How to Host a WARDOGS Server
You cannot self-host WARDOGS today. There is no public dedicated-server package, no Steam app ID for one, and no install command that works. Community servers exist, but they run through hosting companies BULKHEAD approved, and renting from one of those is currently the only route.
Confirmed by BULKHEAD, 8 September 2026: community hosted servers are available through three approved hosting partners, QONZER, BisectHosting and xREALM, ahead of the Early Access launch on 10 September. That announcement is the source for everything on this page about who may host.
Rent or self-host
| Question | Answer today |
|---|---|
| Can I rent a community server? | Yes, from QONZER, BisectHosting or xREALM. |
| Can I run one on my own machine? | No. No public server package has been released. |
| Is there a SteamCMD app ID for the server? | None has been published. |
| Can any host sell WARDOGS servers? | No. The approved-partner list is the whole list. |
| Does Supercraft host WARDOGS? | No, and we are not one of the approved partners. |
That last row is why this guide sends you elsewhere. We would rather say so plainly than let you work it out after paying somebody.
What to decide before you rent
These are the choices the provider cannot make for you, and they are the same whoever you rent from.
- Region. Pick where your players actually live, not where you live, if those differ.
- Slot count. Plan for the size you will sustain on a normal weeknight rather than the peak you hope for on day one. An empty 100-slot server feels worse than a full 60.
- Moderation before launch, not after. Write the rules, decide who enforces them and agree what happens when two admins disagree. BULKHEAD's own pitch for community servers is that admins can ban bad actors immediately, which only helps if somebody is actually watching.
- A quiet test window. Join it yourself, with a friend, before you advertise the address anywhere.
What we are deliberately not telling you
You will find pages elsewhere listing WARDOGS ports, config filenames and admin command syntax. Since no public server package exists, none of that can have come from one. Copying invented port numbers into a firewall produces exactly the "my server does not show up" problem you were trying to avoid, and unsupported config keys create expectations the game will not meet.
When BULKHEAD publish a server package, this page gains the real commands and paths. Until then the honest answer is the short one at the top.
If you have already rented from an approved partner and the server is not appearing, start with server browser not showing. If you cannot connect at all, the connection timeout guide covers whether the problem is yours or everyone's.