How to Host a Don't Starve Together Server in 2025: The Complete Guide

Running your own Don’t Starve Together dedicated server gives you full control over world settings, mods, cave exploration, and who joins your world. This guide covers everything you need to know, whether you plan to self-host or use a hosting provider like Reactor.

Why a Dedicated Server?

When you host through the in-game menu, the world only stays online while you are playing. A dedicated server runs independently, so your friends can log in at any time, progress is always saved, and performance is not tied to one player’s PC. Caves also require a dedicated server setup, since each world layer (Overworld and Caves) runs as a separate shard.

Option 1: Self-Hosting

Requirements

• A machine with at least 2 CPU cores and 2 GB of RAM (4 GB recommended if running caves).
• A stable internet connection with the ability to forward ports.
• Steam installed, or SteamCMD for headless Linux setups.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Install the server tool. Open your Steam Library, switch to the Tools category, and install “Don’t Starve Together Dedicated Server.”
2. Generate a cluster token. Launch the DST game client, press the tilde key (~) to open the console, and run the token generation command. Your token will be saved to Documents/Klei/DoNotStarveTogether/cluster_token.txt.
3. Configure your cluster. Navigate to the server installation folder and edit the cluster.ini file inside your cluster directory. Set your server name, max players, password, and game mode.
4. Customize world generation. Modify the worldgenoverride.lua file to control resource density, biome sizes, and mob spawn rates.
5. Forward ports. The default ports are 10999 for the Overworld shard and 11000 for the Caves shard. Forward both UDP ports on your router.
6. Start the server. Run dontstarve_dedicated_server_nullrenderer.exe with the parameters -cluster Cluster_1 -shard Master. Launch a second instance with -shard Caves to enable the underground layer.

Enabling Caves

Caves are a separate shard that runs alongside the Overworld. You need a second server process with its own server.ini and leveldataoverride.lua inside a Caves subfolder. The most reliable way to generate the Caves config file is to let the game create it for you through the in-game hosting menu, then copy the resulting files to your dedicated server directory.

Make sure the cluster.ini settings (server name, password, max players) match across both shards, and that only the Overworld shard is set as the Master.

Option 2: Managed Hosting with Reactor

If you want to skip port forwarding, system administration, and manual updates, a managed hosting provider handles the infrastructure for you.

With Reactor’s Don’t Starve Together hosting, you get:

• Instant server deployment with no manual file editing.
• Cave support enabled from the start.
• Automatic game updates so your server always runs the latest version.
• Mod support through a simple configuration interface.
• SFTP access for direct file management when you need full control.
• Automatic backups with one-click restore.

This is the fastest path from zero to a running server, especially if you want to focus on playing rather than configuring.

Installing Mods

Mods are managed through two files:

• dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua tells the server which Workshop mods to download.
• modoverrides.lua activates mods and sets their configuration options.

Add Workshop IDs to the setup file and configure options in modoverrides.lua. If you run caves, you need a copy of modoverrides.lua in both the Overworld and Caves shard folders.

Popular server mods include Global Positions (shared map exploration), Health Info (display mob health bars), and Geometric Placement (snap building placement to a grid).

Recommended Server Settings

Setting	Recommended Value	Why
Max Players	6-8	Balances resource competition and cooperation
PvP	Disabled	Keeps the focus on survival rather than griefing
Pause When Empty	Enabled	Prevents time from passing when nobody is online
Vote Kick	Enabled	Lets players self-moderate public servers

Keeping Your Server Healthy

• Update regularly. Klei patches DST frequently. Outdated servers will not appear in the server browser.
• Monitor resource usage. Large bases with many structures can increase CPU load. Prune abandoned camps and manage entity counts.
• Rotate worlds when needed. After hundreds of in-game days, worlds can become resource-depleted. Starting fresh with a new seed keeps the experience engaging.

A dedicated server transforms Don’t Starve Together from a casual session game into a persistent world your group can return to anytime. Whether you self-host or use Reactor, the key is getting it set up once and letting the survival begin.