With Update v0.8.6, Ships At Sea now supports Dedicated Servers, expanding multiplayer possibilities for the community.
Friends List and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) multiplayer remain fully supported as usual with up to 4 players, so you can continue playing easily with your friends through the existing system. Nothing changes for players who prefer quick sessions with their usual crew.
In addition, we now offer Dedicated Server support for players who want to connect with others around the world — without needing to be on each other’s Friends List. You can host or rent your own server and build your own maritime and ship simulation community with up to 8 players in the same session, bringing together captains from across the globe.
To download the Ships At Sea dedicated server tool:
- Open the Steam Client
- Go to your Library
- Select Tools from the category filter
- Search for and install the Ships At Sea Dedicated Server
You'll also need to open the following ports on the machine running the Dedicated Server.
Port: 15000 TCP/UDP
Port: 7777 TCP/UDP
Currently, the dedicated server is Windows only — Linux support is coming in a future update!
Please note: Password protection and additional server management features will be introduced in upcoming updates.
By default, a dedicated server starts with standard settings (such as a default server name and level). Server hosts can customize these settings to match their preferences.
One of the most common changes will be the Server Name, allowing your server to appear with a unique name in the multiplayer server list.
How to Set a Custom Server Name
Step 1 – Locate the Configuration Folder
- Navigate to: steamapps\common\Ships At Sea Dedicated Server
- Create the following folder structure so it matches the example below: Ships At Sea Dedicated Server\Saved\Config\WindowsServer
Step 2 – Create the Settings File
- Inside the WindowsServer folder, create a new file named: DedicatedServerSettings.ini
- Add the following content to the file: [/Script/Sas.DedicatedServerSettings] DedicatedServerName=My Dedicated Server
- You can replace "My Dedicated Server" with any name you prefer.
Step 3 – Restart the Server
- Save the file and restart your dedicated server.
- Your custom server name will now appear in the multiplayer server list.
Additional Notes
If you want to see the dedicated server log output, start the server with the "*-log"* command line parameter.