The Best Medieval Engineers Server Hosting

Hosting a Medieval Engineers server

Medieval Engineers is Keen Software House's sandbox about building castles, bridges and working machines with medieval technology, on a planet you can dig into and reshape. It left Early Access in March 2020, when Keen ended its own development, and it has since been maintained as a Community Edition led by volunteers with Keen's support. It is a Windows PC game with co-op, PvP and Steam Workshop support.

The dedicated server is free: it comes with the game and is also a separate free tool through SteamCMD. It is a Windows program, configured through a configurator or the MedievalEngineers-Dedicated.cfg file, and it listens on UDP port 27016 by default. The engine simulates structural integrity and physics for every block, so a server's load is set by what players build as much as by how many are online.

What to compare

• CPU for physics. Structural integrity, collapsing walls, mechanical parts and voxel digging are all calculated on the server. Weak or oversold CPUs show up as lag when big builds move or fall.
• RAM for a growing world. Large castles and terraformed land raise memory use over time, so leave room to upgrade.
• A Windows server. The official dedicated server runs on Windows, so check the plan runs it on Windows rather than through a compatibility layer.
• Workshop mods. Mods are added by Workshop ID in the configurator or config. Look for a host that lets you edit the mod list and restart freely, and remember players need the same mods to join.
• Config file access. World settings, scenario, difficulty and player limit live in MedievalEngineers-Dedicated.cfg. File access avoids being stuck with a few panel options.
• Backups. Big builds can be lost to a physics collapse or a griefer. Automatic backups and an easy restore are worth having.
• Location. A nearby datacentre keeps building and combat responsive.

See the current Medieval Engineers hosting deals for offers from listed providers. For a whole machine, see dedicated servers.

Medieval Engineers server hosting FAQ

How many players can join a Medieval Engineers server?

The player limit is set in the server config, and the dedicated server accepts a maxPlayers override at launch. In practice the physics load from players' builds decides how many play smoothly, so start small and grow.

Is Medieval Engineers still being updated?

Keen ended its own development in 2020, and updates since then come from the volunteer Community Edition team with Keen's support.

Can I run mods on a Medieval Engineers server?

Yes. Add Steam Workshop mods by their IDs in the server configuration, and players will need the same mods when they join.

Can I host a Medieval Engineers server for free?

Yes, if you run it yourself on a Windows PC. The dedicated server is free with the game and through SteamCMD. It is only online while that machine is on, so groups who want a world up all the time usually rent one.