ARMA 3 Dedicated Server Setup

ARMA 3 Server

ARMA 3 is a military simulation game with extensive modding support. Running a dedicated server enables persistent missions, custom scenarios, and large-scale multiplayer operations.

Requirements

• 4+ CPU cores (single-thread performance matters)
• 8GB+ RAM
• 50GB+ SSD (more with mods)
• SteamCMD for installation

Installation

# Install SteamCMD and dependencies
sudo apt install -y steamcmd lib32gcc-s1

# Download ARMA 3 dedicated server
steamcmd +force_install_dir /opt/arma3 \
    +login YOUR_STEAM_USERNAME \
    +app_update 233780 validate \
    +quit

Server Configuration

# /opt/arma3/server.cfg
hostname = "My ARMA 3 Server";
password = "";
passwordAdmin = "admin_password";
maxPlayers = 40;
voteMissionPlayers = 1;
voteThreshold = 0.33;
allowedFilePatching = 1;
verifySignatures = 2;
BattlEye = 1;

class Missions {
    class Mission1 {
        template = "your_mission.Altis";
        difficulty = "veteran";
    };
};

Launch Script with Mods

cat > /opt/arma3/start.sh << EOF
#!/bin/bash
cd /opt/arma3
./arma3server_x64 \
    -config=server.cfg \
    -port=2302 \
    -name=server \
    -profiles=/opt/arma3/profiles \
    "-mod=@CBA_A3;@ACE;@TFAR" \
    -loadMissionToMemory \
    -enableHT \
    -hugepages
EOF
chmod +x /opt/arma3/start.sh

Headless Client

# Headless clients offload AI processing
./arma3server_x64 -client -connect=127.0.0.1 \
    -port=2302 -password="" \
    -profiles=/opt/arma3/profiles/HC1 \
    "-mod=@CBA_A3;@ACE"

Firewall

ufw allow 2302:2306/udp  # Game ports
ufw allow 2344/tcp       # BattlEye

Workshop Mod Management

# Download mods via SteamCMD
steamcmd +login YOUR_USER \
    +workshop_download_item 107410 MOD_ID \
    +quit

# Create symlinks in server directory
ln -s ~/.steam/SteamApps/workshop/content/107410/MOD_ID /opt/arma3/@ModName