Citadel Forged with Fire Server Not Showing Up? How to Fix It

If your Citadel: Forged with Fire server is running but missing from the in game list, the cause is almost always one of four things: the query port is blocked or wrong, the server name in Game.ini is too long or has symbols, the server is on an older build than the players, or Game.ini has a broken line so the server started with defaults. The fastest workaround is to add the server to Steam favorites with its IP and query port, then join from Citadel.

First, work out which problem you have

Ask two questions before changing anything.

1. Can anyone join it at all? If one person on the same network can join but outside friends cannot, it is a network problem: ports, firewall or the router.
2. Does the console show the server finished starting? If the server is still loading the world, or crashed and restarted, nothing will list it.

Fix 1: Check the query port

Citadel lists servers through Steam using the query port, set by QueryPort under [UWorks] in Game.ini. Next to it, ConnectionPort is the game port.

[UWorks]
ConnectionPort=7777
QueryPort=27015

Both are UDP. On a home server, forward both to the server PC and allow both through Windows Firewall or your Linux firewall. Two traps catch people:

• The port in Game.ini does not match the forward. If you changed QueryPort to 27115 but forwarded 27015, Steam cannot reach the server. One player on the Steam forums fixed an invisible server by removing a custom QueryPort and forwarding the defaults again.
• A second server or game is using the same port. Two programs on one PC cannot share a UDP port. Change one of them.

If you are not sure whether your router forwards correctly, our guide to friends who cannot connect when you can walks through the checks, and how to tell if you are behind CGNAT covers the case where port forwarding cannot work at all.

Fix 2: Add the server to Steam favorites

The in game list is slow and sometimes incomplete. Steam's own server browser is more reliable:

1. In Steam, open View, then Game Servers.
2. Go to the Favorites tab and click the + button.
3. Enter the server IP followed by the query port, for example 203.0.113.25:27015.
4. Click Add this address to favorites.

If Steam shows the server with a ping, it is online and reachable. Launch Citadel and look in the list again, or join from the favorites entry. If Steam shows nothing at that address, go back to Fix 1: the query port is not reachable.

Fix 3: Shorten the server name

ServerName lives inside the WorldCreationSettings line in Game.ini. Citadel is fussy about it. Server hosts that run lots of Citadel worlds advise keeping the name under 12 characters with no special characters. Apostrophes, emoji, colons and brackets are the usual offenders, and a quote mark can also break the whole line.

WorldCreationSettings=(ServerName="IgnusClan",Password="",ServerType=PVP,PlayerLimit=20, ...)

Change it to something short and plain, save with the server stopped, and start it again.

Fix 4: Make sure Game.ini is actually read

If the server appears with a default name, or your multipliers do nothing, the server did not use your file. Check:

• You edited it while the server was running. The server rewrites its config on shutdown and your changes vanish. Stop, edit, start.
• The WorldCreationSettings line is broken. It must stay on one line, start with ( and end with ), with commas between keys and quotes around text values. One missing bracket and the server ignores the line.
• You edited the wrong file. The live file is under Citadel/Saved/Config/ in the folder for your platform, not a copy in the install folder.

Fix 5: Match the game version

After a Steam update to the client, a server that has not updated still runs but turns players away with a version mismatch, and some players stop seeing it entirely. Run the SteamCMD update again and restart:

steamcmd +force_install_dir ./citadel-server +login anonymous +app_update 489650 validate +quit

Have players restart Steam too, so they are on the same build.

Fix 6: Check the password and list filters

A password protected server can be filtered out of the list on the client side. Clear any filters in the server browser and search by name. If the server has a join password, players type it when they click Join. Remember there are two passwords in Game.ini: the one in WorldCreationSettings is for joining, the Password under [/Script/Citadel.SocialManager] is for admin login. Mixing them up is common.

Still invisible?

If Steam favorites cannot see it, the port is open and the console shows a clean start, restart the server once more and give it a few minutes. Citadel's listing can lag behind the server coming up, especially after a fresh install or a world change.

Running the server on a home connection adds its own problems: double NAT, ISPs that block inbound UDP, and CGNAT on many mobile and satellite connections. If you keep hitting walls, a hosted server skips all of that. Our Citadel: Forged with Fire servers get their own address with the ports already open, Auto Update keeps the build in step with Steam, and you edit Game.ini in the file manager while the panel handles start and stop for you. New customers get half off the first month.

FAQ

Why can I see my Citadel server but my friends cannot?

You are on the same network, so you reach it locally. Friends come in from the internet and need the connection port and query port forwarded and allowed through the firewall.

What is the Citadel query port?

It is QueryPort under [UWorks] in Game.ini, 27015 by default. Steam uses it to list the server.

Can I join a Citadel server by IP?

The reliable way is through Steam: add the IP and query port to Steam favorites, then join from there or find the server in the in game list.

Why does my server show the wrong name?

The server started without reading your WorldCreationSettings line, usually because it was edited while running or the line has a syntax error.