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Godlike.Host offers hosted Vintage Story servers with its own game panel, SFTP access and free DDoS protection, if you would rather not host it yourself.
Yes—you can play Vintage Story with friends without running a dedicated server. The host loads a normal single-player world, opens the pause menu, and chooses Open to LAN for people on the same network. For friends elsewhere, choose Open to Internet; the game first attempts to configure the router through UPnP. If that route fails, forward port 42420 for both TCP and UDP, or use a virtual-LAN tool so everyone appears to be on one private network.
These approaches are session-based: the world is reachable only while the host’s game is running. Closing the world or exiting the game ends that multiplayer session.
Choose the method that fits your group
There are three practical ways to host a world from the game client. The right choice depends mainly on where your friends are and whether you can change the router.
| Method | Best for | Router changes | Who can join | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open to LAN | Friends in the same home, school, or office network | None | Devices on that local network | Ends when the host closes the world; local firewall or network isolation can still block it |
| Open to Internet (UPnP) | Friends on other networks when the router supports UPnP | The game attempts it automatically | Players outside your network, if the route succeeds | UPnP can fail silently or be blocked by the ISP |
| Manual port forwarding | Internet play when UPnP does not work and you control the router | Forward TCP and UDP port 42420 to the host computer | Players outside your network | Requires router and firewall configuration; CGNAT can still prevent inbound connections |
| Virtual LAN | Groups that cannot or do not want to change router settings | None on the physical router | Players who install and join the same virtual network | Extra software and possible relay latency |
For two people on the same Wi-Fi, start with Open to LAN. For remote friends, try Open to Internet once, then move to manual forwarding or a virtual LAN instead of repeatedly retrying the same UPnP setup.
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What you need before hosting
- A Vintage Story installation for every player, with versions compatible enough to join the same world.
- A world saved on the host computer. The host opens this existing single-player world; there is no separate server program in these methods.
- The host’s game must remain running for the session’s entire duration.
- For LAN play, all devices must actually be on the same local network. A guest network or client-isolation setting can make devices appear connected while preventing them from reaching one another.
- For Internet play, the host’s operating-system firewall must allow Vintage Story’s network traffic. If you configure rules by port, allow port 42420 on both TCP and UDP.
- For manual forwarding, administrative access to the router and a way to identify the host computer on the local network.
- For a virtual LAN, every participant must install the same virtual-LAN application and join the same synthetic private network.
Method 1: Open to LAN for same-network friends
Open to LAN is the simplest option because traffic stays on the local network and no Internet-facing router rule is required.
Host steps
- Launch Vintage Story and load the world you want to share.
- Open the pause menu.
- Choose Open to LAN.
- Read the local address displayed by the game and send that address to the friends who are joining. Share the address exactly as shown rather than substituting an Internet address.
- Leave the world open while everyone connects and plays.
Joining steps
- Connect the joining computer or device to the same local network as the host. If possible, put both devices on the same normal home network rather than a guest SSID.
- Use the host’s displayed local address in Vintage Story’s multiplayer connection flow.
- If the connection fails immediately, have the host check the operating-system firewall before changing router settings; LAN play does not need port forwarding.
LAN failure checks
- Confirm that every device is on the same network, not merely connected to the Internet through the same building.
- Check whether the router has wireless client isolation, guest-network isolation, or a similar setting that blocks device-to-device traffic.
- Allow Vintage Story through the host’s firewall on the active private or local network profile.
- Temporarily test with the firewall rule corrected, rather than permanently disabling the firewall.
- Remember that the displayed local address is useful only while this host session is open and may change when the host reconnects to the network.
Method 2: Open to Internet through UPnP
Open to Internet is intended for friends who are not on the host’s local network. Vintage Story attempts to ask the router to create the required route automatically through UPnP. The method is convenient, but its success depends on the router, network design, and ISP.
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- Load the world on the host computer.
- Open the pause menu and choose Open to LAN.
- From that multiplayer setup, choose Open to Internet.
- Allow the game a moment to request the router mapping. Give remote players the Internet connection information shown by the game, not the host’s private LAN address.
- Keep the world and the game client running while friends connect.
The default Vintage Story port for this route is 42420 over both TCP and UDP. Forwarding only TCP is a common reason for a setup that appears correct but cannot be joined reliably.
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When UPnP reports success but nobody outside can join
A successful UPnP message does not prove that an inbound connection is reachable from the public Internet. Test from a genuinely external network—for example, a friend’s separate connection or a mobile connection—not from another device on the same Wi-Fi. If the external test fails, turn UPnP off and configure the two port-forwarding rules manually.
Some Internet providers place customers behind carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT). In that arrangement, your router may show a mapping while the provider’s upstream NAT still blocks unsolicited inbound traffic. Port forwarding on your own router cannot remove that upstream restriction; ask the ISP whether the connection uses CGNAT and what inbound-hosting option is available.
Method 2 fallback: forward port 42420 manually
Manual forwarding replaces the router’s automatic UPnP request with explicit rules. The exact menu names vary by router, but the values that matter are the host computer’s local address, destination port 42420, and both transport protocols.
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Configure the router
- Identify the host computer’s current local IP address and, if your router supports it, reserve that address for the host so the rule does not point to a different device later.
- Sign in to the router’s administration interface and open its port-forwarding, NAT, or virtual-server section.
- Create an inbound rule for TCP 42420 directed to the host computer’s local IP address.
- Create a second inbound rule for UDP 42420 directed to the same host address. If the router allows one rule with both protocols, verify that both are selected.
- Save or apply the configuration. Some routers require a restart; follow the router’s own confirmation rather than repeatedly recreating the rule.
- Ensure the host’s operating-system firewall also permits TCP and UDP 42420. A router rule cannot override a local firewall block.
- In Vintage Story, load the world, choose Open to LAN, then choose Open to Internet so the client listens for the session.
- Ask a player on a separate network to test the connection. Do not treat a test from inside the same LAN as proof that the public route works.
Linux firewall example
On a Linux host using UFW, the required rules can be added with:
sudo ufw allow 42420/tcp
sudo ufw allow 42420/udpThese commands address the host firewall only. The router still needs matching TCP and UDP forwarding, and an ISP-level CGNAT block remains outside the computer’s control.
Common forwarding mistakes
- Forwarding TCP but forgetting UDP.
- Pointing the rule at the wrong computer after the host’s local IP changed.
- Testing from another device on the same Wi-Fi and assuming that proves Internet reachability.
- Leaving an old UPnP mapping active while troubleshooting a manual rule, making it unclear which path is being tested.
- Assuming that a router’s “port open” indicator proves Vintage Story is listening. The world must be open and the game client must be running during the test.
Method 3: use a virtual LAN
A virtual-LAN application creates a synthetic private network over the Internet. Once every player joins the same virtual network, Vintage Story can use the arrangement much like a physical LAN, avoiding a port-forwarding rule on the host’s router. Hamachi is a commonly used example of this approach.
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Set up the virtual network
- Have every player install the same virtual-LAN application.
- Have one player create a private network in that application and give the network name and access credentials to the others.
- Every participant joins that exact network and confirms that the host appears online in the virtual-LAN member list.
- On the host, load the world and choose Open to LAN.
- If the application or the game requires the Internet-opening step for the virtual adapter, choose Open to Internet after Open to LAN.
- Give friends the host’s virtual-LAN IPv4 address, not the host’s ordinary home-LAN address.
- Friends connect using that virtual address while the host’s world remains open.
Trade-offs
- Every player must install, run, and join the virtual network before starting the game.
- A virtual route may add latency compared with a direct local connection. The effect depends on how the tool relays or routes traffic between participants.
- The virtual network does not make the world persistent. Closing the host’s world still disconnects everyone.
- If players can see one another in the virtual-LAN client but the game cannot connect, check the host firewall for the virtual adapter as well as the physical network adapter.
How the host session behaves
The host is also the server
In all three approaches, the host’s game client supplies the running world and accepts the other players’ connections. There is no independent process keeping the world available.
What happens when the host leaves
When the host closes the world, logs off, or exits the game, the multiplayer session ends. Friends cannot continue playing while the host is away, and the world is not reachable while the host computer is asleep or disconnected.
When a dedicated server is the better choice
If the group needs a world that remains online without one player’s game client, a dedicated server is the appropriate architecture. That is a different setup from client-hosted multiplayer and is outside this guide’s no-dedicated-server methods.
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Troubleshoot by symptom
Friends on the same Wi-Fi cannot connect
- Verify that the host selected Open to LAN after loading the intended world.
- Confirm that the joining device is on the same non-guest network.
- Use the local address shown by the game.
- Allow Vintage Story through the host operating-system firewall.
- Check for router client isolation or a guest-network policy that blocks device-to-device traffic.
LAN works, but remote friends cannot connect
- Confirm that the host also selected Open to Internet.
- Test from a truly external network.
- Check that the host is listening on port 42420 and that both TCP and UDP are allowed in the operating-system firewall.
- If UPnP was used, disable it and create manual TCP and UDP forwarding rules.
- Ask the ISP about CGNAT if the router configuration is correct but outside connections still fail.
UPnP never creates a usable route
Router firmware may disable UPnP, place the host behind another router, or expose a provider-level NAT that the local router cannot control. Do not rely on the UPnP status alone. Use manual forwarding when you control the router, or use a virtual LAN when forwarding is unavailable.
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- The host’s local IP may have changed, leaving the manual forwarding rule aimed at the wrong device.
- The host may have closed and reopened the world, ending the earlier session.
- A firewall profile may have changed after the host switched networks.
- The virtual-LAN application may not be running or may show the host offline.
Players connect but experience delay
LAN connections normally avoid Internet relays. Internet and virtual-LAN sessions can take different routes, and a relay-based path can add latency. First determine whether all players are affected or only one connection; then compare a direct LAN test, if available, with the remote route. Avoid changing several networking settings at once, because that makes it difficult to identify the cause.
A practical decision checklist
- Everyone is in one home or office: use Open to LAN and share the displayed local address.
- Friends are remote and the router supports working UPnP: use Open to LAN, then Open to Internet.
- UPnP fails but you control the router: forward TCP 42420 and UDP 42420 to the host, allow both through the host firewall, and test externally.
- You cannot forward ports or the ISP uses CGNAT: put everyone on one virtual-LAN network and connect to the host’s virtual IPv4 address.
- The world must stay available when the host is away: use a dedicated-server setup instead of client-hosted multiplayer.
Important limits and evidence
There is no verified, current official statistic establishing a universal UPnP success rate for Vintage Story. Reports that quote percentages vary by source and are not suitable for predicting whether a particular router or ISP will work. Treat UPnP as a first attempt, not a guarantee.
The default port and the Open to LAN/Open to Internet workflow described here are the practical settings for the client-hosted methods. Exact behavior can vary with game version, router firmware, firewall software, and ISP network design; when those layers disagree, test one layer at a time using the symptom checklists above.
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