How to Update Your Clone Hero Server
Clone Hero server updates are distributed as new Linux binaries on GitHub. Here's how to replace the binary manually and what the VERSION variable does in the DustBowl.Games control panel.
Where Updates Come From
Clone Hero server updates are released as Linux binaries on the official Clone Hero GitHub releases page. The binary is called Server (part of the CloneHero-standalone_server release package).
There's no SteamCMD or automatic update mechanism built in — you download and replace the binary manually, or use the VERSION variable in the DustBowl.Games control panel.
Manual Update Process
- Stop the server from the control panel — don't just kill it mid-session
- Download the new
Serverbinary from the Clone Hero GitHub releases page- Choose the correct architecture: x64 for most servers, ARM64 for ARM-based machines
- Replace the existing
Serverbinary with the downloaded file - Make it executable:
chmod +x Server
- Start the server
The server prints its version on startup — check the console output to confirm the new version loaded.
Using the VERSION Variable
In the DustBowl.Games control panel, you can set the VERSION startup variable:
- Set to a specific GitHub release tag (e.g.,
v2024.9.1) to pin to that version - Set to
latestto automatically download the newest release on each server start
Using latest means you'll always run the newest version but gives you less control over timing — an update could land right before a session. Pinning to a specific version gives you control over when you update.
Do Clients Need to Update Too?
Not necessarily. Clone Hero server versioning is independent of the game client version. The server and client have separate release tracks, and version mismatches between server and client don't always cause connection failures.
That said, check the release notes for each server update — occasionally a server update does require clients to be on a matching version. If it does, the release notes will say so explicitly.
Checking the Current Version
The server logs its version on startup. Set log level to at least 1 (-l 1) and check the console output in the control panel to see what version is running.