Insurgency (2014) Server Not Showing or Can't Join? Fixes

If players cannot see or join your Insurgency (2014) server, first make sure the server and every player are on the current build: in December 2025 BattlEye was removed from the game and the Windows dedicated server, and servers that were not updated, or still try to force BattlEye, turn players away. After that, check sv_lan 0, that UDP 27015 (or your -port) is open, and test with connect in the console. Most cases are one of those four.

Start with a console join

Before changing settings, find out whether the problem is the listing or the server itself. Have a player:

1. Turn on Enable Developer Console in Insurgency's options.
2. Press ~ and type, with your server's details:

password yourpassword
connect 203.0.113.10:27015

If that works, players can get in and only the browser listing is broken. If it fails, the error it prints tells you which section below applies.

Cause 1: the BattlEye change and old builds

This is the newest and most confusing one, so it goes first.

For years Insurgency (2014) used BattlEye anti-cheat. In 2024 players began getting blocked from servers with a Bad Service Version error from BattlEye, and a widely shared Steam guide told server owners to work around it: set sv_battleye 0 on servers running the custom playlist, or install a small SourceMod plugin to disable it on official playlists, which force BattlEye on.

Then on December 12, 2025, the game's official news announced that BattlEye support was removed from both the game client and the Windows dedicated server. Players were told to update their game, and server owners to update their dedicated server, with a note that some setups may need extra configuration after the update.

What that means for you now:

1. Update the server. With SteamCMD: app_update 237410 validate. A server on the pre December 2025 build does not match updated players.
2. Players update too. Anyone who has not launched Insurgency in a while should let Steam finish the update.
3. Clean out old workarounds. If you added sv_battleye lines or a BattlEye disabler plugin in 2024, they are no longer needed. Remove them, restart, and check that the server starts cleanly. Leftover workarounds are exactly the kind of "additional configuration" the notice warned about.

On a GamezServers server, Auto Update is on by default and updates the server at every start, so a restart brings it to the current build. Then remove any old BattlEye workaround from server.cfg or the SourceMod plugins folder in the file manager.

Cause 2: sv_lan is on

sv_lan 1 keeps the server off the internet list entirely. Make sure your start line or server.cfg has:

sv_lan 0

Some LAN party guides start the server with +sv_lan 1. If you copied one, that is why nobody outside your house sees it.

Cause 3: the port is closed (self hosting)

Insurgency uses UDP 27015 by default for both gameplay and server browser queries. TCP 27015 is RCON and is not needed for players.

1. Forward UDP 27015 (or the port set with -port) to the server PC.
2. Allow srcds through Windows Firewall, or open the port in your Linux firewall.
3. Give the PC a fixed local IP so the forward does not break after a router reboot.
4. Check for carrier grade NAT. If your router's WAN address is not your public IP, forwarding cannot work: see hosting a game server without port forwarding.

Our port forwarding guide has router specific help.

Players on the same home network as the server: a community server guide notes that a server on port 27015 conflicts with game clients on the same network, and recommends running the server on 27016 or higher (-port 27016). If only your housemates cannot join, this is likely it.

Cause 4: the Steam client is holding the game (Windows)

If you installed the dedicated server from Steam's Tools list and run it from inside the Steam folder, Steam can treat the running server as the game itself. Then you cannot launch Insurgency on the same PC, which looks like a joining problem. Copy the server folder somewhere outside the Steam library and run it from there.

Cause 5: wrong password or playlist confusion

• If sv_password is set, players must run password ... before connect, or use the prompt from the browser.
• A server with a password on an official nwi/ playlist is not matchmade, so it will not show up for players using matchmaking style searches. Players should use the server browser or the console.
• If you changed the password in server.cfg but it seems to be ignored, check the mode configs such as server_checkpoint.cfg, which load later and can set it again.

Cause 6: custom maps

A player without your custom map either downloads it on join or fails. If the download is slow or blocked, they time out. Share download links for custom maps in your group chat before a map night, or set up sv_downloadurl with a web host for fast downloads.

Cause 7: the server crashes on start

Read the console. A server that crashes during map load registers for a moment and disappears again. Common reasons:

• A plugin that does not support the current build. Move plugins out of addons/sourcemod/plugins one at a time to find it, and update Metamod:Source and SourceMod.
• A broken custom map or theater file. Start on a stock map such as ministry to test.
• Missing Visual C++ 2010 or 2013 runtimes on Windows, a classic cause of a server that will not start at all.

Quick checklist

1. Console connect works? Then only the listing is broken.
2. Server and players updated past the December 2025 BattlEye removal.
3. Old sv_battleye lines and disabler plugins removed.
4. sv_lan 0.
5. UDP 27015 forwarded, or 27016 if players share the network.
6. Server running outside the Steam library folder (Windows).
7. Clean startup in the console log.

Hosting that skips half the list

An Insurgency server from GamezServers has its own address with the port open, and Auto Update keeps it on the current build whenever it restarts, which takes care of causes 1, 3 and 4. server.cfg, mode configs, maps and plugins are in the file manager and over SFTP, and the live console shows the full startup log. For a fresh setup, see how to host an Insurgency (2014) server.

FAQ

What does Bad Service Version mean in Insurgency?

It was a BattlEye error that blocked players from servers in 2024. BattlEye was removed in December 2025, so update the game and the server.

Do I still need sv_battleye 0 on my Insurgency server?

No. BattlEye was removed from the game and the Windows server in December 2025. Remove old workarounds and update.

Why does my Insurgency server not show in the browser?

Usually sv_lan is 1, UDP 27015 is not forwarded, or the server is on an old build. Fix those and restart.

Why can't my roommate join my server?

A server on port 27015 can conflict with game clients on the same network. Run it on 27016 or higher.

Can Insurgency: Sandstorm players see my server?

No. Sandstorm is a different game. Players need Insurgency (2014).