Vanilla, tModLoader or TShock for your Terraria server

Pick Terraria (vanilla) to play the game as it is, tModLoader to play with mods, and TShock for admin tools on the normal game. You can switch later in Settings, and we make a backup first. Worlds move between them with a few limits, explained below.

The three types side by side

Pick vanilla when

• You want the game exactly as Re-Logic made it, on the newest version, the day it’s out.
• Your group is friends who trust each other, so the Console is enough for admin.
• Some players are on phones. They join vanilla servers when their version matches.

Pick tModLoader when

• You want mods: new bosses, classes, items or quality-of-life changes.
• Everyone in your group can run tModLoader. It’s on Steam for Windows, Mac and Linux. Phones and consoles can’t join.

tModLoader runs a little behind vanilla. Today it’s built on Terraria 1.4.4, and its team is working on the 1.4.5 version. Until that’s out, tModLoader worlds don’t have the 1.4.5 content. tModLoader itself updates once a month.

Pick TShock when

• You want real admin in the game: accounts, groups with permissions, and bans you manage from the chat.
• You run a bigger or more public server and want tools to keep it tidy.
• You want plugins, which add commands and features without players installing anything.

TShock follows Terraria’s version, but each new Terraria update needs a new TShock release, which can take a few weeks. Until then, a TShock server stays on the older version, and players on the newest game can’t join.

Switch server type

1. Open Settings and change Server type.
2. We make a backup of the server first, so you can go back.
3. The new game files install from the official source, and the server starts.
4. Check which world loads, and read the next section before you play.

The address and port stay the same, so friends join the same way. Only the game they start may change.

Move a world between them

Worlds move with some limits. Always keep the backup we make when you switch.

tModLoader keeps its worlds in its own folder, tModLoader/Worlds, apart from vanilla’s Worlds. To use a vanilla world on tModLoader, copy the .wld file there with Files, then choose it in Settings. See backups for both folders.

Characters

Characters don’t live on the server. Each player brings their own. tModLoader keeps its characters apart from vanilla ones too. Players can copy a vanilla character into tModLoader with Migrate individual players… in tModLoader’s character list.

A character that played in tModLoader loses its modded items if it goes back to vanilla.

When crossplay arrives

Re-Logic’s Crossplay Phase One update was in final testing in October 2026. When a new Terraria version comes out, vanilla servers get it first. TShock and tModLoader need their own updates after it. If your group mixes types or versions, check that every player can still join before you update.