Aloft server hosting for your sky crew
Keep your floating islands in the sky for your whole crew. Aloft’s server mode runs the world without a screen, so up to eight players can sail, farm and build whenever they like, even when the host is offline.
- Server mode from the game files, up to 8 players
- Survival or creative worlds in several sizes
- Public lobby listing or a private room code
- Admins by Steam ID and protected home islands
- PlayersThe playercount value in the load script; the game is made for solo play or up to eight friends.
- Up to 8 (playercount)
- JoiningWith isvisible true the server appears in the lobby browser; otherwise players join with the room code the server prints at start.
- Lobby browser or room code
- Server
- PowerShell scripts in the game files
- World modes
- Survival or creative
- Admins
- Steam IDs in the load script
- Version
- Early Access (since January 2025)
Options
- Survival mode
- Creative mode
- Room code
- Private islands
- Big and huge worlds
Game facts from the Aloft wiki’s dedicated server guide and the Steam store, checked in October 2026.
- DDoS protection
- 20 game server locations
Aloft plans are being prepared
Tell us your crew size and whether you play survival or creative, and our team will reply with the options. Or open a ticket and we will let you know when the plans are online.
How much RAM does an Aloft server need?
Aloft caps a world at eight players, so the island count and how far your crew has sailed matter more than the number of players.
Find your size
| Feature |
Small crew
Up to 4 players
|
Recommended Full crew
Up to 8 players
|
Huge world
Up to 8 players, big or huge world
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Memory (RAM)Working memory for the world, the players and every mod. Leave headroom: memory use grows as players explore. | 6 GB | 8 GB | 12 GB |
| CPU coresHosting guides describe the server as needing up to two full cores; more cores help when many islands are active. | 2 | 2–3 | 4 |
| Disk spaceRoom for the game files, the world and its backups, plus updates and mods. | 15 GB | 15 GB | 20 GB |
| Island countSet when the world is created: 0, 1 or 2, also written normal, big or huge. | normal | normal | big or huge |
| Typical use | Friends on a fresh archipelago | A full crew with several skyships | A long-running world with many islands |
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Small crew
Up to 4 players
- Memory (RAM)Working memory for the world, the players and every mod. Leave headroom: memory use grows as players explore.
- 6 GB
- CPU coresHosting guides describe the server as needing up to two full cores; more cores help when many islands are active.
- 2
- Disk spaceRoom for the game files, the world and its backups, plus updates and mods.
- 15 GB
- Island countSet when the world is created: 0, 1 or 2, also written normal, big or huge.
- normal
- Typical use
- Friends on a fresh archipelago
-
Recommended
Full crew
Up to 8 players
- Memory (RAM)Working memory for the world, the players and every mod. Leave headroom: memory use grows as players explore.
- 8 GB
- CPU coresHosting guides describe the server as needing up to two full cores; more cores help when many islands are active.
- 2–3
- Disk spaceRoom for the game files, the world and its backups, plus updates and mods.
- 15 GB
- Island countSet when the world is created: 0, 1 or 2, also written normal, big or huge.
- normal
- Typical use
- A full crew with several skyships
-
Huge world
Up to 8 players, big or huge world
- Memory (RAM)Working memory for the world, the players and every mod. Leave headroom: memory use grows as players explore.
- 12 GB
- CPU coresHosting guides describe the server as needing up to two full cores; more cores help when many islands are active.
- 4
- Disk spaceRoom for the game files, the world and its backups, plus updates and mods.
- 20 GB
- Island countSet when the world is created: 0, 1 or 2, also written normal, big or huge.
- big or huge
- Typical use
- A long-running world with many islands
Astrolabe publishes no official server figures. These starting points follow hosting guides that plan up to 12 GB of memory and about 12 GB of disk; long-running worlds need more.
Worlds, joining and admins
Aloft’s server runs from two PowerShell scripts that come with the game: one creates a world, the other starts it.
Create a world
AloftServerNoGuiCreate.ps1 builds a new map with your name, island count, corruption level and creative switch, then closes.
Start the server
AloftServerNoGuiLoad.ps1 loads the map with the server name, player count, visibility and port you set.
Listed or private
Show the server in the lobby browser, or keep it hidden and share the room code with your crew.
Admins
Add one admin entry per Steam ID to the load script; there is no limit on how many.
Private islands
Switch privateislands on to protect where players spawn their home islands.
Logs
The server writes output.log and replaces it at every start, so keep a copy before you restart after a problem.
Set up your Aloft server
Four steps from the first island to your crew on board.
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Choose the world size
Decide on the island count and survival or creative, then pick the memory from the table above.
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Pick a location
Choose the one closest to your crew from our 20 game server locations.
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Create and load the map
Create the map once, then start it with your server name, player count, admins and visibility.
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Share the room code
Find the server in the lobby browser, or join with the room code the server shows at start.
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Frequently asked questions
How many players can join an Aloft server?
Up to eight. Aloft is made for solo play or a group of up to eight friends, and the server’s playercount setting is 8 by default.
Where does the Aloft server come from?
The server is part of the game’s files on Steam. Two PowerShell scripts start it without graphics: AloftServerNoGuiCreate.ps1 creates a world and AloftServerNoGuiLoad.ps1 runs it. The game and its server run on Windows.
How do players join?
If the server is visible, it appears in the lobby browser. A hidden server is joined with its room code, which the server prints in the console at start and writes to a ServerRoomCode text file.
Can we play creative mode?
Yes. Choose creative when you create the world (creative true); the default is survival. The mode is set per world.
How big can an Aloft world be?
The island count is 0, 1 or 2 (normal, big or huge), and the corruption count is normal, lots or shrooms. Both are set when the world is created.
How do I add admins?
Add an admin entry with the player’s Steam ID to the load script. You can add as many admins as you need.
Can we protect our home islands?
Yes. The privateislands option protects home island spawning; it is off by default.
Is Aloft finished?
Aloft has been in Early Access on Steam since January 2025, and big updates can change worlds. Read the patch notes before you update a long-running server and keep a backup.
Where do I find the server log?
In output.log in the build folder. The file is replaced every time the server starts, so save a copy before you restart after a problem.
Ready to set sail on your islands?
Tell us your crew size and world plans, and we will help you pick the right Aloft server.