Players Can't Join My Vintage Story Server

When the server is online but players are unable to connect, work through these checks in order. Each one names the fix.

1. The server is still starting

Open the Console tab. Until it prints Dedicated Server now running, the server is not ready for players. On our test server that took about 30 seconds after start. Wait for the line, then try again.

2. The game versions do not match

Every player's game must be on the same version as the server. The game's own troubleshooting guide puts it plainly: "Make sure your game version matches the server game version". A player who is behind downloads the update from the Client Area on vintagestory.at. A player on a newer version can download the server's version from the same place.

3. The address or port is wrong

The game's default port is 42420, and a player who leaves the port off is trying that one. Your server's port is the one on your dashboard. In Multiplayer, the player edits the server entry (the pencil icon) and enters the address exactly as the dashboard shows it, as IP:port. Copy and paste it rather than typing it.

4. The whitelist is on

Since version 1.20, dedicated servers are invite-only by default: only players on the whitelist can join.

Connect servers start with the whitelist off. If you, or a setting you copied from another server, turned it back on, either add the player or turn it off.

• Add one player: /player PlayerName whitelist on. Use the exact spelling of their Vintage Story name, shown at the bottom left of their main menu. No restart needed.
• Turn the whitelist off: /serverconfig WhitelistMode off.

5. The password

If the server has a password, each player enters it in the server's entry in their Multiplayer list: click the pencil icon, type it in the Password field and save. Passwords cannot contain spaces. If you are not sure what it is, set a new one with /serverconfig password newpassword.

6. Mods do not match

A modded server needs every player to have the same mods. By default, a mod that runs on both sides is required on the player's game to join, and a mod author can block players who have an older version of the mod. So a player with a missing or out-of-date mod can be turned away. Compare the player's Mods folder with the server's data/Mods folder, file by file and version by version.

The Mods tab on your dashboard lists each installed mod with its exact version and Mod DB link, ready to send to your group.

Also check ModIdBlackList in data/serverconfig.json: a player who has one of the mods listed there enabled is not allowed in.

See Adding mods to your server for where players put their mods.

7. Banned or full

• /list banned shows banned players, and /unban PlayerName lets one back in.
• /list clients shows who is connected. If the server is at its player limit, the next player cannot join until someone leaves. Your plan sets the limit: see Plans & resources.

8. The player's own connection

If one player cannot join while everyone else can, the problem is usually on their side:

• "Unable to connect to auth server": the game cannot reach the developer's login server. The game's troubleshooting guide says to check the internet connection and that a firewall is not blocking the game. The server checks that every player is logged in with a game account.
• Stuck at "1kb downloaded": the game's wiki says that if the first kilobyte takes more than 30 seconds, cancel and try again; the next attempt is usually normal speed.
• Can they join any server? The guide suggests testing another multiplayer server. If they cannot join any, the problem is their connection or firewall.

9. It connects but lags

The game's own troubleshooting guide notes that Vintage Story "can have latency issues if players connect from a different continent to where the server is hosted". A server in a region near most of your group helps. If your group is far from your server's region, open a ticket and we can talk about moving it.

Still stuck?

Open a ticket from your dashboard with the player's name, what they see on screen, and the last lines of the console from the moment they tried. Plans and regions are on the Vintage Story hosting page.