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# How to Enable Hardcore Mode on Your Minecraft Server

**Hardcore Mode is a special version of Survival where death is permanent – once you die, you're done. It adds serious tension and challenge to gameplay, making it ideal for competitive survival runs or if your players want to play on a high-stakes server.

In Hardcore Mode:

* Players only get one life
    
* The difficulty is locked to Hard
    
* When a player dies, they’re permanently set to Spectator (or banned, depending on the setup)

It’s not something you can enable in-game – it has to be done through the server’s configuration file.

||| Before you enable Hardcore, we highly recommended that you create a full backup of your server – and download it to your local machine. Most hosting panels automatically delete backups after a certain time, and if your group wipes, you’ll want a way to restore the world without losing everything.

If you don’t create a backup and end up with all players dead, you can still restore playability (without resetting the world), but you’ll need to turn hardcore off temporarily and edit player data to reset each player’s death status. 

### Step 1: Log in

Log in to your [Nexus Hosting Account](https://gamecp.nexuscorehosting.com/auth/login).

![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcfOPIAMJno_tg-dJWI3tyAWQyYQaZGTyn0Vhl8ryB8QgwqsqF8s33OtOLCYGuqTjNZk50R6nF_uzGG6ONfRbmr5n8Ie-UzMILrzah0LOJ9NpICuqdM-sC7hZkIkJrrmMF7pC21Xg?key=IqBDPDMYGM1I8HPwoXNeOhxD)
### Step 2: Select the Server

Once on the dashboard, find and select your intended Minecraft server. 

![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXekDrnY7QWj1MtmmAtiwP-G5w4VvQUK4VxyZ3l8agrF_g2twsOgekKtwuH8YgBEE1FQsZXIxcriVyeA6GsZmchTDdZRpbk8ecelJl5e5sGjJ8WESGa_6fMuJjzgS-pcaxCANbGY?key=IqBDPDMYGM1I8HPwoXNeOhxD)
### Step 3: Stop the Server

Before making any changes, stop the server to avoid potential data issues. On the **Terminal** page, click the red **Stop button**.

![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXc2pnxjT2kVjGL_8sdUG2MbKcmI6UsX_WtBnmHj_yiI9evfdkDUEFFmTCbizj-aOaG8Qb_t1ebgIj6CzGF9GQh2QJjOXbJTkn3uzEsBg6pUbRQs5bMqV_-ZZvuzRUw3eTxdUnT99Q?key=IqBDPDMYGM1I8HPwoXNeOhxD)
### Step 4: Download Backup

Before you change your world to Hardcore mode, you should back up your server. Click the **Backup** icon from the sidebar. Then select the ** three ellipses** on the backup of your choice and click **Download.** Save the back up to your local machine.

If you haven’t made any backups yet, please see our article on [Automatic Backups](https://help.nexushosting.io/en/article/how-to-set-up-automated-backups-for-your-minecraft-server-12dtgbp/) to learn how to get started.

![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdpfDnHGGW6Uo1yO9y7nnp7kGwu9d-0FDzprByFBdts1NNjLMhL37k8hHyK0omTxC45e-oh121GySBJRt4ZP4ewMJz2D6AZaLbj_uZjP8CwxorupUlOYZHPLcf4Xl5pYduLFRKblA?key=IqBDPDMYGM1I8HPwoXNeOhxD)
### Step 5: Open server.properties

Now, click **Files** in the sidebar. Locate and select the **server.properties** file from the list.

![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfiJfuwnWVJiRrTw0H2LThAw0A3vVL_P5LqiIdHf7sjmwK1onqJqBsm3UmyUh01suowu-yq_w6s5ZYj0MrCxUefRh68wV4jtAEQgxh7yXiD_JH38J2fZ2D8UFccAA80siBNgOS7?key=IqBDPDMYGM1I8HPwoXNeOhxD)
### Step 6: Enable Hardcore Mode

Find the line that says `hardcore=false` and change it to `hardcore=true`. Hardcore mode only works with Survival mode, so you’ll also need to change the `gamemode` setting to survival if your server is currently set to something else. 

Click **Save Content** to confirm your changes.

![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXf513Zdo7sUXGOaV2tQ_9XvWnhklSnt_MFRxcaW9ExPXh8q4iJN_PeyUBcxV1TQWx5srcnavvbOHC_jrGOG86Ws3KLd1ZJ85QUa4w6LT3O7GUfP6Ubarot5plqxVujbPBvwhddbLQ?key=IqBDPDMYGM1I8HPwoXNeOhxD)
### Step 7: Restart the Server

You can now restart your server, clicking the green **Start** button on the **Terminal **page. 

Now have fun and try not to die!

![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdiiCFrSb1yX9qUXNe2ngFseNZlK6UZOSCWqCNlukrPtcRtDJnsTnA2cMu5t5LpU56f6gm5EUzUGSD9fDlnKxV3vu67RggBKXDvTdaNs0XAe2yZY0eOzKJHniXlgnFkTBHjqIIa0w?key=IqBDPDMYGM1I8HPwoXNeOhxD)

**