Transcript
The full narration, chapter by chapter. Click a time to play the video from there.
Intro
Want your friends to join a game server you run at home? Then you need to port forward. Here's how, step by step.
What it does
Your router has one public IP for every device in your home. When a friend connects, the router doesn't know which device should get that traffic… so it drops it. A port forwarding rule tells it: send this port to that PC.
Find your IPs
Step one: find two addresses. Open Command Prompt and type ipconfig. The IPv4 Address is your PC's local IP. The Default Gateway is your router. Then give your PC a fixed local IP, with a DHCP reservation in the router, so the rule keeps working after a restart.
Log in to the router
Step two: type the router's address into your browser, and log in. The username and password are often printed on a sticker on the router.
Add the rule
Step three: find Port Forwarding. Depending on the router, it can also be called Virtual Server, NAT, or Applications. Add a new rule: a name, the game's port, the protocol, and your PC's local IP. For Minecraft, that's port 25565, TCP. Then click Save.
Game ports
Every game uses its own ports. CS2 uses 27015, UDP and TCP. Rust uses 28015, UDP. FiveM uses 30120, TCP and UDP. Check the exact ports for your game.
Firewall
Step four: allow the same port in Windows Firewall, with a new inbound rule for that port and protocol. Otherwise, the router forwards the traffic to a PC that blocks it.
Test it
Step five: test it from outside your network. Search "what is my IP" — your friends connect to that address, never to the 192.168 one. Still not working? Compare the WAN IP in your router with your public IP. If they're different, your internet provider uses CGNAT, and port forwarding can't work at all.
Or skip it
Or skip all of this. A hosted game server has its own public IP, the ports already open, and DDoS protection included — and your home IP stays private. Find guides and hosting at esagames.ro.
