How to Join Your Ground Branch Server

Ground Branch ships with its own Server Browser. You can either find your server in the list or connect directly via its IP address.

Find connection details

Important

You can find the IP address and the ports of your server in the dashboard. Ground Branch uses a Game Port and a Query Port — both are shown there and are already open.

Via the Server Browser

1. Start Ground Branch
   Launch the game and wait for the main menu to load.

2. Open the Server Browser
   Select Server Browser in the main menu.

3. Choose the right tab
   At the top you find the tabs Internet, Favorites, Friends, History and LAN. For your rented server, stay on Internet.

4. Search for your server
   Enter your server name in the search field (Search servers…). You can additionally use the filters to show or hide password protected, full or empty servers as well as servers with mods.

5. Join the server
   Select your server from the list and click Connect. Spectate joins as a spectator instead.

Tip

Use the star icon next to the server name to save your server as a favorite. Afterwards you can always find it on the Favorites tab, no matter whether it currently shows up in the public list.

Connect directly via IP

If your server does not appear in the list, connect to it directly.

1. Open the Server Browser
   Select Server Browser in the main menu.

2. Choose Connect via IP
   Click Connect via IP. The dialog Enter server IP address opens.

3. Enter the server address
   Enter the IP address and the port of your server from the dashboard, separated by a colon:

   <IP address>:<Port>

   Which port do I enter?

   Use the Game Port from the dashboard first. If you get the message No server found at that IP address, repeat the process with the Query Port.

4. Connect
   Confirm your input. The client then establishes the connection directly.

Password protected server

If a password is set for your server, the dialog Password required appears when joining. Enter the server password you configured in the dashboard.

Servers with mods

If your server uses mods, the Server Browser notifies you before joining and starts a mod sync.

Note

The client automatically subscribes to and downloads the required Workshop content — you do not have to look up the mods yourself. Wait for the download to finish and join again afterwards. The Sync Mods button in the server details also lets you download a server's mods before joining. You can read more under Add Mods.

The server cannot be found

Check the following one by one:

• Is your server running according to the dashboard? After a start it takes a moment before it shows up in the server list.
• Do the IP address and the port match the values in the dashboard exactly?
• Are you running the same game version as the server? After an update your client needs to be up to date — with a mismatched version the server refuses the connection.
• If a whitelist is active on the server, only admins and whitelisted players can join. You will get a corresponding message in that case.

Tip

If your server never shows up on the Internet tab, use Connect via IP and then save it as a favorite via the star icon.