How to keep your game server updated without breaking it
Game updates arrive on the developer's schedule, not yours. When one lands, every player's game updates and your server falls behind, so players can no longer join. Keeping a server current is a routine skill, and doing it well means fewer surprise outages and fewer broken mods. This guide gives you a process that works for almost any game.
Why updates matter
- Players are updated first. Most platforms update the game on players' computers automatically. If your server stays on the old version, they get "version mismatch" or "outdated server" errors. For Minecraft, see How to fix Outdated client and Outdated server errors.
- Security fixes. Updates close holes that attackers use.
- Bug fixes that you or your players have probably noticed.
- New features your community wants.
On the other side, updates can break mods and plugins, change settings and reset behaviour you relied on. That is why the process matters.
Know how your server updates
Servers update in different ways. Find out which applies to you:
| Method | How it works |
|---|---|
| Automatic | The panel or server checks and installs updates by itself, sometimes at restart |
| Manual panel action | You press an update or reinstall button, or choose a new version |
| Command line | You run a tool, for example SteamCMD with an app update and validate command |
| Mods only | The game is current but mods need separate updates |
On a managed panel, the start-up page often has an option such as "auto update", or a version selector. If you are unsure, ask support, as described in How to open a support ticket on Discord.
A safe update routine
Follow the same steps each time:
- Read the patch notes. Look for changes to settings, mod compatibility and anything that affects saved worlds.
- Check your mods and plugins. Make sure each has a version for the new game version. If a key mod has not been updated, consider waiting.
- Announce the downtime. Tell players when, and how long. A message in game and on Discord is enough.
- Take a backup. See Creating and restoring backups, and confirm the backup actually finished.
- Stop the server cleanly.
- Update the server, using your method above.
- Update mods and plugins.
- Start and watch the console. Read the first errors carefully, using How to read your server logs.
- Test. Join as a player and try the main features.
- Tell players when it is back.
If it fails, you have a backup to return to.
When to update right away, and when to wait
Update immediately when:
- The update is a security fix.
- Players cannot join until you do, and your mods are ready.
Wait a few days when:
- The update is large and your mods are not ready.
- It changes how saved data works, and you want others to report problems first.
For games with scheduled major updates, such as Rust's monthly one, plan them into your calendar. Rust wipes explained shows an example.
Steam games and SteamCMD
Many dedicated servers for Steam games are installed and updated with SteamCMD, Valve's command-line tool. It uses the game's app ID. The usual command, in outline, logs in anonymously where allowed, sets the install folder, and runs app_update with the app ID and the validate option. Validation repairs missing or broken files, which makes it the first thing to try if a server behaves oddly after an update. Your panel may do this for you with a "reinstall" or "update" button.
Updating mods without pain
- Keep a list of your mods with their versions and sources.
- Update in small groups, not all at once.
- Remove abandoned mods that no longer get updates, since they will block you from updating the game.
- Keep a rollback. Save the old mod files before replacing them.
Mod hygiene for game servers goes into this in detail.
Scheduled maintenance
Servers that update on a regular day, at a regular hour, annoy players least. Pick a quiet window and keep to it. Combine it with a restart and a backup, as in Schedule automatic restarts and backups.
If an update goes wrong
- Do not keep poking at it. Stop the server.
- Read the first error in the console.
- Remove the newest mod or plugin and try again.
- If it still fails, restore the backup and stay on the old version until you work out why.
- Ask for help with the exact error text, the game version and what changed.
Keep a short record of each update: the date, the version, what you changed and what went wrong. It becomes a valuable guide for the next one.
Still stuck? Open a ticket on Discord - run /ticket in any channel, pick a department, and include your Server ID or Invoice ID so we can jump straight in.