How to Set Up an Arma Reforger Server: Getting Started

Running your own Arma Reforger server means you pick the scenario, the mods, and who gets in. This guide covers the first boot, choosing a scenario, becoming an admin, installing Workshop mods, and turning crossplay on or off.

What happens on first boot

Your server installs the Arma Reforger dedicated server through SteamCMD on first start. That download is around 10GB, so give it a few minutes before the server reports as online.

Once the files are down, Arma Reforger itself starts fast. On our test server the world was up and running in under 90 seconds, and an empty 32-slot Conflict server settles at about 2.5GB of RAM. Reforger leans on single-thread CPU speed far more than memory, so a busy server is usually waiting on the processor, not the RAM.

Set your name, passwords and player cap

The basics live on the Startup tab of your control panel:

• Server Name is what players search for in the in-game browser, so make it distinctive.
• Max Players sets your slot count, anywhere from 1 to 256.
• Server Password gates access. Leave it empty for a public server.
• Admin Password is what you will use to log in as admin in game. It must be at least 3 characters and cannot contain spaces.
• Visible in Server Browser controls whether you are listed publicly or join-by-address only.

Restart the server after changing any of these.

Choose a scenario

Arma Reforger picks its game mode from a scenario ID, set in the Scenario ID field on the Startup tab. The default is Conflict on Everon. Some of the most-used IDs:

{ECC61978EDCC2B5A}Missions/23_Campaign.conf          Conflict - Everon
{C41618FD18E9D714}Missions/23_Campaign_Arland.conf   Conflict - Arland
{28802845ADA64D52}Missions/23_Campaign_SWCoast.conf  Conflict - Southern Everon
{94992A3D7CE4FF8A}Missions/23_Campaign_Western.conf  Conflict - Western Everon
{FDE33AFE2ED7875B}Missions/23_Campaign_Montignac.conf Conflict - Montignac
{DFAC5FABD11F2390}Missions/26_CombatOpsEveron.conf   Combat Ops - Everon
{DAA03C6E6099D50F}Missions/24_CombatOps.conf         Combat Ops - Arland
{0220741028718E7F}Missions/23_Campaign_HQC_Everon.conf Conflict: HQ Commander - Everon
{3F2E005F43DBD2F8}Missions/CAH_Briars_Coast.conf     Capture & Hold - Briars
{6EA2E454519E5869}Missions/CAH_Military_Base.conf    Capture & Hold - Camp Blake

Your server prints the full list of available scenarios to the console every time it starts, including any that arrive with mods, so check there if you want something not listed above. Copy the ID exactly, braces included.

Become an admin

Set an Admin Password on the Startup tab and restart. Then join your server, open the chat, and type:

#login yourpassword

You now have admin rights for that session. Useful commands:

• #players lists everyone connected with their IDs
• #kick and #ban remove a player
• #restart restarts the current scenario
• #shutdown stops the server
• #logout drops your admin rights

For admins who should keep their rights permanently without typing a password, add their player identity IDs to the admins array in config.json.

Install Workshop mods

Arma Reforger mods come from Bohemia's own Workshop, not the Steam Workshop. Each mod has a 16-character hexadecimal ID, which you can copy from the mod's page in the in-game Workshop browser.

Add mods to the mods array in config.json over FTP or the panel file manager:

"mods": [
  {
    "modId": "591AF5BDA9F7CE8B",
    "name": "Capture & Hold",
    "version": "1.0.3"
  }
]

Only modId is required. Leave version out and the server pulls the latest release. Restart afterwards and the server downloads every listed mod before it comes online, so the first start after adding a large mod takes longer than usual.

Be careful with the JSON. A single missing comma or bracket stops the server from starting at all, and the console will not always tell you which line is at fault.

Turn crossplay on or off

Crossplay is enabled by default on our servers, so PC, Xbox Series X|S and PS5 players all see you in the in-game browser. It is controlled by one line in config.json:

"crossPlatform": true

Set it to false for a PC-only community. Two things worth knowing: consoles can join a server but can never host one, and PlayStation applies its own rules to modded servers, so a heavily modded server may not be reachable from PS5.

Common issues

• Server stuck installing: the first boot pulls around 10GB through SteamCMD. Give it several minutes and watch the console for progress.
• Server will not start after a config edit: almost always a JSON syntax error in config.json. Paste the file into a JSON validator and check for a missing comma or brace.
• Server missing from the browser: confirm Visible in Server Browser is on, and give a freshly started server a minute to register. A server still downloading mods will not list yet.
• Admin login rejected: the admin password must be at least 3 characters with no spaces. Blank passwords disable admin login entirely.
• Mods will not download: check the mod ID is the full 16-character hex string and that it is a server-compatible mod. The console names any mod it could not resolve.

Set up and running? Next, see how to join an Arma Reforger server so you and your friends can get connected.