Getting started with your Windrose server
Windrose is a pirate survival game developed by Kraken Express and published by Pocketpair, in Early Access since April 14, 2026. This guide takes you from your order to your first connection: choosing a plan, getting around the Game Panel, finding the invite code and joining from the game. The other pages of this section then cover configuration, world settings, backups and troubleshooting.
Choosing a plan
YorkHost offers Windrose server hosting on AMD Ryzen or Intel CPUs, NVMe storage and a 10 Gbps network, with Anti-DDoS protection and 7/7 support on Discord. The official dedicated server is installed automatically. Four plans are available:
| Plan | vCores | RAM | Storage | Indicative price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deckhand | 3 | 8 GB | 40 GB NVMe | €9.99/month | 1-2 players, perfect for duos |
| Quartermaster | 4 | 12 GB | 50 GB NVMe | €13.99/month | 3-4 players, best balance |
| Captain | 4 | 16 GB | 60 GB NVMe | €18.99/month | 5-8 players, full crew |
| Admiral | 6 | 24 GB | 80 GB NVMe | €26.99/month | 8 players with large bases |
All plans include backups and Anti-DDoS protection.
The reference prices and specifications are the ones shown on the Windrose page of the YorkHost website at the time of ordering.
How much RAM do you need?
Windrose is memory-hungry: the server keeps the world and the players' buildings in memory. The developers recommend roughly:
| Players | Recommended RAM |
|---|---|
| 2 players | 8 GB |
| 4 players | 12 GB |
| 8 players | 16 GB |
Leave some headroom if you build large bases. The official dedicated server currently supports up to 8 players: this limit is set by the game and may change during Early Access. If your crew grows, you can upgrade to a higher plan from your client area.
Accessing the Game Panel
Your server is managed from the Game Panel (Wisp):
- Log in to your Game Panel:
- Select your Windrose server
- You land on the Console: this is where you start, stop and restart the server, and follow its startup in real time
The Windrose dedicated server is a Windows program: the required Windows environment is fully managed by YorkHost, there is nothing for you to install.
The most useful tabs for Windrose:
| Tab | Use |
|---|---|
| Console | Start / stop the server and read the logs |
| Files | File manager: ServerDescription.json, the game's world and save folders |
| Startup | Startup parameters exposed by the panel |
| Backups | Server backups |
| Schedules | Scheduled tasks, for example an automatic restart |
To transfer a world from your PC, SFTP access is more convenient than the web file manager. The credentials are in Settings → SFTP Details: see SFTP extension for VSCode or use a client such as FileZilla or WinSCP.
On the very first launch, the server creates its world and generates its configuration files, including the invite code. Let the console run without restarting until startup has finished.
Finding the invite code
In Windrose, your players join the server with its invite code, not with an IP address. The code is generated automatically on first startup and saved in the ServerDescription.json file:
- In the Files tab, open
ServerDescription.json(depending on the version, it sits at the server root or in theR5/folder) - Find the value of
InviteCode: this is the code to share with your crew
"InviteCode": "aBc123xY",
The code is case-sensitive: a single wrong upper- or lowercase letter prevents the connection. You can customize it, see Configuring the server.
If ServerDescription.json does not exist yet, the server has not finished its first startup. If you still can't find the code, our support team will help you get it.
What about the IP address and port?
The panel shows an address in IP:PORT format for your server. In Windrose, your players normally don't need it: connecting with an invite code goes through the game's matchmaking mechanism (NAT punch-through), and your players have no ports to open on their router.
The game also offers a direct connection mode by IP and port (port 7777 by default in the game), but how it works depends on the server's network configuration. Do not change the network settings in ServerDescription.json yourself: if you need direct connection, contact support. Opening the required ports is handled on our side (see Are all ports open?).
Joining the server from the game
Once the panel console has settled (the server has finished starting):
- Launch Windrose
- In the main menu, click Play
- Choose Connect to Server
- Paste the invite code
- Confirm, then enter the password if you set one
The exact menu labels may vary depending on the game version and the selected language.
The game changes quickly during Early Access: the client must be on the same version as the server. After a game update on Steam, update your server too. See Backups, world import and updates.
Our Windrose servers are designed for the PC (Steam) version of the game. If your group doesn't play on PC, please contact support before ordering.
The first three things to set up
- Name and password: set
ServerName,IsPasswordProtectedandPasswordinServerDescription.json, see Configuring the server. - Difficulty: choose a preset (easy, medium, hard) or tweak the multipliers before starting the real game, see World settings and difficulty.
- Your solo world: if you already started a game locally, you can transfer it to the server, see Importing a world.
Going further
- Configuring the server (ServerDescription.json): name, password, max players, invite code
- World settings and difficulty: presets, multipliers, shared quests
- Backups, world import and updates
- Troubleshooting
Our team is available 7/7 on Discord or through your client area.