How to Install SteamCMD on Linux for a Game Server (Ubuntu and Debian)

To install SteamCMD on Ubuntu, enable the multiverse repository and 32 bit packages, then install the steamcmd package: sudo add-apt-repository multiverse, sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386, sudo apt update, sudo apt install steamcmd. On Debian you enable the non-free component instead. You can also skip the package and download Valve's tarball into a folder owned by a dedicated steam user, which is what most admins do because it keeps everything in one place. This guide covers both, then installs a real server and runs it as a service.

What you need

• A 64 bit Ubuntu (22.04 or newer) or Debian (12 or newer) machine.
• A user with sudo rights.
• Enough disk for the game: small servers need a few GB, big ones like Rust or ARK need tens of GB plus room for updates.
• The dedicated server's app ID, for example 896660 for Valheim or 258550 for Rust.

Step 1: create a user for game servers

Never run SteamCMD or a game server as root. Make a dedicated user:

sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash steam
sudo passwd steam

Everything from here on runs as that user unless it says sudo.

Step 2a: install from the package (Ubuntu)

sudo add-apt-repository multiverse
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install steamcmd

You must accept the Steam license during install. The binary lands at /usr/games/steamcmd. Run it once as the steam user so it updates itself:

sudo -iu steam
/usr/games/steamcmd +quit

Step 2b: install from the package (Debian)

Add contrib non-free to the components in /etc/apt/sources.list (or the Components: line in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.sources on newer releases), then:

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install steamcmd

Step 2c: manual install (any distro)

This is the method Valve documents and it avoids distro packaging differences. Install the 32 bit C library first:

sudo apt install lib32gcc-s1 curl

On older releases the package is called lib32gcc1. On Fedora or RHEL style systems, install glibc.i686 and libstdc++.i686 instead.

Then, as the steam user:

mkdir ~/steamcmd && cd ~/steamcmd
curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | tar zxvf -
./steamcmd.sh +quit

The first run downloads updates for SteamCMD itself and ends at a prompt or exits. That is normal.

Step 3: download a dedicated server

Here is Valheim as an example. Note that force_install_dir comes before the login, as current SteamCMD expects:

~/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir /home/steam/valheim +login anonymous +app_update 896660 validate +quit

When it finishes you see Success! App '896660' fully installed. Most servers allow anonymous login. A few, like DayZ, need a real Steam account: see anonymous login vs owned games.

If it fails, the state code tells you why: 0x202 is disk space, 0x402 is the connection, and "No subscription" is usually the wrong app ID.

Step 4: fix the steamclient.so link

Many servers load Steam's client library from ~/.steam/sdk64/steamclient.so and fail to start without it. Create the links once:

mkdir -p ~/.steam/sdk64 ~/.steam/sdk32
ln -sf ~/steamcmd/linux64/steamclient.so ~/.steam/sdk64/steamclient.so
ln -sf ~/steamcmd/linux32/steamclient.so ~/.steam/sdk32/steamclient.so

If you installed the Ubuntu package, the files live under ~/.local/share/Steam/steamcmd/ instead. Our guide on steamclient.so errors has the details.

Step 5: open the firewall

If you use ufw, allow the game's ports. Valheim uses UDP 2456 and 2457:

sudo ufw allow 2456:2457/udp

Check your game's port list. On a home connection you also need to forward the same ports on your router: see how to port forward a game server.

Step 6: run it as a service

A systemd service starts the server at boot and restarts it after a crash. Create /etc/systemd/system/valheim.service with sudo:

[Unit]
Description=Valheim dedicated server
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
User=steam
WorkingDirectory=/home/steam/valheim
Environment=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/home/steam/valheim/linux64
ExecStartPre=/home/steam/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir /home/steam/valheim +login anonymous +app_update 896660 +quit
ExecStart=/home/steam/valheim/valheim_server.x86_64 -name "My Server" -port 2456 -world "Dedicated" -password "changeme1" -public 1
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=30
KillSignal=SIGINT
TimeoutStopSec=60

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Then:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now valheim
journalctl -u valheim -f

The ExecStartPre line updates the server on every start. KillSignal=SIGINT lets Valheim save cleanly on stop, and RestartSec=30 stops a broken server from restarting so fast that it floods logs or Steam logins. If it loops anyway, see game server stuck in a crash loop.

Updating later

When the game patches, players on the new version cannot join an old server. With the ExecStartPre line above, a restart is all it takes: sudo systemctl restart valheim. Without it, stop the server, run the same app_update command you used to install (leave out validate for routine updates, it only slows things down), and start it again. Our guide to app_update validate explains when the extra check is worth it.

Running more than one server

Give every server its own install folder, its own service file and its own ports. Sharing one install folder between two servers causes locked files and half finished updates, and two servers on the same default ports will fight over them. A sensible layout is one folder per server under /home/steam, for example /home/steam/valheim-main and /home/steam/valheim-test, each with its own -port value spaced at least two apart, since Valheim also uses the next port up for queries.

Step 7: keep it tidy

• Back up the world folder on a schedule. For Valheim it is ~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local.
• Watch disk space, since updates need extra room.
• Read the logs after every update, before players report problems.

Skip the Linux admin work

Setting up SteamCMD is the easy part. Keeping the box patched, backed up and online every day is the real work. A GamezServers server is live within about a minute of paying for most games, with the game installed, a live console, file manager and SFTP, one click backups and DDoS protection. If your friends chip in, you can split the bill with up to 10 of them.

FAQ

What is the command to install SteamCMD on Ubuntu?

sudo add-apt-repository multiverse, sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386, sudo apt update, then sudo apt install steamcmd. The binary is /usr/games/steamcmd.

Why does SteamCMD need 32 bit libraries?

SteamCMD itself is a 32 bit program. Without packages like lib32gcc-s1, it fails to start with missing library errors, even on a 64 bit system.

Should I install SteamCMD as root?

No. Install and run it as a normal user that owns the server files. Root owned files break later updates and running servers as root is a security risk.

Where does SteamCMD put the server files?

Wherever you point +force_install_dir. Without it, files go under SteamCMD's own steamapps/common folder, which is easy to lose track of.