How to Join an Astroneer Server (Encryption Fix)

Astroneer will not let you join a dedicated server until you change one setting on your own computer. Every player has to do it, once per machine. Here is the whole process.

Step 1: Turn Off Client Encryption

This is the step that blocks almost everyone. Astroneer refuses to connect to any dedicated server while client encryption is on, and the setting only exists in a file on your PC.

Press Win + R, paste this, and press Enter:

%LocalAppData%\Astro\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor

Open Engine.ini in Notepad and add these two lines at the end:

[SystemSettings]
net.AllowEncryption=False

Save the file and restart Astroneer. If Engine.ini is empty or does not exist, create it and paste the two lines in.

You only do this once per computer, but every player who wants to join has to do it on theirs. We already set the matching option on the server for you, so this client half is the only part left.

Step 2: Copy Your Server Address

Open your server in the DoomHosting panel and copy the address under Connection address. It looks like IP:PORT.

Your port is assigned when the server is created, so do not assume Astroneer's default of 27000. Copy the exact address the panel shows.

Step 3: Add the Server in Astroneer

Astroneer has changed this menu across updates, so yours may not match another guide word for word. The flow is the same either way:

1. Launch Astroneer and stay on the main menu.
2. Open the server list. Depending on your version that is a server list tab on the main menu, or the dedicated-server option inside CO-OP.
3. Choose the option to add a dedicated server.
4. Paste your IP:PORT address into the server address field. If there is a nickname field, put anything you like in it.
5. Enter the join password if the owner set one.
6. Confirm, then pick your server from the list and join it.

Then open the CO-OP tab and start the game from there. This is the step people miss. Adding and joining the server only connects your client, it does not drop you into the world, so if you stay on the main menu it looks like nothing happened.

Who Is the Admin?

Astroneer grants admin by Steam account, not by a password. The owner sets their Steam name and SteamID64 on the server's Overview page, and that account becomes the administrator. Anyone else joins as a normal player.

If you are the owner and have not set this yet, see getting started with your Astroneer server.

Troubleshooting

• The server is not in the list after adding it: check the address character by character, especially the port. Also confirm the server shows Running (green) in the panel.
• You get connected then immediately dropped: this is almost always the encryption setting. Re-open Engine.ini and confirm the two lines are there, in a [SystemSettings] section, and that you saved the file and fully restarted the game.
• "Server is full": Astroneer dedicated servers cap at 8 players. That limit is set by the game and cannot be raised.
• Version mismatch: your client and the server are on different Astroneer builds. Let the server finish its automatic update, then restart it from the panel.
• You joined but you are not admin: the owner's Steam name and SteamID64 on the server must match the account you are playing on. A typo in either one silently leaves the server with no admin.