How to host an Astroneer server (2026)

Short answer. You can host an Astroneer server yourself for free: install "ASTRONEER Dedicated Server" from Steam (Library, Tools) or with SteamCMD app 728470, run it once to create its config files, set a port in Engine.ini (System Era's example is 8777), put your public IP and owner name in AstroServerSettings.ini, and open that port in your firewall and router. Or rent an Astroneer server and skip the networking.

Players join from the in-game Server List with Add Dedicated Server and the server address as the Server URL.

Checked on 5 November 2026, accurate for game patch 1.45.1 (14 October 2026).

This guide uses System Era's own dedicated server post and what we run on our own Astroneer servers. To go straight to the rental route, see Option 2.

What you need

• Server software: "ASTRONEER Dedicated Server" in the Steam Library under Tools, or SteamCMD app 728470. System Era's instructions are written for Windows (Windows paths and a Windows firewall guide).
• Network: one port that you choose in Engine.ini, open in your firewall and forwarded on your router. System Era's post does not name the protocol; on our servers the game listens on UDP, so open UDP. System Era warns that opening your connection to outside players is at your own risk.
• Your public IP: System Era's post says AstroServerSettings.ini needs a PublicIP line with the address players will use.
• Your Steam name: it goes in OwnerName, so the server can make you the owner.
• The game: every player needs Astroneer. On a server run by PlayNHost, players need the Steam version on a Windows PC: Xbox, PlayStation and the Microsoft Store version cannot join.

The server software is free. You pay for the machine, power and bandwidth, not the software.

Option 1: host it yourself

System Era calls this a reasonably complicated process and offers no warranty or support for it. The steps below follow their post; the join step follows the in-game Server List.

Windows

1. Install the server. In Steam, open Library, Tools and install "ASTRONEER Dedicated Server". Or use SteamCMD:

   steamcmd +force_install_dir C:\AstroServer +login anonymous +app_update 728470 validate +quit

2. Start the server once and close it so it creates its config files. They live in Astro\Saved\Config\WindowsServer inside the install folder: Engine.ini and AstroServerSettings.ini. Never edit them while the server is running, because changes made then are not kept.
3. Set the port. In Engine.ini add:

   [URL]
   Port=8777

   You can pick another port. This only sets the port Astroneer listens on; you still have to open it in your firewall.
4. Set your public IP and owner in AstroServerSettings.ini, editing the lines the server created. Find your public IP with any IP checker:

   PublicIP=203.0.113.10
   ServerName=My Astroneer Server
   OwnerName=YourSteamName
   OwnerGuid=0

   With OwnerGuid=0, the first player who connects with the Steam name in OwnerName becomes the owner, and the game then saves that player's ID in the file. A ServerPassword line is optional.
5. Open the port. Allow the UDP port in Windows Firewall, then forward it on your router to this PC.
6. Start the server again and join it: Server List, Add Dedicated Server, then your public IP:port as the Server URL.

Linux

System Era documents Windows only. This is what our own install does, and it is not an official route: SteamCMD is told to download the Windows build, and the server then runs under Proton, Valve's Windows compatibility layer.

1. Download the Windows files with SteamCMD on a Linux machine:

   ./steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir /home/steam/astroneer +@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType windows +login anonymous +app_update 728470 validate +quit

2. Install and set up Proton yourself (it is not in the Debian or Ubuntu repositories; our servers use a container image that ships it), then start Astro/Binaries/Win64/AstroServer-Win64-Shipping.exe with proton run from the install folder. Use the same config files, port and firewall steps as on Windows. The files sit under Astro/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/.

Our install script also checks that steamapps/appmanifest_728470.acf exists after the download, and retries up to three times if it does not. We have seen SteamCMD report "Missing configuration", carry on to "success" and leave no game files.

Option 2: host it on PlayNHost

Renting removes the firewall, port forwarding and update routine. The port and the config files are set up for you.

1. Pick a plan. Open the Astroneer server hosting page. The plan at the time of writing is ASTRONIUM, for 8 players. Press the button on the plan (Customize Plan) and finish the order. Prices change, so check them on that page.
2. Wait for the install. Your server appears at panel.playnhost.com, and its page updates by itself when setup is finished. The panel counts it as running when the Console prints PlayNHost: Astroneer is listening on followed by the port.
3. Open Settings and fill in the Game Settings card:
   • Server Name: the name in the server list, up to 60 characters.
   • Owner Steam Name and Owner Steam ID 64: your Astroneer profile name exactly as in game, and your 17-digit SteamID64 (it begins 7656119). The panel asks for both. Until the owner name is set, the startup writes a placeholder name there, so nobody becomes owner just by joining first.
   • Server Password: optional.
   • Public IP: leave it empty. The startup fills in your server's address.
4. Restart. When the panel shows "Saved. The server must restart before these take effect.", press Restart now and wait for the ready line.
5. Add the server in game. Open How to join on the server's Overview. It shows the server address and a two-line change to Engine.ini that each player's PC needs once, because network encryption is off on our servers by default. Then in Astroneer open the Server List, choose Add Dedicated Server, paste the address as the Server URL, select the server and press Join.

What the panel does for you

• PublicIP is filled in. In our tests, Astroneer exited within two minutes of starting, with nothing in the console, when PublicIP in AstroServerSettings.ini was empty. Our startup writes your server's address into it at every start, so a fresh server does not die on first boot.
• A real ready line. On our servers Astroneer prints nothing once it is running: the console ends at a Proton line and stops. Our startup watches for the game binding its UDP port and then prints PlayNHost: Astroneer is listening on and the port, so you know when to join.
• Settings and port. At every start the panel writes your Server Name, owner, password, player count, the game port and a private console password into the config files. It does this line by line and leaves the player rows (bans, whitelist, admins) alone.
• Players. Who can play, on the players card of the Overview, lists the players the world knows and sets their role from the panel.
• Stop saves. The Stop button asks the game to save and shut down through its own console, and waits up to 90 seconds for it to exit. In our tests a plain interrupt exited without saving.
• Updates. Automatic Updates (under Show advanced in Game Settings) is on by default: the server checks Steam for a new build when it starts. A Daily restart schedule, on by default, restarts it early every morning while it runs so it picks up patches, because players who have updated cannot join an old server.

Self-hosting or renting: an honest comparison

• Cost. Self-hosted: the software is free, and you pay for hardware, power and bandwidth. Rented: a monthly fee set by plan. See the current plans.
• Availability. Self-hosted: as reliable as your PC and home internet, and it has to stay on when your friends play. Rented: runs on the host's hardware, not your PC.
• Network exposure. Self-hosted: players connect to your public IP, and you look after the firewall and router. Rented: your home IP is not involved.
• Skill needed. Self-hosted: editing two ini files, port forwarding and a public IP that may change. Rented: web panel fields.
• Updates. Self-hosted: run the Steam or SteamCMD update yourself. Rented: Automatic Updates installs a new build when the server starts.
• Joining. On a PlayNHost server, network encryption is off by default, so each player's PC needs the two Engine.ini lines from How to join once, and must remove them again to join a server hosted on a Windows PC.

Self-hosting suits you if a PC already runs all day and you are comfortable with networking. Renting suits you if you would rather not look after hardware.

Related guides

• How to join your Astroneer server
• How to become admin on your Astroneer server
• Astroneer server settings: every option explained
• Astroneer server problems and fixes

FAQ

Can I host an Astroneer server for free?

Yes. The dedicated server is free on Steam. You still pay for the machine, power and internet, and it must stay on while people play.

Which port does an Astroneer server use?

The one you set under [URL] in Engine.ini. System Era's example is 8777. Their post does not name the protocol; the game listens on UDP on our servers, so open it as UDP in your firewall.

Why does my server close by itself after a minute or two?

Check PublicIP in AstroServerSettings.ini. When it is empty, our tests showed the server starting, writing its config and exiting with nothing in the console.

How do I become the owner?

Set OwnerName to your Steam name and OwnerGuid=0, and be the first to connect with that name. On PlayNHost, fill in Owner Steam Name and Owner Steam ID 64 in Settings.