Steps verified 29 Jul 2026Unofficial reference

Run your own Dragonwilds server.

The dedicated server is free and takes five steps: install, run, configure, open a port, join. Here's each one on Windows or Linux, plus how to move your existing world across and what to check when something won't connect.

Freeserver software, on Steam

64-bitWindows or Linux

2+1 GBRAM per player (8 GB full)

7777UDP game port to forward

1Install the server

Install RuneScape: Dragonwilds - Dedicated Servers from Steam like any other product (it's free), or install it headless with SteamCMD:

steamcmd +force_install_dir C:\DragonwildsServer +login anonymous +app_update 4019830 +quit

The server binaries only ship through Steam. There is no separate download.

2Run it with logging on

Launch it from Steam, or run RSDragonwilds.exe from the install folder. Before the first real session, add these Steam launch options (right-click the product → Properties):

-log -NewConsole

That opens a console window showing exactly what the server is doing. You'll want it for the Owner ID check below and any troubleshooting later.

3Configure DedicatedServer.ini

Stop the server first, because changes made while it's running are lost. The file lives at:

Linux:    …/RSDragonwilds/Saved/Config/Linux/DedicatedServer.ini
Windows:  …/RSDragonwilds/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/DedicatedServer.ini

On Windows the file isn't created for you. Copy the Linux one into the WindowsServer folder.

Value	What it is
Owner ID required	Your Player ID, shown at the bottom of the in-game Settings menu. The server refuses to start without it.
Server Name required	The server's display name, whatever world it runs.
Default World Name required	Name for the world the server creates on first start.
Admin Password required	Anyone with it becomes an admin via Pause → Settings → Server Management, until you change it.
World Password	Optional. Leave empty for an open world, or set it to gate joins.

4Open your ports

The server listens on UDP 7777 (a second server uses7778; override with -port=1234). Your firewall, every router in the chain, and your ISP all need to pass UDP through.portforward.com documents most router models. Some ISPs block forwarding entirely or hide it behind support requests.

Telltale symptom: your server shows up in other players' lists but can't be joined. That's port forwarding failing somewhere along the chain.

5Find and join your world

In the game: Worlds → Public tab, then search for your world name. Two gotchas: the search is case-sensitive, and you search the worldfile name without its suffix, so a world stored asDragonwilds_World1.sav is found asDragonwilds_World1.

Moving an existing world across

The server loads the newest .sav in…/RSDragonwilds/Saved/Savegames, so migrating your group's world is a file copy with one hard rule: never rename the save file(a renamed save loses progress on start).

Stop the server.
Back up everything in the server's Savegames folder somewhere safe.
Empty the folder's contents, but don't delete the folder itself.
Copy your world's .sav from your own machine's Savegames folder into the server's, name untouched.
Start the server and verify progress survives a leave, rejoin and restart.

Want custom world settings (Custom/Creative)? Create the world locally first, load in for a minute or two so it saves fully, exit, then move that save across the same way. Back up saves again before every game update.

Who can do what

Role	How it's granted	Powers
Owner	Player ID matches the config's Owner ID	Ban and unban anyone, online or offline
Admin	Entered the Admin Password	Ban online regular players; can't unban
Player	Knows the world name	No moderation powers

When it won't work

Server vanished after a patch: version mismatch. The server's version is printed at the top of its log; the client's is in its top-left corner. Update both. Mismatches happen at every game update and hotfix.
RAM errors in the console: the machine is under the2 GB + 1 GB/player requirement for your lobby size.
Steam invites don't connect: a known issue. Have friends search the world name instead.
Deeper digging: full logs live in%localappdata%\RSDragonwilds\Saved\Logs.

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Steps are game facts from the official wiki's dedicated-server documentation, rewritten and verified 29 Jul 2026. If a patch changes the process, the nightly refresh flags it for re-verification.