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TerrariaGetting Started

How to join your Terraria server

Join your Terraria server by IP and port from Terraria or tModLoader, see which versions can play together, and fix a friend who can't connect.

Updated 4 min read
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Table of contents

Terraria joins a dedicated server by IP, with the port typed separately, which catches a lot of people out the first time. This guide covers joining from Terraria and tModLoader, the password, which versions of the game can join, and what to check when someone can't get in.

Find the address and password

  1. Open your server in the dashboard.
  2. The Server address sits in the panel's left rail, under your server's name. It's the IP alone, such as 27.124.105.40, and the Port sits under it, such as 25590. Each has its own copy button.
  3. If you set a password, the Join password is in Share & passwords, under them.

Share all three with your friends: IP, port and password.

Join from Terraria

  1. Open Terraria and pick Multiplayer.
  2. Pick Join via IP and choose a character.
  3. Type the Server address (the IP) and press Accept.
  4. Terraria asks for the port next. Type the Port and press Accept.
  5. Type the Join password if the server has one.

The server has to be running: the Console shows Your server is online - players can join now. when it's ready. A brand-new server builds its world first, which takes a minute or two.

Tip

Pasting the whole address into the IP box is the most common mistake. Terraria then fails to connect without saying why. Type the IP and the port in their own boxes.

Join a tModLoader server

A server running tModLoader only takes players in tModLoader, a separate free app on Steam. Plain Terraria can't see it.

  1. Open tModLoader and pick Multiplayer, then Join via IP.
  2. Type the IP, then the port, as above.
  3. If the server has mods you don't, tModLoader downloads them as you join, as long as Download Mods From Servers is on in its settings. It joins once they've loaded.

The server's mods are chosen in the panel's Mods tab, and Terraria: getting started covers switching between TShock and tModLoader.

Who can join

Version of TerrariaCan join your server?
Steam, on Windows, macOS, Linux or Steam DeckYes
GOG, on PCYes
Mobile (Android, iPhone, iPad)Not supported
Console (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch)No

Your server runs the PC version of Terraria. Terraria doesn't support multiplayer between PC, console and mobile, so phone and console players aren't supported on your server.

Everyone needs the same version of the game as the server, and Steam keeps players up to date. After a big Terraria update, TShock and tModLoader can take a few days to catch up. Once they do, the Server software card in Startup shows the new Version: pick it and press Reinstall on this version.

Ping and distance

Players close to your server's location usually see low ping, and players further away a little more. Terraria is forgiving of ping, so a group spread across a whole country plays comfortably on one server.

If someone can't join

  1. Check the server is running. The Console should show Your server is online - players can join now.
  2. Check the IP and port. They go in separate boxes. Copy them again from the left rail.
  3. Check the password. It's case-sensitive. The Join password in the left rail is the current one.
  4. Check the software. A tModLoader server needs tModLoader, and a TShock server needs plain Terraria.
  5. Check the player cap. Player slots in the Startup tab sets how many can be on at once.
  6. On TShock, check bans and the allow list. The Players tab lists bans, and Only players I add under Accounts limits who can play.

Can't connect to your server? Fix it walks through the rest.

Frequently asked questions

Can friends join through Steam instead of the IP?

Not on a dedicated server. Steam's Join game works for a world someone hosts from their own PC. Your server always takes the IP and port.

Can I give the server a name instead of an IP?

Yes. Rename your server and set a custom address covers claiming a free address. Players still type the port separately.

Does the world keep running when nobody is on?

Yes, while the server is running. Players can come and go, and the world saves as they play.

Related guides

Ready to launch your Terraria server?

Your choice of location, NVMe disks and DDoS protection, with the version and mod loader yours to change whenever you like.

See Terraria plans