SCUM Dedicated Server Troubleshooting

SCUM Dedicated Server Troubleshooting

Server Not Appearing in Server Browser

Symptom: The server runs without errors but is invisible in the SCUM in-game browser.

Checklist:

• Confirm port 7779 (Steam query port) is open through your firewall and router.
• Allow up to 10 minutes after first launch for the server to register with Steam.
• Temporarily disable Windows Defender / antivirus to rule out false-positive blocking.
• Verify ServerName in ServerSettings.ini has no special characters that could cause parsing issues.

Direct connection workaround: Use the Direct Connect option in the server browser with <IP>:7777.

Players Cannot Connect

Symptom: Server appears in browser but players receive "connection timeout" or "failed to connect."

• Verify ports 7777 and 7778 are open in addition to 7779.
• If using a router, confirm the NAT forward points to the correct private IP of the server machine.
• Check that MaxPlayers has not been reached.
• Ensure the player's game version matches the server version — always update both together.

Config File Reverts After Edit

Symptom: Changes to ServerSettings.ini are lost after restart.

• Ensure the server process is completely stopped before editing. SCUM writes the config on shutdown — a running server can overwrite your changes.
• Check file permissions. The server user account must have write access to the config directory.
• On Wine/Linux, verify you are editing the file in the correct Wine drive path:

  /opt/scum-server/wine/drive_c/SCUM_Server/SCUM/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/
  

Server Crashes on Startup

Common causes:

• Corrupt ServerSettings.ini — restore from backup or delete the file to regenerate defaults.
• Insufficient RAM — a 64-player server requires 12–16 GB.
• Missing Visual C++ Redistributables (Windows) — install the latest x64 VC++ Redist.
• On Wine/Linux: ensure the Wine prefix is 64-bit (WINEARCH=win64) and DXVK is installed.

Check SCUM\Saved\Logs\ for stack traces that identify the crash cause.

BattlEye Errors or Kicks

Symptom: Players are kicked with a BattlEye violation message shortly after joining.

• Ensure EnableBattleye=1 in ServerSettings.ini and that the BattlEye service files in the server directory are not corrupt — run app_update 3792580 validate to restore them.
• Players with BattlEye globally banned cannot join BattlEye servers. This is expected behavior.
• If BattlEye is causing false positives in a private/testing environment, set EnableBattleye=0 temporarily and report the issue to BattlEye.

High Memory Usage / Memory Leak

• SCUM is known to accumulate memory over extended runtimes. A daily scheduled restart (via a restart script or cron/Task Scheduler) is standard practice.
• Reduce MaxPlayers if the server frequently runs out of RAM.
• Lower ZombieCountMultiplier to reduce in-memory entity counts.

RCON Not Responding

• Confirm RCONEnabled=1 and that RCONPort is open through the firewall (TCP).
• Verify the password in ServerSettings.ini matches what you enter in the RCON client.
• Check that no other process is occupying port 9999.

Getting More Help

• Official SCUM Discord — #server-admin channel
• SCUM Steam forums: https://steamcommunity.com/app/513710/discussions/
• Check server logs at SCUM\Saved\Logs\ — the latest .log file contains the crash or error details.