ETS2 Dedicated Server Not Starting? Fix server_packages Errors

A Euro Truck Simulator 2 dedicated server that closes right after launch almost always failed to load its server packages. The log says Server packages file not found. This is required to load proper map, DLCs and mods, followed by Server was terminated. Export a fresh server_packages.sii and server_packages.dat from your game with the export_server_packages console command, put both files in the server's home folder next to server_config.sii (not next to the executable), and make sure the game you exported from is on the same version as the server.

This page is about the server process itself refusing to run. If the server is up but your crew cannot get into the lobby, that is a different problem, covered in ETS2 Convoy server: players cannot join.

Read the log first

The dedicated server writes two files into its home folder, the same folder that holds server_config.sii:

On Windows the home folder is Documents\Euro Truck Simulator 2 unless you started the server with -homedir. On Linux it is ~/.local/share/Euro Truck Simulator 2. On a GamezServers server the same path is .local/share/Euro Truck Simulator 2/ in the file manager, and the live console in the panel shows the log as it is written.

Scroll to the last few lines before the server stopped. Match what you see to the sections below.

Error 1: server packages file not found

The full message, as SCS documents it on the dedicated server page:

<ERROR> [MP] Error: Server packages file not found. This is required to load proper map, DLCs and mods

A brand new server always shows this, because the packages are never created by the server. You make them in your own copy of the game:

1. Close ETS2 and open config.cfg in your ETS2 documents folder.
2. Set uset g_console "1" (and uset g_developer "1" if the console does not open). Save.
3. Start the game and load a save, so you are driving in the world. The export does nothing from the main menu.
4. Press ~ and type:

export_server_packages

5. Look in your ETS2 documents folder. You should now see server_packages.sii and server_packages.dat with today's time stamp.
6. Copy both to the server's home folder and start the server again.

If the message stays, check the time stamps. Two files from two different exports, or a .sii without its .dat, will not load. Always upload them as a pair.

Error 2: files in the wrong folder

The second most common cause is a correct pair of files in the wrong place. The server only reads the packages from its home folder. Places people put them by mistake:

The quick check: put the files wherever server_config.sii is. If you cannot find server_config.sii at all, the server has never finished a first start, so start it once, let it write the config, stop it and look again.

On Linux, watch the file names. Server_Packages.sii and server_packages.sii are different files there, so keep the names in lowercase exactly as the game wrote them.

Error 3: the server stops working after a game update

ETS2 patches land on Steam for players right away, and every patch changes the game build. Two things then go out of step:

• The server binary. A server on the old build cannot host players on the new one. Update the server: on a home server run app_update 1948160 validate in SteamCMD again. On GamezServers, keep Auto update switched on in the panel and restart the server, which pulls the new build on start.
• The packages. Packages record the map and DLC data for the build you exported from. SCS does not promise that old packages carry over to a new version, so after every update load into the updated game, run export_server_packages again and upload the new pair.

Do it in that order: update the game on your PC, update the server, then export and upload. Exporting from a game that has not finished updating gives you packages for the old build, and you are back where you started.

The beta branch trap

If you opted into the public_beta branch in Steam (Properties, then Betas), your game is ahead of the released dedicated server. Packages exported from a beta game describe content the release server does not have. Switch the game back to the release build, let it update, and export again. Do the same check for every player, because a driver on the beta cannot join a release server either.

Error 4: packages that reference content the export did not capture

A pair of files can be present, in the right folder, and still break the start if they were exported from a messy profile. Things that cause it:

• A mod was active when you exported, then you deleted it or it failed to load after a mod update.
• You exported from a profile with a map mod in the wrong load order, so the export recorded a broken setup.
• You exported from American Truck Simulator by accident. ETS2 and ATS packages are not interchangeable.

The fix is to clean up the source: open Mod Manager, deactivate anything you do not want on the server, confirm the game loads your save without warnings, then export again. For adding mods on purpose, follow how to add mods to an ETS2 Convoy server.

Error 5: Steam disconnects and the session closes

If the server ran for a while and then shut down, look for these lines in server.log.txt:

[MP] Steam disconnected
[MP] Session closure requested (reason - 33)
[MP] Session closing

SCS lists this as the server losing its internet connection, which on a home PC usually means the machine went to sleep or the connection dropped. Disable sleep on the host, or run the server somewhere that stays online.

What about the Steam token?

A missing or wrong server_logon_token does not stop the server from starting. Without one, Steam gives the server an anonymous account, the session still starts, but the search ID changes on every restart. If you add your own token, make it for the game's app ID 227300, not the server's 1948160, at Steam's game server account page. On GamezServers you can skip this part: we create the Steam token for your server automatically at setup, so the search ID stays the same and you never paste a token yourself.

Quick checklist

Skip the babysitting

The packages are the one part nobody can do for you, because they come from your own game and DLC. Everything around them can be easier. A Euro Truck Simulator 2 server on GamezServers updates itself on restart when Auto update is on, gives you a file manager and SFTP pointed at the right home folder, shows the log in a live console, and has a one click Backup so you can keep the last working pair of packages before you replace them. The token is made for you and nobody leaves a PC on. New customers get 50% off the first month. For the rest of the setup, see how to host an ETS2 Convoy server.

FAQ

Can I create server_packages files on the server itself?

No. The dedicated server has no game, map or DLC to export from. Run export_server_packages in your own copy of ETS2 and upload the two files.

Do I need to export new packages after every ETS2 update?

It is the safe habit. Update the server and your game first, then export again from the updated game and upload the new pair.

Why does export_server_packages not create anything?

The console is off, or you ran it from the main menu. Enable g_console in config.cfg, load a save, then run the command.

Where does the ETS2 dedicated server log go?

Into server.log.txt in the server's home folder, the folder with server_config.sii. Crashes also write server.crash.txt there.