Check the config gotchas before anything else
A surprising number of “broken” Ascended servers are actually just misconfigured — MaxPlayers being used instead of -WinLiveMaxPlayers=, or ServerPort in the INI instead of -port=. Both look correct at a glance but silently don’t apply. Check our server settings guide first if something isn’t behaving as configured.
Common problems and their causes
First, confirm your public IP matches your router’s WAN IP — if they differ, you’re behind CGNAT, and no port forwarding configuration will fix that regardless of how it’s set up. Contact your ISP about a dedicated IP, or use a rented server instead, which sidesteps the problem entirely. If IPs match, double-check both the game port (default 7777) and query port (default 27015) are forwarded for TCP and UDP.
This is usually a listing propagation delay through Epic Online Services, which can take 5-10 minutes for a new or recently reconfigured server. If it’s been longer than that, re-check that QueryPort in GameUserSettings.ini exactly matches whatever your host’s panel or router forwarding rule shows.
Check for a stray ? character if you set the password via a launch string — it’s a common cause of the password silently merging with an adjacent value. Setting ServerAdminPassword directly in GameUserSettings.ini instead is more reliable — see our admin commands guide for the correct authentication flow.
Confirm the mod ID is correct on CurseForge — not an old Steam Workshop ID from Survival Evolved, which won’t work here at all. Also check the same ID list appears in both ActiveMods= in the INI and the -mods= launch parameter; a mismatch between the two is a common cause. Full detail in our mods guide.
You almost certainly edited the file while the server was still running. Both GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini get overwritten with the live in-memory config on shutdown — always stop the server, edit, then start it again.
You’re setting MaxPlayers in the INI, which is an ASE-only setting that Ascended silently ignores in favour of a 70-player default. Use -WinLiveMaxPlayers= as a launch parameter instead.
Symptom → likely cause
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Can’t connect at all | CGNAT, or ports not forwarded | Check public/WAN IP match; forward game + query ports |
| Not in browser, Direct Connect works | Listing propagation delay, or QueryPort mismatch | Wait 5-10 min; re-check QueryPort against panel/router |
| Admin password fails | Stray “?” in launch string | Set ServerAdminPassword directly in the INI instead |
| Mods not loading | Wrong ID, or ID mismatch between INI and launch param | Verify ID on CurseForge, match in both places |
| Config edits don’t apply | Edited while server was running | Stop server before editing, then restart |
| Player cap stuck at 70 | Using MaxPlayers (ASE-only) | Use -WinLiveMaxPlayers= launch parameter |
