How to Set Up a Trackmania Nations Forever Dedicated Server

Trackmania Nations Forever Dedicated Server Setup

Not on SteamCMD. Unlike most games covered in this KB, Trackmania dedicated servers are distributed as a direct download from Nadeo — not through SteamCMD. There is no Steam AppID for the server binary.

This guide covers Trackmania Nations Forever (TMNF) and ManiaPlanet (Trackmania 2 Stadium, Canyon, Valley, Lagoon). For the newer Trackmania 2020 (Ubisoft Nadeo, released 2020), see the ManiaPlanet differences section.

Downloading the Server Binary

Trackmania Nations Forever / TMUF:

http://files.v04.maniaplanet.com/server/TrackmaniaServer_Latest.zip

ManiaPlanet (TM2 / ShootMania):

http://files.v04.maniaplanet.com/server/ManiaplanetServer_Latest.zip

Both archives contain both Windows and Linux binaries.

System Requirements

TMNF is a lightweight server — the requirements are minimal by modern standards.

Directory Structure After Extract

TMNF / TMUF:

TrackmaniaServer/
├── TrackmaniaServer         ← Linux binary
├── TrackmaniaServer.exe     ← Windows binary
└── GameData/
    ├── Config/
    │   └── dedicated_cfg.txt    ← server config
    └── Tracks/
        ├── Challenges/          ← .Challenge.Gbx track files
        └── MatchSettings/       ← match settings / map rotation XML files

ManiaPlanet:

ManiaPlanetServer/
├── ManiaPlanetServer        ← Linux binary
├── ManiaPlanetServer.exe    ← Windows binary
└── UserData/
    ├── Config/
    │   └── dedicated_cfg.txt
    └── Maps/
        ├── MatchSettings/
        └── (downloaded maps)

First Launch (TMNF)

Before starting, edit GameData/Config/dedicated_cfg.txt (see the configuration guide). Then launch:

Linux:

./TrackmaniaServer /internet /dedicated_cfg=dedicated_cfg.txt \
  /game_settings=MatchSettings/Nations/NationsBlue.txt

Windows:

TrackmaniaServer.exe /internet /dedicated_cfg=dedicated_cfg.txt /game_settings=MatchSettings/Nations/NationsBlue.txt

ManiaPlanet:

./ManiaPlanetServer /nodaemon /dedicated_cfg=dedicated_cfg.txt \
  /game_settings=MatchSettings/yourmaplist.txt

Key Launch Parameters

Pre-Built Nadeo Map Rotation

TMNF ships with default match settings files in:

GameData/Tracks/MatchSettings/Nations/

• NationsBlue.txt — Bronze/Silver tracks
• NationsGreen.txt — Silver/Gold tracks
• NationsWhite.txt — Gold/Nadeo tracks

Start with one of these during initial testing, then create a custom match settings file for your own rotation.

Updating the Server

Re-download TrackmaniaServer_Latest.zip from the Nadeo URL and extract it over your existing installation (overwriting binaries). Your GameData/Config/ and GameData/Tracks/ directories are not affected — configs and maps are preserved.