How to host a Clone Hero server (2026)

Short answer. You can host a Clone Hero server yourself for free: download the standalone server zip (clonehero.net links it from the official clonehero-game/releases page on GitHub), extract the folder for your platform, run the Server program on a machine reachable from the internet and allow UDP traffic (Clone Hero defaults to port 14242). Or rent a Clone Hero server and skip the networking.

Players join from the game: Online, then Join Server, then add your server's IP, port and password.

Checked on 5 November 2026 against Clone Hero v1.1.0.6142-final, the newest release on GitHub that day.

This guide uses the official Clone Hero wiki, the release files the developers publish on GitHub, and what we run on every Clone Hero server we host. To skip to the rental route, go to Option 2.

What you need

• The standalone server: the file CloneHero-StandaloneServer.zip in the latest release of clonehero-game/releases on GitHub. It is free. The wiki says to download the standalone server for your game version from clonehero.net, whose release page links this same file and lists its SHA-1, and its troubleshooting section says everyone must run the same version of the game.
• A machine that stays on: a spare PC, a home server or a cloud virtual machine. The zip holds builds for Linux (x64, arm, arm64 and musl), Windows (x64, x86 and arm64) and macOS (x64). This guide uses 64-bit Linux, which is what we run.
• Hardware: we found no server requirements published by the developers, so treat any figure you read elsewhere as an estimate.
• Network: a reachable IP address and UDP access. The wiki says to use the UDP protocol (or UDP and TCP), because TCP alone does not work. It names 14242 as the default port and says most other ports work too.
• The game: every player needs Clone Hero. A song is only playable online when everyone has an identical copy of it.

Option 1: host it yourself

The download and extraction steps below are what our own install script does. For starting the server, the wiki says to launch Server and follow the on-screen instructions.

Linux (Debian or Ubuntu, x64)

1. Install the tools.

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install curl unzip -y

2. Create a user for the server and switch to it.

   sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash -U clonehero
   sudo su - clonehero

3. Download and extract the server. The archive unpacks to a build folder with one folder per platform. Only the Server program is inside.

   mkdir -p ~/server && cd ~/server
   curl -fsSL -o ch.zip https://github.com/clonehero-game/releases/releases/latest/download/CloneHero-StandaloneServer.zip
   unzip -o ch.zip
   mv build/linux-x64/* .
   rm -rf build ch.zip
   chmod +x Server

   On a 64-bit ARM machine, use linux-arm64 instead of linux-x64.
4. Open the port. Allow UDP 14242 on the machine's firewall (for example sudo ufw allow 14242/udp) and forward it as UDP on your router to this machine. If you pick another port, forward that one.
5. Start the server.

   ./Server

   It shows a prompt: it asks for a server name (80 characters at most), a password (leave it blank for none), an IP address to bind to (leave it blank) and a port (leave it blank for 14242). Run it in a terminal multiplexer such as tmux so it keeps running after you log out. To start it without the prompts, for example under systemd, pass the answers as options: ./Server -h lists them. We start ours with -n (name), -p (port), -a 0.0.0.0 (bind address) and either -np (no password) or -ps followed by the password.

Let your players join

1. Give them your public IP address, the port and the password if you set one.
2. In Clone Hero, they open Online, choose Join Server, press Orange to add a server, enter the IP, the port and the password, then click Continue (steps from the official wiki).
3. Everyone must match. The wiki says everyone has to run the same version of the game, and that songs must be identical: any difference in a song's notes file makes it unavailable.

Moderating a server

The wiki documents lobby chat commands. The host, or the first player to join a public or standalone server, can type them in the lobby chat: \kick all, \kick players, \kick spectators, \kick player # (1 to 4), \setpass (maximum 25 symbols), \setsongcount (1 to 25 songs per player) and \setmaxspeed and \setlowspeed (5% to 5000%). Type \help in game for the full list.

Option 2: host it on PlayNHost

Renting removes the download, the port forwarding and the update routine. You still choose a name and a password.

1. Pick a plan. Open the Clone Hero server hosting page and compare the plans. Press Create Server (Customize Plan on GOLD STAR) 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 Server running... when it is ready.
3. Name it. On the Settings tab, under Game Settings, set the Server name and, for a private lobby, a Server password. The password can contain only letters, numbers and underscores. Then restart.
4. Invite your players. The Server Address on Overview shows the IP and the port as IP:port. Give your players both, and the password if you set one. In Clone Hero they open Online, choose Join Server, press Orange to add a server, enter the IP, the port and the password if you set one, then click Continue.
5. Moderate in the lobby. There is no RCON and the Console does not reach the game, so use the chat commands above, typed by whoever the lobby treats as host.

What the panel does for you:

• Your port is assigned and passed to the server at every start, so there is no router to configure.
• With Auto-update server on (the default, under Show advanced on the Settings tab), each start checks the latest official release and installs a newer one. The update replaces only the Server program, so settings.ini is never touched. A pinned Version is never updated.
• The install follows the official GitHub release. Upstream has renamed the zip before (v1.0.0.4080 shipped CloneHero-standalone_server.zip) and changed the folder inside it (from ChStandaloneServer-v1.0.0.4080-final to build), so an install script written for the old names finds no server to install. Ours has been updated for the current layout, and the same trap applies to any old self-hosting script you find online.

The server holds no songs of its own: it shares a song pool made from what each connecting player already has installed. See Clone Hero songs do not match between players and How to connect to your Clone Hero server.

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 recurring fee set by the plan.
• 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.
• Setup: self-hosting needs the command line, a UDP port forward and manual updates. Renting needs a server name, plus a password if you want a private lobby.
• Control: self-hosting gives you every file. On our servers you set the name and password in the panel and still have the Files tab for settings.ini.

Ready to skip the setup? See the Clone Hero server plans. Already have a server? Start with How to change your Clone Hero server name and password.