How to Set Up an Arma Reforger Dedicated Server: The Complete Guide

Dedicated, player-hosted and official servers: what you are setting up

Arma Reforger is played on three kinds of server. Official servers are run by Bohemia Interactive, and nobody outside Bohemia can change their scenario, mods or rules. Community servers run the same server software, but their owner decides the scenario, the Workshop mods, the player limit, the rules and who gets in. An Arma Reforger private server is simply a community server with a password.

There are two ways to run a community server, according to Bohemia's server hosting documentation:

• Player-hosted. In the game, Multiplayer, then the Host tab and Host new server. Your own game is the server, so it closes when you quit, and Bohemia lists player hosting as PC only.
• Dedicated. A separate program, the Arma Reforger dedicated server (Steam app 1874900; the experimental branch is app 1890870). It runs the world without a game client, so the server stays up whether anyone is playing or not. A rented server is this same dedicated server, run for you in a datacentre with a control panel on top.

Arma Reforger reached version 1.0 on 16 November 2023 and arrived on PlayStation 5 on 12 December 2024, so one community server can bring PC, Xbox and PS5 players together. Its islands are Everon, Arland and, since Update 1.6 in October 2025, Kolguyev.

Host it yourself or rent a server: an honest comparison

Running your own dedicated server is free if you have a spare PC, and it is a good way to learn how Arma Reforger servers work. Bohemia's documentation covers the steps:

1. Install the dedicated server through Steam, or with SteamCMD: log in as anonymous and run app_update 1874900 validate. Bohemia documents a Linux setup with SteamCMD as well.
2. Write a config.json with your server name, passwords, scenario and mods (the settings that matter).
3. Start ArmaReforgerServer.exe with -config pointing at that file and -maxFPS 60. Bohemia heavily recommends a -maxFPS between 60 and 120, otherwise the server can try to use all the resources of the machine. -profile sets the folder for logs and downloaded mods.
4. Open the ports on your router and firewall: UDP 2001 for the game, 17777 for the server browser query (A2S) and 19999 for RCON if you use it. Bohemia notes that Arma Reforger does not support IPv6.
5. Update the server with Steam or SteamCMD after every Arma Reforger patch, and keep the machine and your connection running whenever players want to play.

Our view after hosting game servers since 2008: a squad with a spare PC and a good upload can start at home. Rent one when the server must stay up while you are offline, when you run a modded or public community, or when a full Conflict server would swamp your home connection. Every GTX Arma Reforger server includes up to 10 GB of RAM; see our Arma Reforger server hosting plans for current prices and locations.

Setting up your Arma Reforger server in the GTX game panel

A GTX Arma Reforger server is installed when you order it. Open it in the game panel and you see its addresses at the top: CONNECTION INFO (the address players join), QUERY INFO, RCON INFO and SFTP INFO. Then:

1. Press STOP. Change files only while the server is stopped.
2. Press Configuration Files and open Server.json with the Config Editor: a form for the main settings, such as the server name, password, scenario, crossplay and the admin slots. The Text Editor opens the same file as raw JSON for anything the form does not show.
3. Add mods or Workshop scenarios with the Reforger Workshop button: paste the Workshop links and press Execute (Workshop mods).
4. Press START and watch the start-up in the Web Console or the Log Viewer. A server with many large mods can take several minutes before players can join.
5. Find your server by its name in the in-game server browser and join it.

The other buttons you will use: Server Details (your passwords and ports, including the BIS RCON password), Steam Update, Scheduled Tasks, Backup Manager, Activity and Stats (live CPU, memory and player graphs) and File Manager, with SFTP for big uploads. The MORE menu next to START and STOP holds the Workshop helpers: Delete Mods Cache, Delete Scenarios Cache, Generate Mods Code and Plant Scenario Names. Start.bat in Configuration Files holds start-up options such as the log level.

The Arma Reforger server config: the settings that matter

Every Arma Reforger dedicated server reads one JSON file, usually called config.json (on GTX it is Server.json in Configuration Files). The keys below come from Bohemia's server config reference and its later changelogs; keys are case-sensitive.

game: name, passwords, scenario and players

• name: the name in the server browser, up to 100 characters.
• password: players need it to join. Leave it empty for a public server.
• passwordAdmin: the admin password for #login. No spaces.
• admins: IdentityIds or Steam IDs of your admins (admins and RCON).
• scenarioId: the scenario the server runs (scenarios).
• maxPlayers: 1 to 128; Bohemia's default is 64. On GTX the player limit follows the slots of your plan.
• visible: true to show the server in the server browser.
• crossPlatform and supportedPlatforms: who can join from which platform (crossplay).
• mods: the Workshop mods every player downloads on join (mods).

gameProperties: view distances and rules

• serverMaxViewDistance: 500 to 10,000 metres, default 1,600.
• networkViewDistance: how far the server streams players, vehicles and objects to each player, 500 to 5,000 metres, default 1,500. A big lever for bandwidth and server load.
• serverMinGrassDistance: forces a minimum grass distance on players (0, or 50 to 150 metres).
• disableThirdPerson: true forces first person.
• battlEye: anti-cheat, true by default.
• fastValidation: leave it true. Bohemia says every public server should.
• VONDisableUI, VONDisableDirectSpeechUI and VONCanTransmitCrossFaction: voice chat rules.

operating: queue, AI and saving

• joinQueue with maxSize: how many players can wait in the join queue when the server is full, 0 to 50 (0 switches the queue off).
• aiLimit: a ceiling on AI characters; the default -1 means no limit. disableAI switches AI off completely.
• playerSaveTime: how often players are saved, 120 seconds by default.
• slotReservationTimeout: how long a slot is held for a player who drops out with a replication (network) kick, so they can reconnect, 5 to 300 seconds, default 60.
• disableNavmeshStreaming: loads AI navigation fully into memory for slightly better AI reactions, at a cost of up to hundreds of MB of RAM.

Scenarios: Conflict, Combat Ops, Game Master and Workshop scenarios

An Arma Reforger server runs one scenario at a time, set in scenarioId. The official ones include Conflict, the large-scale battle for an island (since Update 1.6 in the Conflict HQC form with a player Commander, and since Update 1.7 with the FIA as a playable third faction), Combat Ops for co-op squads against AI, and Game Master, where one player builds and runs the mission live for everyone else.

The value is the path of the scenario's .conf file, for example {ECC61978EDCC2B5A}Missions/23_Campaign.conf for Conflict on Everon in Bohemia's list for update 1.2.1. Scenarios are added with updates and mods, so do not copy old lists: start the server with -listScenarios and it writes the current paths to its log.

Workshop scenarios on a GTX server

1. Press STOP, then Reforger Workshop, paste the scenario's Workshop link (and any mods you want with it, one per line) and press Execute.
2. Open Server.json in the Config Editor, set Type of scenario to Workshop Scenarios and pick the scenario in Workshop Scenario.
3. Press START. The server downloads the scenario as it starts.

Some Workshop scenarios must first be downloaded while the server runs an official scenario: start once on an official scenario, let the download finish, then select the Workshop scenario before the next start. Many scenarios come in several variants, and the scenario ID is on the Scenarios tab of its Workshop page. Full steps: install Workshop scenarios on your Arma Reforger server.

Workshop mods: adding, updating and pinning versions

Arma Reforger mods come from the official Arma Reforger Workshop, on PC, Xbox and PS5. A server lists its mods in the mods block of its config, and every player who joins downloads the same set automatically. Bohemia is clear that players cannot pick and choose: everyone uses the mods the server requires, in the versions it requires.

• modId: the mod's ID, shown on its Workshop page.
• name: only a label for you; the server ignores it.
• version: optional. Leave it out and the server always loads the latest version; set it to hold a mod on one version.
• required: true by default. Set it to false and the server drops that mod with a warning in the log, instead of refusing to start, when it cannot download it.

On a GTX server you do not have to write any of that by hand. Press STOP, press Reforger Workshop, paste the mod links from the Workshop website, one per line, press Execute and START. The installer adds every dependency a mod needs and leaves the version empty, so your mods update themselves every time the server restarts. Full steps: install Workshop mods on your Arma Reforger server.

When a mod update breaks your server

Arma Reforger updates can break mods, and the more mods you run, the bigger the risk. Open the Log Viewer: it usually names the mod that failed. To hold a mod on a version that works, type that version into its version field in Server.json (each mod lists its versions on the Changelog tab of its Workshop page), press MORE and Delete Mods Cache, then START. Clear the version again once the mod author has released a fix.

Crossplay: PC, Xbox and PS5 players on one server

Arma Reforger runs on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, and each community server decides which of them it lets in. Bohemia's server config reference describes two settings:

• supportedPlatforms: the platforms the server accepts, PLATFORM_PC, PLATFORM_XBL (Xbox) and PLATFORM_PSN (PlayStation). Without it, a server accepts PC players only.
• crossPlatform: set it to true and the server adds the missing platforms to that list for you. It is false by default.

The same reference says a vanilla server is either PC only or PC with both consoles: PC with only one console, or a console-only server, is not a valid combination.

Mods and console players

When Bohemia's reference was last archived (February 2025), a modded server could take PC and Xbox players but not PlayStation players. Update 1.4 on 22 May 2025 then opened the Workshop on PS5, and Bohemia said players on all platforms can now enjoy modded content and fight together. Two console limits from Bohemia still shape a crossplay mod list:

• Mod storage is capped by the platform: 25 GB on PlayStation 5 and 50 GB on Xbox.
• Everyone downloads the full set: a console player has to fit your whole mod list, plus the mods of every other server they play on. Bohemia's own example was a server with 62 mods needing 16 GB, close to two thirds of a PS5's mod space.

On a GTX server, crossplay is a setting in Server.json: switch it on in the Config Editor, or set crossPlatform to true in the Text Editor, and restart the server.

Admins, RCON and moderation

Arma Reforger has two kinds of admin access, both described in Bohemia's server documentation. The first is the admin password: a player types #login and the passwordAdmin from the config in chat (press C in the lobby or Enter in game). The second is the admins list in the config, with IdentityIds and Steam IDs: listed players can #login without the password. Two details from Bohemia's documentation and changelogs:

• Only admins listed by IdentityId get the admin priority queue; admins listed by Steam ID do not.
• The list holds up to 30 IDs since update 1.4.0.53 (August 2025); it was 20 before.

On a GTX server, find a player's IdentityId with the players command in the Web Console (log in with the BIS RCON password from Server Details while the player is online), then paste it into an Admin UID slot in the Config Editor and restart. Players who are offline can be found in old console.log files in the Log Viewer, as long as the log level in Start.bat is set to Normal. Full steps: add admins to your Arma Reforger server.

The admin commands you will use

• #players: lists the players and their player IDs.
• #kick <playerId>: removes a player, who can rejoin.
• #ban create <playerId or identityId> <seconds> <reason>: bans a player (0 seconds means for ever); #ban list and #ban remove <identityId> manage the list. Bans work on dedicated servers only.
• #restart: restarts the scenario and keeps players connected; #shutdown stops the server.
• #roles: shows which admin roles you have.

RCON lets tools such as the GTX Web Console send these commands from outside the game. In the config's rcon block the password is required, must have at least three characters and cannot contain spaces; permission is admin (every command) or monitor (only commands that change nothing), and up to 16 clients can connect at once. Since update 1.4.0.38 a vote kick carries on even if the player leaves, and a successful one gives a temporary ban. To let a co-admin into the panel without sharing your login, create a sub-user.

Updates, restarts and backups

Bohemia updates Arma Reforger often, and your server needs every update. Recent ones: Update 1.6 (30 October 2025) brought Kolguyev and Conflict HQC, Update 1.7 (28 May 2026) made the FIA a playable faction, Update 1.8 followed on 13 August 2026 and its follow-up 1.8.0.13 on 3 September 2026. Update 1.9 is on the Experimental branch (September 2026). Patch notes are on the official Arma Reforger news on Steam.

Patch day on a GTX server

1. Take a backup before the update, so you can go back if a mod breaks.
2. Press STOP, then Steam Update to install the new server version, then START.
3. Watch the start-up in the Log Viewer. Mods and Workshop scenarios update themselves on start as long as no version is pinned; if one will not update, press MORE and Delete Mods Cache.
4. If a mod fails after the update, pin it to a version that works or remove it until its author releases a fix (Workshop mods).

Scheduled restarts

A regular restart clears out the memory a server builds up over a long session, and it fetches mod updates. In Scheduled Tasks, create a Scheduled Restart task: every 6 hours suits most servers, every 4 hours busy or heavily modded ones, and once a day is the minimum we recommend. Tasks run on the server's clock, which may be in a different time zone from yours. Full steps: set up automatic restarts.

Backups

Automatic backups run alongside your server's restarts and are stored offsite, and we normally keep backups for up to six months. The Backup Manager lists them, restores one and lets you download a backup to your PC; its password is not your panel password. A restore puts the server back to the moment of that backup, so anything that happened later is replaced.

Server FPS, RAM and player count

A busy Arma Reforger server simulates every player, AI character, vehicle and projectile, and streams them to each player. Four things decide how hard it works: the number of players, the number of AI, the view distances and the mods.

• Server FPS. Bohemia heavily recommends capping it with -maxFPS between 60 and 120. GTX servers run at 60 FPS by default, with a 120 FPS boost as an add-on.
• AI. In Conflict and Combat Ops the AI is often the heaviest load. aiLimit caps it; disableAI removes it for pure PvP.
• View distances. A lower networkViewDistance means less to stream per player, which saves CPU and bandwidth. Our guide to reducing bandwidth on an Arma Reforger server goes through every setting.
• Mods. Each mod adds memory and start-up time, and big mod lists need more RAM.

To see what your server is doing, Bohemia's -logStats parameter writes a line with the server FPS, frame times, memory, players and AI to the log; it is the line you can see in the Web Console of the panel screenshot above. Activity and Stats shows memory and CPU over the day: if memory sits near the top when the server is busy, more RAM will help.

RAM and slots on GTX plans

As a rule of thumb from our own servers: a 10 to 30 slot co-op or Combat Ops server is comfortable on the included RAM, a modded Conflict server with 60 or more slots should take a RAM upgrade, and a full 100 to 128 slot community server benefits from 16 GB or more and a CPU priority upgrade. You can change your RAM, slots or CPU priority later without losing server data. Pick the location closest to most of your players: we host Arma Reforger in 19 locations, and the plans page has a ping test.

Troubleshooting an Arma Reforger server