Yes—you can host a Vintage Story multiplayer world directly from the normal game client. Use Open to LAN for friends on the same network, Open to Internet when the game can configure your router with UPnP, or a virtual-LAN tool when router forwarding is unavailable. In every case, the world is reachable only while the host keeps the game running.
Godlike.Host offers hosted Vintage Story servers with its own game panel, SFTP access and free DDoS protection, if you would rather not host it yourself.
What hosting without a dedicated server means
Vintage Story can turn a single-player save into a multiplayer session from the in-game pause menu. The host computer runs both the game client and the network session; there is no separate server program to install or keep online. Players join that running world using the address and connection method appropriate to the host’s network.
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This is convenient for short co-op sessions, but it is not persistent hosting. Closing the world, quitting the game, or losing the host’s internet connection ends access for everyone. A world that must remain available while the owner is away requires a dedicated server, which is a different setup.
Choose the connection method
| Method | Best for | Router changes | Can friends outside your network join? | Network dependency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open to LAN | Friends connected to the same home, school or office network | None | No, not directly | Direct local connection; usually the lowest latency |
| Open to Internet (UPnP) | Internet friends when the router permits automatic mapping | Vintage Story attempts to create one through UPnP | Yes, if UPnP and the ISP allow inbound traffic | Direct connection after the router mapping succeeds |
| Manual port forwarding | Internet friends when UPnP fails or is disabled | Forward TCP and UDP 42420 to the host | Yes, unless the ISP uses CGNAT or blocks inbound traffic | Direct connection; depends on the host’s upload capacity and routing |
| Virtual LAN | Groups that cannot configure a router | None on the physical router | Yes, through the virtual network | Traffic may use a relay; added latency is possible |
Start with Open to LAN if everyone is physically on the same network. For remote friends, try Open to Internet once. If that does not produce a usable connection, either forward both protocols manually or use a virtual LAN. Do not quote a fixed UPnP success percentage: published figures conflict and are not verified by a current primary source.
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Before inviting anyone
- Use a stable host machine. The host must stay powered on, connected and running the world for the entire session.
- Allow the game through the operating-system firewall. A successful router mapping cannot help if the host computer silently drops the traffic.
- Know which network your friends are using. A local address works only from the same LAN; an internet address must be tested from outside that LAN.
- Keep the game versions and required mods compatible. A network route can be correct while a client still fails to join because its content does not match the host.
Method 1: Open to LAN for same-network multiplayer
Host the world
- Launch Vintage Story and load the single-player world you want to share.
- Open the pause menu.
- Select Open to LAN.
- Read the local address displayed by the game and send that address to the players on your network.
- Have each player use the game’s multiplayer join screen and enter the address exactly as shown.
No router configuration is required because the traffic stays on the local network. The host’s session is available only until the world is closed or the host exits the game.
If a LAN player cannot connect
- Confirm every device is connected to the same network, not merely to networks that share the same internet subscription. Guest Wi-Fi and client-isolation modes can prevent devices from seeing one another.
- Temporarily check the operating-system firewall rules and allow Vintage Story on the private or local network profile. Keep the firewall enabled; create an explicit exception instead of disabling protection permanently.
- Make sure the joining player is using the local address shown for the current session. Addresses can change after reconnecting to Wi-Fi or restarting the host.
- Test while both devices are genuinely on the same LAN. An external friend cannot use the LAN address from across the internet.
Method 2: Open to Internet with UPnP
Start the automatic route
- Load the world and choose Open to LAN from the pause menu.
- Choose Open to Internet. Vintage Story then attempts to ask the router for a port mapping using UPnP.
- Wait for the game to report the resulting connection information, then send the displayed internet address or join details to your remote players.
- Ask a friend who is not on your home network to test the connection. Testing from another device on the same Wi-Fi does not prove that internet access works.
Vintage Story uses port 42420 by default, and internet hosting requires both TCP and UDP. Forwarding TCP alone is a common reason for a setup that appears open but still fails in practice.
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What UPnP can and cannot do
UPnP only creates a mapping on a router that supports and permits it. Security settings may disable UPnP, the router may be behind another router, or the internet provider may place the connection behind carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT). With CGNAT, your router can show a successful mapping while unsolicited traffic never reaches it; ordinary port forwarding cannot solve that condition. Ask the ISP whether inbound port forwarding is available and whether a public address can be provided.
If UPnP reports success but a genuinely external player still cannot connect, turn UPnP off for this test and configure the mapping manually. This removes uncertainty about which port and protocol were requested.
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Method 3: Manual forwarding of port 42420
Configure the host computer
- Give the host a stable address on the local network, using your router’s address-reservation feature or an equivalent method. A forwarding rule aimed at an address that changes later will stop working.
- In the operating-system firewall, allow Vintage Story’s network access. If you create port rules instead of an application rule, allow TCP 42420 and UDP 42420.
- Load the world, open it to LAN, and then select Open to Internet so the game listens for internet play.
Create the router rule
- Sign in to the router’s administration interface.
- Open the section named something like Port Forwarding, NAT or Virtual Server; the exact label depends on the router.
- Create a rule for external port 42420 to the host’s reserved local address and internal port 42420.
- Enable both protocol entries, one for TCP and one for UDP, if the interface does not offer a combined TCP/UDP choice.
- Save or apply the rule, then restart the Vintage Story world if the router requires a fresh listener.
Send remote players the public address supplied by your internet connection together with the game’s connection details. Do not send the private address used by devices inside your home.
Verify the forwarding rule correctly
Use a player on a separate network—such as mobile data or a friend’s home connection—to test. A second computer connected to the same Wi-Fi may reach the host locally even when the public route is broken, producing a misleading result. Confirm that the game is running and listening on 42420 at the moment of the test; a router rule cannot connect to a closed world.
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Method 4: Virtual LAN when forwarding is not possible
A virtual-LAN application creates a software network that makes remote computers appear to be on one private LAN. This avoids changing the physical router and can work when the ISP or router blocks inbound forwarding. The trade-off is additional software for every participant and possible relay latency.
Hamachi-style setup
- Install the same virtual-LAN application on the host and every player.
- Have everyone join the same virtual network, using the network name and credentials chosen by the host.
- Confirm that each participant can see the host’s virtual IPv4 address inside the application.
- On the host, load the world, choose Open to LAN, and then choose Open to Internet as required by the game’s hosting flow.
- Give friends the host’s virtual-LAN IPv4 address, not the host’s ordinary home address, and have them join through the multiplayer screen.
Every participant must remain connected to the same virtual network while playing. If the virtual-LAN client chooses a relay rather than a direct path, ping and upload performance may be worse than a properly forwarded direct connection.
Troubleshooting a failed connection
The game says the port is open, but nobody outside can join
- Repeat the test from a truly external network.
- Check that the host is listening on port 42420, not a different custom value.
- Verify that both TCP and UDP are allowed in the operating-system firewall and router rule.
- Compare the router’s internet-facing address with the address reported by an external connection check. If the router has a private upstream address, another router or CGNAT may be in front of it.
- Disable UPnP and test a single manual rule rather than leaving competing automatic and manual mappings active.
A LAN friend cannot join
- Check that both devices are on the same non-isolated network and that neither is using guest Wi-Fi.
- Allow Vintage Story through the firewall for the local/private network profile.
- Use the current local address displayed after opening the world; do not reuse an address from an earlier session.
Players disconnect when the host leaves
This is expected for client-hosted multiplayer. The host’s game process is the session. Closing the world, logging off or losing the host machine ends the availability of that save; there is no background process preserving it.
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On a Linux host using UFW, allow each protocol explicitly:
sudo ufw allow 42420/tcp
sudo ufw allow 42420/udpThen confirm the rules are active, restart or reopen the world, and retest from an external network. The commands change firewall policy; they do not create the router’s internet-side forwarding rule.
Privacy and security considerations
Manual forwarding exposes the selected service to unsolicited internet traffic. Forward only the required port, keep the game and operating system updated, and remove the router rule when you no longer host internet sessions. A virtual LAN limits exposure of the physical router but still requires trusting and managing the software network and its members. Never publish your router administration credentials or virtual-network access details in a public chat.
Quick Recap
Which option should you use?
- Everyone is in the same home: choose Open to LAN. It is the shortest path and needs no router changes.
- Friends are remote and your router supports working UPnP: try Open to Internet first, then test from outside your network.
- UPnP fails but you control the router and have a usable public address: forward TCP and UDP 42420 manually to the host.
- You cannot change the router or the ISP uses CGNAT: use a virtual LAN, understanding that each player must install it and relay routing can add latency.
- You need the world online without the host: client hosting does not meet that requirement; use a dedicated-server setup instead.
Key facts to remember
- Open to LAN is for devices on the same network and requires no port forwarding.
- Open to Internet attempts UPnP; the default internet port is 42420 over both TCP and UDP.
- Manual forwarding is the fallback when UPnP does not produce a working external connection.
- A virtual LAN avoids router forwarding but requires every player to join the same virtual network.
- The save is online only while the host’s Vintage Story client keeps the world running.
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