SCUM Server Not Showing Up or Server List Not Loading: Fixes (2026)

SCUM servers not showing up is really two different problems that look the same from the main menu. Either your server list is empty or not loading (a problem on your PC), or your own server is missing for everyone (a problem with the server or its ports). The fastest way past both: skip the browser and join by IP. Open the Multiplayer tab, type the address into the box at the bottom and press Connect, using the game port + 2, not the port your server starts on.

That one detail, the +2, causes more "my SCUM server is invisible" tickets than anything else. Below is how to tell which problem you have and how to fix each one, written from what we see running SCUM servers every day.

Is It Your Server List or Your Server?

Before changing anything, spend 30 seconds working out where the problem lives:

You see other servers, just not yours. The game client is fine. The problem is on the server side: ports, a version mismatch, or the server has not finished booting.
The list is completely empty, or it never stops loading. That is your client. Other players can probably see the server fine.
You get error 0x0108 or 0x0109. A SCUM developer explained on the Steam forums that this usually means your client got no answer from the master server, so it points at your own connection or firewall, not at the server.
Friends see it, you don't (or the other way round). Almost always a filter or a firewall on one PC.

If you are not sure, ask a friend to try. If they also cannot find it, treat it as a server problem.

Fix 1: Join by IP With the Right Port (Game Port + 2)

SCUM squad fighting near parked cars at night

SCUM uses a block of three UDP ports per server:

Game port (for example 7777): the number the server starts with (-Port=7777).
Game port + 1 (7778): a raw UDP socket the server opens next to it.
Game port + 2 (7779): the port the client actually dials when you join.

So if your console says the server started on 7777, players connect to your-ip:7779. Typing 7777 into the box fails silently, which is exactly why people conclude the server is "not showing up" when it is running fine.

This catches hosts too. In August 2026 we traced a customer's "nobody can join" ticket to exactly this: the server ran on 25569, players needed 25571, and on that node 25571 was assigned to a completely different customer's server. The panel said "running" the whole time. Since then every SCUM server we deploy gets the whole three-port block reserved, and the connect card in the panel shows the +2 address, so you can copy it as it is.

If you self-host, forward all three UDP ports in your router and Windows firewall, not just the one in your launch line.

Fix 2: The SCUM Server List Is Not Loading (Client Side)

SCUM seaplane flying over the island at sunset

When the whole list is blank, work through these on the PC that has the problem:

Make sure BattlEye is running. Players who use a selective startup or block background services have reported an empty server list until BattlEye was allowed to start. Direct connect still worked for them, which is a good sign it is this.
Check your firewall rules. An old rule for a previous SCUM install can block the new executable. Remove the old entries and let Windows ask again.
Restart Steam, then verify the game files. The browser runs through Steam's server queries, so a stuck Steam client means a stuck list.
Clear your filters and search by exact name. The SCUM wiki notes that the in-game list has a limit on how many servers it shows at once, and there is no guarantee an unofficial server appears every time. On a busy evening your server can be online and still not make the cut. Searching for its exact name helps, and the direct connect box always works.

That last point matters if you run a community server: put the full IP:port address in your Discord so nobody depends on the browser.

Fix 3: Version Mismatch After a SCUM Update

SCUM survivor in a junkyard after a fight

SCUM gets regular content updates, and on update day the most common message is "Your game version must match the server version". Players update through Steam within minutes; your server only updates when it restarts and SteamCMD pulls the new build.

Usually a restart fixes it. Sometimes it does not, and this is the case most guides miss. After a large update Steam can stop serving the old build's manifest, SteamCMD's patch fails, and the server quietly boots the old version again. In the files this shows up as "UpdateResult" "6" in steamapps/appmanifest_3792580.acf (3792580 is the SCUM dedicated server's Steam app ID). You can restart as often as you like; it will keep booting the old build.

The fix: stop the server, rename or move that .acf file, and start it again with auto update on. SteamCMD then checks the files on disk against the current build and downloads only what changed. We hit this on a customer's SCUM server in October 2026, and every SteamCMD server on our platform now does this check automatically at boot.

Fix 4: The Server Shows as Online but Nobody Can Get In

SCUM player aiming a scoped rifle in the rain

"Running" in a control panel only means the process started. SCUM still has to load the map and the world, and that takes a while:

Wait for the boot to finish. Watch the console and let the log settle before you try to join. Joining a half-loaded server gets you a timeout that looks like a port problem.
Give it enough RAM. The SCUM wiki lists at least 8 GB just to start, and usage climbs with every connected player. A server that runs out of memory mid-boot never appears at all. Our SCUM RAM calculator gives a starting point for your player count.
Check the password and the name. A typo in either makes the server look absent. Settings live in SCUM/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/ServerSettings.ini and are read only at startup, so any edit needs a restart. On DoomHosting the server name, description, password and playstyle are Startup variables, so change them there and they apply on the next boot.

Quick Checklist

Joining by IP? Use the game port + 2.
Empty list? BattlEye running, firewall rules clean, Steam restarted, filters cleared.
0x0108 / 0x0109? Your connection to the master server, not the server itself.
Version mismatch that survives a restart? Move appmanifest_3792580.acf aside and restart.
"Online" but unreachable? Wait for the boot, check RAM, check the password.

Host Your SCUM Server with DoomHosting

Most of this guide is about problems you should never have to debug yourself. On DoomHosting's SCUM servers the full port block is reserved for you, the connect card shows the address players actually need, and a stuck Steam update is caught and repaired at boot. You get full file access, DDoS protection and support from people who have chased these exact bugs.

Copy the address, post it in your Discord, and let the browser catch up when it wants to.