A standard Soulmask dedicated server uses UDP 8777 for game traffic and UDP 27015 for the Steam server-query/browser endpoint. Forward both ports from your router to the server computer’s fixed private LAN address, allow the same UDP ports through the host firewall, and start the server with matching -Port=8777 -QueryPort=27015 values (or the equivalent Engine.ini settings). The numbers are configurable.
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Container deployments may use different defaults. The unofficial jsknnr/soulmask-dedicated-server image documents UDP 27050 for game traffic and UDP 27051 for queries, so its published, forwarded, and firewall ports must be treated separately from the standard SteamCMD setup.
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Default Soulmask server ports
Each ordinary dedicated-server process needs two UDP endpoints: one for player/game traffic and one for Steam’s query and browser response. The Soulmask Wiki describes 8777 and 27015 as the defaults and notes that command-line parameters can change them.
| Function | Standard documented default | Protocol | Configuration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game and client traffic | 8777 | UDP | -Port=8777 or Port=8777 in Engine.ini |
| Steam server query and browser listing | 27015 | UDP | -QueryPort=27015 or GameServerQueryPort=27015 in Engine.ini |
| Echo/Telnet console (optional) | 18888 | TCP | -EchoPort=18888 |
| RCON (optional) | 19000 | TCP | Enable RCON and set its password and port |
The two UDP ports are the only ports required for normal players to connect and for the server to appear in a Steam-compatible browser. Echo/Telnet and RCON are management interfaces; opening them is unnecessary unless you deliberately use those tools.
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What each port does
Game port
The game port carries the live session between clients and the dedicated server. A player who has the correct public address but whose game UDP port is blocked will normally fail to join, even if the server process is running and visible on the host machine.
Steam query port
The query endpoint answers the requests used by Steam’s server browser and similar listing tools. It is separate from the port used for gameplay. A server can therefore accept a direct connection while remaining absent from the browser when the query port is missing, forwarded to the wrong machine, blocked by a firewall, or set to a different value than the server process is using.
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Echo/Telnet and RCON
Echo/Telnet and RCON are optional administrative channels over TCP. They should be enabled only when required, restricted to trusted addresses where possible, and protected with the appropriate credentials. They do not replace either UDP endpoint used by players.
Choose the ports for your hosting method
Standard SteamCMD-style installation
For the commonly documented setup, retain the defaults unless another service already occupies one of them or you are running more than one server on the same public address. Use one unique game port and one unique query port for every instance.
Containerized installation
Container images can define their own internal defaults. The unofficial jsknnr/soulmask-dedicated-server README documents this pair:
| Container endpoint | Image default | Protocol | Network requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game | 27050 | UDP | Publish the container port, allow it on the container host, and forward it on the router |
| Steam query | 27051 | UDP | Publish, allow, and forward the matching query port |
That project states that game ports are arbitrary values above 1000. In practice, the value in the container configuration, the container runtime’s published-port mapping, the host firewall, and the router rule must all describe the same reachable endpoint. Do not assume that a container using its own defaults should be forwarded on 8777 and 27015.
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Set the game and query values
Command-line parameters
Start a standard server with matching parameters:
-Port=8777 -QueryPort=27015If you select different numbers, substitute the same game value everywhere the game endpoint is referenced and the same query value everywhere the Steam endpoint is referenced. Keep the protocol distinction: the first two are UDP, while the optional management ports are TCP.
Engine.ini settings
Instead of command-line arguments, configure the corresponding keys in the server’s Engine.ini:
Port=8777
GameServerQueryPort=27015Do not leave a command-line value and an Engine.ini value disagreeing. After editing the file, stop and restart the dedicated server so that the process binds the new endpoints. Check the startup output or server log for binding errors; an occupied port or malformed setting prevents the intended listener from being created.
Changing ports safely
- Pick an unused UDP game port and an unused UDP query port. For multiple instances, give every process its own pair.
- Change both values in the launch command or Engine.ini.
- Update the container publication, if applicable.
- Replace the router’s destination rules and the host firewall rules with the new values.
- Restart the server and test from outside the local network.
Changing only one side of this chain produces misleading symptoms: the process may be listening locally while the router still sends traffic to the old port, or the browser may query a value different from the one configured on the server.
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1. Give the server a stable private address
First identify the server computer’s LAN address, such as its private IPv4 address. Create a DHCP reservation in the router, or configure a static LAN address using your network’s normal procedure. A reservation is usually easier to maintain because the router continues assigning the same address to the machine’s network adapter.
Port forwarding targets an address inside your network. If that address changes after a reboot or lease renewal, the forwarding rule can silently point at another device and outside players will be unable to connect.
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2. Create the game forwarding rule
Open the router’s NAT, port-forwarding, or virtual-server page. Add an inbound rule whose external and internal port are the selected game port, whose protocol is UDP, and whose destination is the server’s reserved private address.
3. Create the query forwarding rule
Add a second rule for the selected Steam query port. It must also be UDP and must target the same private address. Do not combine a UDP rule with a TCP-only rule, and do not forward the query port to the router itself or to a different host.
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4. Account for router topology
If the server sits behind two routers, both devices may perform NAT. Either place the inner router in the outer router’s DMZ (only when you understand the security consequences) or forward the two UDP ports through both layers. A single forward on the inner router is not enough when the outer router still owns the public address.
Some internet connections use carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT), where the address shown by the router is not a directly reachable public IPv4 address. In that case, ordinary inbound forwarding cannot expose the server. Ask the internet provider for a public address, use a hosting service that supplies one, or choose another connectivity design.
Allow the same ports through the host firewall
The operating-system firewall is a separate barrier from the router. Add inbound allow rules for the selected UDP game and query ports on the computer that actually runs Soulmask. A router rule cannot override a host rule that drops the packet.
Windows
- Open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security.
- Select Inbound Rules, then New Rule.
- Choose Port, select UDP, and enter the selected game port under specific local ports.
- Choose Allow the connection, apply the appropriate network profiles, and name the rule clearly.
- Repeat for the query port.
If the server executable uses a separate Windows account or security product, confirm that the rule applies to that program and that no third-party firewall is still blocking inbound UDP.
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Linux
Use the firewall manager enabled by your distribution and allow inbound UDP for both selected values. For a system using UFW, the pattern is:
sudo ufw allow 8777/udp
sudo ufw allow 27015/udpReplace those numbers if the server is configured differently. On systems using firewalld, nftables, or a cloud security group, create equivalent inbound UDP rules there as well. A container host may have an additional filtering layer, so an allow rule inside the container does not by itself open the host’s external interface.
Docker and Podman port publishing
A container has its own network namespace unless you deliberately use host networking. The external host port must be published to the container’s configured endpoint. The jsknnr image’s documented examples publish UDP 27050 for game traffic and UDP 27051 for queries; those host ports then need matching firewall and router rules.
When you choose custom values, verify all four mappings:
- The Soulmask process inside the container listens on the chosen game and query ports.
- The container runtime publishes those ports as UDP, not TCP-only.
- The host firewall permits the published UDP ports.
- The router forwards those host ports to the container host’s stable LAN address.
For example, publishing a host port to a different internal container port can be valid, but the external number players use must be the host-side value. Document the mapping so that a later container recreation does not revert to the image defaults.
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Check the process locally
Start the server and inspect its log for successful socket binding. A bind error usually means another process already owns the port or the requested value is invalid. Confirm that the process remains running after startup rather than exiting while the launcher window stays open.
Test from the LAN
From another computer on the same network, use Soulmask’s direct-connect option with the server’s private address and configured game port. This verifies the game process and local routing but does not prove that internet NAT is correct.
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Test from outside the LAN
Use a device on a different network, such as a mobile connection, and enter the public address with the configured game port. Testing from inside the same LAN can be distorted by routers that do not support NAT loopback, so a successful internal test is not a substitute for an external one.
Interpret browser results
If external direct connection succeeds but the server does not appear in the browser, focus on the query path: confirm that the query setting matches the value forwarded on the router, that the rule is UDP, and that the host firewall allows it. If both direct connection and browser discovery fail, begin with the game-port path, the forwarding destination, the public address, and possible CGNAT.
Troubleshooting by symptom
Works on the LAN but not over the internet
- Check that the router forwards to the server’s current private address, not an old DHCP lease.
- Verify that both rules are enabled and use UDP.
- Confirm the server’s WAN address is genuinely public and that another upstream router is not performing NAT.
- Review host-firewall and endpoint-security logs for dropped inbound packets.
- Make sure outside players use the public address, while LAN players use the private address when NAT loopback is unavailable.
Direct connect works, but browser listing fails
- Compare the running query value with the router’s query forwarding rule.
- Check that the query rule reaches the same machine as the game rule.
- Confirm UDP is permitted on the host and, for a container, that the query port is published.
- Restart after changing Engine.ini or launch parameters so the process is actually listening on the new value.
Docker deployment is unreachable
- Read the image documentation for its internal defaults instead of assuming the standard pair.
- Inspect the runtime’s published ports and ensure they are marked UDP.
- Forward the host-side ports selected for the container, not an unmodified example from a different deployment.
- Open those same host-side values in the host firewall and any cloud security group.
One server works and a second does not
Two processes cannot normally bind the same game or query socket on one host. Assign a unique game/query pair to the second instance and give it its own management ports if Echo/Telnet or RCON is enabled. Add separate router and firewall rules for each pair, then tell players which game port belongs to which instance.
Home NAT versus a hosted VPS
Home server
A home server needs a stable private address, router NAT rules, host-firewall rules, and an internet connection that permits inbound traffic. The public address may change over time, so players may need an updated address unless you use a separate address-management service.
Hosted VPS
A VPS normally has a directly routable interface, so there may be no home router to configure. You still need inbound UDP rules in the operating-system firewall and in the provider’s network security group. Use the same configured game/query values in both places and check the provider’s policy for unsolicited UDP traffic.
Management-port security
Do not expose Echo/Telnet or RCON merely because they are listed in a server guide. Enable them only for a defined administrative need. Use a strong, unique RCON password, restrict source addresses where the firewall supports it, and avoid forwarding management ports to the entire internet when a private network or VPN can provide access.
Player connectivity requires the game and query UDP endpoints; management access is an additional attack surface. Keeping optional TCP ports closed reduces exposure without affecting ordinary joins or browser discovery.
Quick Recap
Quick verification checklist
- The server has a reserved or static private LAN address.
- The launch command or Engine.ini contains one intended game port and one intended query port.
- The router forwards both values to that exact private address.
- The router rules use UDP.
- The host firewall allows the same UDP values.
- Container deployments publish the configured ports and preserve the UDP protocol.
- A direct connection has been tested from outside the LAN.
- If browser discovery fails, the query value and forwarding rule have been checked independently.
- Each additional server has a unique game/query pair.
- Echo/Telnet and RCON remain closed unless explicitly needed and secured.
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