How to Fix the Soulmask “Connection to Host Lost” Error

iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more

Soulmask’s “connection to host lost” message means the game client can no longer maintain a usable connection to the server. The cause is usually one of three things: a local PC or network problem, an unavailable or misconfigured server, or a conflict involving mods, firewall rules, or another device on the network. Work through the checks below in order. Start with the server and version checks before changing router settings.

What the error actually means

Soulmask keeps a live connection between your game client and the host. If that connection stalls, is rejected, or the server stops responding, the client can display “connection to host lost,” “connection timed out,” or send you back to the main menu. The message does not identify which side failed.

#	Preview	Product	Price
1		THE SOUL GAME	$2.99	Buy on Amazon

A failure on one computer does not prove that the server is down. Conversely, if every player is removed at the same time, changing one player’s firewall is unlikely to help. Treat the message as a symptom and use who is affected, when it started, and which connection method fails to narrow the cause.

Holy.gg’s April 10, 2026 walkthrough identifies three broad causes: a local computer or network issue, an overloaded or restarting server, or interference from another application or device on the same network. The guide specifically notes that “A misconfigured dedicated server is another classic cause of the Connection to Host Lost error.”

#1 Best Overall

THE SOUL GAME

$2.99

Buy on Amazon

Quick diagnosis before changing anything

Use the pattern that matches your incident. This prevents a server-side problem from turning into unnecessary router changes.

Eight-step fix sequence

1. Restart the game, PC, and server

   Exit Soulmask completely rather than leaving it suspended in the background. Restart the computer and try the connection again. If you administer the dedicated server, stop it cleanly, wait for the process to end, and start it again. Confirm that the server is actually online and has finished loading its world before joining.

   Recheck the server address, game port, and password character by character. A stale address, an old port, or a changed password can look like a network timeout. Ask another player to try while you are checking; their result immediately tells you whether the failure is limited to one client.

   ×

   The Tool Desk

   Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →
   Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

2. Match client and server versions and mods

   Open the game through Steam and allow pending updates to finish. The server operator should do the same for the dedicated-server files. A client that has updated while the server remains on an older build may fail during the join process rather than showing a clear version warning.

   Check the server’s required mod list against every client. A Steam Community report from April 17, 2025 describes unofficial-server joins ending with “connection to host lost,” “connection timed out,” or a return to the main menu; another commenter suggested checking for missing mods. That is an anecdotal possibility, not proof that missing mods cause every instance. Still, compare mod names, versions, load order, and enablement on both sides before investigating port forwarding.

   If the error started after a mod was added or updated, temporarily test with the server’s documented required set only. Do not remove a server-required mod permanently; use the test to identify a compatibility change and then restore the supported configuration.

3. Confirm the actual game and query ports

   Dedicated-server examples commonly use game port 8777 and query port 27015. A Steam discussion shows GameServerQueryPort=27015, direct connection through port 8777, and an IPv4 host address. Another discussion calls 8777 and 27015 the default ports for private direct connection. These are configuration examples, not a guarantee that every server uses them. A host can assign different values.

   ×

   Do these 3 things before closing this tab:

   1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors
   Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

   Read the server’s launch file, startup script, or hosting-panel settings and record the values currently configured. The port entered by a player must be the configured reachable game port, not a remembered default. The query port is used for discovery and server-list information; a mistake there can leave direct connection working while the listing fails.

   Setting	Common example	How to use it
   Game port	8777	Players use the host’s reachable IPv4 address plus this configured port for direct connection
   Query port	27015	Expose and forward it when the server relies on query responses for listing or status
   Actual configured values	May differ	Use the launch file or host instructions as the authority

4. Fix forwarding and port conflicts on a self-hosted server

   Give the server computer a stable private IPv4 address on the home network, then forward the configured game and query ports to that address. The forwarding destination must be the server PC, not the router’s public address and not a different computer that happens to be online.

   Forward the UDP ports specified by the server configuration. If your router asks for an external and internal port, keep them the same unless your hosting instructions explicitly require translation. Save the rule, restart the server, and test from outside the home network; a test from the same LAN can succeed even when internet forwarding is wrong.

   Check for a process already occupying a configured port. On the Windows server, open Command Prompt and run a command such as netstat -ano | findstr :8777, replacing 8777 with the port you are investigating. Note the process ID, identify the owning application in Task Manager, and stop or reconfigure the conflicting service only if you know it is safe to do so. The hosting guidance associated with this error recommends checking port use with netstat and changing the server’s -Port= value when necessary.

   ×PerformancePC Slower Than It Used to Be?DriversCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
   Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

   If you change a port, update every dependent place: the launch parameter, router rule, firewall rule, direct-connect address, and any host-panel setting. Changing only one of these creates a new, harder-to-diagnose mismatch.

5. Review server startup parameters

   A server can appear to start while still being unreachable if its launch arguments point to the wrong port, mode, password, or player limit. Inspect the actual command or panel values rather than relying on what you intended to configure.

   Parameter or setting	What to verify	Failure it can create
   Server name	The name shown to players is the intended instance	Players join a different or obsolete entry
   Maximum players	The limit is high enough for the group	New joins are rejected when the server is full
   Game password	Players have the current value and exact capitalization	Join attempts fail despite a reachable server
   Admin password	It is separate from the player password where required	Administrative startup or management steps fail
   Game mode	The mode matches the world and the server’s intended setup	World loading or entry can fail after connection
   -Port=	It matches the router, firewall, and client instructions	The client reaches the wrong port
   -QueryPort=	It is available and forwarded when discovery needs it	The server is absent or stale in the list

   After editing parameters, stop and start the server rather than merely closing its console window. Watch the startup output for bind errors, repeated crashes, or a message that a port is already in use. A server that repeatedly restarts can let players connect briefly and then produce the host-lost message.

6. Allow Soulmask through Windows Firewall

   On the client or host PC, open Windows Security, choose Firewall & network protection, and select Allow an app through firewall. Choose Change settings, add Soulmask.exe if it is not listed, and allow it on the network profiles appropriate to your setup. Apply the change and restart the game.

   ×

   What’s actually slowing this PC down?

   Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.

   Junk files & broken settingsFree fix →Outdated driversFree fix →Crashes & glitchesFree fix →System errors & instabilityFree fix →
   Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

   The host machine may need the exception even when an individual client does not. If a separate security suite includes its own firewall, add an equivalent rule there; allowing the app in Windows Firewall does not automatically override a third-party network filter.

   Use a temporary, controlled test to confirm whether the firewall is involved: disconnect the extra firewall component or create a narrowly scoped allow rule, then attempt one connection. Re-enable protection immediately after the test and create a proper rule instead of leaving security disabled. Do not expose unrelated programs or open broad inbound access when a program-specific rule is sufficient.

7. Use direct connection for a private server

   For a privately hosted instance, start the server first and wait until it has completed loading. In Soulmask, choose the direct-connect option and enter the host’s reachable IPv4 address together with the configured game port. The Steam example cited above uses port 8777, but your server may use another value.

   Use the correct address for the player’s location. A private address such as an address beginning with 192.168, 10, or 172.16–172.31 works for someone on the same LAN, not automatically for a friend on the internet. An outside player needs the host’s reachable public address or the address supplied by the hosting provider, plus a correctly forwarded port.

   ×Worth Installing

   Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread

   Outbyte PC Repair · freeRepair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallFix My PC Now →
   Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

   If direct connection succeeds while the server list does not, stop changing the game port. Focus on the query port, query forwarding, server-list configuration, and whether the host is advertising an address that outside players can reach.

8. Test with another network

   Connect the affected PC through a phone hotspot or another independent network and try the same server. This is a diagnostic comparison, not necessarily a permanent gaming solution.

   • If the hotspot works, inspect the home router’s port-forwarding, NAT, firewall, DNS, or traffic-filtering behavior and ask the ISP whether the connection uses a restrictive shared-address arrangement.
   • If the hotspot fails in the same way, the local PC, client files, account, server, or host path remains suspect.
   • If several players on different networks fail, concentrate on server availability, launch parameters, ports, and the host firewall rather than asking every player to reset their routers.

How to read the outcome of each test

Only one player cannot join

Have that player restart the PC, verify the current game build, remove only unrequired local mods, and check the Windows Firewall exception. Compare the player’s direct-connect address and port with a working player’s details. If the same account fails on a second network, the home router becomes less likely and the client installation, local security software, or server-side permission becomes more plausible.

Everyone is removed or nobody can enter

Check whether the dedicated-server process is still running and whether it is restarting. Review launch output for a port-bind failure, wrong -Port= or -QueryPort=, a changed password, or an invalid mode. Confirm that forwarding points to the current private IPv4 address and that the host firewall allows the game. If the provider controls the machine, give it the exact time of the failure and ask whether the instance was restarted or overloaded.

The server appears in the list but joining fails

Discovery only proves that some query response reached the list. It does not prove that the game port is reachable or that the listed address is correct. Test direct connection with the configured game port, then verify game-port forwarding and host-firewall rules. If direct connection works, repair the query-port exposure or listing configuration.

The issue began after an update

Record the client build, server build, and mod changes made immediately before the first failure. Bring both sides to compatible current versions and compare the required mod set. Avoid changing router settings until that comparison is complete; an update-related mismatch can produce the same timeout symptoms without any network fault.

Self-hosted server checklist

Use this checklist when you control the server computer or its router:

• The server process starts once and remains running.
• The world finishes loading before players attempt to join.
• The configured game and query ports are recorded from the actual launch file.
• No unrelated process owns either configured port.
• Router UDP forwarding targets the server’s current private IPv4 address.
• The host firewall allows Soulmask.exe and the required network profile.
• Players have the current public or LAN address, game port, and password.
• Client and server versions and required mods match.
• A direct-connect test has been made from outside the host’s LAN.

When the server uses a hosting panel rather than a home router, apply the same logic through that provider’s controls. The panel’s displayed port and address are authoritative; do not assume the common example values are in use. If you would rather skip router forwarding altogether, Godlike.Host’s Soulmask server hosting runs the server in its own game panel with a personal firewall, and its 24/7 support by live chat or ticket can help when you need to check ports or launch parameters.

Common mistakes that create a second problem

Forwarding the wrong computer

A DHCP change can assign the server a new private address, leaving an apparently correct router rule pointed at an old machine. Reserve the server’s address in the router or update the forwarding destination after every address change.

Changing only the client’s port

The client cannot select a new listening port for a server that is still bound to the old one. Port changes must be synchronized across the server launch arguments, router, firewall, and the address players enter.

Testing only from inside the LAN

Some routers support local loopback and some do not. A successful test from the host’s own Wi-Fi does not establish that an outside player can reach the public address. Include an off-LAN test whenever the server is intended for internet play.

Leaving security disabled

Disabling a firewall can identify a rule problem, but it is not a durable fix. Restore the protection and allow only the required executable and traffic after the test.

Assuming a listed server is healthy

A listing can remain visible while the game process is hung, restarting, or advertising stale information. Confirm process health and test the game port directly.

When to contact the host or provider

Contact the server operator when every player is affected, the process repeatedly restarts, direct connection fails from multiple networks, or the configured ports cannot be reached despite correct local rules. Include the approximate failure time, the exact message, whether the server appeared in the list, whether direct connection was attempted, and the client/server versions and mod changes. Those details let the operator distinguish an outage from a configuration error without asking each player to repeat the same basic tests.

For a server you do not administer, you cannot repair its launch parameters or forwarding yourself. Send the operator the evidence from the table above instead of repeatedly reconnecting; repeated attempts do not correct a wrong port or a stopped process.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1

THE SOUL GAME

$2.99

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.