Running a public HumanitZ dedicated server requires correct port configuration. Without it, your server stays invisible to every player on the internet — even if it runs perfectly on your local network. This guide walks you through opening ports 7777 and 27015 step by step, on both your router and your OS firewall, so your server shows up in the browser and accepts connections from anywhere in the world.
Why Ports 7777 & 27015 Are Required
HumanitZ uses two critical ports by default: port 7777 (TCP/UDP) for live game traffic, and port 27015 (TCP/UDP) for Steam master server queries. Both must be reachable from the public internet for your server to appear in the in-game browser and accept incoming player connections. If even one port is blocked, players will either see “server not responding” or your server simply won’t appear in the list at all.
Step 1 — Forward Ports on Your Router (Home Networks)
On a home network, you must create inbound port forwarding rules on your router. Log into your router’s admin panel (usually at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1), navigate to Port Forwarding or Virtual Server settings, and add the following rules pointing to your server machine’s local IP address:
• Port 7777 — TCP & UDP (Game Port)
• Port 27015 — TCP & UDP (Steam Query Port)
Save and apply the rules. Use a tool like whatismyipaddress.com to find your public IP — this is the address you’ll share with your players.
Step 2 — Open Ports in Windows Firewall
Even after router forwarding, Windows Firewall may still block incoming traffic at the OS level. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run the following commands to create the necessary inbound firewall rules for your HumanitZ server:
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName “HumanitZ Game UDP” -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 7777 -Action Allow
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName “HumanitZ Game TCP” -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 7777 -Action Allow
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName “HumanitZ Query” -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 27015 -Action Allow
Alternatively, open Windows Defender Firewall → Advanced Settings → Inbound Rules and add the same rules manually.
Step 3 — Open Ports on Linux (VPS or Dedicated Server)
If you’re running HumanitZ on a Linux VPS or dedicated machine, use iptables or ufw to open the required ports. With UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall), run:
sudo ufw allow 7777/tcp
sudo ufw allow 7777/udp
sudo ufw allow 27015/udp
If using iptables directly, apply your rules and save them with iptables-save. Note: cloud providers such as AWS, GCP, Azure, and Hetzner also maintain a separate network-level firewall in their web console — you must add the same inbound rules there too, as the OS firewall alone is not sufficient if a cloud firewall is blocking traffic before it reaches your instance.
Step 4 — Launch the Server with the Correct Port Flags
With ports open, start HumanitZ using the correct launch parameters so the server binds to the right ports. Create a start.bat file (Windows) or shell script (Linux) in your server directory with the following command:
TSSGameServer.exe -log -port=7777 -queryport=27015
The -log flag opens a console window so you can monitor activity in real time. A successful start displays “Session created!” in the console. If you customized the port values in GameServerSettings.ini, replace 7777 and 27015 with your custom ports in both the launch command and your firewall/router rules.
Step 5 — Test Your Open Ports
After starting the server, verify that both ports are publicly accessible before sharing your IP with players. You can test using nmap from another machine:
nmap -sU -p 27015 [your-public-IP] # Test Steam query port
nmap -sT -p 7777 [your-public-IP] # Test game port
Expected result for a correctly configured server: both ports show as “open”. If ports appear as “filtered”, your cloud or OS firewall rules have not been applied correctly. You can also use the online YouGetSignal Port Checker tool to test directly from a browser without installing nmap.
Troubleshooting Common Port Issues
• Server not showing in browser: Wait 2–3 minutes after startup — Steam master list propagation takes time. Also confirm bPublicServer=true in your config.
• LAN players connect but external players cannot: Router port forwarding is missing or pointing to the wrong local IP address.
• Double NAT (modem + router): You must forward ports on both the ISP modem and your router, or place your router in the modem’s DMZ.
• ISP-blocked ports: Some residential ISPs block inbound traffic on non-standard ports. Contact your ISP or switch to a VPS for reliable public hosting.
• Port conflict on 27015: If another Steam game server is already using port 27015 on the same machine, try an alternative such as 27014.