Short answer. You can host a Renown server yourself for free: download the dedicated server (Steam app 1512690) with SteamCMD using an anonymous login, create a Game.ini with your server name and passwords, and start the Linux server binary with a game port, a query port, a beacon port, an RCON port and the two Epic Online Services flags the developer lists. Or rent a Renown server and skip the ports and the config files.

Players find a public server by name in the Renown server browser. The game is a Windows game on Steam, so every player needs it.

Checked on 5 November 2026 against Renown Alpha 3.2.2, the newest patch in the developer's Steam announcements (patch notes of 10 June 2026). Renown is in Early Access and changes often.

This guide uses the developer's Steam page, its Steam announcements and the Linux hosting guide those announcements point to, plus what we run on our own Renown servers. To go straight to the rental route, see Option 2. Once your server is up, How to Connect to Your Renown Server covers the joining side.

What you need

Operating system: 64-bit Linux for the steps below. Our server runs the Linux binary Renown_Combat/Binaries/Linux/Renown_CombatServer-Linux-Shipping.
Hardware: the developer does not publish dedicated server requirements. The Steam page lists the game's own requirements for players: Windows 10 and 35 GB of storage.
Network: four ports reachable from the internet: the game port, the query port, the beacon port and the RCON port (only if you use RCON). Our panel defaults are 27015 for the query port, 9999 for the beacon port and 25575 for RCON. You choose the game port.
Steam account: not needed to download the server. The developer says the server is on Steam's anonymous package and you do not need to own the game to host it. Our installer uses an anonymous login too.
The game: every player needs Renown on Steam.

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

Option 1: host it yourself

These steps follow Valve's standard SteamCMD setup, the developer's Linux hosting guide, and our own install script and start line.

Linux (Debian or Ubuntu)

Install the library SteamCMD needs.
```
sudo apt-get install lib32gcc-s1
```
Create a steam user and switch to it. Valve warns that running SteamCMD as root is a security risk.
```
sudo useradd -m steam
sudo -iu steam
```

Install SteamCMD and let it update itself.

mkdir ~/Steam && cd ~/Steam
curl -sqL "https://client-update.steamstatic.com/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | tar zxvf -
./steamcmd.sh +quit

Download the server.
```
./steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir /home/steam/renown +login anonymous +app_update 1512690 validate +quit
```
Check that /home/steam/renown/steamapps/appmanifest_1512690.acf exists. If it does not, run the command again (see the first problem below).
Link the Steam client library into ~/.steam, where the server looks for it. The developer's guide links the 64-bit file into ~/.steam/sdk64. Our install script also puts the 32-bit file in sdk32.
```
mkdir -p ~/.steam/sdk32 ~/.steam/sdk64
ln -sf ~/Steam/linux32/steamclient.so ~/.steam/sdk32/steamclient.so
ln -sf ~/Steam/linux64/steamclient.so ~/.steam/sdk64/steamclient.so
```
Create Game.ini. The file lives at Renown_Combat/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/Game.ini inside the install folder. That folder may not exist before the server's first run, so create it:
```
mkdir -p ~/renown/Renown_Combat/Saved/Config/LinuxServer
```
These are the main keys of the file our installer writes (the developer's sample Game.ini has the same keys under the same heading), with your own values:
```
[/Game/Core/Blueprints/Renown_GameInstance.Renown_GameInstance_C]
ServerName=My Renown Server
ServerPassword=
AdminPassword=choose-a-password
MaxPlayers=32
Public=True
GameSaveName=Save_1
EnableRCON=True
RCONPort=25575
RCONPassword=choose-another-password
```
An empty ServerPassword means anyone can join. AdminPassword and RCONPassword should be passwords only you know.
Open the ports. Allow your game port, the query port, the beacon port and the RCON port on the machine's firewall and forward them on your router. Renown does not publish which protocol each port uses, so while you test, open each port for both UDP and TCP, then tighten once players connect.

Start the server from the install folder. This is our start line, with example ports:

cd ~/renown
chmod +x Renown_Combat/Binaries/Linux/Renown_CombatServer-Linux-Shipping
SteamAppId=1512690 ./Renown_Combat/Binaries/Linux/Renown_CombatServer-Linux-Shipping Renown_Combat -PORT=7777 -QUERYPORT=27015 -BeaconPort=9999 -RCONPort=25575 -LOG=Server.log \
  -ini:Engine:[EpicOnlineServices]:DedicatedServerClientId=xyza78917DzEE5Ey0isciVt66QDm5IzM -ini:Engine:[EpicOnlineServices]:DedicatedServerClientSecret=m/mrnywFCdeA1mW3ZSvv3qcVlQlfwi1a+7Z63Q44EGU

The developer's Linux guide lists these two Epic Online Services flags, with these exact values, as "a static requirement", and our own start line uses the same ones. The guide itself starts the server with ./Renown_CombatServer.sh in the install folder and passes the same two flags to it.

Check that it is ready. The server has started when the log prints:
```
LogWorld: Bringing up level for play took
```

A Windows server is not covered here: we run only the Linux server and found no developer instructions for the Windows one.

Settings you can change in Game.ini

Our installer writes more keys than the short file above. The ones most people look at:

MapRotation: the maps the server plays. Our default is RSurv-AlgaraIsle_p.
UseFirstMap: whether the server starts on the first map in the rotation.
PrivateSession: set to True for a private session.
MaxServerUptime=28800 and ServerRebootTimeMinutes=120: restart timers in the file our installer writes, the same values as the developer's sample file. The developer raised the server reboot time to two hours in September 2025, and its June 2026 patch notes list the server reboot interval going from every 2 hours to every 5 hours without naming the key, so check how often your server restarts after an update.
KickIdlePlayers and IdleTimeOutTime: whether idle players are kicked, and after how long. We write True and 300, as in the developer's sample file, under the base game mode heading: the developer moved IdleTimeOutTime into the game mode configs in September 2025. Its June 2026 patch notes list the idle timeout going from 5 to 30 minutes.

First person only is set in a separate file, Engine.ini in the same folder. The developer's sample file has Server.FirstPersonOnly=0 under [SystemSettings]; set it to 1 for first person only.

Mods

The server loads mods from two folders, and neither exists on a fresh install. We checked this on our own servers rather than assuming it.

Renown_Combat/Mods/<name>/ for a mod packaged as a plugin folder. The log showed "Mounting Mod plugin" followed by "Mount point added".
Renown_Combat/Content/Paks/~mods/ for a mod packaged as a single .pak file. The log showed "Found Pak file" followed by "attempting to mount".

Create the folders yourself, add the mod and restart. There is no official mod catalog for the game that we could find.

Remote admin (RCON)

Our servers take no typed console commands. Admin actions go over RCON with the RCON port and password. The developer added RCON support in Alpha 1.5.2 and has improved it since.

Option 2: host it on PlayNHost

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

Pick a plan. Open the Renown server hosting page and compare the plans (MAN-AT-ARMS and KNIGHT at the time of writing, for 35 and 60 players). Press Create Server on MAN-AT-ARMS or Customize Plan on KNIGHT and finish the order. Prices change, so check them on that page.
Wait for the install. You get a "server ready" email and the server appears at panel.playnhost.com. On the Console tab, the panel counts the server as running when it prints LogWorld: Bringing up level for play took.
Open Settings, then Game Settings. These fields are written into Game.ini every time the server starts:
- Server name: the name players see in the server browser.
- Join password: leave it empty for no password.
- Admin password: each new server gets its own random one, shown here. Change it if you prefer your own.
- List in server browser and Private session: whether the server is listed, and whether it is a private session.
- Map rotation, Start on the first map and Save name.
- Remote admin (RCON) and RCON password: RCON is on by default, and the RCON password is also generated for each server.
Max players is shown but not editable: it starts at your plan's player count. Automatic updates, under Show advanced, is on by default.
Restart. When the panel shows "Saved. The server must restart before these take effect.", press Restart now and wait for the ready line.
Join. Find your server name in the in-game server browser and enter the join password, unless you left it empty. How to Connect to Your Renown Server has the details.

What our setup does for you

Config keys. At every start the panel writes the name, passwords, RCON settings, max players, map rotation, save name and listing options into Game.ini. Hand edits to those keys are replaced at the next start, so change them in Game Settings. Other keys, such as MaxPing or the game mode multipliers, stay as you edit them under Files. Stop the server first.
Ports. The game port, query port, beacon port and RCON port are passed on the start line. The query, beacon and RCON ports are fixed when the server is created.
Saves. The world saves every five minutes under your save name, and the server keeps a dated copy each time. The Clear Old Saves quick task deletes those dated copies and leaves the world you are playing alone.
Install retries. Steam sometimes answers "Missing configuration" and SteamCMD still ends with success, which leaves a server with no game files. Our installer retries up to three times and treats the app manifest, not the exit code, as proof.
Mod folders. Both mod folders exist from the first install. Upload a mod under Files and restart.
Backups. If your plan includes backups, take one from Backups before editing the config by hand.

Self-hosting or renting: an honest comparison

Cost. Self-hosted: the software is free, and you pay for hardware, power and bandwidth, or a cloud virtual machine. Rented: a monthly fee set by plan. See the current plans.
Availability. Self-hosted: as reliable as your machine and connection, and it has to stay on while your players are in. Rented: runs on the host's hardware, not your PC.
Network exposure. Self-hosted: players connect to your public IP and you look after four ports. Rented: your home IP is not involved.
Skill needed. Self-hosted: command line, port forwarding, INI editing and the Epic Online Services flags on the start line. Rented: a web panel with form fields.
Updates. Self-hosted: stop, run the SteamCMD command again, start. Rented: Automatic updates is on by default.

Self-hosting suits you if a Linux machine already runs all day and you like the networking. Renting suits you if you would rather play than maintain a server.

Common problems and fixes

The download finishes but there are no game files

Cause: Steam answered "Failed to install app (Missing configuration)" and SteamCMD carried on to "success".

Fix: run steamcmd.sh +quit first so a new SteamCMD updates itself, then run the app_update command again. Check that steamapps/appmanifest_1512690.acf exists.

The server is missing from the server browser

Likely causes: the query port is not reachable from outside, Public is False, or the session is private.

Fix: open and forward the query port as well as the game port, and check Public and PrivateSession. See How to Fix a Renown Server Missing From the Browser.

Your changes to Game.ini disappear (PlayNHost)

Cause: the key is one the panel writes at every start.

Fix: change the name, passwords, map rotation and the other fields in Game Settings.

FAQ

Can I host a Renown server for free?

Yes. The dedicated server is a free download through SteamCMD with an anonymous login, and the developer says you do not need to own the game to host it. You still pay for the machine and the internet, and it must stay on while people play.

Which Steam app is the Renown server?

App 1512690. The game that players buy is a different Steam app, 1488310.

How many players can join?

The developer raised the server player cap to 100 in September 2025. Our plans are 35 and 60 players.

Do I need to own the game to run the server?

No. The developer put the server on Steam's anonymous package so anyone can install it. Players need the game to join.

Can I set an admin?

Yes, through the admin password and RCON. See How to Become an Admin on Your Renown Server.

Can I change the server name, password and game mode?

Yes. See How to Change Your Renown Server Name, Password and Game Mode.

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

How to host a Renown server (2026)