An Enshrouded dedicated server holds up to 16 players: the slotCount setting accepts any number from 1 to 16. For memory, Keen Games puts the server process at about 4.4 GB of RAM when idle, plus up to 100 MB per player, and says it should not use more than 6 GB in total.
Those figures come from Keen's help center and were written before 1.0. The 1.0 changelog says Keen "Reduced the memory needed for server and client communication", but Keen has not published new numbers for the 1.0 server. Until it does, the documented figures are the best ones to plan with, and that is what this guide uses.
The Player Limit
Keen's Dedicated Server Configuration article is short on this: "The slot count must be a number between 1 and 16." A fresh config starts at 16. Keen's general FAQ says the same in its own way, telling players to grab "a friend or three (and up to 16!)". Nothing in the 1.0 changelog changes that cap.
Two settings around it are worth knowing:
- Fewer slots for a weaker machine. Keen notes that "each slot (player) will increase the impact on the performance of the server", and that lowering the slot count can help if CPU or RAM is the bottleneck.
- Reserved slots. Each user group can have
reservedSlots. Once only reserved slots are left, the server shows as "full" to players from other groups, so admins can still get in on a busy evening. Our server settings guide covers the user groups.
What about PS5?
Enshrouded 1.0 also launched on PS5. The PlayStation Store lists "up to 8 online players with PS Plus", and PS Plus is required for online play. That is a separate world from PC: Keen's launch FAQ says the game "will not be cross-platform at launch", and Keen has not announced dedicated servers for PS5 or a way for PS5 players to join a PC server. Everything below is about the PC dedicated server.
How Much RAM an Enshrouded Server Needs
Keen's Dedicated Server FAQ gives three numbers:
- "In idle state the server process uses ~4.4GB of physical RAM."
- "Each player needs up to 100MB of additional RAM."
- "In total the server should not use more than 6GB of physical RAM."
Put together, 4.4 GB plus 16 players at 100 MB each comes to 6.0 GB, which matches Keen's ceiling. For the group sizes in between, the same sum gives:
| Players online | Server process RAM, from Keen's figures |
|---|---|
| 0 (idle) | about 4.4 GB |
| 4 | up to about 4.8 GB |
| 8 | up to about 5.2 GB |
| 12 | up to about 5.6 GB |
| 16 | up to about 6.0 GB |
Keen's recommended specifications say the hardware needed depends "strongly on the number of players playing actively on the server". So count the people who are online at the same time, not everyone who has the password.
The big number is the idle one. An empty server already uses most of the memory, and players add comparatively little.
What those numbers leave out
The figures above are for the server process alone. A real machine needs more:
- The operating system. Keen's own hardware recommendation of 16 GB is for a complete Windows machine, not for the process.
- The game itself. If you run the server on the PC you also play on, the game client needs its own memory on top.
- Proton or Wine on Linux. Keen ships the server for Windows only. Its installation article says "For now, only Windows is supported. Linux support is planned for later", and the 1.0 server build on Steam is still a Windows-only app. On Linux it runs through Proton or Wine, which Keen does not support or document. That compatibility layer uses memory of its own and Keen gives no figure for it, so do not size a Linux server to exactly 6 GB.
Disk space
Keen's spec article asks for an SSD with at least 30 GB free for the installation, plus up to 100 MB for each extra saved world. The 1.0 server files on Steam come to about 8 GB installed, less than the roughly 13 GB Keen's FAQ gave before 1.0, and the 1.0 changelog says save files got smaller as well.
CPU and Network
Keen's recommended specifications describe a whole machine, in two sizes:
| Group | CPU | RAM | Storage | Upload |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 to 6 players | Intel Core i7 at 3.2 GHz or AMD equivalent, 6 cores / 12 threads | 16 GB | SSD, 30 GB free | 2 Mbit/s per player |
| 16 players | Intel Core i7 at 3.7 GHz or AMD equivalent, 8 cores / 16 threads | 16 GB | SSD, 30 GB free | 2 Mbit/s per player |
A few things to keep in mind when reading that table:
- It is for the whole machine. Keen's FAQ answers "How much CPU % does the game server process use?" only by pointing to this article, so Keen does not say how many of those cores the server process itself uses.
- It predates 1.0. The article was last edited in January 2024.
- The difference between the two lines is the CPU. RAM stays at 16 GB in both. For 16 players Keen asks for a "stronger CPU": more cores and a higher clock.
- Upload adds up. At 2 Mbit/s per player, 16 players need about 32 Mbit/s of upload, and Keen says download "should roughly match the upload".
1.0 also changed how a busy server feels. Per the changelog, server performance warnings "could trigger too soon" before and were reworked, gliding depends less on a slow server's tick rate, and player movement responds better while the server is under heavy load.
Sizing Table by Group Size
This puts Keen's numbers next to our plans. The RAM column is the sum from above for the largest group in each row.
| Group size | Server process RAM (Keen's figures) | Keen's whole-machine guidance | Space-Node plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 players | up to 4.8 GB | 4 to 6 player line: 6 cores / 12 threads, 16 GB | Flame, 8 GB |
| 5 to 8 players | up to 5.2 GB | 4 to 6 player line; Keen has no line for 7 or 8 | Flame, 8 GB |
| 9 to 12 players | up to 5.6 GB | no Keen line, between the two | Beacon, 12 GB |
| 13 to 16 players | up to 6.0 GB | 16 player line: 8 cores / 16 threads, 16 GB | Beacon, 12 GB, or Summit or Ancient for more headroom |
Hosting It With Space-Node
Our Enshrouded server hosting runs the Windows server through Proton on Linux nodes with shared AMD Ryzen 9 CPUs (3900X-class in Europe, Canada and India, 7950X3D in the USA, 5950X in Singapore and Australia). Because Keen puts the server process at about 4.4 GB idle before Proton takes its share, Flame is the plan we suggest starting on for 1.0: 8 GB for €10.20 a month, up to 8 players. Beacon (12 GB, €15.80 a month) takes up to 16 players, and Summit (16 GB, €20.50) and Ancient (24 GB, €30.90) add memory headroom. Every plan has DDoS protection, and you can pick one of 9 regions, from the Netherlands and Germany to Singapore and Australia.
Once the server is up, send your friends our guide on how to join an Enshrouded dedicated server. If your group already played together in a co-op game, you can move that world to the dedicated server.
FAQ
How many players can join an Enshrouded dedicated server?
Up to 16. The slotCount setting accepts 1 to 16.
How much RAM does an Enshrouded server need for 4 players? By Keen's figures, the server process uses up to about 4.8 GB with 4 players. Add memory for the operating system, or for Proton or Wine on Linux.
Does an empty server use RAM? Yes. Keen puts the idle server process at about 4.4 GB, which is most of what it uses with a full server.
Can I raise the limit above 16? No. Keen's docs only allow slot counts from 1 to 16.
How many players can play together on PS5? The PlayStation Store lists up to 8 online players with PS Plus. PS5 players cannot join PC dedicated servers, as there is no crossplay at launch.
Related: Enshrouded dedicated server setup guide | Enshrouded server settings explained | Enshrouded hosting plans