Ryan: [wiki:wiki-operator] New guide: rent a Subsistence server or host the free dedicated server yourself (Ryan yes 11/07)

2026-11-07T14:14:28Z

[wiki:wiki-operator] New guide: rent a Subsistence server or host the free dedicated server yourself (Ryan yes 11/07)

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{{#seo:
|title=Subsistence Dedicated Server: How to Rent or Host Your Own
|description=How to get a Subsistence dedicated server: rent one from us, or download the free server with SteamCMD and run it on your own Windows PC.
}}

A Subsistence server keeps your world, bases and seasons going while everyone is offline. You can rent one from us or run the free dedicated server yourself on a Windows PC.

== Option #1: Renting a Subsistence server ==

You can [https://www.survivalservers.com/services/game_servers/subsistence/ rent a Subsistence server] from Survival Servers, with 10, 20 or 30 slots.

=== Order the server ===

# On the Subsistence order page, pick a plan and a location close to your players, then click '''Order Now'''.
# Sign in or create an account, choose '''Credit card''' or '''PayPal''', and click '''Order Now'''.
#:[[File:order-checkout-account-payment.png|thumb|none|720px|alt=Order page steps 2 and 3: sign in or create an account, then choose credit card or PayPal and press Order Now.|Step 2 is your account, step 3 is payment.]]
# Your server is set up for you.

=== Set up your server ===

# Sign in to the [https://www.survivalservers.com/sspanel/ Command Center] and click your server's name.
#:[[File:subsistence-panel-server-details-2026-11.png|thumb|none|720px|alt=A Subsistence server's page in the Command Center with Start, Stop and Restart, its status and the Address row outlined in gold.|Your server's status and address are under Server Details.]]
# Under '''MODIFY GAME SERVER SETTINGS''', type your server's name in '''Server Title'''. Players search for this name in the game's server list. A new server is called My New Server by SurvivalServers.com until you change it.
# Optional: set a '''Lock Password''' so only your group can join. Use letters and numbers only.
# Set an '''Admin Pass''', the password you log in as admin with. Use letters and numbers only.
# Click '''Save Settings & Restart''' in the bar at the bottom of the window.
#:[[File:panel-settings-save-bar.png|thumb|none|720px|alt=Bottom bar reading You have unsaved changes, with the Save Settings and Restart button outlined in gold.|Nothing is saved until you click Save Settings & Restart.]]

Difficulty, hunters, seasons, PvP and mods are in the server's settings file. [[Subsistence Server Configuration|How to change them]].

=== Make yourself an admin ===

Log in with your '''Admin Pass''': type it instead of the Lock Password when you join. A server with no Lock Password needs a console command instead. Then open '''Server Stats''', the button under your character's clothing panel, to kick and ban players. Full steps and the console commands: [[Subsistence Admin Commands|Subsistence admin commands]].

== Option #2: Hosting a Subsistence server yourself ==

The Subsistence dedicated server is a free download through SteamCMD, and the computer running it doesn't need a copy of the game. It runs on Windows only.

=== What you need ===

* A Windows PC with about 1 GB of free disk space for the server.
* SteamCMD, Valve's command-line Steam client.
* DirectX June 2010 and Visual C++ 2010. Install both with <code>UE3Redist.exe</code> in the server's <code>Binaries\Redist</code> folder.
* Visual C++ 2019. Get it from Steamworks Common Redistributables in Steam, or from Microsoft's site.
* Two ports open to the internet: the game port and the query port.

=== Install the server ===

Start [https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SteamCMD SteamCMD] and type these lines one at a time:
<pre>force_install_dir C:\subsistence
login anonymous
app_update 1362640 validate
quit</pre>
The server is Steam app <code>1362640</code>, and the same lines update it when Subsistence updates. You can also install it from your Steam library: it is under '''Tools''' as Subsistence Dedicated Server.

=== Start the server ===

# In the server's <code>Binaries\Win64</code> folder, run <code>run_dedicated_server.bat</code> once, then close the server. This first start writes its settings files.
# Open <code>UDKDedServerSettings.ini</code> in the <code>UDKGame\Config</code> folder. Give the server a <code>ServerName</code> and an <code>AdminPassword</code>, then save. Every setting: [[Subsistence Server Configuration|Subsistence server configuration]].
# Run <code>run_dedicated_server.bat</code> again. It starts the server with this line:
<pre>start /B Subsistence.exe server ^
coldmap1?steamsockets -log</pre>

The server writes its log to <code>Launch.log</code> in the <code>UDKGame\Logs</code> folder. A line starting <code>Steam game server UID:</code> means players can reach the server. If it is missing, check the ports.

=== Ports ===

The server uses two ports. Players connect on the game port, <code>7777</code>; change it to run a second server on the same PC. The in-game server list reads your server's name and players on the query port, <code>27015</code>.

Both are set in <code>UDKEngine.ini</code> in the <code>UDKGame\Config</code> folder. Open them on your firewall and router for UDP, the kind of traffic game servers use.

* Game port: <code>Port=7777</code>
* Query port: <code>QueryPort=27015</code>

If <code>Launch.log</code> shows <code>UDP recvfrom error</code>, another program is using the query port. Pick another number, such as 27025, and start the server again.

A PC with more than one IP address can bind the server to one of them. Add this to the end of the line in <code>run_dedicated_server.bat</code>, with the address in place of <code><IP></code>:
<pre>-multihome=<IP></pre>

== Connecting to your server ==

Players find the server by its name in Subsistence's in-game server list. If it has a password, the game asks for it when they join.

The server shows in the list once it has finished loading the world. A server with Steam Workshop mods loads the world a second time when its mods are ready, so it takes longer.

== Frequently asked questions ==

=== Is the Subsistence dedicated server free? ===
Yes. It downloads through SteamCMD with an anonymous login, Steam app <code>1362640</code>. Every player who joins needs their own copy of Subsistence.

=== How many players can join a Subsistence server? ===
Up to 32. Our plans have 10, 20 or 30 slots.

=== Can I move my co-op world to a dedicated server? ===
Yes. Stop the server, then copy the <code>SaveData</code> folder from the <code>UDKGame</code> folder of your game into the same place on the server, replacing the server's folder. On a server you rent from us, upload it with the FTP details on your server's page.

=== Does my server run the experimental branch? ===
No. Our servers install the public build of the Subsistence dedicated server.

== Related guides ==

* [[Subsistence Server Configuration|Subsistence server configuration]]
* [[Subsistence Admin Commands|Subsistence admin commands]]
* [[How to: Survival Servers Control Panel|A tour of the Command Center]]

Keep your bases and seasons running with [https://www.survivalservers.com/services/game_servers/subsistence/ Subsistence server hosting] from Survival Servers.

How to Create a Subsistence Server Guide - Revision history

Ryan: [wiki:wiki-operator] New guide: rent a Subsistence server or host the free dedicated server yourself (Ryan yes 11/07)