Picking an Enshrouded hosting provider is simpler than for most games because Enshrouded has a hard 16-player cap and relatively straightforward server requirements. The differences between hosts come down to a few specific things. Here is what to actually look for.
What Matters for Enshrouded Specifically
Proton or Wine support on Linux. Enshrouded does not have a native Linux dedicated server. The server binary is a Windows executable that needs Proton or Wine to run on Linux hardware. Some hosts handle this automatically. Others give you a VPS and leave you to figure out Proton yourself. If you are not comfortable setting up Proton on a headless Linux machine, you want a host that does it for you.
RAM that scales with world size. Enshrouded's memory usage grows as players explore, mine, and build. A small group in early biomes is fine on 4 GB. A full 16-player world that has been running for weeks, with large bases and extensive terrain modification, can push into 12-16 GB. The host should offer tiers that let you start small and upgrade later.
NVMe storage with room to grow. Enshrouded save files get larger over time as the voxel terrain accumulates changes. A host that gives you 10 GB of storage will feel tight after a month of active play. Look for 30 GB as a baseline, more for long-running worlds.
Region close to your players. Enshrouded is a cooperative PvE game, so latency tolerance is higher than for a competitive shooter. Still, 200ms of latency makes combat feel sluggish and building unresponsive. Pick a host with a region near your group.
What Does Not Matter Much
CPU clock speed beyond a minimum. Enshrouded's server is not particularly CPU-intensive at 16 players. Any modern CPU above 3.5 GHz is fine. You do not need to pay a premium for the fastest clock available.
"Unlimited" slots. The game caps at 16. A host advertising 32 or 64 slots for Enshrouded is selling you something the game cannot use.
Operating system choice. Since the server runs through Proton regardless, whether the host runs Ubuntu or Debian or another Linux distribution does not matter to you.
Provider Comparison
Space-Node
Five tiers from 4 GB (EUR 5.80/mo) to 24 GB (EUR 30.90/mo). Proton runtime pre-configured, no manual setup. NVMe SSD storage starts at 30 GB and scales to 150 GB on the largest plan. Five regions: Netherlands, Canada, USA (San Jose), Singapore, India. DDoS protection included on every plan. You can upgrade between tiers without losing your world.
The standout here is that Proton is ready out of the box and the panel handles server management, so you do not need SSH access or Linux experience. The five-region spread is also wider than most game hosting providers.
View Enshrouded plans at Space-Node
Self-Hosting on a VPS
If you already have Linux experience and want full control, rent a VPS and install the server yourself via SteamCMD. You handle Proton setup, updates, backups, and firewall configuration. This gives you the most flexibility but also the most work.
A VPS with 8 GB of RAM typically runs EUR 8-15/mo depending on the provider and region. Add your time cost for setup and ongoing maintenance.
This is a good option for sysadmins who enjoy the process. It is a bad option for someone who just wants to play Enshrouded with friends and not debug Wine prefix issues at midnight.
Other Game Hosting Providers
Most established game hosting providers (Nitrado, Shockbyte, GPortal, etc.) offer Enshrouded as a one-click install. The experience varies:
- Some handle Proton/Wine transparently; others require manual configuration steps
- Pricing is generally comparable, EUR 5-20/mo depending on RAM tier
- Region availability differs significantly between providers
- Not all providers offer NVMe storage; some still run HDDs, which affects save load times
Check the specific provider's Enshrouded page for their current RAM tiers, storage amounts, and whether Proton setup is automated. Read their support forums or Discord to see how responsive they are when Enshrouded updates break the Proton layer, because that will happen.
How to Choose
For most people, the decision is straightforward:
- Do you want to manage Linux and Proton yourself? If no, use managed game hosting.
- How many players and how long will the world run? Start at 8 GB for a group that plans to play actively. 4 GB is fine for a small casual group in early zones.
- Where are your players? Pick the closest region. Europe, North America, and Asia are the common splits.
- What is your budget? Enshrouded hosting is inexpensive compared to games like ARK or FiveM. Most groups land in the EUR 10-16/mo range.
Start with a mid-tier plan and monitor your RAM usage over the first week. If you are consistently using 70%+ of your allocated RAM, upgrade. If you are sitting at 40%, you could save money by dropping a tier.
Related: Enshrouded server settings guide | Enshrouded setup guide