How to Set Up a Space Engineers Dedicated Server

Space Engineers multiplayer lets you and your friends build massive ships, space stations, and planetary bases in a shared persistent world. A dedicated server keeps your engineering projects online 24/7. This guide covers setup, world configuration, and the performance management that Space Engineers uniquely demands.

What You'll Need

• Space Engineers on Steam — Every player needs the game.
• A hosting plan or dedicated machine — Managed hosting starts at $6-8/month. Self-hosting requires 8GB+ RAM and a strong CPU.
• A world plan — Star system (planets + space), space-only, or single planet. This affects performance significantly.

Step 1: Choose Your Hosting Approach

Managed Hosting (Recommended)

Space Engineers is demanding and gets worse over time as builds grow. Managed hosts like Sparked Host, Host Havoc, and Shockbyte offer:

• Scalable RAM — Start at 4GB and upgrade as your world grows
• Strong CPUs — Essential for physics simulation of large grids
• NVMe storage — Fast world loading
• Automatic backups — Critical for a game where grids can be lost to bugs

Self-Hosted

Install via SteamCMD (app_update 298740). Forward port 27016 (UDP). Space Engineers Dedicated Server runs on Windows (64-bit only).

Step 2: Set Up on a Managed Host

1. Purchase a plan — 4GB for 2-4 players (fresh world), 8GB for 8+ players or established worlds.
2. Select Space Engineers as your game.
3. Choose a server location — Low latency matters for grid interactions.
4. Access the control panel and configure your world settings.
5. Start the server and connect via the in-game server browser.

Step 3: Configure SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg

The main configuration file controls world and server settings:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<MyConfigDedicated>
  <ServerName>My Space Engineers Server</ServerName>
  <ServerPort>27016</ServerPort>
  <WorldName>Star System</WorldName>
  <GroupID>0</GroupID>
  <IP>0.0.0.0</IP>
  <SessionSettings>
    <GameMode>Survival</GameMode>
    <MaxPlayers>16</MaxPlayers>
    <AutoSaveInMinutes>15</AutoSaveInMinutes>
    <MaxFloatingObjects>56</MaxFloatingObjects>
    <TotalPCU>100000</TotalPCU>
    <MaxGridSize>50000</MaxGridSize>
    <BlockCountThreshold>100</BlockCountThreshold>
    <EnableAutorespawn>true</EnableAutorespawn>
    <EnableSaving>true</EnableSaving>
    <ThrusterDamage>true</ThrusterDamage>
    <CargoShipsEnabled>true</CargoShipsEnabled>
    <WorldSizeKm>0</WorldSizeKm>
    <EnvironmentHostility>SAFE</EnvironmentHostility>
  </SessionSettings>
</MyConfigDedicated>

Step 4: Performance Settings (Critical)

Space Engineers performance degrades as builds grow. Configure these limits from the start:

PCU (Performance Cost Units)

PCU limits the total simulation complexity:

• TotalPCU — Total PCU across all grids on the server (default: 100,000)
• Per-player PCU — Individual player limits via admin tools
• Recommended: 50,000-100,000 total for small groups, higher for large groups with strict cleanup

Grid Management

| Setting | Recommended | Purpose | |---|---|---| | MaxFloatingObjects | 56 | Debris and loose items | | MaxGridSize | 50,000 | Blocks per grid | | MaxBlocksPerPlayer | 25,000 | Per-player limit | | TrashRemovalEnabled | true | Auto-delete distant debris |

World Type Impact

• Star System — Most demanding (multiple planets, asteroids, space)
• Space Only — Moderate (no planetary terrain)
• Single Planet — Lightest if staying on one planet

Step 5: Admin Commands

Open the admin panel in-game (Alt+F10 if admin) or use the console:

| Command | Description | |---|---| | !admin promote [player] | Grant admin rights | | !admin demote [player] | Remove admin rights | | !stop | Stop the server gracefully | | !save | Force a world save |

Essential Admin Tasks

• Regular grid cleanup — Delete abandoned or damaged grids using the admin entity list
• Monitor sim speed — Below 0.8 sim speed means the server is struggling
• Set ownership rules — Unowned grids should be deleted or claimed

Step 6: Install Mods

Add mod IDs to the server config's mod list. Popular mods:

• WeaponCore — Enhanced weapon systems
• Build Vision — Better building camera
• Assertive Acquisitions — Improved economy system
• MES (Modular Encounters System) — Dynamic NPC encounters

Mods auto-download for players on connect. Keep mod count moderate — each mod increases RAM and CPU usage.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Sim speed dropping below 1.0:

• Too many grids or blocks. Clean up abandoned builds.
• Reduce MaxFloatingObjects.
• Disable cargo ships if not needed.
• Check for grids with many pistons/rotors (physics subgrids are expensive).

Server crashes during saves:

• Increase auto-save interval to 15-30 minutes.
• Ensure sufficient disk space for world saves.
• Large worlds generate save files of 500MB+.

Players can't connect:

• Verify the server is fully loaded (check console for "Ready" message).
• Check that the game version matches between server and client.
• Ensure the correct port (27016 UDP) is accessible.

Next Steps

• Set up Discord for build coordination and fleet operations.
• Plan PCU budgets — Assign each player a fair PCU allocation.
• Schedule weekly cleanups — Admin sweeps to remove debris and abandoned grids.
• Create starter bases near spawn points to help new players get started.

Space Engineers is demanding but rewarding. Hosts like Sparked Host and Host Havoc deliver the CPU performance needed to keep sim speed at 1.0 even as your mega-projects grow.