WGS is a complete, automated ecosystem for running professional-grade dedicated servers on Windows — without the headache.
Core
Download, extract, and run. WGS installs SteamCMD automatically and handles all server installations from the GUI. No PowerShell scripts, no manual config file editing — everything is point-and-click.
WGS automates server installation and updates via SteamCMD, including a Recommended/Latest build channel choice and version tracking for FiveM/RedM. Schedule automatic update checks and let WGS keep your servers current without manual intervention.
WGS manages Windows Firewall rules automatically — opening the right ports (including dedicated Steam ports) on start and closing them on stop. All sensitive data (RCON passwords, Steam credentials, API tokens) is stored using Windows DPAPI encryption, never as plain text. Destructive actions like deleting a server's files require an explicit confirmation.
Your game isn't natively supported? No problem. The graphical Plugin Creator lets you add any dedicated server executable in minutes:
.cs filesMonitor CPU and RAM consumption per server, track active player counts, and review crash history with performance graphs — all from one central dashboard. History charts hold up to 1 hour of data with a selectable time range, and an Activity tab shows hourly usage patterns plus the most active players over the last 30 days.
WGS warns before a likely crash from rapid RAM growth, sustained high CPU, a memory leak pattern, or known crash-precursor text in the console output (out-of-memory exceptions, fatal errors, access violations). A simpler low-memory-only mode is available with a configurable threshold, and the warning suggests which server to stop first. If a server crashes anyway, a configurable grace period prevents endless crash-restart loops, and a daily scheduled restart keeps memory usage in check. A hard per-server RAM cap (via Windows Job Objects) prevents one runaway server from starving the whole machine.
A stopped server wakes itself the moment a player tries to connect, and shuts back down automatically after a configurable idle timeout once everyone leaves — a full on-demand lifecycle with zero idle resource cost. Note: the connection that triggers the wake-up doesn't get a reply, so that very first attempt always fails by design — just wait for the server to finish starting and connect again.
Scheduled, compressed world-save backups with configurable retention by count and/or age, plus a manual "clean up now" option that previews exactly what will be freed before deleting anything. Optional incremental backups zip only changed files after the first full backup — much faster and smaller for large worlds, with automatic full-backup refreshes to keep the restore chain short. Selective backup paths (with built-in defaults for many games) back up just the save folder instead of the entire install. Scheduled backups are skipped automatically for servers that haven't run since the last one. Backups can also be listed and restored directly from the web dashboard.
Browse, view, upload, and edit server configuration files directly within WGS — no need to leave the application. Every config save keeps a version history (up to 20 snapshots per file), so a broken edit or an unwanted restore can always be undone with one click.
Automate recurring actions — restarts, update checks, backups, or a saved console command — on a fixed daily/weekly schedule or a custom repeating interval ("every X minutes/hours"). Save frequently used console commands as one-click Quick Command buttons right above the console input.
Select multiple servers in the sidebar and start, stop, restart, or back them all up with one click — ideal when running several servers at once.
Duplicate any server with all its settings in one click — WGS automatically assigns conflict-free ports for the clone. Or save a server's settings as a reusable, exportable template (JSON) to share configurations between machines or restore them after a reinstall.
Scans a stopped server's install folder for leftover log files, crash report folders and stray temp files from interrupted updates — shows exactly what it found and how much space it'll free before deleting anything.
WGS can automatically request and remove port mappings on your router as servers start and stop — no manual router configuration needed. Works with any UPnP-capable router, with a test button in Settings to verify compatibility. Disabled by default since it modifies your router's firewall rules without per-request confirmation.
New users see a quick-start guide on first launch covering the core workflow, with a "Don't show this again" option once it's no longer needed.
WGS checks for new versions on startup and every 4 hours, with a Discord/email notification the first time a new version is found. A manual "Check for update now" button on the About screen lets you check immediately instead of waiting.
Remote Control
WGS includes a built-in HTTP server accessible from any browser — including mobile. Enable it in Settings → Web Remote Control and navigate to http://your-ip:8765/ui.
Control your servers from any Discord channel with simple commands (start, stop, restart, update, backup, console commands). Configure allowed user IDs and a custom command prefix for full control over who can do what. A live status message can stay edited in place with current status and player counts — including a "Wake" button for offline servers — and any server can get its own dedicated status board in its own channel. Servers with admin controls enabled also get Start/Stop/Restart/Backup/Update buttons, posted only to a separate, restricted admin channel.
Run WGS on multiple machines and connect them together. A master WGS instance can monitor and control slave instances across your local network or the internet — all from a single panel, with the remote server list sortable the same way as the local one. Each slave uses its own Web API token for authentication.
Copy a read-only status link for any server — shows live player count and uptime, no login or controls, safe to post in a Discord channel or embed on a website.
Notifications
Get notified on start, stop, crash, and update events in any Discord channel. Set a global webhook in Settings, or override it per server to route different games to different channels. Optional player join/leave alerts (with current player count) are off by default. Daily, scheduled and auto-update restarts also warn connected players a few minutes ahead through each game's own console/RCON/REST command, where supported.
Receive the same start, stop, crash, and update alerts by email, configurable per server. Works with Gmail, Outlook, or any SMTP provider.
Games & Mods
Native, ready-made plugins for the most popular dedicated game servers — see the full searchable list. Anything missing can be added yourself with the Plugin Creator above.
Install/Update fetches the FXServer build directly from Cfx.re instead of going through SteamCMD, with a Recommended/Latest build channel choice and the installed build number shown on the Info tab. RedM servers correctly run in RDR3 mode instead of defaulting to FiveM, both support RCON, and their cover art shows correctly in the server list.
WGS fetches the Palworld player list via Palworld's own official REST API instead of RCON (which Pocketpair has deprecated) — more stable, and handles international player names correctly. Just enable RESTAPIEnabled=True in PalWorldSettings.ini.
Search the Steam Workshop by name or ID from within WGS, install and track mods per server instance, and update all mods with one click. Typing a Workshop item ID shows the mod's actual title before you install it, so you can confirm it's the right one.
Source engine game servers (TF2, CS2, L4D2, Garry's Mod, HL2DM, Day of Defeat: Source, Black Mesa) now have a dedicated Plugins tab. It lists all installed SourceMod .smx plugins split into two columns — Active and Disabled. Click Disable to move a plugin to the disabled folder, Enable to restore it. The list refreshes automatically every time you open the tab. The tab only appears when SourceMod is actually installed in the server's addons/sourcemod/plugins/ folder.
Players & Community
Session-level tracking stored in SQLite: join time, leave time, and total playtime per player per server, refreshing automatically alongside the live player list. The Activity tab also shows when a server is busiest by hour of day and lists the most active players over the last 30 days.
Ban a player on one server and WGS automatically applies the same ban to every other currently-running server in the same group and game — and replays it on group servers that were offline when the ban happened, as soon as they next start.