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How to Host a Stardew Valley Multiplayer Server on a VPS (2026)

Published May 4, 2026 · 5 min read · Galaxy Cloud Solutions

Stardew Valley multiplayer is one of those genuinely lovely experiences — farming, fishing, and festivals with friends. The only frustrating part is that whoever is hosting has to be online for anyone else to play. A dedicated server fixes that. Your farm stays running, your crops keep growing, and your friends can water the plants even when you are asleep. A $5 VPS handles it easily.

⚡ Host a Stardew Valley server from $5/mo — Use code LAUNCH2026 for 50% off

What You Need

• VPS with at least 512MB RAM (1GB recommended) running Ubuntu 24.04
• Stardew Valley uses a mod called SMAPI for dedicated server functionality
• The farm save file you want to host

Step 1: Install Dependencies

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y curl unzip screen libsdl2-2.0-0 libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0

Step 2: Download Stardew Valley Server Files

You need a legitimate copy of Stardew Valley. If you own it on Steam, you can use SteamCMD:

mkdir -p ~/steamcmd && cd ~/steamcmd
curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | tar zxf -
mkdir -p ~/stardew
~/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir ~/stardew +login YOUR_STEAM_USERNAME +app_update 413150 validate +quit

Step 3: Install SMAPI

cd ~/stardew
SMAPI_VER=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/Pathoschild/SMAPI/releases/latest | grep tag_name | cut -d'"' -f4)
curl -L "https://github.com/Pathoschild/SMAPI/releases/download/${SMAPI_VER}/SMAPI-${SMAPI_VER}-installer.zip" -o smapi.zip
unzip smapi.zip
cd SMAPI-*-installer
bash install.sh

Step 4: Upload Your Save File

Copy your Stardew Valley save from your local machine to the server:

scp -r ~/.config/StardewValley/Saves/YourFarmName ubuntu@your-vps-ip:~/.config/StardewValley/Saves/

Step 5: Start the Server

cat > ~/stardew/start.sh << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
cd ~/stardew
screen -dmS stardew ./StardewValley
EOF
chmod +x ~/stardew/start.sh
~/stardew/start.sh

Connecting From the Game

In Stardew Valley, go to Co-op → Join LAN Game. Your server should appear. If it does not, use the direct IP connection option and enter your VPS IP address.

Inviting Friends

From inside the game, go to the options menu and generate an invite code. Share that with your friends and they can join directly without needing to know your IP.