An Insurgency: Sandstorm server that won't show is usually ports or the community-server filter being off in the browser. Here's the fix, plus the less obvious causes and how to stop it recurring.
Quick answer
An Insurgency: Sandstorm server that does not show usually has its query port closed — open the game port (27102 UDP by default) and the query port (27131 UDP). Also make sure players have the community-server filter switched on in the browser, or have them join directly by IP.
Open the ports
Sandstorm needs a game port plus a query port over UDP. Open these on the host firewall and forward them if you're behind a router:
| Port | Protocol | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 27102 | UDP | Main game port (default) |
| 27131 | UDP | Query port — how it appears in the browser |
| 27015 | UDP | Steam query on some setups |
Forward only the game port and players can direct-connect, but the server never appears in the browser. The query port (27131) is what the master server reads to list you — miss it and you're invisible even though the server is up.
Turn on the community filter
The browser hides community servers by default behind a filter. In the server browser, switch to Community servers (not Official) and clear any mod/map/ping filters that might exclude yours.
Connect directly
Open the console (enable it in settings, then press ~) and use:
open server-ip:27102If your server runs Mod.io mods, players need them too, and heavily-modded servers can be filtered out. Direct connect always works regardless of filters.
Open 27102 + 27131 query, switch the browser to Community, or just "open ip:port" in console.
Other reasons it stays hidden
- The server crashed silently right after boot — check the console/log for a startup error rather than assuming it's a listing problem.
- Mod.io downloads failed on the server, so it never finished loading into a joinable state.
- EAC (Easy Anti-Cheat) is enforced but the server binary is outdated compared to the client build.
- The host's OS-level firewall blocks the query port even though the router forwards it.
How to prevent it
- Keep the server and any Mod.io mods on the same version as what players load — mismatches both hide and reject.
- Open every port before the first launch, and re-verify with a status checker after any firewall or router change.
- Update the server the same day as a Sandstorm patch so EAC never blocks up-to-date players.
Related errors
Setting one up from scratch? See how to make an Insurgency: Sandstorm server. If the server lists but players time out joining, see fixing "connection timed out" on game servers. For the general steps, see how to port forward a game server.
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