How to Set Up an Evrima Dedicated Server for The Isle

An Evrima community server is a free download from Steam that runs on Linux and Windows. Three things trip most people up: the branch, the Epic Online Services keys, and the RCON.

Option 1: by hand with SteamCMD

The Isle Dedicated Server is Steam application 412680, an anonymous download. Evrima is its evrima branch: without -beta evrima you get the 2022 Legacy server, which has no Linux build at all.

  1. Install SteamCMD, then run: +login anonymous +app_update 412680 -beta evrima validate +quit (about 1.5 GB).
  2. Start TheIsle/Binaries/Linux/TheIsleServer-Linux-Shipping TheIsle -Port=7777 -log, as a normal user: not as root.
  3. Pass Epic Online Services' dedicated-server client on the same line, -ini:Engine:[EpicOnlineServices]:DedicatedServerClientId=... and DedicatedServerClientSecret=... (the pair every host uses). Without it the log says "Unable to initialize EOS platform" and the server never finishes starting.
  4. Stop it once, then edit TheIsle/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/Game.ini: ServerName, MaxPlayerCount, the password, the queue, the RCON, AI, classes and the rest.
  5. Open the game port (UDP 7777) and, for the join queue, its TCP port (10000).
Tip:Never open the RCON port (8888) to the internet. The Isle's RCON trusts an address once one password was right: anyone behind the same address gets in afterwards with no password at all.

Option 2: Docker

runonflux/theisle-server-flux, our image, installs the evrima branch on every start, runs the server as an unprivileged user with the Epic client, writes Game.ini from environment variables (ISLE_SERVER_NAME, ISLE_MAX_PLAYERS, ISLE_ADMINS, ISLE_QUEUE...) and its panel's settings, keeps the RCON inside the container, restarts onto new builds with in-game warnings and backs up the player database. Its source is on GitHub, RunOnFlux/theisle-server-flux.

  • Mount /mnt/isle/data on a volume: the player database, Game.ini and the bans live there.
  • Mount /mnt/isle/server too, or every start downloads the 1.5 GB server again.
  • Publish 7777/udp and 10000/tcp. Do not publish 8888.

Option 3: managed on Flux

Deploy a server for The Isle on the Flux decentralized cloud, on that same image, with the ports opened and routed for you, DDoS protection included, and a dashboard with every Game.ini setting, the playable classes and wildlife, a private server console, admins, whitelist, VIPs and bans, a file browser, a live terminal and backups. Plans start at $6.49 a month.

  1. Pick the 30, 60 or 100-player plan.
  2. Choose a region close to your players.
  3. Name the server, add your SteamID64 as admin, and deploy. The first start downloads about 1.5 GB.
  4. Set its rules in the Server Settings and Dinosaurs tabs. Players find it by name in the server browser.
Deploy a server for The Isle →

Frequently asked questions

Is the The Isle dedicated server free?

Yes. It is a free, anonymous download from Steam (application 412680, branch evrima); you do not need to own the game on the server.

Does the The Isle server run on Linux?

Yes: the evrima branch has a native Linux build. It must run as a normal user, not root, and needs the Epic Online Services client id and secret on its command line.

How long does an Evrima server take to start?

The first start downloads about 1.5 GB. After that, in our tests, Gateway was loaded in about 6 seconds and the RCON answered in about 11. It can take a few more minutes to appear in the server browser.

Related The Isle guides