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This guide walks you from placing your order to your community playing on your own S&Box server. Because S&Box is a platform rather than a single game, the one decision that shapes everything else is which game or gamemode your server runs — we’ll cover that too.
S&Box is evolving quickly. Startup flags, config details, and server tooling can change as Facepunch ships updates. Where specifics may vary, this guide describes the general process — the Console in the Game Panel and official Facepunch news are your best sources for the current details.

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Setup Walkthrough

1

Order your server

Order at wasabihosting.com/game-servers/s-and-box and pick the location closest to your community (Amsterdam, Frankfurt, or Ashburn).
2

Wait for deployment

Your server deploys automatically about 2 minutes after payment. You’ll receive panel access details by email.
3

Open the Game Panel

Log in to the Wasabi Hosting Game Panel and select your S&Box server.
4

Choose the game or gamemode

Decide what your server runs — a sandbox mode, a community-made gamemode, or any other game published to the S&Box ecosystem. This is set through your server’s Startup settings in the panel, where you point the server at the game/gamemode it should load. The exact parameter format follows the current S&Box server tooling; if you’re unsure, check the console output or ask our support team.
5

Start the server and watch the console

Click Start and keep the Console open. The first boot downloads the platform files and the content for your chosen game, which can take a few minutes. Wait until the console reports the server is up and listening.
6

Players join

Players find your server through the in-game server browser (filtered by the game/gamemode it runs) or connect directly by address using the IP:port shown on your panel dashboard. Share the address with your community so they can join even if the browser is busy.
Give your server a clear, searchable name that mentions the gamemode it runs — that’s how players browsing the server list will decide whether to click yours.

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Mods, Addons, and Content

Content in S&Box — games, maps, models, and addons — is distributed through the official S&Box ecosystem hub (sbox.game). In general:
  • Servers reference content from the ecosystem, and clients download what they need when connecting — no manual file syncing for your players.
  • What your server loads is controlled by its startup configuration and the game/gamemode you selected.
  • The details of how server-side content is declared can change as the platform matures; check the console output and official documentation for the current approach.
Your server’s files are always accessible via the File Manager and SFTP — see File Management.

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Keeping Your Server Updated

Facepunch ships platform updates frequently, and clients on a newer build can’t join an outdated server:
  • Restart from the panel when an update drops — the server installs the latest build on startup.
  • Take a backup first. Platform updates occasionally change how things work; a pre-update backup lets you roll back your files and settings.
  • Watch the console after updates — deprecation warnings and changed settings show up there first, and official Facepunch news covers breaking changes.
Use the Schedules feature in the Game Panel to automate nightly restarts and backups — a good habit on a fast-moving platform.

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Troubleshooting Basics

  • Server not in the browser? It may still be downloading content on first boot — check the console. Direct connect by IP:port also works before browser listings refresh.
  • Players can’t connect after an update? Restart the server so it matches the current client build.
  • Startup errors after changing the gamemode? Verify the game/gamemode reference in your Startup settings, or restore your last backup.
Still stuck? Open a support ticket or join our Discord — we’re around 24/7.

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