Vintage Story: How to Open a Local Multiplayer World

Start and share the local world

Steps

1. Load the single-player world you want to host. Open the escape menu and choose Open to Lan. [1]
2. Have players on the local network join the hosted world, and keep the host’s single-player world open throughout the session. [1]

Use a dedicated host when the player must log out

The game includes a dedicated server program that can run without the hosting player being logged in. [1]

Steps

1. On Windows, set a separate data path for the dedicated server so its settings do not interfere with your single-player settings. Follow the official server guide’s shortcut procedure. [1]

Prepare a separate Windows server data directory

For a Windows dedicated host, the official wiki recommends a custom data path so multiplayer settings do not interfere with single-player settings. This separates the server’s configuration and data from the ordinary client profile. The guide gives the user’s roaming AppData location as an example, rather than requiring everyone to use a username or folder copied from the article. [1]

Steps

1. Create a clearly named directory for the server’s data, such as VSserverData, then open it and copy its full path from File Explorer’s address bar. [1]
2. Find VintagestoryServer.exe in the game’s application folder and create a shortcut to that executable. This is the server executable, not the shortcut that starts your player client. [1]

Point the server shortcut at its own data path

Steps

1. Open the shortcut’s Properties. At the end of Target, append a space, --dataPath=, and the copied server data-directory path in quotes. Use your actual path so spaces in it are preserved. [1]
2. Run the server shortcut. The documented alternative is a batch script using the same server executable and data-path argument, which generates its own configuration files in the selected location. [1]

Distinguish LAN reachability from Internet reachability

Open to Lan allows players on the local network to join while your single-player world stays open. Open to Internet is a separate UPnP attempt. If UPnP does not work, the guide describes TCP and UDP port 42420 forwarding on the router as the alternative. Forwarding applies to players outside the network; it should not be confused with whether the local host has actually opened the world to LAN. [1]

Keep the session and dedicated settings distinct

The shortcut and batch-script methods are functionally equivalent ways to launch the same server with an alternate data path. Use one coherent method when diagnosing the setup. If a dedicated host’s settings seem to affect a single-player game, first compare the selected data paths with the separation recommended in the wiki. [1]