How to Set Up a RuneScape: Dragonwilds Dedicated Server (Linux & Windows)
SteamCMD app 4019830, the five DedicatedServer.ini fields, UDP 7777, and the version-matching rule that makes servers vanish after every patch — the full setup on Linux and Windows, from Jagex’s guide and the 1.0 notes.
September 28, 20267 min read
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RuneScape: Dragonwilds launched 1.0 on 15 September 2026, and the dedicated server that arrived with the 0.11 update in March is how a group keeps one world running when the host logs off. It is a separate, free Steam app, it runs on Linux and Windows, and it is configured by five lines in one INI file. This guide covers the setup, then the two traps to check before anything else on a new server: a build that no longer matches the players', and a world name nobody is searching for correctly.
Everything below is from Jagex's dedicated-server guide (30 March 2026) and the 1.0 patch notes; community details are marked as such.
What you need before you start
A 64-bit machine. Jagex's guide states that both Windows and Linux are supported and that the server will only run on a 64-bit OS.
RAM: Jagex's rule is 2 GB plus 1 GB per player. For the game's six-player cap that is 8 GB. Nothing else about hardware is documented, so we do not quote CPU or disk figures here.
One UDP port open and forwarded. Jagex's guide says servers "use ports starting with 7777 by default"; a second server on the same machine takes 7778, and your firewall, router and ISP must forward them for UDP.
Your Player ID. In the game, open Settings and scroll to the bottom — the ID is there with a copy button. You will paste it into the INI as the Owner ID. Details in Owner ID and Player ID explained.
No copy of the game on the server. The server is app 4019830 and installs with an anonymous SteamCMD login.
Run this line again whenever the game patches — it is also the update command (Step 5).
Step 2: the five settings in DedicatedServer.ini
The whole configuration is one file, DedicatedServer.ini. Jagex's guide gives its location as RSDragonwilds/Saved/Config/Linux/DedicatedServer.ini on Linux and RSDragonwilds/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/DedicatedServer.ini on Windows. Several community guides and the community Docker image use Config/LinuxServer/ instead of Config/Linux/ — and on our own 1.0 Linux installs the game created Config/LinuxServer/. If one folder is empty on your install, look in the other.
Jagex documents five fields, and only five:
Field
Required
What it does
Owner ID
Yes
Your Player ID from the bottom of the in-game Settings menu. Whoever holds this ID is the server owner
Server Name
Yes
The name shown against the server in the browser
Default World Name
Yes
On first start the server creates a world with this name. Players find the server by searching this exact, case-sensitive name
Admin Password
Yes
Anyone who knows it can open the Server Management tab under Pause → Settings
World Password
No
Players must enter it to join. It overrides any password stored in the world. Leave it empty for an open server
Two known issues from Jagex's guide. First, editing the file while the server is running loses the change — stop, edit, start. Second, difficulty and world rules are not in this file: they live in the world save. For a custom-rules world, create it locally and move the save across (how to move a world).
One more, from Steam Community threads in April 2026 rather than Jagex: a SteamCMD update can replace DedicatedServer.ini with a default template, so back the file up before every update. Our hosted servers do this automatically — the INI is copied aside before each Steam update and restored if the update changed it.
Step 3: launch it
Windows. Jagex's guide says to find RSDragonwilds.exe in the dedicated-server product folder and run it with -log -NewConsole, which opens a console window showing the log as it goes. At least one 1.0-era community guide names the executable RSDragonwildsServer.exe instead; look in the folder Steam installed and run whichever server executable is there.
Linux. Jagex's guide does not give the Linux launch line. On our own servers the shipping binary lives in RSDragonwilds/Binaries/Linux/ and launches with -log; the community Docker image runs on Ubuntu 24.04 with the 32-bit compatibility libraries SteamCMD itself needs.
Both. The log is RSDragonwilds/Saved/Logs/RSDragonwilds.log; the server's version is printed at the top, and that number matters more than anything else here.
Step 4: find and join the server
There is no server list to scroll. In the game, open Worlds → Public and type the exact world name, case sensitive — Jagex's wording. Not the server name. If you set a World Password, players are asked for it once the search finds the world.
Jagex's guide also lists a known issue: inviting someone to a dedicated server through a Steam invite "doesn't currently connect as intended". Have them search the world name instead.
Step 5: keep the server on the players' build
Players update automatically through Steam or their store. Your server does not. Jagex's guide is blunt: "If you cannot see your Dedicated Server any more, use the logs to ensure that the version it runs matches the one your game does. This is likely to happen any time an update or hotfix is released."
So the update routine is:
Stop the server.
Back up DedicatedServer.ini and the Savegames folder.
Re-run the SteamCMD line from Step 1.
Check the INI survived; restore it if not.
Start the server and compare the version at the top of the log with the version in the game's top-left corner.
Jagex's 0.12.x patch notes repeatedly said "Dedicated Servers will need to be restarted to sync updates", and 1.0.0.4 and 1.0.0.5 followed within days of launch. Host guides report the server depot can briefly trail the client build after a patch — if the versions still differ after an update, wait and try again. The full diagnosis is in server not showing in the world browser.
Step 6: saves, backups and roles
Worlds live in RSDragonwilds/Saved/Savegames on the server. Jagex's guide documents no automatic backup: copy a world save out of that folder to another drive, your PC or the cloud before every update. Access has three levels — owner (ban and unban anyone), admin (knows the admin password; can ban online players, cannot unban) and everyone else — with no whitelist documented; the world password is the gate. Detail in Owner ID and Player ID explained.
Or let us run it
If the above is more evenings than you wanted to spend, RuneScape: Dragonwilds server hosting at Connect runs the same official server on native Linux, checks Steam for the current build on every restart so the server stays on the players' version, keeps your INI safe across updates, and puts the five settings on a Server Settings tab in the dashboard. Regions are US East, London and Frankfurt; every plan carries the game's six-player cap. Getting started with your Dragonwilds server picks up from here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to own RuneScape: Dragonwilds to run a dedicated server?
No. The dedicated server is a separate Steam app (4019830) and installs with +login anonymous. You do need a copy of the game on your own PC to get your Player ID and to play.
What port does a Dragonwilds server use?
UDP 7777 by default, per Jagex; a second server on the same machine takes 7778. Jagex documents no other port.
How many players can join?
Six. Jagex's guide says the server supports up to six players as of 0.11, and nothing in the 1.0 notes changes it. The game's RAM rule (2 GB + 1 GB per player) puts a six-player server at 8 GB.
Can console players join a dedicated server?
Jagex's 1.0 release notes say "Dedicated servers now also have crossplay option." That is the extent of what Jagex has published about it, and we will document the join flow once we have verified it end to end.