When an Enshrouded server on Linux won't start

This guide covers the two causes we have seen behind a Linux server that never comes up around the 1.0 update: Proton's Xalia helper taking the start down on a machine with no display, and a server left on an old build. It shows how to tell which one you have and how to fix each.

Know what a started server looks like#

A running process proves nothing on its own. Keen's dedicated server FAQ lists what a fully started server prints to its console and its log file:

[Session] 'HostOnline' (up)!
[Session] finished transition from 'Lobby' to 'Host_Online' (current='Host_Online')!

Logs go to the folder named by logDirectory in enshrouded_server.json, which is ./logs beside the server executable unless you changed it. If those lines never appear, the server is not up, whatever the process list says, and nobody will find it in the server list.

It stops right after Proton starts: switch off Xalia#

The first failure looks like this: Proton prints its own setup lines, such as creating or upgrading the Wine prefix and fsync: up and running, and then nothing else ever arrives. Some setups show an exception from Xalia instead, with this message:

Video driver  not supported

There are two spaces in it, where the name of a video driver would normally go.

Xalia is part of Proton, not part of Enshrouded. Valve's Proton README describes it as a program that can add a gamepad UI to some keyboard and mouse interfaces, says Proton enables it by default based on window contents, and documents a single switch to turn it off: set PROTON_USE_XALIA to 0. A dedicated server has no use for a gamepad UI, and on a machine with no display Xalia has nowhere to draw one. Xalia's release notes say newer builds log SDL's own error message in place of that one, so the words on your screen may differ while the cause and the fix stay the same.

Set the variable in the environment of whatever starts the server through Proton:

• A start script: add export PROTON_USE_XALIA=0 near the top of the script that already launches enshrouded_server.exe through Proton.
• A systemd service: add Environment=PROTON_USE_XALIA=0 to the [Service] section, run systemctl daemon-reload, then restart the service.
• Docker: pass -e PROTON_USE_XALIA=0, or list it under environment: in Compose. A container only picks up a new variable when it is recreated, so recreate it rather than restarting it.
• A game server panel: if your panel builds servers from a template, add a variable named PROTON_USE_XALIA with 0 as its default to that template, and hide it from users so nobody switches Xalia back on.

Then restart the server and watch for the HostOnline line. Our own Enshrouded test server stalled after Proton's fsync: up and running line on 2026-10-15. After we added this variable, the server printed HostOnline within seconds of starting on 2026-10-18.

After 1.0, update the server first#

A server still on a build from before 1.0 cannot be assumed to accept players on 1.0, so bring it up to date before you chase anything else. Steam lists the Enshrouded Dedicated Server, app ID 2278520, for Windows only, so SteamCMD on Linux has to be told to fetch the Windows files. Valve's SteamCMD page documents the @sSteamCmdForcePlatformType setting for exactly that, and an anonymous login can download this server:

1. Stop the server, and copy enshrouded_server.json and your save folder somewhere safe. The server creates both itself, so neither is part of the download, but a copy costs nothing.
2. Run SteamCMD against the folder your server already runs from, with /srv/enshrouded replaced by that folder:

   steamcmd +@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType windows +force_install_dir /srv/enshrouded +login anonymous +app_update 2278520 validate +quit

3. Start the server again and watch for the HostOnline line.

Valve recommend setting the install folder before logging in, which is why +force_install_dir comes before +login. The validate option checks every server file against Steam's copy and overwrites any that differ.

To confirm the update took, open steamapps/appmanifest_2278520.acf in that folder and compare its buildid before and after. A changed number means the files are on the new build; the server itself only runs it after the restart.

If players still cannot see the server, check the two things Keen point to. The in-game server list only shows dedicated servers when "Show dedicated server" is ticked in its filter. And the query port, 15637 by default, has to reach the server through any firewall or port forward, along with the ports Steam itself uses.

Where ForgeWorld Gaming fits#

ForgeWorld Gaming runs its Enshrouded 1.0 servers on Linux with this fix already in place, so a new server comes up without any of the steps above.

Prefer renting to keeping your own server machine online? ForgeWorld Gaming currently offers Enshrouded Standard: 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16 player slots at CA$21.99–CA$41.99/month. Hosted in Iowa, United States. Prices are in Canadian dollars, with no setup fee and cancel any time. Your server is set up automatically after payment. Continue to secure billing, Enshrouded · Dedicated server, CA$21.99 / month (Standard, 4 slots), or compare Enshrouded plans.