Free tool
Game server port checker
Test whether your server's port is actually reachable from the internet. The check runs from our servers, not from your computer, so it takes the same path your players do.
Run a port check
The port players connect to. Valheim answers queries on 2457, and we check that too.
Why your own test always says "open"
Checking a port from the machine running the server, or from another device on the same network, never leaves your router. The connection succeeds because it never had to cross the part of the path that is actually broken. That is why a server can look perfectly healthy in its own console while nobody outside the house can join it.
Game port and query port are not the same thing
Most Steam dedicated servers listen on two ports: one carries gameplay, the other answers the server browser. Forwarding only the game port produces the most confusing symptom in server hosting, where friends can connect by typing the IP directly but the server never appears in any list. If that matches what you are seeing, test the query port here.
When no port forward will ever work
If your ISP puts you behind CGNAT, your router's public address is shared with other customers and no forwarding rule you create can work, because the address players connect to is not yours. A quick sign is a router WAN address starting with 100.64 through 100.127. The only fixes are asking your ISP for a real public IP or running the server somewhere that has one.
Skip the port forwarding entirely
A hosted server has a public IP and open ports from the moment it starts, so none of the above applies. GHosting runs Valheim, Palworld, Project Zomboid, Terraria, Enshrouded and more, and you can try one free before paying anything.
Common questions
Why does my port look open on my own PC but closed here?
Testing from the same machine or network never leaves your router, so it always succeeds. This check comes from our servers on the public internet, which is the same path your players take.
What is the difference between "closed" and "no response"?
Closed means your machine answered and actively refused: it is reachable, but the game is not running or is bound to the wrong port. No response means the packets never arrived at all, which points at a firewall or a missing port forward.
Why does my game use two different ports?
Many Steam games separate the game port from the query port. The server browser uses the query port, so a server that friends can join by direct IP but never appears in the list usually has the query port blocked.
Does an open port mean my server is fine?
It means the network path works. If players still cannot join, the problem is above the network layer: a version mismatch, a password, or a mod list difference.
Why does my Palworld server never answer a port check?
A Palworld server set to public registers with the Epic lobby instead of answering Steam queries. It still opens the query port but never replies on it, so most port checkers report a perfectly healthy server as dead. This tool tests the game port directly for Palworld, which is why it gets an answer where other tools do not.