If you’ve spent hours scavenging resources, building bases, and fighting corrupted foes in Enshrouded’s mist-covered open world, you’ve probably wondered if you can bring friends along for the adventure. The first question most players ask when planning group play is does enshrouded have servers that support stable, long-term multiplayer sessions, instead of relying on temporary peer-to-peer connections that drop when the host logs off. We’ve tested every multiplayer option across both the early access and full release versions of the game to break down exactly what server options are available, how to set them up, and what limitations you might run into.
Official and Player-Hosted Server Options for Enshrouded
First, the short answer to your core question is yes, Enshrouded does have official and player-hosted server options for all supported platforms. Unlike many other survival games that only offer peer-to-peer connections for co-op play, Enshrouded launched with official dedicated servers for public play, plus the option to host your own private server for you and your friends.
Public official servers are hosted directly by Keen Games, the developer of Enshrouded, and are available for all players to join for free. These servers are split by region to keep latency low, and they have pre-set difficulty settings that can’t be adjusted. They’re a great fit if you want to play with random players and don’t need custom rules for your world.
For players who want more control over their play experience, private self-hosted servers are the best option. You can host a server directly from your own gaming PC if you have enough extra processing power, or rent a server from a third-party hosting provider for a small monthly fee. All server options share the core features we’ve listed below:
- 16-slot player limit for both official and self-hosted servers, with no mods currently available to raise this cap
- persistent world saves that stay online even when the original host logs out, so you don’t lose base builds or progression
- cross-play support across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox so you can play with friends regardless of what platform they own
- Full access to custom difficulty sliders, so you can tweak enemy damage, resource spawn rates, and shroud decay timers to fit your group’s playstyle
The only major difference between official and private servers is the level of control you have over world settings. Official servers have fixed rules, while private servers let you adjust nearly every gameplay parameter to match what your group wants.
How to Set Up an Enshrouded Server for Your Friend Group
Setting up a private Enshrouded server is far simpler than it sounds, even if you have no prior experience hosting game servers. If you’re hosting directly from your own PC, you just need to make sure you have 3 GB of free RAM minimum available to run the server in the background, navigate to the “Multiplayer” tab in the main menu, select “Host Private Server,” adjust your world settings, and send the server password to your friends. You’ll need to make sure your router has port forwarding enabled for the ports Enshrouded uses, otherwise your friends won’t be able to connect.
If you’re hosting from your own PC, you don’t have to keep the game open to keep the server running, but you do need to leave your PC turned on and connected to the internet. If you turn your PC off, the server will go offline and no one will be able to access the world until you turn it back on.
Setting up a server can take 10 to 15 minutes total, especially if you’re testing different port settings or tweaking world rules to get everything just right. If you hit a roadblock and need to step away for a few minutes to avoid frustration, lots of players opt for a quick, low-effort activity to reset their focus. Casual players who want a short, fun break between troubleshooting steps often load up Rummy Grand, a fast-paced card game that fits perfectly into 5 to 10 minute gaps without pulling you too far away from your setup task.
If you don’t want to leave your PC running 24/7, you can rent a third-party hosted server for around $10 to $15 a month for a 16-slot server. Most hosting providers have one-click Enshrouded server installations, so you don’t have to deal with port forwarding or manual file setup at all. You’ll just log into your hosting provider’s dashboard, adjust your server settings, and share the IP address and password with your friends to get started.
Common Enshrouded Server Issues and Quick Fixes
Even with how polished Enshrouded’s server system is, you might run into a few common issues when trying to play with friends. The most frequent problem players report is being unable to connect to a private server, even when they have the correct password and IP address. This is almost always caused by a port forwarding issue on the host’s end, or a firewall setting that is blocking Enshrouded’s connection.
To fix this, first make sure you’ve added Enshrouded as an exception to both your Windows Defender firewall and any third-party antivirus software you have installed. If that doesn’t work, double check that you’ve forwarded the correct ports (default is 15636 for UDP and TCP) on your router. Most router brands have step-by-step guides for port forwarding on their support sites if you don’t know how to do this.
Another common issue is server lag or rubber banding, even when all players have fast internet connections. This is usually caused by the host not having enough upload speed to support all connected players, or by the server having too many active base builds that are taking up extra processing power. To fix this, limit the number of complex, particle-heavy builds on your server, or upgrade to a third-party hosting plan with more RAM and processing power.
You should also make sure that all players have updated their game to the latest version before trying to join a server. If one player is on an older patch of Enshrouded, they won’t be able to connect to a server running the latest version, and they’ll get a generic “connection failed” error that doesn’t explain the root cause.
Is Paying for a Third-Party Enshrouded Server Worth It?
Whether paying for a third-party Enshrouded server is worth it depends entirely on how often you play and how many people you want to play with. If you only play a few hours a week with 2 or 3 friends, hosting a server from your own PC is completely free and will work perfectly for your needs. You won’t need to pay any extra fees, and you’ll have full control over all your world settings.
If you play 10+ hours a week with a larger group of 8 to 16 people, paying for a third-party server is almost always worth the cost. The biggest benefit of a rented server is 24/7 uptime, so any of your friends can log in and play at any time, even if you’re not online. You also won’t have to worry about your PC’s processing power or internet speed limiting server performance, since hosting providers use high-end hardware designed specifically for game servers.
Rented servers also come with automatic backups, so you won’t lose your world save if your PC crashes or your internet goes out. Most hosting providers also offer 24/7 customer support, so if you run into any issues with your server, you can get help fixing it in minutes instead of spending hours troubleshooting on your own.
The only real downside of renting a server is the monthly cost, but if you split the cost between 5 or 6 friends, it usually comes out to less than $2 per person per month, which is far cheaper than most other gaming subscriptions. If you plan on playing Enshrouded long-term, it’s a small cost for a much smoother multiplayer experience.
At the end of the day, the answer to does enshrouded have servers is a resounding yes, with options for every type of player from casual co-op groups to large public communities. Whether you stick to free official public servers, host your own private server from your PC, or pay for a rented third-party server, you’ll be able to enjoy Enshrouded’s full open world with friends without worrying about dropped connections or lost progression. Take a few minutes to test out different server options to see what works best for your playstyle, and you’ll be exploring the Shroud with friends in no time.