Space Engineers Dedicated Server

Space Engineers on Linux

Space Engineers dedicated server is Windows-native but can run on Linux via Wine/Proton or Docker containers. This guide covers the Docker approach for the most reliable setup.

System Requirements

• 4+ CPU cores
• 8GB+ RAM (16GB recommended for large worlds)
• 50GB SSD storage
• Stable network connection

Docker Setup

# Install Docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | bash

# Create directories
mkdir -p /opt/space-engineers/{config,worlds,mods}

# Run using a community Docker image
docker run -d --name space-engineers \
    -p 27016:27016/udp \
    -v /opt/space-engineers/config:/config \
    -v /opt/space-engineers/worlds:/worlds \
    --restart unless-stopped \
    spaceengineers/server:latest

SteamCMD Installation (Alternative)

# Install SteamCMD and Wine
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y steamcmd wine64 xvfb

# Download Space Engineers dedicated server
steamcmd +force_install_dir /opt/space-engineers \
    +login anonymous \
    +app_update 298740 validate \
    +quit

Server Configuration

# Edit SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg
# Key settings:
# ServerName - Your server name
# WorldName - World name
# GameMode - Survival or Creative
# MaxPlayers - Player limit
# AutoSaveInMinutes - Auto-save interval
# BlockCountThreshold - Performance limits

Firewall and Monitoring

ufw allow 27016/udp

# Monitor server
docker logs space-engineers -f --tail 50

# Backup worlds
tar czf /backup/se-worlds-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /opt/space-engineers/worlds/

Performance Tips

• Set block count limits to prevent lag from massive ships
• Enable auto-cleanup of floating objects
• Regular world saves and cleanups
• Allocate sufficient RAM for large worlds