How to Join Your Black Mesa Server

Black Mesa has no matchmaking and does not force you through a lobby. You connect to your server directly — through the developer console, through the Steam favorites or through the in-game server browser.

Find connection details

Note

You can find the IP address and the Game Port of your server in the dashboard of your server. Black Mesa uses the same port for gameplay and for server queries — there is no separate Query Port.

Warning

Always enter the Game Port from the dashboard. Ports such as 27005 that show up in general Source guides are local client ports of your game and must not be used as a server address.

Enable the developer console

The console is disabled by default in Black Mesa.

1. Start Black Mesa
   Launch the game and wait for the main menu to load.

2. Open the options
   Open the Options from the main menu.

3. Enable the console
   Enable the Developer Console option there.

Connect through the game console

A direct connection is the most reliable way onto your server.

1. Open the console
   Press ~ in the game to open the console.

2. Connect
   Enter the following command:

   connect IP:Port

   Example

   If the dashboard shows the IP 123.45.67.89 and the Game Port 28015, the command is:

   connect 123.45.67.89:28015

   Always use the values from your own dashboard here.

Via Steam favorites

Storing your server in Steam lets you find it again at any time.

1. Open Steam
   Open the Steam client.

2. Open the server browser
   Click on View in the top left and select Game Servers.

3. Add the server
   Click on the Favorites tab and then on + at the bottom right.

4. Enter the server address
   Enter the IP address and the Game Port of your server and confirm.

5. Join
   Select the server and connect. The server then also appears in the favorites section inside the game.

Via the in-game server browser

1. Open the server list
   Select Play Online in the main menu. Black Mesa then opens the server list.

2. Search for your server
   Search for your server name in the search field, or switch to the Favorites tab if you stored the server in Steam beforehand.

Warning

For your server to appear in the public list it has to be running and reachable — and depending on the configuration it needs a valid login token (see below). A direct connection through the console works regardless.

Server does not show up in the public server list?

Without a valid Steam Game Server Login Token (GSLT) a Source server may not be listed in the public server list. You can create a token at Steam Game Server Accounts using the App ID of Black Mesa. Afterwards enter the token in the dashboard of your server in the GSL Token field and restart the server. Every server needs its own token. A direct connection via IP and Game Port works without a token as well.

Tip

To learn how to give yourself admin rights on your server, see Add Admin.