OpenRA Server Not Showing or "Incompatible Version" Fix

Q: How do I see incompatible servers in the browser?

Open the browser's filter menu and tick Incompatible. They show up greyed out with their version.

When an OpenRA server will not let a friend in, the cause is almost always one of two things: the friend runs a different OpenRA build than the server ("Server is running an incompatible version"), or the server's TCP port is not reachable from the internet, which also keeps it out of the public list. Match the build first, then check the port. The rest of the errors in this guide are rarer and each has a one line fix.

Find your error first

What players see	Cause	Jump to
Server is running an incompatible version	Different OpenRA release or playtest	Version mismatch
Server is running an incompatible mod	Server runs a different mod (Red Alert instead of Dune 2000)	Wrong mod
Server greyed out in the browser	Build mismatch, shown with the Incompatible filter	Version mismatch
Server not in the list at all	Not advertised, or port unreachable	Not in the browser
Connection times out on Direct Connect	Port closed or wrong address	Port and address
Server requires a password / Incorrect password	Password set or mistyped	Password
Server requires players to have an OpenRA forum account	Authentication is on	Authentication
Map was not found on server	Custom map not available	Maps

Version mismatch

OpenRA has no backward compatibility between builds. A client on the March 2025 release cannot join a server on an older release, and nobody on a release can join a playtest server, or the other way round. The server browser hides incompatible servers by default. Tick Incompatible in the browser's filter menu and you will see them greyed out.

To fix it:

Check the version shown in the bottom corner of each player's main menu.
Check the server's version in its startup log, or join from a machine you know is current.
Pick one build for the whole group, normally the newest stable release from openra.net.
Update the server to that build and restart it.

Release versus playtest. OpenRA runs public playtests before each release, and the playtest installs alongside the release on most systems. When a playtest comes out, part of your group may switch to it and the rest stay on release. That splits the lobby in two. Decide as a group, and run the same thing on the server. If you install a playtest, the game can switch to the right installed version when you join a server, but only if that version is actually installed on your PC.

After an update. The day a new release ships, players who update can no longer reach an old server. Update the server the same day, or ask players to hold off.

A screenshot of the Dune 2000 mod in OpenRA, a remake of the classic real time strategy game

Wrong mod

"Server is running an incompatible mod" means the server is not running Dune 2000. A dedicated server runs one mod, chosen with Game.Mod (d2k for Dune 2000, ra for Red Alert, cnc for Tiberian Dawn). The launch script defaults to ra, so a server set up from the stock script without changing Mod ends up as Red Alert. Use the Dune 2000 AppImage, or set Mod="d2k", and restart.

Not in the browser

Three settings and one check decide whether a lobby shows in the public list:

Server.AdvertiseOnline must be True. With it off, the server only takes Direct Connect players. That is fine for a private group.
The master server must reach your port. When it cannot, the log shows "Server port is not accessible from the internet." The listing may still appear, but outside players cannot connect.
The name must be allowed. "Server name contains a blacklisted word" means the master server rejected the name. Pick another.
Browser filters. Players with Protected unticked will not see password servers, and Incompatible hides other builds. Ask your friend to clear the filters.

If you see "Master server communication failed" in the log, the server could not reach OpenRA's master server at all. That is usually an outbound network problem on the host or a short outage on OpenRA's side. Direct Connect keeps working while it lasts.

Port and address

The default port is TCP 1234. On a home connection:

Forward TCP 1234 (or your Server.ListenPort) to the server machine. Our port forwarding guide has router steps.
Allow the port in the firewall on that machine.
Give friends your public IP, not the 192.168.x.x address.
If your ISP uses carrier grade NAT, port forwarding cannot work at all. See hosting without port forwarding.

In Direct Connect, enter the address and port together, like 203.0.113.10:1234. A typo in the port is the quiet cause of many timeouts.

Artwork for OpenRA's Dune 2000 mod

Password

"Server requires a password" appears when a player joins from a link or a filter that did not prompt for it. Join again from the browser or Direct Connect and type it in. "Incorrect password" means a typo, and the password is case sensitive. To remove it, clear Server.Password and restart.

Authentication

"Server requires players to have an OpenRA forum account" means Server.RequireAuthentication=True. Either turn it off, or have each player create an account on the OpenRA forum and link it from the profile panel in the game. If you also use ProfileIDWhitelist, a player whose ID is not listed sees "You do not have permission to join this server." Our OpenRA server settings guide explains these options.

Maps

When the lobby admin picks a custom map, the server looks it up on the OpenRA Resource Center and clients download it. "Map was not found on server" means the map is not on the Resource Center (a private map someone made locally) or QueryMapRepository is off. Publish the map to the Resource Center, or copy it into the server's maps folder for that mod. Maps that fail OpenRA's checks are also rejected while EnableLintChecks is on, which usually means the map was built for an older version.

When the game drops mid match

"A player has been dropped after timing out" is a connection problem between that player and the server, not a server setting. Hosting on a home connection with a slow upload makes it more common, since every order goes through the host's line. A server in a data center near your players removes that bottleneck.

Skip the port forward

An OpenRA Dune 2000 server from GamezServers has its own address and no router to configure, so the port problems above do not exist. Public Server and Password are switches in the panel, the server is live within about a minute of paying, and if a new OpenRA release breaks the lobby, the support team at support@gamezservers.com can line the server up with it.

FAQ

Why can my friend see my OpenRA server but not join?

Their OpenRA build differs from the server's, or the port is only reachable from inside your network. Compare versions first, then test the port from outside.

Can release and playtest players play together?

No. Everyone in a lobby, including the server, must run the same build.

How do I see incompatible servers in the browser?

Open the browser's filter menu and tick Incompatible. They show up greyed out with their version.

Does OpenRA need UDP ports?

No. Game traffic goes over the TCP listen port, 1234 by default.

My server shows in the list but nobody can connect. Why?

The master server can list a lobby whose port is closed. Look for "Server port is not accessible from the internet" in the log and fix the port forward.