V Rising Server Not Showing Up in the Server List

1. Has the server finished starting?

V Rising is slow to come up, and a server that is still starting looks exactly like a server that is missing. The dedicated server is a Windows program, so a Linux host runs it under Wine, and the Docker image's own documentation warns that a first launch can take up to ten minutes, especially with an existing save. On top of that, every start checks the server files against Steam first.

Mods add to it once. The first start after installing BepInEx, and the first after each game update, generates the loader's files before the world loads, which can take up to 15 minutes. Later starts reuse that work.

2. Is the server registered on the list the game reads?

This is the most common cause. A V Rising server only appears in a list it has registered on, and two settings in ServerHostSettings.json decide which:

The maintainer of the Docker image found that a server needs both switched on to appear in the list, even for players on Steam. The default settings file the server ships with has both off, which is why a freshly installed server is invisible until someone changes them.

Each setting can also come from the game's own environment variables, VR_LIST_ON_EOS and VR_LIST_ON_STEAM, and those win over the file. If you set the file to true and the server still does not list, check whether an environment variable is setting it back to false.

3. Are BOTH ports reachable?

A V Rising server uses two UDP ports: a game port for play and a query port for the server list. Stunlock's instructions are specific about the difference: for the server to show up in the list, both the game port and the query port must be open in the firewall and forwarded on the router. The game port alone is enough for direct connect.

Both ports are UDP. Forwarding them as TCP does nothing. The only TCP port a V Rising server may use is RCON, and that has nothing to do with the list.

4. Does the outside port match the inside one?

If the server binds one port and the router or container exposes it on a different number, the Docker image's documentation warns that the server becomes invisible in the list, although direct connect to the outside port still works. Keep the numbers the same on both sides of every forwarding rule.

5. Are you looking on the right platform?

PC and PlayStation 5 servers are separate, with no crossplay between them. A server running the PC dedicated server will never appear to players on PS5, whatever its settings.

6. Is it a LAN server?

ServerHostSettings.json has a LanMode setting. A server meant for players over the internet should have it set to false; check it if the server was copied from a setup that was only ever played on one network.

The workaround while you fix it: direct connect

Direct connect skips the server list entirely. In the game, connect straight to the server's address and game port. If that works, the server is healthy and the problem is only listing or the query port, which narrows the search to sections 2 and 3.

One exception: on a passworded server, join from the in-game list and enter the password there. The Docker image's documentation notes that joining a passworded server through Steam does not work.

After a game update

Stunlock updates the server from time to time and recommends restarting it daily. A server only picks up a new build when it is updated, so after a patch, restart it. A server on Flux checks its files against Steam on every start, so a restart is the whole update.

What this looks like on managed hosting

On a server deployed on Flux, three of these causes are handled before you start: the game and query ports are opened and routed for you with the same number inside and out, and the server is listed on both EOS and Steam by default. What is left is the wait for the first start, which the dashboard shows you, and the switches in Deployment Settings if someone turned listing off.