How to Set Up a Windrose Dedicated Server: The Complete Guide

Does Windrose have dedicated servers? What you are setting up

Yes. Windrose is a PvE survival adventure in an alternative Age of Piracy from Kraken Express, published with Pocketpair Publishing, and in Early Access on Steam since 14 April 2026. You can play it three ways with friends. One player can host from the game: their PC runs the world, and the world is only there while they play. Or you run the Windrose Dedicated Server, a separate program that keeps the world running on its own, so your crew can join at any time, like building ships alone and sailing together later. A rented server is that same dedicated server, run for you in a datacentre with a control panel on top.

Kraken Express's dedicated server guide on playwindrose.com is the official reference, and the same guide ships with the server as DedicatedServer.md. Where to get the server:

• Steam: install Windrose Dedicated Server from the Tools section of your Steam library. It is free.
• SteamCMD: login anonymous, then app_update 4129620 validate. The guide notes that the server does not need a purchased copy of the game to install.
• Epic Games Store or Stove: copy the WindroseServer (or WindowsServer) folder from R5\Builds in your game files to another place on your PC. It does not run from inside the game folder.

The server is a Windows program. Patch 0.10.0.7 (25 June 2026) added Docker images with Linux server support, and the Docker steps are in the guide; a Docker server is joined by Direct IP (more on joining). The guide's own FAQ answer still says Windows only, so follow the Docker section if you go that way.

Windrose has no PvP mode: your crew plays together against the world, at sea and on land. Your characters stay with each player; the dedicated server stores the world (Kraken Express's guide says dedicated servers keep only world data, not player characters).

Host it yourself or rent a server: an honest comparison

Both run the same server software, so the world plays the same. The difference is who looks after the machine. Kraken Express's numbers help with the choice: the game alone needs 16 GB of RAM, and a self-hosted world on the same PC needs about 8 GB more (24 GB in total recommended, with an SSD). A dedicated server needs 8 GB for 2 players, 12 GB for 4 and 16 GB for 10, two CPU cores at 3.2 GHz and 35 GB of SSD space (sizing in detail).

Our view after hosting game servers since 2008: if the host plays whenever the others do, hosting from the game is fine. Run a dedicated server when the world should stay online while the captain is away, or when the host's PC struggles to run the game and the world together. See our Windrose server hosting plans for current prices and the 19 locations.

Setting up your Windrose server in the GTX game panel

Windrose servers on GTX run in our game panel. They are set up and started as soon as you order, so the server already has a world and an invite code when you log in. This is the order we suggest for the first evening:

1. Log in to the game panel at gamepanel.gtxgaming.co.uk with the details from your welcome email and open your Windrose server (where to find your details).
2. Press Invite Code to see the code your crew needs. You can also set your own code: InviteCode in the settings file.
3. Press STOP before you change any file. The server can reset fields it cannot read when it starts, so never edit while it runs.
4. Open Configuration Files and edit ServerDescription.json with the Config Editor or the Text Editor: server name, password, player count (which fields). World settings live in WorldDescription.json (presets and custom worlds).
5. Press START, wait until the server is fully up, and share the invite code with your crew: Play, Connect to Server, paste the code.

What the other buttons are for:

• Nexus Mods: browse Windrose mods from Nexus Mods by endorsements or category and install them with one click (mods).
• File Manager and SFTP: upload a world or mod folders. SFTP is faster for big uploads (files and folders).
• Steam Update: bring the server to the latest Windrose version after a patch (updates).
• Log Viewer and Web Console: read what the server is doing, for example why it did not start.
• Scheduled Tasks and Backup Manager: timed restarts, and backups to restore or download (saves and backups).
• Switch Game: move the server to another game; take a backup first.

ServerDescription.json: the settings that matter

Windrose splits its settings into two JSON files. ServerDescription.json in the root folder holds the settings for the whole server; each world has its own WorldDescription.json (world settings). The server creates both on its first start. Kraken Express's guide is clear on one rule: only edit the file while the server is shut down, because the server may adjust fields when it detects a problem. These are the fields from the official guide:

• ServerName: the name players see. Useful when two invite codes look alike.
• InviteCode: the code players use to find your server. At least 6 characters of 0-9, a-z and A-Z, and case-sensitive.
• IsPasswordProtected and Password: set true with a password, or false with the password empty. The guide warns that a mismatch between the two can cause unexpected behaviour.
• MaxPlayerCount: how many players can be online at once. On GTX, keep it at or below your slot count.
• WorldIslandId: which world loads when the server starts. It must match the IslandId of one of your worlds (several worlds).
• UserSelectedRegion: the region of Kraken Express's connection service: EU (covers Europe and North America), SEA or CIS. Left empty, the server picks the best region by latency (why it matters).
• UseDirectConnection, DirectConnectionServerPort and DirectConnectionProxyAddress: switch to Direct IP joining; the port must be open for TCP and UDP.
• AutoLoadLatestBackupIfHasBroken: if true, the server tries to restore a broken save from its backups at launch.
• CanLaunchMultipleServerInstances: false by default, a safeguard against two servers writing to the same save database.
• PersistentServerId: your server's unique id. Do not edit it.

Invite codes, Direct IP and connection regions

Windrose has two ways in. By default players join with the invite code through Kraken Express's connection service: Play, Connect to Server, paste the code. Nobody needs your server's address and nobody opens ports. The alternative is Direct IP, added in April 2026 for networks that block the connection service: set UseDirectConnection to true with the server stopped, and players join with the server's IP address and port. With Direct IP on, invite codes no longer work.

• Same region for everyone. Kraken Express's FAQ says all players need the same connection service region selected (EU and NA, SEA or CIS) to play together. If a crewmate cannot find the server, check the region first.
• Force Relay Connection. A game setting that sends the connection through Kraken Express's relay servers when direct traffic is blocked along the way. It can help a stubborn connection but may raise ping, and it does not work with Direct IP.
• Same house, same router. The FAQ lists a known issue where PCs on the same network may not connect to each other with an invite code; Direct IP is the workaround. This matters when you self-host for players in your own home.
• IPv4. The game is designed for IPv4; the FAQ suggests preferring IPv4 if a player's PC prefers IPv6 and cannot connect.

On a GTX server, start with the invite code: it is the simplest for your crew. Switch to Direct IP only when someone's network blocks the connection service, keep the port that is already set, and give your crew the server's address. If you are not sure which address and port to share, our support team will tell you.

World settings: Easy, Medium, Hard and custom worlds

Every world has a WorldDescription.json with its name, its id and a WorldPresetType: Easy, Medium or Hard. Change any value by hand and the world becomes Custom on its next start. Kraken Express's examples show what the presets set:

• Easy: enemy health 0.7, enemy damage 0.6, enemy ship health 0.7, ship damage 0.6, boarding 0.7, combat difficulty Easy.
• Medium: every multiplier 1.0, combat difficulty Normal.
• Hard: enemy health 1.5, enemy damage 1.25, enemy ship health 1.5, ship damage 1.25, boarding 1.5, combat difficulty Hard.

All three keep shared quests on. For a Custom world, these are the settings with the ranges the official guide gives (the full tag in the file is WDS.Parameter. plus the name):

• MobHealthMultiplier and MobDamageMultiplier: how much health enemies have and how hard they hit, 0.2 to 5.0 (default 1.0).
• ShipsHealthMultiplier: health of enemy ships, 0.4 to 5.0. ShipsDamageMultiplier: damage enemy ships deal, 0.2 to 2.5.
• BoardingDifficultyMultiplier: how many enemy sailors you must defeat to win a boarding action, 0.2 to 5.0.
• Coop.StatsCorrectionModifier (default 1.0) and Coop.ShipStatsCorrectionModifier (default 0.0): how much enemy and enemy ship stats scale with the number of players, 0.0 to 2.0.
• CombatDifficulty: Easy, Normal or Hard; it sets how tough boss fights are and how aggressive enemies are.
• Coop.SharedQuests (default on): when one player completes a co-op quest, it completes for everyone who has it active.
• EasyExplore (default off): despite the old name, this is Immersive exploration in game. On, it hides the map markers for points of interest, so exploring gets harder.

Tip from the official guide: it can be easier to set up a Custom world in the game first and copy the resulting values into the server's file. Kraken Express also warns that the list of settings and their ranges may change in later builds, so check the guide after big updates.

Admin commands and keeping your server private

People often look for Windrose admin commands. When we checked Kraken Express's dedicated server guide, FAQ and patch notes on 13 October 2026, they listed no admin commands, console commands or RCON for Windrose. A Windrose server is run through its two settings files instead, and that covers what most crews need:

• Who gets in: share the invite code only with your crew and set a password (IsPasswordProtected plus Password).
• A code that got around: stop the server, set a new InviteCode and password, start it again, and send the new ones to your crew.
• How many at once: MaxPlayerCount.
• How hard it is: presets and custom values in WorldDescription.json (world settings).
• A co-captain in the panel: on GTX, give a trusted crewmate their own panel login with a sub-user instead of sharing yours (how to create a sub-user).

The Connection and Controls box in the GTX panel shows an RCON INFO line as part of its standard layout; since Kraken Express documents no RCON for Windrose, manage the server with the files above. Kraken Express also reminds players that its team never asks for login details or passwords on any platform.

Mods: Nexus Mods, UE4SS and what can break

Windrose has a growing mod scene, but Kraken Express does not support mods. Its FAQ says mods are used at your own discretion, that it cannot guarantee they work with the game, that you should back up your save folder before trying them, and that it cannot investigate problems that happen with mods installed. Windrose is in Early Access, so a patch can break a mod until its author updates it.

1. Back up first (how), then press STOP.
2. Open Nexus Mods in the GTX panel, browse Windrose mods by endorsements or category, and press Install.
3. Read the mod's page: some mods work on the server only, some on each player's PC only, and some on both. Players install client mods themselves.
4. Press START and test with one or two players before you add the next mod.

Many Windrose mods need the UE4SS mod loader. Our UE4SS guide for Windrose covers installing it and uploading mods by hand: each mod goes in its own folder under R5\Binaries\Win64\ue4ss\Mods\, without the ZIP file or extra nested folders. Uploads of .dll, .exe and .bat files are blocked for security, so if a mod needs one of those, open a support ticket.

Worlds, saves, moving a world and backups

A dedicated server keeps its saves in R5\Saved\SaveProfiles\Default\ and stores only world data there; characters stay with each player. Since update 0.10.0.5 (May 2026) the save folders work like this, according to Kraken Express's guide and FAQ:

• RocksDB: the old main saves from before 0.10.0.5.
• RocksDB_v2: the runtime folder the server uses while it runs. Kraken Express says: do not touch it.
• RocksDB_v2_Backups: the backups made since 0.10.0.5, usually including a _Latest copy of each world.

Several worlds on one server

You can keep as many worlds as you like, each in its own folder named after its id. To switch, stop the server, set WorldIslandId in ServerDescription.json to the id of the world you want and start it again. Never rename a world folder: the save database relies on those ids.

Moving a world from your PC to the server

1. Back up and shut down both the game and the server.
2. Find the world on your PC under %LOCALAPPDATA%\R5\Saved\SaveProfiles\, in your profile's RocksDB or RocksDB_v2_Backups folder, then <game version>\Worlds\<world id>. Copy the whole world folder.
3. Upload it to the matching Worlds folder under R5\Saved\SaveProfiles\Default\ on the server (in RocksDB or RocksDB_v2_Backups, then the game version) with the File Manager or SFTP.
4. Set the world id: put the exact name of the folder in WorldIslandId, then start the server and check that the world loads.

If the server keeps creating a brand new world instead, the FAQ says it usually cannot find the world id: check WorldIslandId again. Kraken Express's FAQ also notes that some players saw saves corrupted when transferring them with FileZilla and suggests another client. Our support team can do the whole move for you.

Backups

The server makes its own save backups, and with AutoLoadLatestBackupIfHasBroken on it tries to restore a broken save from them at launch. On GTX you also get daily automatic backups that run alongside your server's restarts. Use the Backup Manager to download a backup to your own PC (how), and take a fresh backup before every patch, mod or world move.

Updates, Early Access and scheduled restarts

Windrose is in Early Access and patches come often: from hotfix 0.10.0.1.6 on launch day to version 0.10.0.9 on 25 August 2026. Kraken Express's guide is firm that the server version must match the game: if they differ, players may be unable to join or run into bugs. Since April 2026 the game checks the server's version and shows an error when the server is out of date.

• On GTX: press STOP, then Steam Update, wait for it to finish and press START.
• Self-hosted with SteamCMD: run app_update 4129620 validate again; it downloads only the changed files.
• Self-hosted from the game folder (Epic, Stove): copy the new WindroseServer folder after the game updates and move your old R5\Saved folder into it.

Big updates can change how saves are stored: 0.10.0.5 moved saves to a new format and migrated old ones automatically. Back up before every update. The next big step is Ashlands, Windrose's first major content update, with a fourth biome, a bigger story and at least one new ship class planned; Kraken Express revealed its release window in a trailer on 8 October 2026. Read the patch notes before you update a long-running world on release day.

A scheduled restart every few hours keeps a long-running server fresh and, on GTX, also runs the automatic backups. Set one up in Scheduled Tasks (how to schedule restarts).

Server performance, RAM and player slots

These are Kraken Express's system requirements for a Windrose dedicated server:

• 2 players: 8 GB of RAM, 2 CPU cores at 3.2 GHz (Intel Xeon Scalable, Sapphire Rapids), 35 GB SSD.
• 4 players: 12 GB of RAM, same CPU and storage.
• 10 players: 16 GB of RAM, same CPU and storage.

Kraken Express also recommends crews of up to 4 for the best experience, because bigger groups may hit performance limits late in the game and boss encounters are not balanced for higher player counts. Patches have made the server lighter since launch: lower CPU use on idle servers (0.10.0.4), fewer disk writes (0.10.0.6), and the server process now starts with Above Normal priority (0.10.0.3).

Choose one slot for every player who is online at the same time and set MaxPlayerCount to match. If the server feels slow late in a long session, check the memory graph first, then the restart schedule (scheduled restarts), and only then think about more RAM or a higher CPU priority (change your RAM).

Troubleshooting a Windrose server

• The invite code finds nothing. Check the code (it is case-sensitive) and that the server has fully started. Make sure everyone has the same connection service region selected. Then try Force Relay Connection, or Direct IP (joining).
• Nobody can join after a patch. The server is on an older version than the game: run Steam Update (updates).
• Direct IP sends a player back to the main menu. In April 2026 Kraken Express listed this as a known issue when the password is wrong or the versions differ: there is no error message, so check both.
• The server loads a new, empty world. WorldIslandId does not match your world's folder. If it does match, the save may be damaged: restore it from a backup (saves and backups).
• Settings reset or ignored. Edit the files only while the server is stopped, check the JSON for typos, and for world settings see the updater note in world settings.
• The server will not start. Read the last lines in the Log Viewer (server logs). After adding mods, remove the last one and test again (mods).
• Lag with a big crew. Check the memory graph and the player count against the developers' advice (performance).

Kraken Express asks players who rent from a hosting provider to contact the provider's support for server problems. On GTX that is our team, 24/7 on live chat and tickets. For problems with the game itself, the developers run Windrose Support.

Playing on your server: game guides

Once your crew is aboard, the game guides in the Play topic below help with two things that confuse many new captains: how farming unlocks and how to automate it, and which faction buys which loot, so your hold stops filling up with things nobody in Tortuga will take. Windrose is in Early Access, so check the details in game after each patch.

On a server you share, a few things are worth agreeing as a crew: who captains which ship (the Steam page names the ketch, the brig and the frigate), whether quests are shared (Coop.SharedQuests, on by default), and how hard boss fights should be before you start (world settings).