Getting Started with Your V Rising Dedicated Server

Introduction

V Rising is a vampire survival action RPG from Stunlock Studios -- you wake up as a weakened vampire, hunt for blood, build a castle, and try to dominate a gothic open world. It's a genuinely great game for dedicated servers because the persistent world means your castle and progress stick around even when you log off.

Worth noting: Stunlock shipped V Rising 1.0 in May 2024, followed by the Invaders of Oakveil expansion (1.1) in April 2025, and wrapped up active development in early 2026. The game is feature-complete, stable, and still has a healthy player base -- it's just not getting new content patches anymore.

This guide covers everything you need to get your LOW.MS V Rising server running, from ordering through to your first session.

Ordering Your Server

Head to the V Rising server hosting page and pick the plan that fits your group. I won't quote specific prices or specs here since those change -- the game page always has the latest.

How Many Slots Do You Actually Need?

Stunlock recommends a maximum of 40 players per server for the best experience, though the engine technically supports up to 128 connections. Here's how I'd think about it:

10 slots is perfect for a small friend group or private clan. This is by far the most common setup we see.

15-20 slots works well for a growing community or a clan that wants room for new recruits and the occasional visitor.

30-40 slots is the sweet spot for organised PvP or large PvE communities. At 40 you're right at Stunlock's recommended cap.

50-60 slots is for big community servers. Just be aware that high player counts during peak hours -- especially with lots of castles loaded -- can push resource usage up.

Initial Server Configuration

Once your server is provisioned, you can manage it through your LOW.MS control panel. The two main config files you'll care about are both accessible via Configuration Files in the sidebar.

ServerHostSettings.json

This controls the network and hosting side of things. The important settings:

Name -- what shows up in the server browser.
Description -- the blurb players see when they click on your server.
Port -- UDP port for game traffic. LOW.MS sets this to 28015 automatically, so you shouldn't need to touch it.
QueryPort -- UDP port for server list queries.
MaxConnectedUsers -- player cap.
MaxConnectedAdmins -- extra admin slots that bypass the player limit. Handy if the server is full and you need to get in.
Password -- set one to make your server private.
Secure -- enables VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat).
ListOnSteam -- whether your server shows in the Steam server browser.
AutoSaveInterval -- how often the server saves, in seconds. The default is 120 and I'd leave it there unless you have a reason to change it.
ServerFps -- target server framerate. Default 30, recommended by Stunlock. Don't crank this up thinking it'll help -- it mostly just burns CPU.
GameDifficultyPreset -- quick difficulty presets. Valid values are Difficulty_Easy, Difficulty_Normal, and Difficulty_Brutal. This lives in ServerHostSettings.json, not in the game settings file.

ServerGameSettings.json

This is where all the gameplay tuning happens. We have a dedicated Server Configuration Guide that goes through every setting, but the ones you'll want to look at first:

GameModeType -- PvP or PvE. V Rising also supports Full Loot PvP if you want a more hardcore experience.
ClanSize -- max players per clan. See our clan size guide for a quick walkthrough.
PlayerDamageMode -- controls PvP damage rules.
CastleLimit -- how many castle hearts each player can place.

Connecting to Your Server

There are a few ways to connect. I'll list them in the order I'd actually recommend.

Method 1: In-Game Server Browser (Recommended)

This is the most reliable way to find and join your server.

Launch V Rising and click Play from the main menu.
Select Online Play, then Find Servers.
Search for your server by name, or filter by region.
If it's password-protected, you'll be prompted to enter the password.
Click Join.

Method 2: Direct Connect In-Game

If you know your server's IP and port, this is the fastest option.

From the main menu, go to Play > Online Play.
Click Direct Connect.
Enter your server's IP address and game port (you'll find these in your control panel).
Enter the password if you set one, and hit Connect.

Method 3: Steam Server Browser

You can also use Steam's built-in server browser (View > Servers, or Ctrl+S), but honestly this method is hit-or-miss. It doesn't always pick up V Rising servers reliably, so I'd only use it as a fallback.

Open Steam, go to View > Servers.
Go to the Favorites tab, click Add a Server.
Enter your server's IP and query port (e.g. 123.456.78.90:27016).
Add it to favourites, select it, and click Connect.

Setting Up Admin Access

You'll want admin access so you can manage things in-game. Here's the setup:

In your control panel, open File Manager and navigate to the Settings folder.
Open adminlist.txt.
Add your Steam ID on its own line. You can find your Steam ID at steamid.io.
Save and restart the server.
Once you're connected in-game, press the tilde key (~) to open the console.
Type adminauth and press Enter.

Useful Admin Commands

Once you've authenticated, these are the commands you'll use most:

adminauth -- authenticate as admin
admindeauth -- drop admin privileges for the current session
announce <message> -- broadcast a message to everyone on the server
shutdown <minutes> <message> -- schedule a shutdown with a warning
listusers -- show all connected players
kick <player> -- boot someone
ban <player> -- permanent ban

RCON (Remote Console)

V Rising supports RCON so you can manage the server without being logged into the game. Useful for scheduled restarts, announcements, that sort of thing.

To enable it, open ServerHostSettings.json via Configuration Files in your control panel and add or update the Rcon block inside the JSON:

"Rcon": {
  "Enabled": true,
  "Password": "yourpassword",
  "Port": 25575
}

Note that this is a nested object -- don't set these as flat top-level keys or it won't work. The port is TCP, not UDP. After saving, restart your server, then connect with any standard RCON client.

Your First Session

Once you're in, a few things worth knowing:

Spawn location -- you'll go through a short tutorial and then find yourself in Farbane Woods. If you're playing with friends, coordinate early so you can meet up.

Blood Essence -- your castle burns through Blood Essence to stay active. Prioritise gathering it early or you'll come back to a decaying castle.

Castle placement -- think about where you build. On PvP servers especially, a poorly placed castle is basically an invitation. Tuck it somewhere defensible.

Day/night cycle -- sunlight kills you. Plan your outdoor runs around the cycle, or stick to shadows during the day. Most players find this annoying at first but it becomes second nature.

V Blood Bosses -- these are your main progression mechanic. Killing V Blood carriers unlocks new vampire powers and crafting recipes, so hunt them down as soon as you're geared enough.

Modding with BepInEx

V Rising has a solid modding scene. The game supports BepInEx mods, and there are over 200 mods available on Thunderstore covering everything from QoL tweaks to full gameplay overhauls. You can install and manage mods through the Mod Manager in your control panel. If you're running a community server, mods like server-side QoL packs are popular and don't require clients to install anything.

What's Next

Once you've got the basics down, these guides cover the finer details:

V Rising Server Configuration Guide -- every server setting explained, including game modes, castle limits, and day/night cycle tuning.
V Rising Troubleshooting Guide -- common issues and how to fix them.
Setting Maximum Clan Size -- quick walkthrough for adjusting clan limits.

If you get stuck, our support team is available through the LOW.MS control panel.