# Getting Your Server Into the Lobby (/docs/assetto-corsa/getting-into-lobby)



import { Callout } from "fumadocs-ui/components/callout";

When you start a race, the Assetto Corsa server has to be reachable from the internet for two things to work: showing up in the in-game **lobby**, and letting players actually **connect**. If the right ports aren't open, the race appears to start and then the server shows as offline. This page explains why and how to fix it.

The ports an AC server uses [#the-ports-an-ac-server-uses]

An Assetto Corsa dedicated server uses three ports:

| Port          | Protocol | Used for                                          |
| ------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **TCP port**  | TCP      | Player connections and the in-game server browser |
| **UDP port**  | UDP      | Real-time race data (positions, inputs)           |
| **HTTP port** | TCP      | The lobby registration / server info API          |

The Race Manager itself runs on a separate **web port** — that's the one you open in your browser. Don't confuse the web port with the game ports above.

<Callout type="info">
  On XGamingServer these ports are assigned to your server automatically and shown on the panel. The Race Manager is pre-configured to use them, so in most cases you don't need to change anything.
</Callout>

Why a race "goes offline" right after starting [#why-a-race-goes-offline-right-after-starting]

Assetto Corsa registers your server with the official lobby when a race starts. If the lobby can't reach your server back on the **HTTP** and **UDP** ports, it drops the registration and your server disappears — even though the process is still running. Symptoms:

* The race starts in the manager, then the server status flips to offline.
* The server doesn't appear in the in-game browser.
* Players can't connect by direct IP either.

This is almost always **port reachability**, not a problem with your race config.

How to fix it [#how-to-fix-it]

<Callout type="warn">
  On a freshly created or just-reconfigured server, the game ports only take effect after the container is **rebuilt**, not just restarted. If you changed ports or your server was newly provisioned and won't appear in the lobby, reinstall/rebuild from the panel once so the new port mappings apply, then start a race again.
</Callout>

1. **Confirm the ports.** On the panel, check the TCP, UDP, and HTTP ports assigned to your server. In the Race Manager, open [Server Options](/docs/assetto-corsa/server-options) and make sure they match.
2. **Keep "Register to lobby" on.** In Server Options, the option to advertise your server to the public lobby must be enabled if you want it listed in-game.
3. **Test direct connect.** Have a friend try connecting by direct IP and the TCP port. If that works but the server isn't listed, it's a lobby-registration (HTTP/UDP) issue; if direct connect also fails, it's the TCP port.
4. **Still stuck?** Open a ticket — XGamingServer support can confirm the port mappings on your server.

Checklist [#checklist]

* [ ] Web port opens the Race Manager in your browser
* [ ] TCP / UDP / HTTP ports in Server Options match the panel
* [ ] "Register to lobby" is enabled
* [ ] Server was rebuilt after the ports were assigned
* [ ] A test direct-connect succeeds

Once your server is reachable, see [Joining Your Server](/docs/assetto-corsa/connect-to-your-server).