TCP vs UDP: Game Server Ports Explained
What TCP and UDP are, why most games use UDP, and the default ports for Minecraft, Rust, ARK, Palworld, Valheim, CS2 and more.
5 min read · Updated Sep 23, 2026 · By GuavaHost Team
Every game server listens on one or more ports, and each port speaks either TCP or UDP. This guide explains the difference in plain words, why most games pick UDP, and lists the default ports for the games we host, along with the one thing that matters most on a hosted server: your real port is the one in your panel.
What a port is
An IP address gets traffic to the right machine. A port, a number from 0 to 65535, gets it to the right program on that machine. Think of the IP as a building's street address and the port as the apartment number. One machine can run many game servers because each one listens on a different port.
TCP: reliable and in order
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) sets up a connection first, then guarantees that everything arrives, in order. If a packet (a small chunk of data) goes missing, TCP resends it and holds back everything behind it until the gap is filled.
That is perfect for web pages, file transfers and admin tools like RCON (remote console), where every byte must arrive. For fast games it has a cost: one lost packet briefly stalls everything queued behind it.
UDP: fast and fire-and-forget
UDP (User Datagram Protocol) just sends packets. There is no connection setup, no guaranteed delivery and no guaranteed order. That sounds worse, but for games it is often better. If a packet saying where a player stood 50 ms ago is lost, there is no point resending it, because a newer position is already on its way.
Games that use UDP build their own reliability on top for the things that must arrive, like chat, inventory changes and damage, and let the rest flow freely. That is why most modern game servers use UDP.
A few games, including Minecraft Java and Terraria, use TCP for their gameplay. They work fine; a lost packet just shows up as a brief hitch instead of a skipped frame.
TCP and UDP ports are separate
Port 25565 over TCP and port 25565 over UDP are two different doors. That is why a Minecraft server can run its game on TCP and a voice chat plugin on UDP using the same number without clashing, which our Simple Voice Chat guide takes advantage of.
Default ports for the games we host
These are the defaults each game uses when nobody changes them. Some depend on optional features being switched on.
| Game | Default port(s) | Protocol | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minecraft Java | 25565 | TCP | RCON 25575 TCP if enabled; query uses UDP on the game port if enabled |
| Minecraft Bedrock | 19132 (IPv4), 19133 (IPv6) | UDP | |
| Minecraft with Geyser | Java port plus a Bedrock port (19132 by default) | TCP + UDP | Bedrock players use the UDP port |
| Simple Voice Chat plugin | 24454 | UDP | Can share the game port number |
| Rust | 28015 | UDP | RCON 28016 TCP; a separate query port set with server.queryport; Rust+ app 28082 TCP |
| Counter-Strike 2 | 27015 | UDP | RCON uses TCP on the same number; CSTV 27020 UDP |
| Valheim | 2456 and 2457 | UDP | 2457 (game port + 1) is the query port Steam uses |
| ARK: Survival Evolved | 7777 and 7778 | UDP | Query 27015 UDP; RCON 27020 TCP if enabled |
| ARK: Survival Ascended | 7777 | UDP | No separate query port; RCON 27020 TCP if enabled |
| Palworld | 8211 | UDP | Query 27015 UDP; RCON 25575 TCP and REST API 8212 TCP if enabled |
| Project Zomboid | 16261 and 16262 | UDP | RCON 27015 TCP if enabled |
| Terraria and tModLoader | 7777 | TCP | |
| Enshrouded | 15636 and 15637 | UDP | 15637 is the query port; recent builds may only use the query port |
| Don't Starve Together | 10999 | UDP | The caves shard needs a second UDP port (commonly 11000) |
| RuneScape: Dragonwilds | 7777 | UDP | |
| Hytale | 5520 | UDP | Hytale connects over QUIC, which runs on UDP; each GuavaHost server gets its own port instead of 5520 |
| Discord bot | None incoming | The bot connects out to Discord, so nothing needs opening |
Game updates occasionally change these, so treat the table as a starting point and trust your server's own config and console over it.
On a hosted server, your port is probably not the default
On GuavaHost, many servers share each machine, so every server is given its own port from the machine's pool. That port is usually not the game's default. A few practical consequences:
- Always use the address shown at the top of your panel. It is the real IP and port. See finding your server IP and port.
- Extra ports are listed on the Network tab. Query ports, the Don't Starve Together caves port and similar extras appear there as additional allocations.
- Watch out for pre-filled defaults. Minecraft Bedrock fills in
19132for you, and leaving it there is the most common reason a Bedrock player cannot connect. See joining a Bedrock server. - Some games work out one port from another. Valheim's query port is always the game port plus one, which is why Steam favourites want the second number. See connecting to Valheim.
GuavaHost opens your allocated ports for you and puts DDoS protection in front of them, so there is no firewall or router work on your side.
Troubleshooting ports
- Connection timed out. Usually the wrong port, or an old port saved in your server list. Copy the address from the panel again.
- Friends can join by IP but the server is missing from the browser. That points at the query port rather than the game port. Check it on the Network tab and see server not showing in the list.
- An online port checker says your port is closed. Most checkers only test TCP. They cannot reliably test a UDP port, so a "closed" result for a UDP game proves nothing. A real join is the test.
- Hosting at home instead? Forward the right protocol. Forwarding only TCP for a UDP game is a classic mistake. Our port forwarding guide covers it.
Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.
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Still need help? Our team is online 24/7 to answer questions.