Here's a question I get constantly: "Do I need to forward ports for my Windrose server?" The honest answer is probably not, but "probably not" isn't very satisfying, so let me explain what's actually happening.
How Windrose Networking Actually Works
Windrose doesn't use traditional direct-IP networking. Players don't connect to your server's public IP and port. Instead, the game uses Epic Online Services (EOS) relay – a kind of middleman infrastructure that Epic provides for games like this one.
When a player enters your invite code, here's what happens:
- Their client talks to EOS to look up your server's current relay handle
- EOS coordinates a NAT punch-through between your server and their client
- If punch-through succeeds, their client connects to your server directly (or near-directly, via a relay hop)
- If punch-through fails, the connection falls back to a full EOS relay
The upshot: your server doesn't need to be reachable on a public IP. EOS handles the introductions, and most residential NATs can punch through just fine.
This is why people who've hosted ARK or Minecraft dedicated servers get confused when they try to host Windrose. There's no port to forward from the router, no firewall rule you must set up for anyone to connect. The invite code does the work that an IP:port combo would do on an older game.
The Ports That Matter (And When)
Windrose uses two UDP ports by default:
| Port | Protocol | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 7777 | UDP | Game traffic |
| 7778 | UDP | Query |
These are the defaults baked into the server's launch parameters. The server needs them available on the local machine (not blocked by a firewall on the host itself) but it doesn't strictly need them exposed to the public internet.
On a hosted server like LOW.MS, these ports are configured automatically – you don't need to think about them.
When Port Forwarding Does Matter
There are a few scenarios where you'll want to actually forward ports or at least make sure nothing is blocking them:
Strict or symmetric NAT on your router. If your ISP uses CGNAT (common with cellular or some fiber providers), punch-through sometimes fails entirely and the connection falls back to full relay, which adds latency. Forwarding UDP 7777 to your server's LAN IP improves punch-through reliability in these cases.
Local firewall blocking UDP. Windows Firewall or third-party security software can silently block UDP traffic to WindroseServer-Win64-Shipping.exe. This isn't about router port forwarding – it's about outbound permissions on the machine hosting the server. If your server starts fine but nobody can connect, check the local firewall first.
Running multiple Windrose servers. If you want two instances on the same box, only one can use 7777/7778. Change the second instance's launch parameters to use 7779/7780 (or whatever) and your local firewall needs to know about those too.
Corporate/school networks. UDP is sometimes wholesale blocked or heavily restricted. You won't be hosting a game server from these networks reliably. Not really a port forwarding problem – more of a "pick a different network" problem.
UPnP – Should You Use It?
UPnP is the feature where games ask the router to open ports automatically. Windrose doesn't strictly rely on it because of the EOS relay, but some related networking components will use UPnP if it's available.
Here's my take: UPnP is fine for home use, but a lot of self-hosts disable it on principle. If you've disabled UPnP on your router (for security reasons or because it's flaky on your hardware), you don't need to re-enable it for Windrose. The game falls back to manual paths without complaining.
The one time UPnP helps: if your NAT is being uncooperative about punch-through, UPnP can open the port directly and short-circuit the whole problem. If you're having reliability issues with remote players connecting, turning UPnP on temporarily is a reasonable diagnostic step.
Manually Forwarding Ports (If You Want To)
If you're the belt-and-braces type and just want to forward the ports anyway, here's the shape of it:
- Find your server PC's LAN IP (run
ipconfigin a command prompt). - Log into your router's admin interface (usually
192.168.1.1or192.168.0.1). - Find the Port Forwarding section (sometimes called "Virtual Servers" or "NAT").
- Add a rule for UDP 7777 →
:7777 . - Add another for UDP 7778 →
:7778 . - Save and reboot the router if required.
Also make sure Windows Firewall allows inbound UDP on those ports for the Windrose server executable. The game's first-launch Windows Defender prompt usually handles this, but it's worth checking.
On a LOW.MS Server
All this networking stuff is handled for you. We open the right ports, configure the firewall, and make sure NAT isn't in the way. Your server gets a public invite code on first boot and players connect without any network configuration on your end.
If you're trying to self-host and the above sounds like more work than it's worth, that's what hosted plans are for. Check the Windrose hosting page for current options.
The TL;DR
For 90% of Windrose self-hosts: no port forwarding is required. The EOS relay and NAT punch-through handle connections. You just need the ports unblocked on your local firewall.
For the remaining 10% (strict NAT, CGNAT, corporate-ish networks, weird router behaviour): forward UDP 7777 and 7778 to your server's LAN IP, make sure UPnP is on if you need it, and check the local firewall. Our general troubleshooting guide covers related connection issues if things still aren't working.