Steam lobby or dedicated server?

For a quick session with friends, start with a Steam lobby. The upstream documentation describes up to 32 players in Steam lobbies. Dedicated servers are configurable from 1 to 249 players; that is a configuration range, not a promise that every host or map will perform well at that size.

Join friends through Steam

Run Steam and start the game through ReSkate. Use the current in-game multiplayer flow and your Steam friends to arrange a lobby. Everyone should use the same compatible release and map content. Offline sessions do not need Steam running, but Steam multiplayer does.

Start a Windows dedicated server

Download the Windows server archive from the same release as your clients. Extract it and keep all included files together. Run ReSkateServer.exe once to create ReSkateServer.json, stop the server, edit its name, then start it again. In the server console, enter role <your SteamID64> admin using your own SteamID64.

ReSkate · GitHub

Invite players and add maps

Find the host in Multiplayer > Servers, or share its join code. Steam relay handles connections by default; you do not need to open router ports. Optional UDP 27015–27016 forwarding enables browser ping and can speed up joining. For custom maps, copy the map’s mod folder into Mods beside the server and keep its original Thunderstore folder name.

Check versions and ongoing changes

Clients and server need matching ReSkate releases. The server checks for updates automatically and can restart once empty; read the server README before changing auto_update or network settings. If joining fails, compare releases and required maps first. Linux hosts should use the Linux server archive and its own README, not the Windows executable.