Stationeers Server Hosting - Your Base Keeps Breathing

Stationeers dedicated server requirements

Stationeers is unusually demanding for a game with small player counts, and the reason is atmospherics. Every pipe, room and tank is simulated continuously, so the cost of your world tracks the size of your build, not the number of people in it. A two-player base with a mature gas network will work a server harder than an eight-player base that just started.

World	RAM	CPU	Notes
First base, small crew	8 GB	2-4 fast cores	Early atmospherics, basic power
Established base	16 GB	4-6 fast cores	Full gas network, furnaces, automation
Large or public, modded	24 GB+	6-8 fast cores	Long-lived world, heavy pipe networks

Single-thread speed matters more than core count here, because the atmospheric tick is not spread across cores. We place Stationeers on our higher clock nodes for exactly that reason, and it is the main thing that separates a smooth base from one that stutters every time the furnace cycles.

Stationeers server setup

On a managed plan this is done for you. For reference, this is the sequence and the parts you can change:

1. The dedicated server is installed from Steam as an anonymous app, so none of your own Steam credentials are involved.
2. A world is created or uploaded. The world folder is the save: back it up, move it, and the base comes with it.
3. Server settings are written from the panel. Note that a handful of values, including the port and the password, are only read from the launch arguments rather than the settings file, which is the single most common reason a hand-edited config appears to do nothing. We set those on the command line for you.
4. The server starts and begins simulating. Autosave runs on the interval you pick.

Stationeers server settings

• World type is chosen at creation and cannot be changed afterwards. Moon, Mars, Europa and Vulcan are genuinely different games in terms of atmosphere, temperature swing and solar output. Pick deliberately.
• Autosave interval is the setting people regret. Stationeers worlds are long-lived and a lost hour of pipework hurts; we default it short and keep rotating backups regardless.
• Respawn and difficulty options change how punishing a suit breach is.
• Server name and password control server list visibility. Passworded servers still appear in the list.

Stationeers server mods

Mods come from the Steam Workshop and must be installed on the server as well as by every player. On our plans you paste Workshop IDs and they are fetched on the next restart. Load order matters in Stationeers more than in most games, because mods that add or change atmospheric items can conflict, so the panel keeps the order explicit and editable.

Stationeers on Linux and in Docker

Stationeers ships a native Linux dedicated server, which is what we run. It is a Unity headless build, so it expects a virtual framebuffer to be present even though it draws nothing; a bare container without one exits immediately on start. That is the failure people usually hit when rolling their own Docker setup, and it is handled for you here.

Server not showing up, or connection could not be established

These two cover nearly every Stationeers connection report:

1. Version mismatch. Stationeers updates often and the server must be on the same build as the client. A server left on an older build simply will not accept you.
2. The server is still loading the world. A large base can take minutes to simulate back up after a restart, and it does not accept connections until it has.
3. Mod mismatch. A missing or extra mod, or a different load order, will refuse the join.
4. Server list rather than direct join. If direct IP works and the list does not, the query port is the problem, not the server.

FAQ

Is Stationeers worth playing on a dedicated server?

It is the only way to have a base that continues without you. Stationeers simulates atmospherics constantly, so on a dedicated server your furnaces, greenhouses and power keep running between sessions. On a client-hosted game everything stops the moment the host quits, which for a game about long-term life support is a real loss.

How much RAM does a Stationeers server need?

Start at 8 GB for a first base. An established base with a full gas network wants 16 GB, and large or modded worlds want 24 GB or more. RAM tracks the size of your build and the complexity of your pipe network, not the number of players.

Does the Stationeers server run on Linux?

Yes, there is a native Linux dedicated server and that is what we run. It is a Unity headless build that needs a virtual framebuffer present to start, which is a common stumbling block when self-hosting in a container and is handled for you on a managed plan.

Can I use Steam Workshop mods?

Yes. Add the Workshop IDs and they install on the next restart. Every player needs the same mods in the same load order, which matters more in Stationeers than in most games because atmospheric mods can conflict.

Can I change the world type later?

No. The world type is fixed when the world is created, so Moon, Mars, Europa and Vulcan are a decision you make once. You can of course run a new world alongside and move between them.