How to Connect to Your Team Fortress 2 Server

Team Fortress 2 servers are joined with a console command. It is one line, it works instantly, and it is what you should give your players rather than asking them to search the browser.

Find your address

Open your server at https://panel.playnhost.com. The overview shows the IP and the assigned port, which is 27015 by default.

Enable the developer console

1. In TF2, open Options, then Advanced.
2. Tick Enable developer console.
3. Close options and press the key above Tab to open the console.

Connect

connect 203.0.113.10:27015

For a password protected server:

password yourpassword
connect 203.0.113.10:27015

The password command sets the password your client sends, and has to be run before connecting.

Add it to favourites

1. Open Find a Game, then Community Servers.
2. Go to the Favorites tab and click Add a Server.
3. Enter IP:PORT.

The server then appears there every session, which is more reliable than the main browser list.

What to give your players

The connect line above. It is short enough to put in a Discord channel topic and works whether or not the server is currently listed.

If the connect fails

• Check the panel console for the server reporting the map has loaded.
• Server is not responding usually means the server has not finished starting, or the port is wrong.
• No Steam logon or being dropped at the loading screen points at the server's Steam game server login token. See our guide on fixing a TF2 server that is missing from the browser.
• If the server runs custom maps, your client downloads them on connect. A long pause is normal the first time.