How to Set Up an SCP: Secret Laboratory Dedicated Server

SCP: Secret Laboratory Dedicated Server Setup

SCP: Secret Laboratory's dedicated server runs on Linux via the Mono runtime. Installation uses SteamCMD with anonymous login.

Step 1 — Install Dependencies

SCP:SL requires the Mono runtime — this is mandatory.

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install mono-complete -y

# Verify installation
mono --version

Also install the 32-bit compatibility libraries for SteamCMD:

sudo apt-get install lib32gcc-s1 -y

Step 2 — Install SteamCMD

mkdir ~/steamcmd && cd ~/steamcmd
wget https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
tar -xvzf steamcmd_linux.tar.gz

Step 3 — Download the Server Files

SCP:SL's dedicated server AppID is 996560. Anonymous login is supported.

~/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh \
  +force_install_dir /home/steam/scpsl \
  +login anonymous \
  +app_update 996560 validate \
  +quit

Step 4 — Run the Server

The launcher is called LocalAdmin (no extension). It manages the server process and provides the admin console.

cd /home/steam/scpsl
chmod +x LocalAdmin
./LocalAdmin 7777

The 7777 argument is the UDP port number for this server instance. On first run, default config files are generated under:

~/.config/SCP Secret Laboratory/config/7777/

Step 5 — Configure Your Server Info

SCP:SL uses a Pastebin document to display your server's description, rules, and info to players in-game. This is required for a proper server listing.

1. Create a free account at pastebin.com
2. Create a new paste with your server info (rules, description, Discord link, etc.)
3. Copy the Pastebin document ID from the URL (the letters/numbers after pastebin.com/)
4. Edit config_gameplay.txt and add:

   serverinfo_pastebin_id: ABC123DEF
   

Port Requirements

Only a single UDP port is required. TCP is not used for gameplay.

sudo ufw allow 7777/udp

Important: Public Listing Requires Verification

SCP:SL servers do not appear publicly in the server browser without verification by Northwood Studios. Unverified servers can only be joined by Direct Connect using the server's IP and port.

To apply for public listing:

• Join the Northwood Studios Discord
• Follow the server verification process in the #server-verification channel

Players can always connect directly regardless of verification status.