Run a Deadworks server

Rent a server instead

Deadworks.net rents Deadlock servers with Deadworks set up and automatically updated. Plugins, admins, maps and content are managed from its interface, so you can skip the rest of this guide.

On Linux, run the server in Docker instead: see 1a. Run a server (Docker).

Requirements

• A Windows PC or Windows VPS
• The .NET 10 Runtime (x64).
• A Steam account that owns Deadlock. SteamCMD needs it to download the game.
• About 35 GB of free disk space

Install Deadlock with SteamCMD

SteamCMD is the command-line version of Steam. A server installed with it is separate from your own copy of the game.

tip

You can also run Deadworks from your own Deadlock install, at C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Deadlock, but a separate install is recommended.

1. Download SteamCMD for Windows and extract it to a folder, for example D:\steamcmd.

2. Run steamcmd.exe, then install Deadlock. SteamCMD asks for your password and any Steam Guard code:

   force_install_dir D:\deadworks-server
   login <your Steam username>
   app_update 1422450 validate
   quit

Run the same commands again to update the server after a Deadlock patch.

Install Deadworks

1. Download the latest deadworks-<version>.zip from GitHub releases.
2. Extract it into the server folder, D:\deadworks-server. The zip contains a game folder, which merges with the one already there.

deadworks.exe is now in D:\deadworks-server\game\bin\win64\.

Start the server

Run deadworks.exe. The window that opens is the server console. It shows what the server is doing and runs any command you type in it.

Change the launch options

deadworks.exe takes the same launch options as deadlock.exe. Launch options replace all of Deadworks' defaults, so pass the full list with your changes. Save it as a batch file such as run-server.bat next to deadworks.exe, then start the server with it. The batch file below has the defaults. Change any of them, such as +hostport, the port players connect to, or +map, the starting map:

@echo off
cd /d "%~dp0"

deadworks.exe -dedicated -console -dev -insecure -allow_no_lobby_connect ^
  +tv_citadel_auto_record 0 +spec_replay_enable 0 +tv_enable 0 ^
  +citadel_upload_replay_enabled 0 ^
  +hostport 27067 ^
  +map dl_midtown

pause

Let players connect

Windows Firewall blocks the port on a new machine. Run this once in PowerShell as Administrator:

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Deadworks TCP 27067" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 27067 -Protocol TCP -Action Allow
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Deadworks UDP 27067" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 27067 -Protocol UDP -Action Allow

On a home network, also forward TCP and UDP 27067 on your router to this PC.

Players connect from the Deadlock console:

connect your.public.ip:27067

Where things are

Everything Deadworks uses is under game\bin\win64\:

Folder	Contents
managed\plugins\	Plugins you install
managed\builtin\	Plugins that ship with Deadworks, such as the Admin plugin
configs\	deadworks.jsonc, plugin settings, admins and bans
logs\admin\	What admins did, one file per day

Back up configs\. It holds your admins and bans.

Next

2. Install plugins