Everything you need to know about setting up a dedicated V Rising server, including a guide to the vast array of server settings you can change

Looking to set up a private V Rising server for your vampire clan? While the developers have said offline play in V Rising is coming soon, for now even playing PvE in your own private game state is technically done online via a server. There are many different ways to play the hit new vampire survival game, so it’s important to understand what your options are.

There are many different shapes and forms a V Rising server can come in – developer Stunlock Games has partnered with a third party company called GPORTAL to provide official servers, and you can also rent private servers through them as well. If you’re setting up your own server, either for solo use or for you and your friends, there are over 60 different server settings you can tinker with, so it’s handy to understand what they all do before you set your game up.

V Rising servers typically hold around 40 people, although we’ve seen some private servers hold more. The size of clans on these servers is typically capped at four, although this is also a setting you can change for private servers. There’s plenty more to go over as well, so read on to find out everything you need to know about servers and multiplayer in V Rising.

When you launch V Rising and hit ‘Play’, you’ll be see three options:

Online play simply takes you to another menu where you can choose what kind of game mode you’re interested in – PvE, PvP, Full Loot PvP, or Duo PvP. Depending on which option you choose, you can browse a server list dedicated to just that mode. You can also browse all of the available servers on the list.

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You’ll see a mix of privately run and official servers, with basic information such as clan size, player maximum and current player count, and the general activity level within a server.

Two things that are worth paying attention to if you’re browsing a server is whether it uses the standard ruleset (denoted by a paper symbol with a tick) and whether it’s a dedicated server (denoted by a symbol that looks like a stack of CD drives). The former will let you set expectations with regards to what the rules will be, while the latter will give some indication as to how reliable accessing the server will be.

Anyone can host a dedicated server in V Rising, either by renting one via a third-party, or downloading the V Rising server client and running it on either their home PC or a dedicated server machine. You can grab the V Rising Dedicated Server tool directly from Steam, or follow the instructions when you click on ‘Host Dedicated Server’ in-game, which will take you to a GitHub page.

You can set up a private server using one of two methods. Technically, any player-run dedicated server can also be considered a private server, but there is also an option in-game to run a ‘private game’. Here you can host a temporary server to play around in, either on your own via Solo play or for a group of friends you can invite.

It won’t be a dedicated server, as the moment you close the game the session will end for everyone else as well. Private games are just as customisable as games running on dedicated servers – you can choose rulesets, define PvP or PvP, even set player caps and clan size caps, as well as access all of the advanced server settings referenced below. You can also add a password so that only people you like (or who are /really/ good at guessing) can jump in.

This is a great way of learning the game for your first session, although be warned that at the time of writing there have been several reports of people being able to load back into games started via the ‘Private Game’ option. We’ve also encountered this issue when trying to access our initial save started via this option.

Once you’ve gotten used to the basics, it may be worth starting again on a dedicated PvE or PvP server for long-term play.

As mentioned above, there are over 60 settings you can change to tailor a server to your needs. Seemingly everything can be tuned, from clan size, and max players, to starting equipment and how much damage you take from the Sun. You can mouse over the little ‘i’ symbol for each setting to read an explanation of how it will affect your game.

If you’re hosting your own dedicated server, you can change all of these settings via the ServerGameSettings.json file. This is typically located in the VRisingServer_Data\StreamingAssets\Settings folder.

If you’ve opted to host a ‘Private Game’ through the in-game menu, most of these settings can be accessed and tweaked via the ‘Advanced Game Settings” button towards the bottom left-hand side of the screen.

Generally speaking, the official V Rising servers will be online 24/7, although as hotfixes and patches roll out, servers do get taken offline temporarily to apply any updates needed. Downtime can last up to 30 minutes for a typical update.

Player-run servers can enable an ‘auto-update’ feature that will also take them offline to apply updates as they happen. Our advice is to pay attention to V Rising’s Steam page and the official social media channels so you’re up-to-date on when patches might be rolling out.

At the time of writing, the developers aren’t considering wiping official servers, although it’s something the studio has said it’s “carefully watching”. It’s likely Stunlock will monitor the situation over time, and will take cues from the community as to whether server wipes are needed.

And that’s everything you need to know about V Rising servers. For more tips and guides, check out how to get a V Rising horse, how to stop your castle heart from decaying, and we’ve even got a V Rising servants guide to help you get some thralls.

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Strategy games aficionado Joe was previously editor of Wargamer and has written for RPS. Enjoys Hearts of Iron 4, Kerbal Space Program, Halo, and long walks on the beach.