How to make a SCUM server: ports, settings and admins
Updated 2 November 2026 · 6 minute read · SCUM (PC), your own PC or a rented server · By Exclsv Support
SCUM’s dedicated server is a free Steam download that runs on Windows. It needs three UDP ports in a row, 7777 to 7779 by default, and players connect on the third. Plan on about 10 GB of memory for 20 players: the server keeps the whole island loaded.
What you need
- A 64-bit Windows computer that stays on. The server is Windows-only; on Linux it runs only through Wine, and a big game patch can stop it starting until Wine catches up.
- SteamCMD. The server downloads without a Steam login; players need their own copy of SCUM.
- Memory: about 10 GB for 20 players, 12 GB for 40 and 16 GB for 64. That’s how we size our own plans.
- Plenty of disk space and access to your router to forward the ports.
Install and start it
- In SteamCMD, type force_install_dir ./scum, then login anonymous, then app_update 3792580 validate. On Linux, add @sSteamCmdForcePlatformType windows before the login so you get the Windows server.
- Start SCUM\Binaries\Win64\SCUMServer.exe with, for example, -log -port=7777 -MaxPlayers=20.
- The first start creates the settings files in SCUM\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\ and the world in SCUM\Saved\SaveFiles\. Stop the server before you edit anything.
Ports to open
| Port | Protocol | What it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| 7777 | UDP | The game port you set with -port. |
| 7778 | UDP | Used by the server alongside the game port. |
| 7779 | UDP | Where players connect: the game port plus two. |
If you set a separate -QueryPort for the Steam server list, forward that too (UDP), and don’t pick anything from 27020 to 27050, which Steam itself uses. For a second server, move the whole block up, for example 7780 to 7782.
Settings: ServerSettings.ini
ServerSettings.ini holds the server name, password, player limit and playstyle, and hundreds of gameplay options: first or third person, chat, loot and vehicle spawns, puppets, raid times and more. Edit it with the server stopped; SCUM writes its files back while it runs, so changes made then can be lost.
Admins, bans and the whitelist
Three files in the same folder take one SteamID64 per line (the 17-digit number on a Steam profile):
- AdminUsers.ini: admins. They type commands in chat starting with #.
- BannedUsers.ini: banned players.
- WhitelistedUsers.ini: who may join, if you want a private server.
Change them with the server stopped, for the same reason as the settings.
Mods
SCUM has no official mod support and no Workshop. Server-side tools run through the UE4SS mod loader, installed into the server’s folder; players don’t install anything.
The easy way: on Exclsv
On an Exclsv server the ports are set up for you and HQ always shows players the join port. Every ServerSettings.ini option is a form with a plain-English line, and HQ writes the file while the server is stopped, so changes stick. HQ installs UE4SS with Exclsv’s own server mods, and memory is reserved for your island, never shared.
| Size | Memory | Players | Suits | Price a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friends | 10 GB | 20 | Up to 20 players | £19.99 |
| Community | 12 GB | 40 | Up to 40 players | £29.99 |
| Public | 16 GB | 64 | Up to 64 players | £42.99 |
SCUM plans and what each includes
If it doesn’t work
Players can’t find the server
The in-game list can be slow to show a new server. Connect with your address and the game port plus two (7779 by default), and check all three UDP ports are forwarded.
My settings changes disappeared
The server was running when you saved, and SCUM wrote its own copy back. Stop it, edit, then start it again.
The server won’t start after a game update
Run app_update 3792580 validate in SteamCMD to repair the files. On Linux through Wine, a big patch can need a newer Wine before it starts again.
Friends on your own home network can’t join with the public address
Some home routers don’t let devices inside the house reach the house’s own public address. People at home join with the server PC’s local network address instead; everyone else uses the public one.
Run this on Exclsv: SCUM server hosting, from £19.99 a month