Short answer. You can host a Trackmania server yourself for free: download Nadeo's dedicated server (TrackmaniaServer_Latest.zip), create a dedicated-server account at trackmania.com, put its login and password in dedicated_cfg.xml, start ./TrackmaniaServer /nodaemon /dedicated_cfg=dedicated_cfg.xml, and forward the server port (server_port, 2350 in Nadeo's template). Or rent a Trackmania server and skip the setup.

Players reach your server online through a Club room set to Use Your Dedicated Server (Advanced), which picks the server by its dedicated-server login. Nadeo lists hosting online rooms on your own server as a Club access feature, and only the PC version of Trackmania can join a dedicated server.

Checked on 5 November 2026 against the current TrackmaniaServer_Latest.zip, which Nadeo's download server dates 16 May 2026. The download has no version number.

This guide uses the files inside Nadeo's own server download and what we run on our Trackmania servers. To go straight to renting, see Option 2.

What you need

The server download: one zip of about 240 MB at http://files.v04.maniaplanet.com/server/TrackmaniaServer_Latest.zip. It holds TrackmaniaServer for Linux and TrackmaniaServer.exe for Windows. No Steam account is involved.
A dedicated-server account: register one at https://www.trackmania.com/player/dedicated-servers. It gives you a login and a password for the server, separate from your player account.
Network: the server port reachable from the internet. Nadeo's template sets server_port to 2350.
Hardware: Nadeo does not publish server requirements in the download.
The game: dedicated servers are PC only, so every player needs the PC version of Trackmania. Hosting online rooms on your own server, and playing club rooms, are Club access features on Nadeo's access page. Free Starter access lists only joining a local server.

The server software is free. You pay for the machine, power and bandwidth, plus Club access for online rooms.

Option 1: host it yourself

This works on a spare PC, a home server or a cloud virtual machine. The steps below are the ones our install script runs.

Linux

Download and unpack the server.

sudo apt install wget unzip
mkdir -p ~/trackmania && cd ~/trackmania
wget http://files.v04.maniaplanet.com/server/TrackmaniaServer_Latest.zip
unzip -o TrackmaniaServer_Latest.zip
rm TrackmaniaServer_Latest.zip
chmod 755 TrackmaniaServer

Make your own config and playlist from the templates. The zip ships dedicated_cfg.default.txt and a sample match settings file, not the files the server reads:
```
cp -n UserData/Config/dedicated_cfg.default.txt UserData/Config/dedicated_cfg.xml
cp -n UserData/Maps/MatchSettings/example.txt UserData/Maps/matchsettings.xml
```
The sample playlist is time attack on the 25 Training maps that come in the zip.
Edit UserData/Config/dedicated_cfg.xml. Put your dedicated-server account in masterserver_account and set a name:
```
<masterserver_account>
    <login>your-server-login</login>
    <password>your-server-password</password>
</masterserver_account>
<server_options>
    <name>My Trackmania Server</name>
    <max_players>32</max_players>
    <password></password>
</server_options>
```
An empty password means anyone can join. max_players and max_spectators are both 32 in Nadeo's template, and password_spectator is a separate password for watching.
Change the admin passwords. Nadeo's template ships three levels, SuperAdmin, Admin and User, and each password is the same word as the level name. They control the server's remote-control (XML-RPC) port, so set your own in authorization_levels before the server is public.
Start it.
```
./TrackmaniaServer /nodaemon /dedicated_cfg=dedicated_cfg.xml /game_settings=matchsettings.xml /servername="My Trackmania Server"
```
/nodaemon keeps it in your terminal. Our panel counts the server as started when the console prints a line containing Load succeeds.
Open the port. Allow the server_port from dedicated_cfg.xml (2350 by default) on the machine's firewall and forward it on your router to this machine. Do not forward xmlrpc_port (5000 by default): Nadeo's template sets xmlrpc_allowremote to False so it is local only, and it is a control port, not a player port.
Check it. In Trackmania on PC, open your club, add a Room activity, choose Use Your Dedicated Server (Advanced) and select your dedicated-server login. Then join the room from another network.

Windows

The same zip contains TrackmaniaServer.exe. Unpack it into a folder, make dedicated_cfg.xml and matchsettings.xml from the two templates as in steps 2 to 4, run TrackmaniaServer.exe from a Command Prompt with the same /nodaemon, /dedicated_cfg, /game_settings and /servername arguments, and allow the server port in Windows Firewall.

Match settings and custom game modes

Playlist: the match settings file names the game mode in script_name (the sample uses Trackmania/TM_TimeAttack_Online) and lists each map as <map><file>...</file></map>. Map paths are relative to UserData/Maps.
Custom game modes: the server compiles a mode named in script_name from UserData/Scripts. Neither UserData/Scripts/Modes nor UserData/Scripts/Libs exists in Nadeo's zip, so create them yourself. In our tests on the real server, a deliberate syntax error in a mode file under Modes came back as a compiler error naming that file, and the same for a library it included from Libs. A compiler error means the server found and read your file.

For more on playlists, see How to Change Maps and Match Settings on Your Trackmania Server.

Option 2: host it on PlayNHost

Renting removes the download, the port forwarding and the update routine. The ports and most of the config file are set up for you.

Pick a plan. Open the Trackmania server hosting page. The plan at the time of writing is MANIA, for 17 players. Press Customize Plan on it 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.
Add or check your dedicated-server account first. Register it at https://www.trackmania.com/player/dedicated-servers. In the panel, open Settings, then Game Settings, and make sure Master Server Login and Master Server Password are filled in. While the login is empty, the console warns at every start that the server starts on LAN and players cannot join it over the internet.
Set the rest on the same page.
- Server Name: the name your server shows to players.
- Server Password: the password to race. Leave it empty for no password.
- Spectator Password: a separate password to watch.
- Match settings: the playlist file the server loads, matchsettings.xml by default.
- Max Players and Max Spectators are shown but you cannot edit them.
- XML-RPC Password: only for admin tools that connect from outside. See below.
Auto-update server sits under Show advanced and is on by default.
Start or restart. When the panel shows "Saved. The server must restart before these take effect.", restart the server and watch the Console tab. When the console prints a line containing Load succeeds, the panel counts the server as running.
Join. In Trackmania on PC, create a Room activity in your club with Use Your Dedicated Server (Advanced), select your dedicated-server login, and join it. Enter the Server Password if you set one. Our guide How to Connect to Your Trackmania Server covers joining.

What our setup does for you

No account, a loud warning. If Master Server Login is empty, the start banner in the console says that no dedicated-server account is set, that the server starts on LAN, and where to register one. It is easy to miss when you only watch for "server started".
Keys the panel writes at every start. Into UserData/Config/dedicated_cfg.xml the panel writes the server name, both passwords, max players, max spectators, the server port, the XML-RPC port and the master server login and password, plus the three admin passwords from XML-RPC Password. A hand edit to any of those keys is replaced at the next start, so change them in Game Settings.
Remote XML-RPC is off until you set a password. Only when XML-RPC Password is not empty does our start script switch xmlrpc_allowremote to True, and clearing the password switches it back at the next start.
Updates without a version number. Nadeo publish one always-current zip. With Auto-update server on, our start script asks the download server whether the file changed (it compares the file's ETag and length) and downloads the 240 MB only when it did. Your dedicated_cfg.xml and match settings are never overwritten, because the zip only carries the templates.
Custom modes. The folders UserData/Scripts/Modes and UserData/Scripts/Libs are created for you.
Files. Upload maps and edit your playlist under Files. The default playlist is UserData/Maps/matchsettings.xml. Restart the server afterwards so it loads your changes.

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 plan.
Availability. Self-hosted: as reliable as your machine and home internet, and it has to stay on when your friends race. 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: command line, port forwarding and XML editing. Rented: web panel fields. Either way you need the dedicated-server account and Club access for online rooms.
Updates. Self-hosted: download the zip again and unpack it over the old files, keeping your two config files. Nadeo has warned that players cannot connect to a dedicated server left on an old build after a game update. Rented: Auto-update server checks at every start.
Player count. Self-hosted: Nadeo's template allows 32 players and 32 spectators. Rented: the plan sets the player count, 17 on MANIA.

Self-hosting suits you if a machine already runs all day and you are comfortable with networking. Renting suits you if you would rather not look after hardware. Either way you need the free dedicated-server account.

Common problems and fixes

The server runs but you cannot pick it for a club room

Cause: no dedicated-server account is set. A room selects your server by its dedicated-server login.

Fix: register the account at trackmania.com, enter the login and password (in masterserver_account, or Master Server Login and Master Server Password on PlayNHost), and restart.

The server will not start after you edit the config

Cause: dedicated_cfg.xml is XML, so an unclosed tag breaks it.

Fix: keep a copy of the working file before editing. If you lose it, copy dedicated_cfg.default.txt again.

The server does not find the config you edited

Cause: the zip's template is named dedicated_cfg.default.txt, and the server is started with /dedicated_cfg=dedicated_cfg.xml. Editing the template changes nothing.

Fix: copy the template to UserData/Config/dedicated_cfg.xml and edit that.

Your changes disappear (PlayNHost)

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

Fix: change the server name, the passwords and the master server login in Game Settings.

Players cannot connect after a Trackmania update

Cause: the server still runs the old build. Nadeo has warned that you need the new server files after a game update for players to connect.

Fix: download TrackmaniaServer_Latest.zip again and unpack it over the old files. On PlayNHost, keep Auto-update server on and restart.

FAQ

Can I host a Trackmania server for free?

The server software is a free download from Nadeo. You still pay for the machine and internet, and it must stay on while people play. Nadeo lists hosting online rooms on your own server as a Club access feature, so it is not free end to end.

Do I need a special account?

Yes. Register a dedicated-server account at trackmania.com. It is separate from your player account, and a club room picks your server by that login.

Which ports does it use?

The server port, 2350 in Nadeo's template, and an XML-RPC control port, 5000 in the template. Players only need the server port. The XML-RPC port is local only unless you change xmlrpc_allowremote.

How many players can join?

Nadeo's template has 32 players and 32 spectators. Our MANIA plan is 17 players.

How to host a Trackmania server (2026)