A DayZ server uses three ports: the game port players connect to, a Steam query port that puts the server in the server list, and a BattlEye RCON port for admin tools. On PlayNHost all three are assigned and open for you. Players only need the Server Address from the Overview page.
Which ports does a DayZ server use?
| Port | Protocol | Bohemia's example | On your PlayNHost server | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game port: players connect here | Bohemia does not say; your port accepts TCP and UDP | 2302 | The Primary port | Server Address on Overview, and Ports & Network |
| Steam query port: the server list asks it about your server | UDP | 2305 | A port of its own | Steam Query Port in Game Settings |
| BattlEye RCON port: admin tools connect here | UDP | The game port, unless RConPort in BattlEye's config sets another | A port of its own | RCON Port in Game Settings |
Bohemia's server configuration page gives -port=2302 as the port the server listens on, and describes steamQueryPort as the setting that "should fix the issue with server not being visible in client server browser". Steam's server queries run over UDP, and BattlEye's RCon protocol specification says BattlEye RCON uses UDP too, on the game port unless a port of its own is set. On PlayNHost it has a port of its own.
Steam Query Port and RCON Port are marked Read only in Game Settings. Before every start, the panel starts DayZ with your game port, writes steamQueryPort into serverDZ.cfg and writes RConPort into battleye/beserver_x64.cfg, so the server always listens on the ports the panel shows.
Why are my DayZ ports usually not 2302 and 2305?
Each PlayNHost server gets its own ports from the machine it runs on, so many servers can share one IP address. 2302 and 2305 are the numbers in Bohemia's examples for a server you run yourself. Your server's numbers are usually different, so always give players the Server Address the panel shows, never a number from a guide for home servers.
You cannot change these ports. If you edit steamQueryPort in serverDZ.cfg or RConPort in the BattlEye config, the panel writes its own value back at the next start.
Where do I find the address and ports in the panel?
- Open your server in the panel. On the Overview page, find the Server Address row on the server card and click the copy icon next to it. It is the IP and the game port, for example
203.0.113.10:25600. - For the full list, click Ports & Network in the left menu. Give this to your players shows the same address with a copy button.
- Look under All ports. You see three rows. The one with the Primary badge, described as The port players connect to, is the game port.
- To tell the other two apart, click Settings in the tabs above the page, then Game Settings, and compare their numbers with Steam Query Port and RCON Port.
- To label a row, open the ... menu at the end of it, choose Rename, type a Description such as
RCON, and click Save Changes. The row now shows your description instead of No description.
DayZ servers have no Play with friends card, so the Server Address row is where you copy the address from.
How do players connect to a DayZ server on PlayNHost?
Players search the DayZ server list for your Server Name, or connect with the IP and port of the Server Address. They never type the Steam query port or the RCON port. The full steps, and what to check for versions and mods, are in How to join your DayZ server.
Do I need to open ports on my router or firewall?
No. The machine your DayZ server runs on accepts connections from the internet on the ports the panel gives to servers, for both TCP and UDP, and all three DayZ ports are among them. The panel says so under All ports: Every port accepts TCP and UDP. Your players' home routers let outgoing connections through, so they do not open anything either. Port forwarding is only for a server you run behind your own router.
Only the ports listed under All ports reach your server from outside. A tool or mod 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, and the machine picks the number. If the button is not there, your plan includes no extra ports: open a ticket and say what needs one.
Can I change which port is the primary, or remove one?
Keep the game port as Primary, and leave all three ports in place. Make primary in a row's ... menu moves only the game port, while Steam Query Port and RCON Port stay where they are, so the game would then listen on the same number as one of them.
The menu can also offer Remove port on the query and RCON rows. Do not use it: DayZ would still be set up on that number, and a removed port goes back to the machine, where another server can get it.
What is the RCON port for on DayZ?
The DayZ server reads no commands typed into the panel's Console. Admin commands go through BattlEye RCON instead, on the RCON Port. RCON stays off until you set an RCON Password in Game Settings and restart. Then the Active players card names players and can kick or ban them, and tools that speak BattlEye RCON, such as BattleMetrics, connect with your server's IP, the RCON Port and the RCON Password: How to become admin on your DayZ server.
Common DayZ port problems and fixes
My DayZ server is not in the server list
The Steam query port is already set up, so there is nothing to open. Wait until the Console shows Mission read., then search for the Server Name from Game Settings, not the name at the top of the panel. Players can connect with the Server Address in the meantime. More causes are in DayZ server problems and fixes.
A friend cannot connect with the address
- Copy the Server Address again from Overview, with its port. The Steam query port and the RCON port never work for joining.
- Check that the badge says Online and the Console shows
Mission read. - School, work and public networks can block game ports. Ask the player to try another network.
Version and mod problems are in Players cannot join your DayZ server after a game update and Players are kicked for mod signatures on your DayZ server.
My RCON tool cannot connect
- Set an RCON Password and restart the server. Without one, RCON is off and nothing answers on the RCON Port.
- Use the RCON Port from Game Settings, not the game port in the address.
- Use a tool that speaks BattlEye RCON. It is BattlEye's own protocol over UDP, so a tool made for another game's RCON cannot connect.
- If you changed the password while the server was running, restart it so BattlEye reads the new one.
When a kick or ban from the Active players card cannot reach RCON, the panel says BattlEye RCon did not answer. Check the server is running and the RCON password under Settings, then try again. See How to kick and ban players on your DayZ server.
The Active players card shows a count but no names
This is not a port problem. With RCON off, the panel counts players through the Steam query port, which gives no names. Set an RCON Password and restart.
Good to know
- Every port setting is listed in DayZ server settings: every option explained, and
serverDZ.cfgin How to edit serverDZ.cfg on your DayZ server. - The Ports & Network page itself is explained in How to find your server's ports and IP address.
