Icarus Dedicated Server Setup 2025

Icarus is a session-based survival game from Dean Hall, creator of DayZ. Set up dedicated servers for timed prospects (missions) and persistent outposts on an alien planet.

Prerequisites

Hardware Requirements

Component	Minimum	Recommended
CPU	6 cores @ 3.0 GHz	8 cores @ 3.5+ GHz
RAM	16 GB	32 GB
Storage	50 GB NVMe SSD	100 GB NVMe SSD
Network	100 Mbps upload	200 Mbps upload
OS	Windows 10/11 64-bit	Windows Server 2019/2022

Step 1: Install SteamCMD

SteamCMD is Valve's command-line tool for downloading game server files.

Windows Setup

1. Download SteamCMD from Valve's website
2. Extract to a folder (e.g., C:\steamcmd)
3. Run steamcmd.exe

Linux Setup (Ubuntu/Debian)

# Update packages
sudo apt-get update

# Install dependencies
sudo apt-get install lib32gcc-s1 libc6-i386

# Download SteamCMD
mkdir ~/steamcmd
cd ~/steamcmd
wget https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
tar -xvzf steamcmd_linux.tar.gz

Step 2: Download Icarus Server

Launch SteamCMD and run the following commands:

# Set installation directory
force_install_dir C:\IcarusServer  # Windows
# force_install_dir ~/icarusserver  # Linux

# Login anonymously
login anonymous

# Download Icarus dedicated server files
app_update 2089300 validate

# Exit SteamCMD
quit

Verify Installation

Check the server directory contains these files:

• IcarusServer.exe (Windows) or IcarusServer (Linux)
• Engine directory
• Content directory
• Icarus directory

Step 3: Configure Server

Basic Server Configuration

Create ServerSettings.ini in your server directory:

[ServerSettings]
# Server identification
ServerName="My Icarus Server"
ServerPassword=""
AdminPassword="your_secure_password_here"

# Session settings
MaxPlayers=8
GameMode=Prospect  # Prospect/Outpost/OpenWorld
SessionType=Timed  # Timed/Persistent

# Network settings
Port=17777
QueryPort=27015
ServerRegion=NA  # NA/EU/AS/SA/OC

# Server visibility
ListOnMasterServer=true
ServerVisibility=public  # public/friends-only/private

Prospect Configuration (Timed Missions)

[ProspectSettings]
# Mission parameters
ProspectName="Operation: First Light"
ProspectDifficulty=Normal  # Easy/Normal/Hard/Hardcore
TimeLimitHours=24  # Real-time hours for mission
ExtractionRequired=true  # Must extract to keep items

# Mission modifiers
WeatherSeverity=Normal  # Calm/Normal/Severe
WildlifeAggression=Normal  # Passive/Normal/Aggressive
ResourceAbundance=Normal  # Sparse/Normal/Abundant

# Player settings
StartingGear=Basic  # Basic/Advanced/None
DropPodLocation=Random  # Random/Fixed/Selected

Outpost Configuration (Persistent Bases)

[OutpostSettings]
# Outpost parameters
OutpostName="Persistent Base Alpha"
OutpostType=Forest  # Forest/Desert/Arctic/Canyon
PersistenceEnabled=true  # Save world state
AutoSaveInterval=300  # Save every 5 minutes

# Building rules
BuildingDecay=false  # Structures don't decay
WeatherDamage=false  # No weather damage to structures
WildlifeSpawning=true  # Animals spawn normally

# Resource settings
ResourceRespawnRate=1.0  # 1.0 = normal respawn
CropGrowthRate=1.0
AnimalRespawnRate=1.0

Step 4: Launch Server

Windows Launch

Create batch file start_server.bat:

@echo off
cd C:\IcarusServer
start IcarusServer.exe -log -Port=17777 -QueryPort=27015 -GameMode=Prospect

Linux Launch

Create shell script start_server.sh:

#!/bin/bash
cd ~/icarusserver
./IcarusServer -log -Port=17777 -QueryPort=27015 -GameMode=Prospect

Make executable: chmod +x start_server.sh

Command Line Arguments

Argument	Description	Example
-Port	Game server port	-Port=17777
-QueryPort	Steam query port	-QueryPort=27015
-GameMode	Prospect/Outpost/OpenWorld	-GameMode=Prospect
-SessionName	Custom session name	-SessionName="WeekendMission"
-MaxPlayers	Player limit	-MaxPlayers=8
-AdminPassword	Admin password	-AdminPassword="secret"
-log	Enable logging	-log
-nosteam	Disable Steam (LAN only)	-nosteam

Step 5: Port Forwarding

Open the following ports on your router and firewall:

Port	Protocol	Purpose
17777	UDP	Game traffic (required)
27015	UDP	Steam query (required)
27016	UDP	Backup query port (optional)
27017-27020	UDP	Additional game ports (optional)

Windows Firewall Rules

# Create inbound rule for Icarus
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Icarus Server" -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 17777 -Action Allow
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Icarus Query" -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 27015 -Action Allow

Linux UFW Rules

sudo ufw allow 17777/udp
sudo ufw allow 27015/udp
sudo ufw reload

Step 6: Admin Commands

In-Game Admin Commands

Command	Description	Usage
/admin login [password]	Login as admin	/admin login secret
/admin kick [player]	Kick player	/admin kick John
/admin ban [player]	Ban player	/admin ban Cheater123
/admin time	Show remaining mission time	/admin time
/admin weather [type]	Change weather	/admin weather clear
/admin spawn [item] [count]	Spawn items	/admin spawn Wood 100
/admin teleport [player]	Teleport to player	/admin teleport Jane
/admin save	Force world save	/admin save

RCON Commands (Remote Console)

Enable RCON in ServerSettings.ini:

[RCONSettings]
RCONEnabled=true
RCONPort=25575
RCONPassword="rcon_password"

Connect using RCON client:

# Using rcon-cli
rcon-cli --host 127.0.0.1 --port 25575 --password rcon_password "admin time"

Step 7: Server Management

Automated Startup (Windows Service)

Create Windows Service using NSSM:

# Download NSSM from https://nssm.cc
nssm install IcarusServer "C:\IcarusServer\IcarusServer.exe"
nssm set IcarusServer AppParameters "-log -Port=17777 -GameMode=Prospect"
nssm set IcarusServer AppDirectory "C:\IcarusServer"
nssm start IcarusServer

Automated Startup (Linux Systemd)

Create /etc/systemd/system/icarus.service:

[Unit]
Description=Icarus Dedicated Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=icarus
WorkingDirectory=/home/icarus/server
ExecStart=/home/icarus/server/IcarusServer -log -Port=17777 -GameMode=Prospect
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable service: sudo systemctl enable icarus

Backup Procedures

1. World Saves: Located in Saved/SaveGames/
2. Configuration: Backup all .ini files
3. Logs: Located in Saved/Logs/
4. Automated Backup Script: Run daily backups to cloud/remote storage

Troubleshooting

Next Steps

• Check detailed hardware requirements
• Learn about persistent outpost servers
• Configure timed prospect missions
• Optimize server performance
• Explore all configuration options