Member Avatar for lewashby

If I wanted to host a game on let's say, Steam Counter-Strike, what setting to I need t use for port forwarding to let someone I know login using my routers IP address. I options are TCP/UDP, TCP, & UDP. Also, what should be my starting and ending ports? Thanks.

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Dani AI

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Short answer: for Steam/Source Counter‑Strike the common port to forward is 27015 (game traffic) — Steam itself uses UDP ports in the 27000–27030 range and TCP for downloads — so forward the ports the server is actually using (usually 27015). See Steam’s official port list for details. (support.steampowered.com)

Practical steps (builds on and ): give the machine running the server a fixed LAN address (DHCP reservation on your router is recommended so you avoid IP drift). (kb.netgear.com) Create a port‑forward (or two entries if your router wants separate TCP and UDP rules) that maps the external port to the server’s internal IP and same port. Example rule:

Name:   CS Server
Protocol: UDP  (or TCP/UDP if required)
External port: 27015
Internal IP: 192.168.1.50
Internal port: 27015

Source/Source‑engine servers commonly use UDP 27015 for gameplay and TCP 27015 for RCON; SourceTV or extra services may use 27020/27005 as well — forward whatever the server process actually binds to. (wiki.empiresmod.com)

Quick troubleshooting: ensure the game/server process is listening on the expected port (netstat/ss), and allow that port in the host OS firewall. Test from outside using an open‑port checker (for example, CanYouSeeMe). (canyouseeme.org) If the check fails even after correct router rules and firewall settings, your ISP may be doing carrier‑grade NAT or blocking inbound ports — in that case ordinary port forwarding won’t work and you’ll need to contact the ISP for a public IP or use a tunneling/VPN solution; RFC 6598 explains the shared address space used in CGNAT deployments. (datatracker.ietf.org)

Notes: always forward the exact port the server is configured to use (some games let you change it), add both TCP and UDP if unsure, and close or restrict RCON (TCP) to specific IPs for security.

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Member Avatar for rubberman

You need to look that up with Steam for this game, or it may be configurable so you can set the port yourself, and then forward that. If the game only needs one outside-visible port, then the start-end points would be that one port. If the game can take both TCP and UDP connections, then depending upon the router, you may have to enable those separately, but using the same port.

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