Game Server Ports: Complete TCP/UDP Port Reference for Minecraft, ARK, Palworld, Rust, and More

Your game server can have the fastest CPU and the most RAM on the market — if the wrong ports are blocked, players simply cannot connect. Port misconfiguration is one of the most common support tickets in game hosting, and it is also one of the easiest to fix. This guide covers the default ports for the most popular dedicated game servers, the difference between TCP and UDP, and the firewall rules that actually matter.

TCP vs. UDP: Why Game Servers Use Both

Game traffic splits into two protocols with very different jobs:

• UDP (User Datagram Protocol) carries the real-time gameplay stream — player positions, projectiles, world state. It is fast and connectionless, which is exactly what a 60-tick server needs. Losing a packet means a brief interpolation blip, not a resend.
• TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) handles the reliable stuff: handshakes, queries, RCON administration, and file downloads. If a TCP packet drops, it is retransmitted — perfect for commands, not for movement.

This is why “open the game port” is never a complete answer. Most games need at least one UDP port for gameplay and one TCP port for queries or admin. Forwarding only the UDP port lets players join but often breaks the server browser listing.

Default Ports by Game

Here are the defaults for the most commonly hosted titles on dedicated servers. All of these are configurable in the server settings, but the defaults are what most guides, hosts, and player instructions assume.

Game	Gameplay Port	Protocol	Query / Admin Port	RCON Port
Minecraft (Java)	25565	TCP	— (same port)	25575 (TCP)
Minecraft (Bedrock)	19132	UDP	19133 (IPv6, UDP)	—
ARK: Survival Ascended	7777	UDP	27015 (Steam, UDP)	—
Palworld	8211	UDP	27015 (Steam, UDP)	25575 (TCP)
Rust	28015	UDP	28016 (RCON, TCP)	28016 (TCP)
CS2 / Source Engine	27015	UDP	27015 (TCP also enabled)	—
Valheim	2456–2458	UDP	2457 (Steam query)	—
Terraria	7777	TCP	—	—
Factorio	34197	UDP	27015 (optional)	—
7 Days to Die	26900	UDP	26900 (TCP for telnet)	—
V Rising	9876	UDP	9877 (TCP)	—
Enshrouded	15637	UDP	15637 (TCP)	—
Satisfactory	7777	UDP	15000 (beacon, UDP)	—
Project Zomboid	16261	UDP	16262 (UDP)	—

Three rules apply across every title: open the gameplay port on both TCP and UDP when unsure (extra TCP costs nothing and prevents query failures), open the Steam query port so the server appears in the community browser, and keep RCON ports restricted to your admin IP range.

Opening Ports on Linux Firewalls

Most dedicated servers run Linux with UFW or firewalld. For a Palworld server, the minimal rule set looks like this:

ufw allow 8211/udp           # gameplay traffic
ufw allow 27015/udp           # Steam query
ufw allow 25565/tcp           # RCON (restrict to admin IP)
ufw reload

For a Minecraft Java server the equivalent is simply ufw allow 25565/tcp. On firewalld, use firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=8211/udp followed by firewall-cmd --reload. Always confirm the change with ss -ulpn or netstat -ulpn — the server should be listening on the correct address before you blame the firewall.

Port Forwarding: Home vs. Datacenter

If you self-host from home, the router is another firewall: forward the ports in the router’s NAT settings to the server’s internal IP, and make sure the internal IP is static. Datacenter servers skip NAT entirely — the provider assigns a public IP directly — but the host’s own firewall (and often the control panel’s security group) still needs the same rules. When you rent from a provider, check whether the panel has a default “game server” profile; most do, and it usually opens the right set automatically.

Security: Never Expose Admin Ports to the Internet

Ports are a two-way street: every open port is an attack surface. The three most abused game-server ports are RCON (28016 on Rust, 25575 on Minecraft), telnet, and SSH. Best practice is to bind admin services to a private interface or restrict them with ufw allow from YOUR_IP. Public game servers are also prime DDoS targets, so pair port configuration with always-on DDoS filtering — the game port is the one that gets flooded. If you are planning a new server and want to compare hardware options side by side, compare plans on our homepage before committing to a provider.

Troubleshooting: When Players Still Cannot Connect

• Test locally first: A local client connect proves the server itself works before you touch the firewall.
• Check listening state: ss -tulpn shows whether the process bound to 0.0.0.0 or only 127.0.0.1 — a loopback bind blocks all external traffic.
• Verify the firewall actually loaded: ufw status verbose shows active rules; a bare-metal provider’s DDoS filter or security group can silently drop traffic too.
• Use an external port checker: A remote scan from a phone on cellular data confirms whether the port is reachable from outside.
• Check the Steam query port separately: Gameplay can work while the server still shows offline in the browser.
• Check for port conflicts: If you run multiple game servers on the same IP, each needs a unique port combination.

Getting ports right is a 10-minute task that prevents weeks of “why can’t my friends join” threads. Match the port to the game, open both protocols when in doubt, restrict admin ports, and verify with an external check. For the hardware side of the equation — how much CPU and RAM your player count needs — see the full details on our dedicated server page.