How to host a Vein server (2026)

Short answer. You can host a Vein server yourself for free: install the dedicated server, Steam app 2131400, with SteamCMD, start it with -Port and -QueryPort, and open both ports. Or rent a Vein server and skip the networking.

Players find it in the in-game server browser, which also has a direct connect button.

Checked on 5 November 2026 against VEIN 0.025 Hotfix 3, the newest patch announced on Steam.

Game facts in this guide come from Ramjet Studios' patch notes and news posts on Steam. The start command, files and paths are the ones our panel uses for Vein servers. To skip to the rental route, go to Option 2.

What you need

• The server software: the Vein dedicated server, Steam app 2131400. It downloads with an anonymous Steam login, so you do not need to own the game on that account. Take care not to mix it up with the game itself.
• A machine that stays on: a spare PC, a home server or a cloud virtual machine. Ramjet ships a Linux build of the dedicated server, and this guide uses Linux, which is what we run.
• RAM and disk: we found no server requirements published by the developer, so leave room for the server files plus a save that grows as players build.
• Network: the game port and the Steam query port, both UDP and both reachable from the internet. The examples below use 7777 for the game and 27015 for the query port.

Option 1: host it yourself

These steps are for Debian or Ubuntu. The download command is a simpler form of the one our install runs; the start command and the file paths are the ones our servers use.

Install the server

1. Install the libraries SteamCMD needs.

   sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install wget tar lib32gcc-s1 libc6:i386 libstdc++6:i386 -y

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

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

3. Install SteamCMD.

   mkdir -p ~/steamcmd ~/server
   cd ~/steamcmd
   wget https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
   tar -xf steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
   ./steamcmd.sh +quit

4. Download the server.

   ~/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir /home/vein/server +login anonymous +app_update 2131400 validate +quit

   SteamCMD sometimes fails and still reports success. Across our SteamCMD installs for all games, not only Vein, this happened about two times in seven on a clean install. The real sign of a good install is the file steamapps/appmanifest_2131400.acf in the server folder. If it is missing, run the command again.
5. Copy the Steam client library where the server looks for it, as our install does:

   mkdir -p ~/.steam/sdk64
   cp ~/steamcmd/linux64/steamclient.so ~/.steam/sdk64/

Write the settings

1. Create the config folder inside the server folder: Vein/Saved/Config/LinuxServer.
2. Create Game.ini in that folder. This is the file our install writes on a new server:

   [/Script/Engine.GameSession]
   MaxPlayers=16
   
   [/Script/Vein.VeinGameSession]
   bPublic=True
   bAntiCheatProtected=False
   ServerName=Vein Server
   BindAddr=0.0.0.0
   HeartbeatInterval=30.0
   AdminSteamIDs=1234
   Password=
   
   [OnlineSubsystemSteam]
   GameServerQueryPort=27015
   bVACEnabled=0

   Change ServerName, and set Password if you want a private server: these are the keys our panel writes the name and password to. Passwords are case sensitive (fixed in VEIN 0.022 Hotfix 17). AdminSteamIDs=1234 is a placeholder in our template; the developer's patch notes do not document the admin keys, so this guide does not cover admin setup.
3. Edit config files only while the server is stopped.

Start it and join

1. Start the server from the server folder, with both ports on the command line:

   ./Vein/Binaries/Linux/VeinServer-Linux-Test -Port=7777 -QueryPort=27015 -log

   Run it under a service manager such as systemd so it restarts after a crash.
2. Open the ports. Allow the game port and the query port on the machine's firewall (for example sudo ufw allow 7777/udp and sudo ufw allow 27015/udp) and forward both on your router. Keep the number in -QueryPort and GameServerQueryPort in Game.ini the same, and open that port.
3. Join it. In Vein, open the server browser and look for the name you set in ServerName, or use the browser's direct connect button (added in VEIN 0.023). The patch notes do not say what address format it expects.
4. Update by stopping the server and running the step 4 download command again after each game patch, so the server runs the same build as your players.

Mods

Vein has no official mod support yet: the developers call modding support one of their more hotly requested features. The developers warn that if you have mods installed that you have not updated, the game will crash after an update. On our servers, a mod .pak file placed in Vein/Content/Paks/~mods is mounted when the server starts. Nothing creates that folder for you, so run mkdir -p Vein/Content/Paks/~mods and put the pak there. The tilde is part of the folder name.

Option 2: host it on PlayNHost

Renting removes the install, the ports and the update routine. You still choose a name, a password and your admins.

1. Pick a plan. Open the Vein server hosting page and compare the plans: TASER (16 players) and YAW YEE (24) at the time of writing. Press Create Server (Customize Plan on the biggest plan, if the page shows it) and finish the order. Prices change, so check them on that page.
2. Wait for the install. The server appears in the panel, and its Console shows the install and the first start.
3. Name it. On the Settings tab, under Game Settings, set the Server Name and, for a private server, a Server Password. Public Server controls whether you are listed in the server list. Then restart.
4. Make yourself admin. Follow How to Become an Admin on Your Vein Server.
5. Invite your players. Tell them the Server Name you set, so they can find it in the server browser. The Server Address on your server's Overview shows its address and game port. How to Connect to Your Vein Server covers the player side.

What the panel does for you:

• The panel sets the ports and passes them on the start line, so there is no router or firewall work.
• If the SteamCMD download fails, the install makes up to three attempts, and fails loudly if the files are still missing instead of leaving an empty server.
• At every start the panel writes your name, password, public flag, player limit, query port and bind address into Game.ini, and changes only those lines, so other lines you add yourself stay. Change the name, password and public flag in the panel, not in the file. See How to Change Your Vein Server Name, Password and Settings and How to Fix Vein Server Settings That Do Not Apply.
• The ~mods folder is created at every start, so you can upload mod paks to it from the Files tab.
• With Auto update on (the default, under Show advanced in Game Settings), the server checks for a new build and installs it when it starts.

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.
• 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, two forwarded ports and the update routine. Renting needs a name, a password and your admin list.
• Control: self-hosting gives you every file. On our servers you change the common settings in the panel and still have the Files tab.

Ready to skip the setup? See the Vein server plans. Already have a server? Start with How to Change Your Vein Server Name, Password and Settings.