Dystopia Server Hosting Guide

Overview

Dystopia is a multiplayer game server that can be hosted on a VPS or dedicated server. This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about hosting a Dystopia server for your community.

Quick Info

🔌 Network Ports

# UFW (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo ufw allow [PORT]/tcp
sudo ufw allow [PORT]/udp
sudo ufw reload

# FirewallD (CentOS/RHEL)
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=[PORT]/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=[PORT]/udp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

# Windows Firewall
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Dystopia Server" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=[PORT]
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Dystopia Server" dir=in action=allow protocol=UDP localport=[PORT]

Installation & Setup

System Requirements

• OS: Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+ or Debian 11+ recommended) or Windows Server 2019+
• CPU: 2+ cores recommended (single-threaded performance important for most game servers)
• RAM: 2–4 GB per process baseline (varies by game/players) minimum (more for larger player counts)
• Storage: 5GB+ for server files (SSD recommended for better performance)
• Network: Stable internet connection with low latency

Required Dependencies

• SteamCMD
• Open firewall for listed ports

Installation Steps

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

# Update system packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Create server directory
mkdir -p ~/gameserver
cd ~/gameserver

# Download server files (method varies by game)
# Check official documentation for download links

Starting the Server

./srcds_run -console -game dystopia -ip 0.0.0.0 -port 27015 +map dys_broadcast +maxplayers 24 +exec server.cfg

Windows Server

Download the server files from the official game website or through Steam (if applicable). Extract to a dedicated folder and run the server executable.

Using SteamCMD - RECOMMENDED METHOD

This game can be installed via SteamCMD using App ID: 17585

Install SteamCMD (Ubuntu/Debian)

# Update package list
sudo apt update

# Enable 32-bit architecture
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update

# Install SteamCMD
sudo apt install -y lib32gcc-s1 steamcmd

Download Server Files

# Create directory for game server
mkdir -p ~/gameservers/dystopia

# Run SteamCMD and download
steamcmd +login anonymous \
         +force_install_dir ~/gameservers/dystopia \
         +app_update 17585 validate \
         +quit

# Server files are now in ~/gameservers/dystopia/
cd ~/gameservers/dystopia
ls -la

Windows Installation with SteamCMD

1. Download SteamCMD from: https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd.zip
2. Extract to C:\steamcmd\
3. Open Command Prompt and run:

cd C:\steamcmd
steamcmd.exe +login anonymous ^
             +force_install_dir C:\gameservers\dystopia ^
             +app_update 17585 validate ^
             +quit

Server Configuration

After installation, you'll need to configure your server. Here's where to find the configuration files and what settings you can change.

Essential Settings

• Server Name: Set a descriptive name for your server
• Max Players: Configure based on your server's resources
• Password: Optional password protection for private servers
• Admin/RCON Password: Set a strong password for remote administration
• Game Mode: Configure game-specific modes and settings

Server Commands

Common administrative commands (access via console or RCON):

# Kick player
kick [player_name]

# Ban player
ban [player_name]

# Change map/level (syntax varies by game)
changelevel [map_name]

# Set admin password (if supported)
setadminpassword [password]

⚙️ Startup Parameters

Command Line Template

The server uses the following command line template:

%GAME_TYPE% %PID_FILE% %MAP% %IP% %PORT% %PLAYERS%

Available Startup Parameters

The following parameters can be configured when starting the server:

Creating a Start Script

Linux (start.sh):

#!/bin/bash
cd /path/to/server
./server_executable [parameters] 2>&1 | tee server.log

chmod +x start.sh
./start.sh

Windows (start.bat):

@echo off
cd /d "%~dp0"
server_executable.exe [parameters]
pause

Running as a Service

Linux (systemd):

# Create service file: /etc/systemd/system/gameserver.service
[Unit]
Description=Dystopia Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=gameserver
WorkingDirectory=/home/gameserver/server
ExecStart=/home/gameserver/server/start.sh
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

# Enable and start service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable gameserver
sudo systemctl start gameserver
sudo systemctl status gameserver

🔧 Troubleshooting

Server Won't Start

Server not listed or query fails

Open 27015/udp and 27015/tcp; check -ip/-port; ensure sv_lan 0; verify external firewall/NAT.

Workshop maps not downloading

Ensure -authkey is present; server has internet access; use +host_workshop_collection and +workshop_start_map or fall back to FastDL.

Connection Issues

Can't Connect to Server

1. Verify server is running: ps aux | grep server
2. Check port is listening: netstat -an | grep [PORT]
3. Verify firewall rules (see Ports section above)
4. Check server IP: Use external IP, not localhost
5. Router/NAT: Ensure port forwarding is configured

High Latency/Lag

• Check server resource usage (CPU, RAM, disk I/O)
• Verify network bandwidth is adequate
• Consider server location relative to players
• Check for background processes consuming resources

Performance Issues

Server Lag

1. Monitor resources: Use htop or top
2. Check disk I/O: Use iotop
3. Review server logs for errors or warnings
4. Reduce player count or increase server resources
5. Optimize configuration based on server capacity

Memory Leaks

# Monitor memory usage
free -h
top -p $(pgrep -f server)

# Restart server regularly via cron if needed
0 4 * * * /home/gameserver/restart.sh

Performance Optimization

Server Tuning

• CPU: Ensure adequate CPU allocation; most game servers are single-threaded
• RAM: Allocate sufficient memory; monitor usage and adjust as needed
• Disk: Use SSD storage for better I/O performance
• Network: Ensure stable, low-latency connection

Operating System Optimization

# Increase file descriptor limits
echo "* soft nofile 65536" >> /etc/security/limits.conf
echo "* hard nofile 65536" >> /etc/security/limits.conf

# Network tuning
sysctl -w net.core.rmem_max=16777216
sysctl -w net.core.wmem_max=16777216
sysctl -w net.ipv4.tcp_rmem="4096 87380 16777216"
sysctl -w net.ipv4.tcp_wmem="4096 87380 16777216"

Monitoring

Set up monitoring to track server health:

• CPU and memory usage
• Network traffic and latency
• Player count and activity
• Error rates and crash logs

Backup Strategy

#!/bin/bash
# backup.sh - Run via cron
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
BACKUP_DIR="/backups/gameserver"
SERVER_DIR="/home/gameserver/server"

# Create backup
tar -czf $BACKUP_DIR/backup_$DATE.tar.gz -C $SERVER_DIR .

# Keep only last 7 days
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "backup_*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

Security Best Practices

Firewall Configuration

# Minimal firewall - only allow necessary ports
sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing
sudo ufw allow [SERVER_PORT]/tcp
sudo ufw allow [SERVER_PORT]/udp
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp  # SSH
sudo ufw enable

Strong Passwords

• Use strong, unique passwords for admin/RCON access
• Never use default passwords
• Change passwords regularly
• Don't share admin credentials unnecessarily

Regular Updates

• Keep server software updated to the latest stable version
• Update operating system and dependencies regularly
• Subscribe to security advisories for your game
• Test updates on a staging server before production deployment

Access Control

• Limit SSH access to specific IPs if possible
• Use SSH keys instead of passwords
• Disable root login via SSH
• Implement fail2ban or similar intrusion prevention

DDoS Protection

• Consider DDoS protection services (Cloudflare, OVH, etc.)
• Implement rate limiting where supported
• Monitor for unusual traffic patterns
• Have an incident response plan

Additional Resources

• Official Dystopia documentation and forums
• Community wikis and guides
• Game-specific Discord or Reddit communities
• Server hosting provider documentation

External References

• https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Source_Dedicated_Server
• https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/2EA8-4D75-DA21-31EB

Last updated: November 2025 | For Dystopia server hosting