How to host a KissMP server (2026)

Short answer. You can host a KissMP server for BeamNG.drive yourself for free: download the latest release from the KissMP GitHub page, run the kissmp-server program from it and open UDP port 3698. Or rent a KissMP server and skip the port forwarding.

Players need the KISSMultiplayer.zip mod and the Bridge app running next to BeamNG.drive. They then pick your server in the in-game list, or use Direct Connect with your address.

Checked on 5 November 2026 against KissMP v0.8.0 (published 13 April 2026), the newest release, and BeamNG.drive v0.40.4, the newest version announced on Steam.

This guide uses two sources: the KissMP repository and documentation by its developers, and what we run on every KissMP server we host. To skip to the rental route, go to Option 2.

What you need

• BeamNG.drive on every player's PC, you included. KissMP is a multiplayer mod for it. The server program does not need the game installed.
• The KissMP release: one zip, KissMP_v0.8.0.zip at the time of writing, from the KissMP releases page. It holds windows, linux and linux-arm folders (the ARM one is server only) and the client mod. It is free and open source under the Apache-2.0 licence.
• A machine that stays on: a spare PC, a home server or a cloud machine. This guide uses 64-bit Linux, which is what we run.
• RAM and CPU: the developers do not publish server requirements, so treat any figure you read elsewhere as an estimate. The documentation says the server itself does little: most of the work is done by the players' games and the server passes data between them.
• Network: UDP port 3698 reachable from the internet, or a VPN such as Hamachi or Tailscale if you only play with friends.

Option 1: host it yourself

Install the server

1. Download and unpack the release. We install it this way on our servers:

   mkdir -p ~/kissmp && cd ~/kissmp
   wget -O kissmp.zip "$(wget -qO- https://api.github.com/repos/TheHellBox/KISS-multiplayer/releases/latest | grep browser_download_url | cut -d '"' -f 4)"
   unzip -o -j kissmp.zip 'linux/kissmp-server'
   chmod +x kissmp-server

   This needs wget and unzip (sudo apt install wget unzip on Debian or Ubuntu). Keep the zip until you have picked out the client mod and bridge for yourself and your players.
2. Start it once. The documentation says the server generates a config.json you can edit.

   ./kissmp-server

   Stop it with Ctrl+C.
3. Edit config.json. A working file looks like this, with the port the developers use. The file the server generates also has a server_identifier line with a random value: keep it.

   {
     "server_name": "My KissMP server",
     "description": "My first server",
     "map": "/levels/smallgrid/info.json",
     "max_players": 8,
     "tickrate": 60,
     "port": 3698,
     "max_vehicles_per_client": 3,
     "show_in_server_list": true,
     "upnp_enabled": false,
     "require_scripts": false
   }

   Set map to the level you want. The documentation's trick for finding a level's path: load the level in single player and run print(getMissionFilename()) in the BeamNG console. A modded map must also be in the server's mods folder. The generated file has show_in_server_list set to false, so set it to true if you want your server in the public list.
4. Start the server again and wait for the line Server is running!.

Open the port

• Allow UDP 3698 (or the port in your config.json) on the firewall, for example sudo ufw allow 3698/udp, and forward it on your router. This is the only port the developers list.
• No port forwarding at home? The documentation names VPN software such as Hamachi or Tailscale as another way: players then connect to the address that software gives you.

Join your server

1. Install the client mod. Put KISSMultiplayer.zip in BeamNG's user mods folder. The file must keep exactly the name KISSMultiplayer.zip. On Windows the default folder is %LOCALAPPDATA%\BeamNG\BeamNG.drive\current\mods.
2. Run the Bridge from the windows folder of the release, then start BeamNG.drive. The Bridge console should say Bridge is running!.
3. Connect. Open the KissMP window in the game. With show_in_server_list on, your server appears in the built-in server browser. Otherwise choose Direct Connect and type your public IP address (or 127.0.0.1 if the server runs on the same PC).

The documentation lists reasons a server may not show in the list: the option is off, the server is not on the latest release, the name contains blocked words, there is a limit of 10 servers per IP address, or the name or description is too long (64 and 256 characters).

Mods and addons

The server creates a mods folder when it runs. Mods placed there are downloaded by players when they join, for example a new map or vehicle. Server-side Lua addons go in addons/NAME/main.lua and are not downloaded by players.

Option 2: host it on PlayNHost

Renting removes the install and the port forwarding. You still choose a name and a map, and every player still installs the mod and Bridge.

1. Pick a plan. Open the KissMP server hosting page and compare the plans: STREET, RACER and APEX at the time of writing. Press Create Server on a plan (Customize Plan on APEX) 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 is running! when it is ready.
3. Name it. On the Settings tab, under Game Settings, set the Server Name (60 characters at most), then restart.
4. Change the map or other options. Open config.json on the Files tab, edit map or the other keys, and restart. Put map and vehicle mods in the mods folder there.
5. Invite your players. The panel shows the address to give them. Each player installs KISSMultiplayer.zip and the Bridge from the release page, then finds the server in the list or uses Direct Connect.

What the panel does for you:

• Your port is assigned and open from the start, so there is nothing to forward.
• Three keys of config.json are written by the panel at every start: port, server_name and max_players. Change the name in the panel, not in the file, or your edit is overwritten. The player limit comes from your plan.
• The install plants a valid config.json before the first start. Our panel recreates a missing config.json as an empty file before a start, and the server crashes when it reads empty JSON. If you ever empty or delete the file by mistake, paste the example above back in.
• The server program is downloaded from the latest KissMP release when the server is installed. It does not update itself afterwards, and the documentation says servers that are not on the latest release may not show in the server list, so after a new KissMP release ask our support to update it.
• KissMP's server is only a relay. There is no RCON and the server has no console commands of its own: a line typed in the Console only reaches addons written to read it, so admin tasks go through addons or the config file.

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.
• Availability: 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 a download, a config file and a forwarded port. Renting needs a name and a map. Players do the same client setup either way.
• Control: self-hosting gives you the whole machine. On our servers you still have the Files tab for config.json, mods and addons.

Ready to skip the setup? See the KissMP server plans.