How to Join Your PixARK Server

The most reliable way onto your own PixARK server is to add it to your Steam favorites first and then join from the favorites list inside the game. The key detail: in Steam you enter the Query Port, not the Game Port.

Find connection details

Important

To connect you need the IP address and the Query Port of your server. You can find both in the dashboard of your server. The ports are assigned to you there – always use the values from the dashboard and never default values found online.

Add the server to your Steam favorites

1. Open Steam
   Open the Steam client on your PC.

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

3. Add the server
   Switch to the Favorites tab and click on + at the bottom right.

4. Enter the server address
   Enter the IP address and the Query Port of your server, separated by a colon:

   123.45.67.89:QUERYPORT

   Warning

   The Game Port does not work here. Steam queries the server exclusively through the Query Port – if you enter the wrong port, the server stays offline or does not show up at all.

5. Confirm the entry
   Confirm your input. Your server then appears in the favorites list. If it is running, you will also see the server name and the player count there.

Join from inside the game

1. Start PixARK
   Launch PixARK on your PC.

2. Open the server list
   Open the multiplayer server overview in the main menu.

3. Filter by favorites
   Set the filter to Favorites. Your server now appears in the list.

4. Join
   Select your server and join it.

Servers with a password

Warning

If a password is set on your server, enter it inside the game only, after you started joining. If you enter the password in the Steam server browser instead, you may get connected but the world will not load properly.

Which ports does PixARK use?

Note

A PixARK server occupies four ports. You can see the numbers your server uses in the dashboard:

Port	Protocol	Purpose
Game Port	UDP	The actual game connection
Query Port	UDP	Server query – Steam finds your server through this one, and this is the port you add to your favorites
RCON Port	TCP	Remote administration of the server via RCON
Cube Port	TCP	Transfers the changes to the voxel world (terrain)

The Cube Port is a PixARK speciality: if it is unreachable, you can still connect, but the block world will not be transferred or only partially so.

Tip

If your server does not show up in your favorites after adding it, first check in the dashboard whether it is actually running, then verify that you really entered the Query Port and not the Game Port.