A Counter-Strike: Source server needs one port. Players connect to it, the server list asks it about your server, and RCON tools log in on the same number. On PlayNHost that port is assigned and open for you, for both TCP and UDP. Players only need the address the panel shows.
Which ports does a Counter-Strike: Source server use?
| Port | Protocol | Valve default | On your PlayNHost server | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game port: players, server list queries and RCON | TCP and UDP | 27015 | The Primary port | Server Address on Overview, and Ports & Network |
| SourceTV port: spectators watch matches | UDP | 27020 | No port of its own | Not shown |
| Steam port: the server's connection to Steam | UDP, outgoing | 26900 | Nothing to open | Not shown |
Valve's Source Dedicated Server page lists 27015 TCP/UDP for "game transmission, pings and RCON". Its RCON page adds that RCON runs over TCP and moves with the game port: when the port is changed with -port, "the RCON port will change as well". Server list queries are UDP packets sent to that same port. So on your server one number does all three jobs.
Valve's server page also lists a client port, 27005 UDP. Players never type it, and your server has no port of its own for it.
The panel starts Counter-Strike: Source with your Primary port every time, together with -strictportbind. Valve says that option makes the server "quit with an error message if it can't bind to the default or specified port". So your server either listens on the port the panel shows or does not start: it never picks another number on its own.
Why is my Counter-Strike: Source port usually not 27015?
Each PlayNHost server gets its own port from the machine it runs on, so many servers can share one IP address without getting in each other's way. 27015 is the number Valve uses for a server you run yourself. Your server's number is usually different, so always give players the address and port the panel shows, never a number from a guide for home servers.
Where do I find the address and port in the panel?
- Open your server in the panel and click Ports & Network in the left menu.
- Under Give this to your players, find the address written as IP and port, for example
203.0.113.10:25600. Click the copy icon next to it. This is the only address players need. - Look under All ports. The row with the Primary badge, described as The port players connect to, is the game port. Counter-Strike: Source needs no other row.
The Overview page has the same address on the Server Address row of the server card. Its Join button copies it.
How do players connect to a Counter-Strike: Source server on PlayNHost?
Players open the developer console in the game, type connect and a space, paste the address with its port, and press Enter. If the server has a join password, they type password and the password first. Players never type a port from a guide for home servers. The full steps, Steam favourites included, are in Connect to your Counter-Strike: Source server.
Do I need to open ports on my router or firewall?
No. The machine your Counter-Strike: Source server runs on accepts connections from the internet on the ports the panel gives to servers, for both TCP and UDP, and your game port is one of them. The panel says so under All ports: Every port accepts TCP and UDP. That covers players, the server list and RCON tools. Your players' home routers let outgoing connections through, so they do not open anything either.
Valve marks the Steam port as outgoing: the server connects out to Steam, which needs no open port. The port list and the router advice on Valve's page are for a server you run at home. With a hosted server they are not your job.
What does the firewall not allow?
Only the ports listed under All ports reach your server from outside. A plugin that listens on a port of its own cannot be reached unless it uses one of them. If your plan includes extra ports, All ports shows Add a port. The machine chooses the new port's number, as the panel says: Port numbers are assigned by the machine your server runs on - you can name a port, but not choose its number. Set the plugin to that number, then restart the server so the new port is in use. If there is no Add a port button, your plan includes no extra ports, so open a ticket and say which plugin needs one.
Can I use SourceTV on my server?
Not with the settings the panel gives you. SourceTV is Valve's built-in spectator system. Valve's SourceTV page says spectators connect to the server's IP on a port of their own, 27020 by default, and that tv_port "Must be set as srcds start parameter". Your server has no SourceTV port, and its start line is fixed: on the Settings tab, under Startup Parameters, the panel says This game does not take extra launch flags. If you need SourceTV, open a ticket before you turn it on.
Can I change which port is the primary, or remove one?
Keep the game port as Primary. On that row the panel disables both actions: Make primary shows Already the primary port, and Remove port shows The primary port cannot be removed.
If you added a port, Make primary on that row moves the game to that number at the next start, so the address your players use changes with it. Remove port on an added port gives it back to the machine, where another server can get it, and anything set to use it stops being reachable.
What is the RCON port for?
RCON is the Source engine's remote console. On Counter-Strike: Source it runs on the game port, over TCP, so an outside RCON tool connects with the same address and port as players, plus your RCON password. Valve's RCON page says the server refuses every RCON login while rcon_password is empty.
On PlayNHost the password comes from RCON password on the Settings tab, under Game Settings. The panel writes it into the server's start file every time the server starts, so set it there, then restart. While the field is empty, RCON stays off, unless an rcon_password line in cstrike/cfg/server.cfg sets one: keep the password in Game Settings only. The Console in the panel never needs it.
Common Counter-Strike: Source port problems and fixes
My server is not in the server browser
- Wait for the badge to say Online. The panel shows it once the Console prints the Steam login line with
gameserver Steam ID. Valve also notes that a server does not answer the server list until a map is loaded. - The server list asks your game port, which is already open, so there is nothing to open.
- Without a Steam Login Token (GSLT), the server is still listed, but ranked lower. The Console says so at every start, in a line that begins
Server ranking in server browser will be negatively impacted.
Players can always join with connect and the address in the meantime. The other causes are in Counter-Strike: Source server not showing in the browser.
A friend cannot connect with the address
- Copy the address again from Server Address on Overview. A missing port, or 27015 from a guide, is the most common cause.
- Check that the badge says Online.
- School, work and public networks can block game ports. Ask the player to try another network.
Other causes, with the exact messages, are in Counter-Strike: Source server problems and fixes.
My RCON tool cannot connect or is refused
- Use the address and port players use. On Counter-Strike: Source RCON has no port of its own.
- Choose Source RCON if the tool asks which type to use.
- Set an RCON password on the Settings tab, under Game Settings, then restart. While it is empty, the server refuses every RCON login.
- Delete any
rcon_passwordline fromcstrike/cfg/server.cfg. It sets a second password, so the one in Game Settings may not be the one in use. - If you changed the password, connect again after the restart. Valve says a new
rcon_passwordcloses every RCON connection that was logged in.
The Active players card says No answer from the server
The panel counts players the way the server list does: it asks your game port. While the server starts or is stopped, the Active players card says No answer from the server and It is not responding on its query port. That is normal while it is starting or stopped. On Counter-Strike: Source the query port is the game port. Wait for Online. If the message stays once the server is online, restart it once, then open a ticket with the last Console lines.
Good to know
- The Server name and RCON password come from Game Settings and are applied at every start. Other server options live in
cstrike/cfg/server.cfg: Counter-Strike: Source name, password and map. - Moving from another host changes the address and port. Send players the new address from Server Address: How to move your existing server to PlayNHost.
- The Ports & Network page itself is explained in How to find your server's ports and IP address.
