How to host an Arma 3 server (2026)

Short answer. You can host an Arma 3 server yourself for free: install the Arma 3 Server package (Steam app 233780) with SteamCMD, log in with a real Steam account (anonymous login does not work for this package, and the account does not need to own Arma 3), start arma3server_x64 and open UDP ports 2302 to 2306. Or rent an Arma 3 server and skip the networking.

Players join with the same game version and the same mods as the server. Our How to join your Arma 3 server guide shows the steps.

Checked on 5 November 2026 against Arma 3 Game Mini-Update 2.22 (SPOTREP #00122, announced on Steam on 30 September 2026), the newest update Bohemia Interactive had announced.

This guide uses the Bohemia Interactive community wiki for the dedicated server, Bohemia's Steam announcements, and what our panel sets up on every Arma 3 server. To go straight to the rental route, see Option 2.

What you need

• The server software: "Arma 3 Server", Steam app 233780. It is free, and the Bohemia wiki says you do not need to buy Arma 3 to get it.
• A real Steam account to download it: an anonymous SteamCMD login is refused for this package. The account does not need to own the game. The wiki recommends a separate account for the server, and so do we.
• A machine that stays on: a spare PC, a home server or a cloud virtual machine. This guide uses 64-bit Linux, which is what we run.
• RAM and CPU: we do not quote figures here, because they depend on your mission and mods. Our How much RAM does an Arma 3 server need? guide covers it.
• Network: UDP 2302 for the game, 2303 for the Steam query, 2304 for the Steam master and 2306 for BattlEye traffic. The wiki's base port is 2302, and the other ports sit at fixed offsets from it. 2305 is reserved for voice. Forwarding UDP 2302 to 2306 covers them all.
• The game on every player's PC: Arma 3 on Steam, with the same mods the server loads.

Option 1: host it yourself

These steps are for Debian or Ubuntu. They follow the Linux steps on the Bohemia wiki, and the packages and file names are the ones our panel's installer uses.

Install the server

1. Install the packages SteamCMD needs.

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install curl lib32gcc-s1 ca-certificates -y

2. Create a steam user and switch to it. The wiki warns against running SteamCMD as root.

   sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash steam
   sudo -iu steam

3. Install SteamCMD.

   mkdir -p ~/steamcmd ~/arma3
   cd ~/steamcmd
   curl -sSL https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz | tar -xz

4. Download the server with your Steam account:

   ~/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir /home/steam/arma3 +login YOUR_STEAM_USER +app_update 233780 validate +quit

   SteamCMD asks for your password, and for a Steam Guard code if the account uses Steam Guard. To get the Creator DLC files, add -beta creatordlc after 233780. On our own installs, SteamCMD has sometimes finished without installing anything and still looked successful. Check that steamapps/appmanifest_233780.acf exists in the server folder, and run the command again if it does not.
5. Copy the Steam client libraries where the server looks for them, as our install does:

   mkdir -p ~/.steam/sdk32 ~/.steam/sdk64
   cp ~/steamcmd/linux32/steamclient.so ~/.steam/sdk32/
   cp ~/steamcmd/linux64/steamclient.so ~/.steam/sdk64/

Write the settings

1. Create server.cfg and basic.cfg in the server folder. server.cfg holds the server name, the join password and maxPlayers. basic.cfg is the network tuning file, loaded with -cfg=basic.cfg; our installer always puts one in place. Our install also creates a battleye/launch folder with a beserver_x64.cfg file for BattlEye RCon.
2. Set the password and player cap in server.cfg in this form:

   password = "your-password";
   maxPlayers = 32;

   Our Arma 3 server settings: every option explained guide covers the other options.
3. Create the profile folders the wiki asks for on Linux, where the server keeps its profile and difficulty settings:

   mkdir -p ~/".local/share/Arma 3" ~/".local/share/Arma 3 - Other Profiles"

Open the ports

• Game and query: allow UDP 2302 to 2306 on the machine's firewall (for example sudo ufw allow 2302:2306/udp) and forward them on your router. The Bohemia wiki says that a second server needs its own base port with at least 100 ports left between servers, set with -port=.
• RCon: only if you use an outside RCon tool. Our install gives it its own port, which must be different from the BattlEye traffic port. Use a long password with letters and numbers only. RCon also needs BattlEye = 1; in server.cfg, otherwise it is off.

Start it

1. Start the server from the server folder as the steam user, never as root:

   cd ~/arma3
   ./arma3server_x64 -name=server -port=2302 -config=server.cfg -cfg=basic.cfg

   Our panel writes these same options, plus its mod and performance options, into startup_params_server.txt and passes that file with -par=startup_params_server.txt. Our panel treats the server as ready when the log prints Host identity created. The server stops when you close the SSH session, so run it under a service manager such as systemd, or in tmux or screen as the wiki suggests.
2. Update by stopping the server and running the step 4 download command again. Players and the server must be on the same game version, so update the server after every Bohemia update.

Option 2: host it on PlayNHost

Renting removes the Steam account, the install, the firewall work and the update routine. You still choose your password, your mods and your mission.

1. Pick a plan. Open the Arma 3 server hosting page and compare the plans: ROOK-40, KATIBA and GM6 LYNX at the time of writing. Press Create Server (Customize Plan on GM6 LYNX) and finish the order. Prices change, so check them on that page.
2. Wait for the install. The server appears in the panel. Its Console prints Host identity created. when it is ready.
3. Set a password. On the Settings tab, set the Server Password for a private server, then restart.
4. Add mods. Upload a modlist exported from the Arma 3 Launcher to the server's root folder and enter its name as the Modlist File (Exported from A3 Launcher) under Settings. Or open the Workshop page, where Workshop mods go in as @ plus their id. Creator DLC goes in Additional Mods by folder name, for example vn; for Prairie Fire, and needs the creatordlc branch from the next step. Restart afterwards. Workshop mods download at that start while Automatic Updates is on, which is the default. See How to add mods to your Arma 3 server.
5. Choose the branch in Arma 3 Branch (CDLC, etc.) under Settings: public is the default, creatordlc installs the files for the Creator DLCs, and profiling is the special profiling build. The branch is downloaded at the next start while Automatic Updates is on.
6. Invite your players. Give them your server's address and the password. See How to join your Arma 3 server.

What the panel does for you:

• The Steam account the download needs is supplied by us. You never enter one, and the account is not shown to customers.
• If the Steam download fails during install, the installer retries it up to three times and only continues when the game files are really there, instead of leaving a server that cannot start.
• The Server Password, the player cap that comes with your plan, the headless client address lists and the RCon password and port are written into server.cfg and the BattlEye config files at every start. Change the password settings in the panel: an edit to those lines in the files is overwritten at the next start. The RCon port is assigned to your server by us.
• With Automatic Updates on, the server updates when it starts, and Workshop mods written as @ plus their id are updated with it.

Self-hosting or renting: an honest comparison

• Cost: the server software is free. Self-hosting costs power, hardware and bandwidth, or a cloud machine. Renting is a monthly fee set by the plan.
• Setup: self-hosting needs a Steam account, the command line, a five-port UDP range to forward and the SteamCMD retry check above. Renting needs a password and your mod list.
• Uptime: a home server is only up while your PC, power and internet are. A rented server runs on the host's hardware.
• Exposure: at home, players connect to your public IP address and you look after the firewall and router. A rented server keeps your home IP out of it.
• Control: self-hosting gives you every file and start option. On our servers the main settings live in the panel, and you still have the Files tab and RCon for your own tools.

Ready to skip the setup? See the Arma 3 server plans. Already have a server? Start with How to set up your Arma 3 server: key settings.