Dedicated Server Hosting Guide

Below you will find how to host a Mordhau dedicated server on Windows and on Linux.

Much of this assumes you are hosting the server yourself, either on a machine on your home network or on a VPS or dedicated box you rent. If you would rather not manage any of it, there is a list of dedicated game server providers who will set one up for you and give you a control panel instead.

While this guide tries to be as complete as we can make it, the Mordhau Server Owner's Discord is still the best place to get help with a problem specific to your setup.

Before you start

You will need:

• A machine that stays on. A server that goes offline when you close the game is not much use to anyone.
• SteamCMD, Valve's command line tool for downloading server files.
• The ability to forward ports on your router, if you are hosting from home.

You do not need to own Mordhau on the account you use. The dedicated server is a separate free download and installs through an anonymous Steam login.

TIP

The server binary is Steam app 629800. That is different from the game itself, which is 629760. Downloading the wrong one is the most common mistake people make here.

Installing SteamCMD

Windows

# Download steamcmd.zip from
# https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd.zip
# and extract it somewhere sensible, for example C:\steamcmd

Linux

sudo apt update
sudo apt install lib32gcc-s1
mkdir -p ~/steamcmd && cd ~/steamcmd
curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | tar zxvf -

WARNING

SteamCMD is a 32-bit program. On a 64-bit Linux install it will not start until the 32-bit support libraries are present, which is what lib32gcc-s1 is for. On older distributions that package is called lib32gcc1.

Downloading the server

Windows

.\steamcmd.exe +force_install_dir C:\mordhau-server +login anonymous +app_update 629800 validate +quit

Linux

./steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir ~/mordhau-server +login anonymous +app_update 629800 validate +quit

It is a few gigabytes, so give it time. Run the exact same command again whenever you want to update the server after a patch.

WARNING

Put +force_install_dir before +login. SteamCMD processes arguments in order, and if the login comes first it ignores your install directory and downloads into its own folder instead.

First launch

Start the server once with no arguments. It will not be playable yet — the point is that it writes out its config files, and then you stop it.

Windows

cd C:\mordhau-server
.\MordhauServer.exe

Linux

cd ~/mordhau-server
./MordhauServer.sh

Let it finish starting, then shut it down.

Configuration

The config files now exist at:

Platform	Path
Windows	Mordhau\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\
Linux	Mordhau/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/

The one you care about is Game.ini.

DANGER

Only edit these files while the server is stopped. Mordhau holds its configuration in memory and writes it back out on shutdown, so anything you change while it is running is overwritten the moment you close it.

Game.ini

[/Script/Mordhau.MordhauGameSession]
ServerName=My Mordhau Server
MaxSlots=32
ServerPassword=
AdminPassword=changethis
BannedPlayers=()

[/Script/Mordhau.MordhauGameMode]
PlayerRespawnTime=5.000000
BallistaRespawnTime=30.000000
CatapultRespawnTime=30.000000
HorseRespawnTime=30.000000
DamageFactor=1.000000
TeamDamageFactor=0.500000
MapRotation=FFA_ThePit
MapRotation=TDM_Camp
MapRotation=SKM_Grad

[/Script/Mordhau.MordhauGameSession]

Key	What it does
ServerName	The name shown in the in-game browser
MaxSlots	Player capacity
ServerPassword	Leave empty for a public server
AdminPassword	What admins type with adminlogin in the console
Admins	One Playfab ID. Repeat the line once per admin
BannedPlayers	Managed by the ban command, you rarely edit this by hand

[/Script/Mordhau.MordhauGameMode]

Respawn times are in seconds. DamageFactor scales all damage, where 1.0 is normal and 2.0 doubles it. TeamDamageFactor scales friendly fire separately, so the default 0.5 means teammates take half damage from each other.

Map rotation

Add one MapRotation line per map. The order is the order they are played in, and the list also controls what shows up in the in-game map vote.

Map names are the mode prefix plus the map name:

Prefix	Mode
FFA_	Free for all
TDM_	Team deathmatch
SKM_	Skirmish

The stock maps are ThePit, Camp, Grad, Contraband, Tourney, MountainPeak and Taiga, which gives you names like FFA_Grad or TDM_MountainPeak.

Engine.ini

Optional. The setting most owners end up touching is the tick rate:

[/Script/OnlineSubsystemUtils.IpNetDriver]
NetServerMaxTickRate=60

Higher is smoother and costs more CPU. Do not raise it unless you know the machine can keep up — a server that cannot hold its tick rate feels considerably worse than a lower one that is stable.

Starting the server properly

Now start it with a map and the ports:

Windows

.\MordhauServer.exe Mordhau FFA_ThePit -Port=7777 -BeaconPort=15000 -QueryPort=27015 -log

Linux

./MordhauServer.sh Mordhau FFA_ThePit -Port=7777 -BeaconPort=15000 -QueryPort=27015 -log

Put that in a .bat file on Windows or a shell script on Linux so you are not retyping it every time.

Parameter	Purpose
-Port	Game traffic
-BeaconPort	How the server browser reaches your server
-QueryPort	Steam query, how the browser reads your player count
-MultiHome	Bind to one specific local IP, if the machine has several
-RconPort	RCON listener, see the RCON guide
-log	Print to the console rather than only to a file

On Linux, run it under screen or tmux — or better, write a systemd unit — so it survives you closing the SSH session:

screen -dmS mordhau ./MordhauServer.sh Mordhau FFA_ThePit -Port=7777 -BeaconPort=15000 -QueryPort=27015 -log

Ports

Port	Protocol	What for
7777	UDP	Game
15000	UDP	Beacon
27015	UDP	Steam query
your RCON port	TCP	Remote console, only if you enable it

All three UDP ports have to be open and forwarded, not just the game port. If the beacon or query port is blocked, your server runs perfectly well and simply never appears in the browser — which is the single most common thing people ask about.

Running more than one server on the same machine? Give each its own set, spaced apart:

-Port=7779 -BeaconPort=15002 -QueryPort=27018

Checking it worked

Look for your server name in the in-game browser. If it is not there, work through this in order:

Nothing in the browser at all. Almost always the beacon or query port. Check your forwarding rules, and check the firewall on the machine itself — Windows Firewall blocks the server on first run and the prompt is easy to click past.

Visible, but nobody can connect. The game port. Same checks, port 7777.

Fine on the local network, invisible outside. Your router is not forwarding, or your ISP has you behind CGNAT — in which case you cannot host from that connection at all and will need a VPS.

Config changes did nothing. You edited the file while the server was running. Stop it, edit, start.

Server starts and immediately closes. Read the log in Mordhau/Saved/Logs/. A port already in use is the usual cause.

Next steps

• Set up RCON so you can moderate the server without being in the game
• Have a look at the providers list if managing this yourself turns out not to be your idea of fun