![Half-Life game artwork featuring the scientist Gordon Freeman](half-life-header-small.webp)
When you use Half-Life Server you may need to forward ports in your router. A port forward allows incoming connection requests from the internet to go straight to Half-Life Server.
By default routers do not allow incoming network requests. By forwarding ports you can work around this limitation.
Before You Forward a Port
You need to know the following things before you can forward a port:
- The IP address of your router.
- Your computer's internal IP address.
- A list of TCP and UDP ports that need to be forwarded.
Use a VPN Instead
Have you considered using a VPN instead of forwarding a port? For most users, a VPN is a much simpler and more secure choice than forwarding a port.
We use and recommend NordVPN because not only is it the fastest VPN, it includes a new feature called Meshnet that makes forwarding a port no longer necessary for most applications. With NordVPN Meshnet, you can connect to your devices from anywhere in the world, completely secure, over a highly encrypted VPN tunnel.
When shopping for a VPN, make sure that they meet the following criteria:
- Your VPN provider should have a no-logs policy. This means that they do not keep any logs of any kind.
- Make sure that your VPN provider has lots of exit nodes all around the world.
- Check that your VPN will not affect your speed.
- Verify that your VPN provider uses WireGuard as the underlying protocol.
- Many people prefer a VPN provider that is not based in the United States.
This is the list of requirements that we used when we were shopping around for a VPN provider. There are lots of free, shady VPN providers out there that we looked at and dismissed.
Based in Panama, using diskless servers, and with over 6,100 servers in 61 countries, we can safely say that NordVPN satisfies all of these requirements.
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Once you've set up your NordVPN account on multiple computers and enabled Meshnet, you can seamlessly access all of your devices as if they were on the same network. You don't even have to log in to your router. It's very simple.
Every time you click on one of our affiliate links, such as NordVPN, we get a little kickback for introducing you to the service. Think of us as your VPN wingman.
Find the IP Address of Your Router
You can run our free Router Detector software to locate your router's IP address. Our Router Detector tool is free to use and is part of our Network Utilities software.
We have a guide you can follow Find Your Router IP Address if you don't want to run the software.
How To Forward Ports for Half-Life Server
The easiest way to forward your ports is to use our Network Utilities software. Network Utilities lets you manage port forwards by putting them in when you need them and also removing the ones that you no longer need which maximized network security.
You can also choose to set up port forwards manually. The way to forward a port is:
- Start by logging in to your router.
- Find the port forwarding section in your router.
- Put your computer's IP address in the proper box in your router.
- Put the TCP and UDP ports that you are forwarding for Half-Life Server in the correct boxes in your router.
Some routers need to be rebooted in order for the changes to be saved.
You can choose your router from our list to see exactly how to forward ports for Half-Life Server:
List of Routers - Customized for Half-Life Server
Set Up a Port Forward for Half-Life Server
The ports that need to be forwarded for Half-Life Server are listed here:
Half-Life Server - PC
- TCP: 27015
- UDP: 27015
Those are the steps to take in order to forward ports in your router for Half-Life Server.
Don't forget to sign up for NordVPN's promo deal before it's gone.
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