Option to disable Steam Datagram Relay to avoid latency issues in LAN / SDR
Hello Keen Games,
It seems like you made it easier for users to connect to a Host by using [Steam Datagram Relay](https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/multiplayer/steamdatagramrelay). While this is good for the majority of players because it simply works "out of the box" even behind carrier grade NAT. Its not ideal for everyone.
Me and my wife playing in the same LAN. I tried different options (Hosting in Game and with dedicated Server) but the remote Client always has Latency of 45 - 50 ms while Server Load is "green". Monitoring my Network i see the Gaming Port of the server is not used but instead traffic goes through a (random?) high port through the internet. I suggest this is Steam Datagram Relay and causing the high latency (even with some disconnects sometimes).
Please give us an option to disable SDR and directly connect to our own servers. One Option in the dedicated Server JSON would be enough.
Comments: 11
Oldest
•
Newest
•
Most likes
•
Fewest likes
-
08 May
R Snow MergedHighlighted comment
I voted this up, but there is another filed issue that is here titled:
"Option to disable Steam Datagram Relay to avoid latency issues in LAN"
Same thing as this one. It's at 54 votes now. Maybe we could combine these and get some traction?
Just a note about this issue, it essentially means that EVERY connection to a dedicated server on your lan must first zoom off somewhere on the Internet and then relay back via the WAN route. This can be a 10x increase in latency. It makes having hardware at home and running dedicated fairly annoying as the issues caused by latency are compounded so much. -
01 Apr
667617 MergedI love Enshrouded, but we need to talk about the current networking implementation for dedicated servers. Right now, the game seems to be forcing Steam Datagram Relay (SDR) with no way to opt-out for direct connections, and it's causing some honestly baffling routing issues.
The Problem: No True Direct IP Connection
Even if you are running a dedicated server on your own LAN—or even crazier, on the same machine (127.0.0.1) you are playing on—the game forces the traffic through Steam’s relay servers.
Artificial Latency: Instead of a <1ms ping to a local machine, traffic is sent out to a Steam relay and back, adding unnecessary latency.
Stability Risks: If Steam’s relay network hiccups or goes down, your local game suffers, even though the server is sitting right next to you.
The 127.0.0.1 Loophole: I tested connecting to a server running on 127.0.0.1:[Port]. Even then, the network logs show the traffic routing through SDR rather than staying local.
Why this matters
While -
02 Apr
Zanshoo MergedI agree so much on this !
It's unbearable to have a LAN setup and having connexions troubles due to internet traffic. -
09 Apr
amagi MergedAgreed!!
In my country, there are no SDR nodes. When I connect directly with my friend, the latency is under 10 ms. However, forcing the use of SDR routes the traffic abroad and back, significantly increasing latency to around 100 ms. It also becomes unstable during peak hours due to international network congestion. I even tried setting up a local connection on my own machine using 127.0.0.1, and after monitoring the traffic, it still used SDR — which is just ridiculous. -
12 Apr
R SnowI hopped back into the game after a year and was surprised this is still an issue. I would think that running a LAN server and noticing that your latency increases by a factor of 10x to 15x because of this would be more noticeable.
LAN/dedicated server, relevant traffic is routed out of the LAN and back into the LAN because of SDR. So instead of a 5ms or 10ms connection, the end user can end up with a 100ms ping time and annoying rubber-banding during game play. Frankly, out of roughly 20+ LAN games I host for my spouse, friend and myself, this is the only game that has this issue. Please fix.... -
22 Apr
A. ReefGreetings. It is surprising to me that this issue isn't getting more attention. I completely agree with the previous commenters. My friends and I often get together for LAN parties, but in Enshrouded, it turns into a total lagfest.
The problem is that the nearest Steam Relay is very far from my country (I live in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia). My minimum ping is 150ms, even though the 'dedicated' server is physically sitting just three meters away from me. This really ruins the gameplay experience. Please make Steam Relay optional and allow for direct IP connections. -
04 May
RjThis is a painful thing for me as well, I'm hosting the server in my home- according to steam server list I have a 3ms latency to it. When connecting in the game it's generally 80-90ms. I assume there's not a way of connecting directly-- but there should be. Literally friends out of state have lower latency to the server in my basement than I do, it's laughable.
-
09 May
MojFPSI really hope they fix this soon, getting lag spikes and disconnects frequently solely due to SDR is not great. It's great in theory and has its use cases but it definitely should not be forced. A simple option in the JSON to disable it would be wonderful.
-
09 May
Maaws MergedI had to turn off my dedicated server and as a result annoyed 2 other friends who will never be able to play on our shared world unless I am online because of this.
Our ping skyrockets to 150ms+ with sever rubberbanding and desync it's crazy.
What's more confusing is when I start my save through the game and they join, they have no ping issues. But when we all join through my server, it becomes unplayable. -
09 May
MaawsHaving the same issues. I am sitting besides the server, that is 50cm away, and my ping is 150ms+ it's ridiculous lol.
-
11 May
CoolUsernameBro System"Forced Steam Datagram Relay (SDR) is killing performance for local/LAN dedicated servers" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2026-04-01), including upvotes (19) and comments (4), was merged into this suggestion.