Can I run a StarRupture dedicated server on Linux?

Not natively. At Early Access the StarRupture server is a Windows-only executable (StarRuptureServerEOS.exe). On a Linux host you run it under Wine or Proton, the same way you would host Icarus or Abiotic Factor. Expect some overhead and verify the server actually binds its UDP port before trusting that it booted.

Why did my StarRupture server load an empty 'Default Session' after a restart?

This is the known Early Access restart bug. On some restarts the experimental server spins up a fresh Default Session instead of loading your saved world. The fix is to stop the server, confirm your save folder under Saved is intact, and relaunch pointing explicitly at the saved session rather than letting it auto-create. Always keep an off-server backup of the Saved folder before any restart.

How do players join a StarRupture server if there's no browser?

There is no in-game server browser at Early Access. Players join by direct IP and port (default UDP 7777), so you share the address out of band. Make sure the UDP game port is forwarded and open in the firewall, and that the EOS layer can reach the internet.

How many players does a StarRupture server support?

StarRupture is a small co-op factory survival game built around groups of up to about four players. The dedicated server's maxPlayers is configurable in DSSettings.txt, but the intended experience is a handful of friends, not a large public server.

Is the StarRupture dedicated server stable enough to host now?

It works, but it is officially labelled an Experimental Feature and behaves like one: restart quirks, no browser, frequent Early Access patches that can break a working setup. It is hostable today if you keep backups and expect to babysit it through updates.

server setup

StarRupture Dedicated Server Setup 2026: Taming the Experimental Server

Creepy Jar shipped StarRupture's dedicated server as an "Experimental Feature," and it shows: a Windows-only EOS binary, no in-game server browser, and a restart quirk that can drop you into an empty world. Here is how to host it anyway - on Windows or on Linux under Wine - without losing your save.

Published 2026-06-21 · Updated 2026-06-21

What you are actually dealing with

StarRupture is a co-op factory-survival game from Creepy Jar, the studio behind Green Hell, that entered Steam Early Access in January 2026. It launched strong - tens of thousands of concurrent players in its opening week - and settled into a steady niche of a couple of thousand concurrent players, which is exactly the profile that makes self-hosting interesting and good guides scarce.

The catch: the dedicated server is officially marked an Experimental Feature. That is not marketing hedging. The server is a separate Windows tool you install through Steam, it has no in-game server browser (players join by direct IP), and there is a documented restart behavior where it can boot a fresh empty world instead of your save. None of the mainstream host marketing pages tell you this, which is the whole reason this guide exists.

If you have hosted other Unreal Engine survival servers that run through Wine or Proton on Linux - Icarus, Abiotic Factor, Windrose - StarRupture will feel familiar. If you have not, the experimental label is your warning to keep backups.

Requirements and sizing

StarRupture is built for small groups - around four players co-op - so the server is not a RAM monster like an ARK cluster. The dominant cost is the simulated factory and map state, not player slots.

Resource	Minimum	Comfortable	Notes
RAM	8GB	12-16GB	Factory/automation state grows over a save's life; budget headroom for late-game bases.
CPU	4 cores, high clock	4+ fast cores	Simulation tick favors single-core clock speed over core count.
Storage	~15GB	30GB NVMe	Install plus saves, logs, and backups. Add Wine prefix overhead on Linux.
Network	50 Mbps up	100 Mbps+	Small player count, so bandwidth is light; tick stability matters more.

Because StarRupture leans on a single-threaded simulation, a host with a high single-core clock will outperform a many-core, low-clock box. We dig into why in why single-thread CPU performance dominates game servers.

Windows setup: SteamCMD and DSSettings.txt

The cleanest path is Windows, because the server binary is native there. The dedicated server is distributed as a separate Steam tool (look under Library > Tools) and can also be pulled with SteamCMD. Some setups need you to log in with an account that owns the game; anonymous SteamCMD may work depending on the build, so test both.

Install SteamCMD and download the StarRupture Dedicated Server app into a dedicated folder.
Launch the server once. It generates DSSettings.txt under ...\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\. Stop the server before editing it.
Edit DSSettings.txt: set serverName, password, adminPassword, and maxPlayers. These are the values the panel-based hosts expose, and they are all you need for a private group.
Forward and open the game port (default UDP 7777) on your firewall and router. The server uses Epic Online Services (EOS) under the hood, so it also needs outbound internet access.
Relaunch. Because there is no server browser, share your public IP and port with players so they can connect directly.

That is the entire happy path. The friction is everything around it: the experimental flag, the restart behavior, and Linux.

Linux setup: running the server under Wine

There is no native Linux build of the StarRupture server. StarRuptureServerEOS.exe is a Windows executable, so on a Linux host you run it through Wine (or a Proton runtime). This is the same pattern used to host other Unreal Engine dedicated servers on Linux fleets, and it works - but it adds moving parts:

You need a Wine prefix with the right runtime libraries, and on a headless box you may need a virtual display (xvfb) depending on the build.
Do not trust "the process is alive" as proof the server booted. Wine-wrapped Unreal servers can sit running while no world has actually loaded. Verify the server is listening on its UDP port and answering before you tell players to join.
EOS needs outbound connectivity from inside the Wine environment, or clients will fail to connect even though the process looks healthy.

If running a Windows server under Wine on a Linux node sounds like more babysitting than you signed up for, that is the honest tradeoff - and the main argument for a managed host that has already solved it (see below).

The "Default Session" restart bug

This is the single most important thing to know, and the reason a casual setup turns into a bad weekend. On some restarts the experimental server creates a fresh "Default Session" world instead of loading your existing save. If you do not notice, you and your group log into an empty map and assume your base is gone.

How to protect yourself:

Back up the Saved folder before every restart and update. An off-server copy is the only thing that makes the experimental server safe to run.
After a restart, confirm you actually loaded your world before letting players in. If you see a Default Session, stop the server.
If it boots the wrong world, stop the server, verify your save data is still on disk, and relaunch pointing explicitly at the saved session rather than letting it auto-create a new one.
Early Access patches frequently break working setups. Keep a known-good backup from before each game update so you can roll back.

We covered the launch-state mess in more detail when the server first shipped, in StarRupture's dedicated server shipped, but it's janky. This guide is the how-to companion to that one.

Self-host vs rent

StarRupture is a textbook case where renting can be worth it specifically because the server is awkward. You are paying someone else to own the Wine wrapping, the EOS connectivity, the restart babysitting, and the backup discipline.

Self-host on Windows. Cheapest and simplest if you already have a spare Windows box with a fast core. You own the backups and the restart checks.
Self-host on Linux via Wine. Doable, more brittle, only worth it if you are already running a Linux server fleet.
Managed hosts. A handful of providers list StarRupture early (Game Knightly, LOW.MS and others appeared shortly after the server shipped). Coverage is thin and quality varies because the game is young.
Supercraft runs the Windows-only StarRupture server on Linux under Wine/Proton with the boot-state verification this game needs, so a restart does not silently hand players an empty world. One option among several - check current pricing and slot terms before you commit, same as you would with any host.

Whichever route you pick, the rule for an experimental server holds: backups are not optional. For the broader self-host-or-rent math, see dedicated box vs VPS vs cloud and game server RAM and sizing.

FAQ

Can I run a StarRupture dedicated server on Linux?: Not natively. At Early Access the server is a Windows-only executable (StarRuptureServerEOS.exe). On a Linux host you run it under Wine or Proton, the same way you would host Icarus or Abiotic Factor. Verify the server actually binds its UDP port before trusting that it booted.
Why did my StarRupture server load an empty "Default Session" after a restart?: This is the known Early Access restart bug. On some restarts the experimental server spins up a fresh Default Session instead of loading your saved world. Stop the server, confirm your save folder under Saved is intact, and relaunch pointing explicitly at the saved session. Always keep an off-server backup before any restart.
How do players join a StarRupture server if there's no browser?: There is no in-game server browser at Early Access. Players join by direct IP and port (default UDP 7777). Make sure the UDP game port is forwarded and open, and that the EOS layer can reach the internet.
How many players does a StarRupture server support?: StarRupture is small co-op, built around groups of up to about four. maxPlayers is configurable in DSSettings.txt, but the intended experience is a handful of friends, not a large public server.
Is the StarRupture dedicated server stable enough to host now?: It works, but it is officially an Experimental Feature and behaves like one: restart quirks, no browser, frequent patches that can break a working setup. Hostable today if you keep backups and expect to babysit it through updates.