Nobody can connect to my server!

The first step of assessing the root cause of this issue is to ensure that the issue actually lies with your server, and not with the player(s). Below are some good practices to help determine this:

• Have multiple players attempt to connect to your server, in order to ensure this is not an isolated issue.
• Ask your players what error they are receiving when attempting to connect. If the error shown is “The Specified Host is not available”,  your server cannot be reached. If the error is anything else, the issue may be on the player’s end, or this may be a deeper issue. Feel free to open a Support Ticket on our discord if you aren’t sure.
• Ensure that you are giving players your public IPv4 address to connect with. If the IPv4 you are giving your players begins with “192.168.”, or has any numbers greater than 255, that is not your public IPv4. Additionally, if your open port is not 7777, you must specify the open port in the IP you send to your players.
• If all of your players are from one region, have one attempt to connect via a VPN. This will be to ensure your ISP or hosting provider is not geo-blocking certain regions. This has primarily been an issue in the past with servers hosted in Russia, Iran, and Turkey, though it may extend to other countries too. 
• If, after trying all of these steps, your server remains unreachable with the error “The Specified Host is not available”, then your server is not open to connections. The sections below will cover potential causes, from most to least likelihood. Remember to restart your server after completing a section. 

Port Forwarding

Check out our port forwarding page here!

Incorrect config_gameplay.txt configuration.

The Topmost settings in your config_gameplay.txt file will include some basic server settings, including a “server_ip” field. This should always be set to your Public IPv4. To determine your Public IPv4, you can use the following site: https://www.whatismyip.com. Please note that this site is not affiliated with Northwood Studios.

The “ipv4_bind_ip” and “ipv6_bind_ip” fields should be left to their default settings for most people, below are the default:

Firewall rule configuration.

The following section is targeted at Windows users. 

Go to your windows search menu, in the bottom-left of your desktop. Type in “Windows Defender Firewall”, selecting the option as it appears. From this window, you’ll want to click “Allow an App or Feature through the Windows Defender Firewall”, on the top left. 

From this new window, you’ll need to scroll to find “scpsl”. From here, tick both boxes on the right in order to allow SCP: SL through your windows defender firewall, if they weren’t already ticked. 

Please note that you’ll also need to configure external firewall solutions separately, where applicable. Consult your Firewall provider for more information.

I still have issues!

Please contact our technical support team here