Choose another gameStarbound Server Hosting
Your own Starbound dedicated server, vanilla or modded
Explore procedural planets, build colonies and run quests with your crew in a universe that stays online. Instant setup, DDoS protection and 24/7 expert support.
Why Host With Us?
Powerful Hardware
Latest-generation processors and NVMe storage as a standard - we ensure that our hosting outperforms the competition with unmatched speed and reliability.
Fully DDoS Protected
We protect you from the most complex attacks with our multi-tiered mitigation platform, even those that exploit vulnerabilities within certain games.
Full FTP Access
For power users who prefer to self-manage, we provide FTP access and a file manager to install and manage your game server content, server settings and more.
24/7 Technical Support
It's unacceptable to wait hours, possibly days, for a response to support requests. Our customers enjoy an average ticket response time of less than 10 minutes.
$9.00/mo
+ billing term & add-ons
High Performance Hardware
Unlike most hosting providers, we own & operate our own hardware.- Xeon and Ryzen CPUs
- DDR4 & DDR5 Memory
- Up to 10Gbps Uplinks
- NVMe SSD Drives
Easy-to-Use Game Management
We host all of our Starbound servers on our modified TCAdmin v2 platform. This proven, powerful control suite offers the best in server management capability.
- Web Console
- File Manager
- Workshop Installer
- Log Viewer
- Offsite Backups
- Easy Data Restores
About Starbound: a 2D space sandbox built for co-op crews
Starbound is a 2D sandbox from Chucklefish where you fly a starship between procedurally generated planets, mine and craft, build bases and colonies, and follow a main quest line. Multiplayer puts everyone on the server in one shared universe, co-op by default with optional PvP. A dedicated server keeps that universe online 24/7, so your crew can log in and keep building whenever they like instead of waiting for the host to be online.
Mods as .pak files
Starbound mods ship as .pak files, and on a Host Havoc server you upload them to the mods folder over FTP. That includes Steam Workshop mods: each one downloads as contents.pak, so rename it before uploading. Everyone joining should run the same mods to avoid missing items and crashes.
Accounts, admin rights and platforms
Server settings live in starbound_server.config: the server name, the player cap, and the serverUsers list of accounts with passwords and admin rights. Set allowAnonymousConnections to false to keep the server private to listed accounts, and give yourself admin to use /admin in game. Starbound runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and players on all three can join the same server.
How to Set Up a Starbound Dedicated Server
With Host Havoc
The easy way: with Host Havoc
- Pick a plan and region. 12 to 50 slots, in the datacenter closest to your crew.
- Deploy instantly. Your server launches on the latest build, with no Steam login or SteamCMD on your side.
- Share and play. Copy the IP and port from the control panel and your crew joins 24/7.
Automated backups, DDoS protection, and 24/7 support are included.
Without Host Havoc
The manual way: self-hosting
Starbound has no anonymous server download: the dedicated server binaries ship inside the game itself, for 64-bit Windows and Linux. It is light on CPU, so 2 cores and 2 to 4 GB of RAM cover a small group, with more for big mod packs and a growing universe folder. No GPU needed.
- Log in to SteamCMD with an account that owns Starbound (you will need your Steam Guard code) and download Steam App ID
211820:steamcmd +login <username> +app_update 211820 validate +quit - Run the server once from the
linuxfolder (./starbound_server) orwin64(starbound_server.exe) to generatestorage/starbound_server.config, then stop it. - Edit the config while the server is stopped. Set
serverName,maxPlayers, andgameServerPort, and add accounts and admins underserverUsers. - Forward TCP
21025on your router and firewall. - Keep it running as a service on Windows, or in screen/tmux on Linux.
After that it is on you: patching after updates, backing up the storage/universe folder, restarting after crashes, and absorbing DDoS yourself.
Starbound Server Guides
Step-by-step guides for setting up, configuring, and managing your server.
Configure your Starbound server settings through the game control panel's Configuration Editor. This guide walks you through accessing and editing the configuration files to customise gameplay to your preferences.
Read guide How to Set Up Automatic Restarts for Your Starbound ServerSchedule automatic restarts for your Starbound server using the Scheduled Tasks feature in the Host Havoc game control panel. Keep your server fresh without manual intervention.
Read guide How to Connect to Your Starbound Server via FTPConnect to your Starbound server's files using an FTP client such as FileZilla. This guide shows you how to find your FTP credentials in the Host Havoc game control panel and configure FileZilla for a connection.
Read guide How to Reinstall Your Starbound ServerReinstall your Starbound server through the Host Havoc game control panel to restore it to a clean default state. This process deletes all server files except backups, then redownloads the default setup.
Read guide WikiEvery guide for your Starbound server, all in one place.
View all guides