If you’ve spent hours grinding solo in Enshrouded, building rambling bases and fighting off shrouded creatures alone, you’ve probably thought about teaming up with friends to take down harder bosses or split tedious resource farming work. Figuring out how to join Enshrouded server doesn’t have to be a headache, even if you’re completely new to multiplayer survival games. I’ve tested dozens of official, community, and private servers over 80+ hours of playtime, and I’ve broken down the entire process, plus fixes for the most common snags that pop up when you’re trying to connect.
Step-by-Step Breakdown of How to Join Enshrouded Server
The process works almost the same whether you’re playing on Steam or Epic Games Store, and you don’t need any extra software to get started. You don’t need any third-party launchers to join official or public community servers, so you can skip any prompts asking you to download extra tools if you see them.
First, make sure your copy of Enshrouded is fully updated. Outdated game files are responsible for roughly 90% of connection issues, so take 2 minutes to check for patches in your game library before you get started. Once your game is up to date, follow these simple steps: From the main menu, select the “Multiplayer” option instead of single player or continue. You’ll see three separate tabs for official servers, community servers, and friends. Pick the tab that matches the server you want to join. If you’re looking for a specific server, you can use the search bar to filter by name, player count, or ping. Once you find the server you want, click “Join”, enter the password if it’s a private server, and wait 10 to 15 seconds for the connection to establish.
If you’re joining a friend’s private server, you can skip the public lists entirely by clicking the Friends tab, which shows all servers hosted by people on your friends list that are currently online. That saves you the hassle of entering an IP address or searching for the server name manually, as long as your friend has their server set to visible to friends. If the server has a queue, you can leave the game running in the background while you wait, and you’ll get a pop-up notification when it’s your turn to join.
Key Differences Between Server Types to Choose the Right Fit
Not all Enshrouded servers are built the same, and picking the right type for your playstyle will make your multiplayer experience way more enjoyable. I’ve played on all three server types over the past few months, and each has its own pros and cons depending on who you want to play with and what you want to get out of the game.
- Official Servers: Hosted directly by Keen Games, these have 99% uptime, standard default rule sets, and usually have open slots for random players to join. They’re a great pick if you want to meet new players and don’t have a pre-existing group to play with, and you don’t have to worry about the server suddenly shutting down without warning.
- Public Community Servers: Run by long-time Enshrouded fans, these often have custom rules, like higher resource rates, faster leveling, restricted PvP, or even custom build areas for players to show off their creations. Many also have dedicated admins on call to fix issues quickly if they pop up, and most have associated Discord servers for players to chat off-game.
- Private Friend Servers: Either self-hosted by a member of your group or rented from a third-party host, these are password-protected so only people you invite can join. They’re ideal if you want to play only with people you know without random interruptions, and you can adjust all the server settings to match your group’s preferred playstyle.
For example, I tried a public community server last month that had 2x resource gathering rates, and it cut my base building time in half, but it also had open PvP enabled, so I had to hide my storage chests far from spawn to avoid getting looted. If you’re new to the game, official servers are the safest bet to start, since they follow the default gameplay balance you’re used to from single player, so you won’t run into unexpected rule changes or broken custom settings.
Common Connection Errors and How to Fix Them Fast
Even if you follow all the steps correctly, you might run into the occasional connection error when trying to join a server. Most of these issues have super simple fixes that take less than 2 minutes to implement, so you don’t have to give up and go back to solo play.
Server Not Showing Up in List: Most of the time this is because your game is out of date, or your firewall is blocking Enshrouded’s multiplayer connection. Go to your game library, check for updates, and add Enshrouded to your firewall’s allowed apps list. If you’re trying to join a friend’s self-hosted server, ask them to confirm they port forwarded correctly and shared the right IP address with you. Sometimes servers also take a minute or two to pop up in the list after a restart, so wait 5 minutes and refresh the list if you don’t see it immediately.
Connection Timed Out Error: This usually happens if the server is overloaded, or your internet connection is unstable. Try restarting your router, closing any background apps that use a lot of bandwidth (like streaming services or large file downloads), and try joining again. If it keeps happening, the server might be undergoing maintenance, so check the server’s Discord or public page for updates. I’ve also noticed this error pops up a lot if you’re trying to join a server with ping higher than 150ms, so stick to servers in your region if you can avoid it.
Password Rejected Even When Correct: Double check that you didn’t accidentally add a space at the start or end of the password when you pasted it. Server passwords are case-sensitive, so make sure caps lock is off before you type. If it still doesn’t work, ask the server admin to reset the password, as sometimes glitches happen after server restarts that corrupt old password entries. Never share your own account password with anyone who offers to help you join a server, that’s a common scam to steal game accounts.
Pro Tips for a Smooth Enshrouded Multiplayer Experience
Once you’ve mastered the basics of joining servers, there are a few small tweaks you can make to ensure your multiplayer runs as smoothly as possible, no matter what type of server you’re playing on. I’ve picked up most of these tips from trial and error after losing hours of progress to random disconnects and server rule violations, so you don’t have to make the same mistakes I did.
Add your favorite servers to your favorites list so you don’t have to search for them every time you launch the game. Most servers also have associated Discord servers, so join those to get updates about maintenance, rule changes, or community events like boss raids or build contests. It’s also a great way to meet other players to team up with if you’re playing on a public server.
Make sure your character is backed up locally before joining a new server. While most servers save your character data to their own cloud, rare crashes can cause progress loss, so having a local backup saves you from having to restart from scratch if something goes wrong. You can find your local save files in your game’s documents folder, just copy the save file to a separate folder on your desktop every few days to keep it safe.
Read the server rules before joining if you’re using a public community server. Many servers ban base building near spawn, or prohibit stealing other players' resources, and violating those rules can get you permanently banned with no chance of appeal. I learned this the hard way when I built a small outpost near spawn on a community server and got banned 2 hours later, even though I had no idea the rule existed. Most servers post their rules in the server description, so take 30 seconds to read them before you join.
I’ve also found that joining servers with 16 or fewer players gives the most stable performance, especially if you’re doing large building projects or fighting big world bosses. Servers with more than 24 players often have lag spikes during peak hours, which can ruin boss fights or cause you to lose resources if you disconnect mid-combat. If you’re playing with a small group of 4 to 8 friends, a private rented server is usually the most reliable option, as you won’t have to deal with random lag from other players you don’t know.
At the end of the day, learning how to join Enshrouded server opens up a whole new side of the game that you can’t get from solo play. Whether you’re teaming up to take down the Warden of the Shroud, building a massive shared base, or just exploring the farthest corners of the map with friends, the multiplayer experience adds dozens of hours of extra fun to the game. If you follow the steps and tips we laid out, you’ll be connected and playing with your group in minutes, no technical expertise required. If you run into a snag we didn’t cover, drop a comment below and we’ll help you troubleshoot.