Enshrouded Server Won't Start or Closes Right Away? How to Fix It

When an Enshrouded dedicated server closes as soon as you start it, or never gets to the point where players can join, the log file next to the server tells you why. The usual causes are a mistake in enshrouded_server.json, the port already in use, missing Microsoft runtimes on a fresh Windows machine, a server that is out of date after a patch, or, on Linux, a Wine or Proton setup problem. Each has a quick fix below.

Step 1: Read the log

The server writes its log to the logs folder next to enshrouded_server.exe:

logs/enshrouded_server.log

Open it and read the last 30 or so lines. The line just before the server stopped usually names the problem. If the window closes too fast to read on Windows, the log still has it.

If there is no logs folder or it is empty, the server is failing before it can write anything. That points to missing runtimes (Step 4) or a Wine problem (Step 7).

Step 2: Check enshrouded_server.json

A single typo makes the server refuse its config. This is the most common cause after anyone edits settings by hand.

Things to check:

• A missing comma between two lines, or an extra comma after the last item in a list or block.
• Curly quotes (“ ”) pasted from a document instead of straight quotes (").
• A value in quotes that should be a number, or the other way round.
• An unclosed { or [ after deleting a block.

Paste the whole file into any JSON validator. It points to the line with the error. If you cannot find it, rename your file, let the server create a fresh default on the next start, then copy your settings over a few at a time. The settings guide shows a valid layout for every block.

Also check these two values in particular:

"ip": "0.0.0.0",
"queryPort": 15637,

ip should normally stay 0.0.0.0, which means "listen on every network card". Setting it to your public IP, or to a local IP that changed, stops the server binding and it exits.

Step 3: The port is already in use

If the log mentions failing to bind or a socket error, something else is already using the port. Usually it is a second copy of the server still running in the background, or another game server on the same machine.

• On Windows, open Task Manager and end any extra enshrouded_server.exe.
• On Linux, check with ss -ulpn | grep 15637.
• If you run two Enshrouded servers on one machine, give each its own queryPort.

Step 4: Missing Windows runtimes

A fresh Windows install or Windows Server does not always have the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable and the DirectX runtime that the server needs. The usual symptom is an error box like "VCRUNTIME140.dll was not found", or the window opening and closing with no log at all.

Install the latest Visual C++ Redistributable (x64) from Microsoft's site and the DirectX End User Runtime, then restart the machine and try again.

Step 5: Out of date after a patch

When Enshrouded updates, the server files must update too. A half finished update, or files left from an older version, can crash the server on start. Run SteamCMD with validate:

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2278520 validate +quit

2278520 is the Enshrouded Dedicated Server app on Steam. Validation checks every file and replaces anything broken. The update guide covers the full routine, including the backup first.

Step 6: The world will not load

If the log shows the server starting, then stopping while loading the world, the problem is in savegame:

• A world from a newer version. If someone uploaded a world saved by a newer game build, update the server first.
• A damaged world after a crash. Restore the savegame folder from a backup with the server stopped, every 3ad85aea file together.
• Not enough memory. Large, heavily built worlds use more RAM, and the server can exit while loading. Watch memory use as it starts. The requirements guide has realistic figures.

To confirm the world is the problem, move the savegame folder aside and start the server. If it starts with a fresh world, your save is the cause. Put it back afterwards.

Step 7: Linux with Wine or Proton

The Enshrouded dedicated server is a Windows program. On Linux it runs through Wine or Proton, and most start up failures on Linux come from that layer:

• Old Wine. Distribution packages can be years behind. Use a current Wine release or a Proton build.
• Missing 64 bit prefix. Create the prefix with WINEARCH=win64.
• No display. The server needs a virtual display on headless machines on some setups. Running it under xvfb-run solves that.
• File permissions. The user running Wine needs write access to the server folder, or it cannot create logs and savegame.

Ready made container images that bundle the server with a known working Proton version avoid most of this.

Step 8: Antivirus and controlled folders

Windows Defender's Controlled folder access, and some third party antivirus, block programs from writing into Documents or other protected folders. The server starts, cannot write its save or log, and exits. Allow enshrouded_server.exe, or run the server from a folder outside protected areas, like C:\EnshroudedServer.

Skip the setup trouble

On a GamezServers Enshrouded server, there is no Wine or runtime setup for you to do, the port is open and fixed, updates come from the panel, and the main settings (passwords and game preset) are panel fields, so a typo in the JSON is less likely. The live console and file manager show enshrouded_server.log when you need it. For a server your group can join tonight, see the Enshrouded game page.

FAQ

Where is the Enshrouded server log?

In the logs folder next to enshrouded_server.exe, as enshrouded_server.log.

Why does my Enshrouded server close right after opening?

Usually a broken enshrouded_server.json, a port already in use, or missing Visual C++ runtimes. The last lines of the log name the cause.

Can the Enshrouded dedicated server run on Linux?

Only through Wine or Proton. There is no native Linux build, so most Linux start problems come from the Wine setup.

What port does an Enshrouded server need?

UDP 15637 by default, set as queryPort in enshrouded_server.json.