04Game guides

SCP: Secret Laboratory server – rent and set up

How to set up your SCP:SL server at Nexthosting – plans, Standard or EXILED, joining by IP, config_gameplay.txt, plugins as DLL files and updates.

In short

When ordering, you choose Standard or SCP:SL with EXILED – at no extra charge. You put plugins as .dll files in the EXILED plugins folder. Players connect by IP address and port; Northwood only adds servers that have been approved to the public list.

The process in four steps

From purchase to your first game

OrderStandard or EXILED
Server startsusually within a few minutes
after payment
Copy the addressIP and port in the panel
Connect in the gamedirectly by IP and port

Plans and prices

As of October 2026. Current prices: SCP:SL in the shop.

Plan	Price per month	Players (guideline)	RAM	vCores	Storage	Backups	Databases
Basic	€7.99	approx. 20	4 GB	2	15 GB	1	1
Advanced	€11.99	approx. 30	6 GB	3	20 GB	2	1
Premium	€16.99	–	8 GB	4	30 GB	3	2
Community	€23.99	–	12 GB	6	40 GB	5	5

Slots are not limited; the plans differ in hardware. With many plugins, more RAM is worthwhile.

First steps

Open the panel (Opening the panel). At startup, the console shows which version is running.
In the Startvariablen (startup variables) under Konfiguration → Start: for Standard, the branch and “Auto Update”; for EXILED, the EXILED version and whether pre-releases are used.
Enter the basic settings in config_gameplay.txt (see below).
Restart and copy the address.

How players join

Until your server is in the public list, players connect directly via the IP address and port from the panel in the game’s multiplayer menu. Northwood, the developer, decides on admission to the list; among other things, it requires a contact email in the configuration.

Configuration files

SCP:SL creates its files in the folder .config/SCP Secret Laboratory/config/<port>/ of your server. Open config_gameplay.txt in the file manager (Files, editor and SFTP), replace the values and restart:

server_name: [DE] Facility North
max_players: 20
friendly_fire: false
contact_email: default

Admin rights are in the file config_remoteadmin.txt in the same folder; enter players there by their Steam ID.

Plugins with EXILED

Order with SCP:SL with EXILED (the framework is set up during installation).
Upload plugins as .dll files to .config/EXILED/Plugins – in the file manager or via SFTP.
Restart. The plugin settings are in EXILED’s configs folder and can be edited in the file manager.

You can switch between Standard and EXILED later via support (Support). With game updates, the server, EXILED and plugins must match the new version; if nothing helps, open a ticket.

Typical problems

Problem	Solution
Players cannot join after an update	Restart the server so that it updates; check “Auto Update”
Plugin does not load	Does the version match EXILED and the game? Read the console
Server not in the list	Not yet approved: join directly by IP

Frequently asked questions

Do I need plugins?

No. The Standard server runs without a framework.

Can I use databases?

Yes, 1 to 5 depending on the plan, for plugins that need one (Backups and databases).