Space Engineers is Keen Software House’s voxel-based sandbox about building, mining, and surviving in space and on planets, solo or with a crew. A dedicated server keeps your world running around the clock instead of tying it to whichever player happens to be hosting from their own PC, and it gives every player a fixed IP and port to connect to. This guide walks through deploying a Space Engineers server on Loafhosts, the startup settings that matter on first boot, where the save and config files actually live, connecting from the game client, and the panel tools that work with a Space Engineers server: the Config Editor, backups, schedules, and Steam Workshop mods.
One thing worth knowing up front: the Space Engineers dedicated server is a Windows program. Keen Software House does not ship a native Linux build, so Loafhosts runs it for you under a Windows-compatibility runtime on the server. You do not have to install Windows, configure Wine, or do anything special, but it does mean the first install and every game update take a little longer than a typical Linux-native server, since the full Windows dedicated-server package has to come down each time.
Note: The Space Engineers dedicated server has no native Linux build; Loafhosts runs the official Windows dedicated-server binary for you automatically. Nothing on your side changes, but installs and updates run a bit slower than native Linux games.
What You Need Before You Start
Decide a few things before you deploy so first boot goes smoothly:
- Game mode: Survival or Creative. This is set with the Game Mode startup variable and can be changed later, but changing it mid-game changes the rules your existing crew is playing under.
- Max players: the stock server supports up to 16 concurrent players. Pick a number that matches your community.
- Whether you plan to run Steam Workshop mods: mods require Experimental Mode to be turned on, which loosens some of the game’s vanilla stability guarantees. Decide this before you invite a large group in, since flipping it later is a bigger deal on a live world.
- A rough sense of your world size: a small dedicated server (4 GB RAM) is fine for a couple of players on a Survival world; a busy multiplayer base-building server with mods benefits from more headroom.
Tip: Space Engineers is CPU and RAM hungry once bases, ships, and voxel grids pile up. Budget at least 4 GB of RAM for a small server and 8 GB or more if you expect a full 16-player world with mods.
Tip: You need roughly 20 GB of free disk space for the Windows dedicated-server install plus your world saves.
Step 1: Deploy the Server
- Go to loafhosts.com and choose a plan with enough RAM and disk for the player count and modlist you planned above
- Pick the region closest to your players
- Complete checkout
- Open LoafHub at hub.loafhosts.com and select your new Space Engineers server
- Wait for the panel to finish the install and show the server as ready
The first install pulls down the full Windows dedicated-server package through the Windows-compatibility runtime, so give it a few extra minutes compared to a native Linux game the first time you deploy or update.
Tip: A plan with dedicated CPU threads is the safer pick once you have several players actively welding, mining, and flying ships at once, since Space Engineers leans hard on simulation performance.
Step 2: Review the Startup Settings
Before your first Start, open the Startup section of the panel for your server and check the variables that shape how the world boots:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Server Name | The name shown in the Steam server browser |
| Server Description | The description shown alongside your server name |
| World Name | The name of your save folder (set once, then locked) |
| Game Mode | Survival or Creative |
| Maximum Players | Player cap, up to 16 |
| Enable Saving | Whether the world autosaves at all |
| Auto Save Interval | Minutes between autosaves (default 5) |
| Enable Experimental Mode | Required for mods and in-game scripts |
| Enable In-Game Scripts | Lets players run programmable-block scripts |
| Auto Update | Whether the server checks for a game update on each start |
| Enable Remote API | Turns on the HTTP Remote API (off by default) |
World Name deserves special attention: it is shown to you but not editable after the server is created, because the save folder path and the world-load path are both built directly from that value. Changing it after the fact points the server at a save folder that does not exist and breaks startup, so treat it as fixed the moment your world exists.
A few network-related fields are also locked and managed by the panel instead of by you: the main server port comes from your server’s allocation, the Steam Port (default 8766, used for Steam server-browser visibility) is fixed, and the Remote API Port (default 8081) is fixed even though the Remote API toggle itself is editable.
Warning: Never change World Name after your world has been created. The dedicated server derives its save path from that value, and a mismatch prevents the server from starting.
Note: Because there is no graceful stop command for this server process, Auto Save Interval is your main protection against losing world progress on an unclean stop. Five minutes is a reasonable default; lower it if your world is valuable and you restart or update often.
Step 3: Where Your Save and Config Files Live
Space Engineers keeps its settings in three XML files, all synced from the same startup variables when the server (re)installs:
config/SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg: the main dedicated-server config, covering game mode, max players, autosave interval, saving on/off, experimental mode, in-game scripts, ports, server name, and the path to the active world.config/Saves/<WorldName>/Sandbox.sbc: your world’s checkpoint file. It mirrors the same core settings and also holds the list of Steam Workshop mod IDs your world loads.config/Saves/<WorldName>/Sandbox_config.sbc: a second world-level mirror of the same core settings.
<WorldName> is whatever you set as World Name at creation (the default is World). All three files get created together when the server first installs, from a template world the install script unpacks, so a from-scratch reinstall regenerates all three rather than just re-templating one config file.
Tip: If you ever need to hand-inspect or hand-edit these files beyond what the Config Editor covers, use the panel’s File Manager and navigate to the paths above.
Step 4: Start the Server and Watch the Console
- Open the Console tab for your server
- Press Start
- Watch the log as the world loads
- The server reports itself ready once it finishes loading the world and is waiting for connections
If this is your very first start after deploying, give it extra time. Unpacking the template world and finishing the Windows-runtime install both happen before the world actually comes online.
Tip: If the console looks stuck early in a first boot, that is normal for this game’s install path; it is doing more work under the hood than a native Linux server would be.
Step 5: Connect and Test
- Copy your server’s IP and port from the panel
- In Space Engineers, open Multiplayer and either search the server browser for your Server Name or use Join by IP with the address and port
- Join and confirm the world, game mode, and player cap match what you set
- Share the connection details with your crew
If your server does not show up in the in-game browser right away, connecting directly with the IP and port is the reliable fallback, and it always works even while the browser listing is still propagating.
Tip: The Steam Port has to stay reachable for your server to show up in the in-game browser; if you only ever connect directly by IP this matters less.
Panel Features That Work With Space Engineers
Config Editor. Space Engineers has a Config Editor in BETA that edits SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg and Sandbox_config.sbc from inside the panel, so you do not need an FTP client or the File Manager for routine tweaks. See the dedicated Space Engineers Config Editor guide for exactly what it covers, what is locked, and when a change needs a restart.
Change Game. If you decide Space Engineers is not the right fit for a server slot, Change Game lets you switch that server to a different supported title from the same panel without ordering a new plan.
RCON. Space Engineers does not have an RCON protocol, so there is no RCON console for it in the panel. It exposes a lightweight, proprietary HTTP-based Remote API instead (the Enable Remote API / Remote API Port settings above), which some third-party tools use for basic admin actions. It is off by default and is not a substitute for a console-style RCON tool.
Backups. Take a backup before you flip on Experimental Mode, add mods, or make any change you might want to undo. Backups capture your full world save, so a bad mod or a rushed setting change is always recoverable.
Schedules and auto-restart. Because Space Engineers has no graceful save-and-stop command (the server process is stopped with a hard interrupt, not a save RPC), a scheduled restart during a quiet hour is a sensible way to make sure the server periodically comes back up clean, on top of the autosave interval already protecting you day to day. Auto-restart on crash is also available from the panel’s power settings, so a rare crash does not leave your world offline until someone notices.
Steam Workshop Mods
Space Engineers mods come from the Steam Workshop, but the mechanism is different from many other games. There is no separate “mod list” variable in Space Engineers; instead, mods are Steam Workshop item IDs listed directly inside the <Mods> block of your world’s Sandbox.sbc checkpoint file. Two things have to be true before mods will load at all:
- Experimental Mode must be enabled. Mods and in-game scripts both require it.
- The Workshop item IDs have to be present in
Sandbox.sbc’s<Mods>block.
Today, adding those IDs is a manual step: enable Experimental Mode in the Startup settings, then use the panel’s File Manager to open config/Saves/<WorldName>/Sandbox.sbc and add each Workshop item’s numeric ID to the <Mods> block, then restart the server. Space Engineers does not currently have a one-click Steam Workshop browser in the panel the way some other Workshop-driven games do, so budget a little extra care here, and take a backup of Sandbox.sbc before you hand-edit it.
Warning: Turning on Experimental Mode loosens some of the game’s vanilla stability guarantees. It is required for mods and in-game scripts, but let your players know before you flip it on a world they already care about.
Tip: Take a backup before editing
Sandbox.sbcby hand. A malformed<Mods>block can prevent the world from loading.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Space Engineers dedicated server hosting?
A dedicated server runs the official Space Engineers server process independently of any player’s own game session, so your world, ships, and bases stay online whether or not anyone is actively playing. It gives your crew a fixed IP and port instead of relying on one player to host from their PC.
Do I need Windows to run a Space Engineers server?
No. The dedicated server itself is Windows-only software, but Loafhosts runs it for you on Linux through a Windows-compatibility runtime. You interact with it entirely through the panel; there is nothing Windows-specific for you to set up.
How many players can join my server?
The stock configuration supports up to 16 concurrent players, set with the Maximum Players startup variable.
Can I switch between Survival and Creative?
Yes, with the Game Mode startup variable. Keep in mind that changing it on a world your players are already invested in changes the rules they are playing under, so it is best decided before you go live or communicated clearly if you change it later.
Does Space Engineers support RCON?
No. Space Engineers has no RCON protocol. It exposes a proprietary HTTP-based Remote API instead, toggled by the Enable Remote API setting, which some external tools use for lightweight admin actions. It is not an in-panel console and is off by default.
How do I install Steam Workshop mods?
Turn on Experimental Mode in your Startup settings, then use the File Manager to add each mod’s Steam Workshop item ID to the <Mods> block inside config/Saves/<WorldName>/Sandbox.sbc, and restart the server. There is currently no one-click Workshop browser for Space Engineers in the panel, so take a backup of that file before you hand-edit it.
Why can’t I change my World Name after deploying?
The dedicated server builds its save folder path and world-load path directly from World Name. Changing it after your world exists points the server at a save folder that no longer matches, which prevents the server from starting. Treat World Name as fixed once your world is created.
Do I need backups before enabling mods or Experimental Mode?
Yes. Take a backup before you flip on Experimental Mode, add Workshop mod IDs, or make any change to Sandbox.sbc by hand. Backups capture your full world save, so you can always roll back if something does not load the way you expected.