Fixed: steamclient.so Missing on HumanitZ Dedicated Server
When setting up a HumanitZ dedicated server on Linux, the most common roadblock is the Failed to load steamclient.so error. This occurs because the game engine (Unreal Engine 4/5) expects the Steam SDK to be in a specific system path, but SteamCMD installs it into a hidden local directory. This guide explains how to fix this with a symlink.
๐ The Hidden Directory
SteamCMD stores the mandatory steamclient.so file in ~/.steam/sdk64/. If this folder is missing, the server cannot authenticate with Steam.
๐ Symlink Repair
A symlink (symbolic link) tells the HumanitZ binary exactly where to find the library without moving the actual file.
How to Fix the steamclient.so Error
1. Locate your Steam SDK
First, verify that the file actually exists on your system. Run this command:
ls -l ~/.steam/sdk64/steamclient.soIf the directory does not exist, you must run SteamCMD once to initialize the SDK folders.
2. Create the Symlink
Navigate to your HumanitZ server's binary folder (where HumanitZServer-Linux-Shipping is located) and create the link to the global Steam folder:
# Create the directory if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p ~/.steam/sdk64
# Link the library
ln -s /path/to/your/steamcmd/linux64/steamclient.so ~/.steam/sdk64/steamclient.so3. Verification
Restart your HumanitZ dedicated server. The console should now skip the graphics initialization errors and proceed to LogSteamShared: Display: Loading Steam SDK... Success!.
Note: Update 1.0 changed the binary path. If you just updated your server, you may need to recreate the symlink in the new HumanitZ/Binaries/Linux/ directory.
Managed HumanitZ Hosting
Manually managing symlinks and SDK versions can be difficult after a major game update. At Supercraft, we use a custom Docker container that includes all necessary Steam SDKs, so your HumanitZ server launches perfectly every time with no manual intervention.