux)

Troubleshooting

Tips & Tweaks

Sandbox.sbc Key Settings

Admin Commands (DS Configurator Tool)

World Backup Strategy

PCU (Performance Cost Unit) Management

Maintenance

Regular Updates (Windows/Linux)

Check World Integrity

Recommended Backup Schedule

CS2

Palworld

Rust

Products

About us

Legal

Other