Conan Exiles is a survival game built around building: walls, keeps, thralls, pets and whole cities that your clan puts together over weeks. A dedicated server keeps that world running when nobody is online, lets you set the rules for your community, and makes the difference between a casual co-op world and a proper PvP or roleplay server. This guide covers how the server works, what decides its memory, the settings worth changing first, mods, backups, and how to get one running on GGHOST Cloud.
What you are hosting
The Conan Exiles dedicated server runs the world for everyone connected: the map, the creatures and NPCs, every building piece, every placeable and every thrall. All of that is stored in a database in the server’s Saved folder, and it is written to as players build, fight and trade. That is why a server feels heavier the longer it runs: the world grows with every base.
The game has changed engine. Conan Exiles Enhanced moved the game to Unreal Engine 5 in 2026, and players need an up-to-date client to join an Enhanced server. Mods built for the older version need their authors to rebuild them before they load on Enhanced, which matters a great deal for modded servers (more on that below). You can change the server build or game version as a startup setting in the panel and restart.
How much RAM does a Conan Exiles server need?
Conan Exiles does not have a fixed memory figure, because the real cost is the world rather than the player count. These are the things that drive it:
- The number of buildings and placeables. A server with a few small bases is light; a long-running PvP server with large clan keeps across the map is not.
- Thralls and pets. Every follower is an NPC the server has to simulate.
- Mods. Large overhaul mods, extra building sets and map mods all add memory, and a modded server needs more than a vanilla one with the same players.
- Concurrent players. More players means more of the map active at once.
Because the spread is so wide, we size Conan Exiles servers with you: tell us your player count, whether you run mods, and how long you expect the world to live, and we recommend the memory from that. If the memory graph sits near the top at peak, size up before it starts affecting the game.
On GGHOST Cloud you pay for memory, not player slots. The player limit is a setting you choose, not a line on the invoice.
The settings that matter
Conan Exiles keeps its configuration in a few .ini files under ConanSandbox/Saved/Config, which you can edit from the panel’s file manager.
Engine.iniholds the server’s identity:ServerNameandServerPassword, under the[OnlineSubsystem]section.ServerSettings.iniholds the gameplay rules and theAdminPassword.
A few ServerSettings.ini keys shape the kind of server you run:
PVPEnabled: whether players can fight each other. Pair it withRestrictPVPTimeif you want PvP only at set hours, which suits groups across time zones.HarvestAmountMultiplierandPlayerXPRateMultiplier: how quickly players gather and level. Higher values suit small groups with less time to play.MaxNudity: the maximum nudity level players can see on the server.
Stop the server before editing these files. A running server can write its own settings back on shutdown and overwrite your changes. Many settings can also be changed live from the in-game admin panel once you are an admin.
Becoming an admin
Set AdminPassword, join the server, open the server settings from the in-game menu and choose Make Me Admin. From there you get the admin panel for changing settings, spawning items and moderating players. Share the password only with people you trust with the whole server.
Mods: installing them safely
Conan Exiles mods come from the Steam Workshop. The server loads mods listed in modlist.txt in the ConanSandbox/Mods folder, in the order they appear, and every player needs the same mods to join. Load order matters, because mods that change the same things can conflict, so follow any load-order notes on each mod’s Workshop page.
A few rules keep a modded server healthy:
- Check each mod is ready for Enhanced. A mod that has not been rebuilt for the Unreal Engine 5 version will not load. Look at the mod’s Workshop page or its author’s notes before adding it.
- Add mods in small batches. Restart and check the console after each batch, so a broken mod is easy to find.
- Back up before every mod change. Removing a mod that added building pieces or items can leave holes in the world. A backup lets you undo it.
- Keep the list short where you can. Every mod is something that can break on a game update.
Keeping the server healthy
- Restart on a schedule. Use the panel’s scheduled tasks to send a warning and restart at a quiet hour. A regular restart keeps a long-running world tidy.
- Plan updates. When the game updates, players update automatically through Steam and the server needs to match. Restart the server after an update so it is on the same version, and check mods still load.
- Watch the console after any change. It is the fastest way to see a mod error or a settings typo.
Backups and saves
On a building game, the world is everything. On GGHOST Cloud, backups run on a schedule you set and restore from the panel without opening a ticket. Run a daily backup, and take a manual one before game updates and mod changes.
If you are moving from another host or your own PC, upload your Saved folder (the world database and config files) and your mod list over SFTP. Keep the same mods in the same order and your world comes back as you left it.
Getting a Conan Exiles server on GGHOST Cloud
Conan Exiles is set up on request, not through checkout yet.
- Ask us. Message us on Discord (or open a ticket) with the build, mods and player count you need, and where your players are. Singapore and Europe (France–Germany border) are live today; the United States (East, Central and West), the United Kingdom, India, Japan and Australia are available on demand.
- We size it and quote. We recommend the memory for your world and quote a monthly price. There is no setup fee and no contract, and billing is at app.gghost.cloud.
- We set it up. We build the server on our Pterodactyl panel, usually within a few days, with your build and mod list in place.
- Share the address. The address and port are shown in the panel. Players enter it with the game’s direct connect option and join.
You then have the full panel at panel.gghost.cloud: a live console, file manager, SFTP, scheduled tasks for restarts and announcements, sub-users for your admins, and database access. Every node is behind DDoS protection from our network providers, on every plan, which matters on PvP servers where raids can get personal. Support comes from the people who run the servers, on Discord and at hello@gghost.cloud.
The short version
Size Conan Exiles for the world you expect to build, not just the player count. Set your rules in ServerSettings.ini with the server stopped, make yourself admin with AdminPassword, check every mod is ready for Enhanced before adding it, restart on a schedule, and back up before every update. That keeps a clan’s keep standing for as long as the server runs.
