OpenArena RCON Administration
Set up RCON for your OpenArena server, connect from the client console, and use common admin commands — with a security note on plaintext RCON traffic.
OpenArena RCON Administration
RCON (Remote Console) lets you send server commands from any connected client without direct access to the server machine. It is the primary tool for live server administration in OpenArena.
Setting the RCON Password
In server.cfg:
set rconpassword "yourStrongPassword"
A blank value (set rconpassword "") disables RCON entirely — no client can issue RCON commands. Set a non-empty password to enable RCON.
The server must be restarted or the config re-executed for a password change to take effect:
/rcon exec server.cfg
Connecting via RCON
From an in-game client connected to the server, open the console and authenticate:
\rconpassword yourStrongPassword
Then issue commands with the \rcon prefix:
\rcon status
\rcon fraglimit 20
\rcon map oa_dm3
Authentication is per-session — you only need to set \rconpassword once per connection. If you disconnect and reconnect, set it again.
Common RCON Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
\rcon status |
List connected players, ping, and IP addresses |
\rcon map oa_dm1 |
Change to the specified map immediately |
\rcon vstr nextmap |
Advance to the next map in the rotation |
\rcon fraglimit 20 |
Set a new frag limit (takes effect next map) |
\rcon timelimit 10 |
Set a new time limit in minutes |
\rcon g_gametype 4 |
Change game mode (takes effect next map load) |
\rcon kick playerName |
Kick a player by name |
\rcon clientkick 3 |
Kick a player by their client slot number |
\rcon g_motd "New message" |
Update the message of the day |
\rcon exec server.cfg |
Re-execute the server config file |
\rcon bot_minplayers 4 |
Adjust the bot fill count live |
Finding Player Numbers
Use \rcon status to get the client slot number for clientkick:
map: oa_dm1
num score ping name lastmsg address qport rate
0 12 45 PlayerOne 0 1.2.3.4:27960 1234 25000
1 8 90 PlayerTwo 0 5.6.7.8:27960 5678 25000
The leftmost column (num) is the client slot number. Use \rcon clientkick 1 to kick PlayerTwo.
Security Considerations
RCON traffic is transmitted in plaintext over UDP. This means:
- The password is visible to anyone who can intercept traffic between your client and server
- Commands and their responses are also visible in plaintext
- Do not reuse your RCON password for any other service
Best practices:
- Use a long, randomly generated password
- Do not share the password with untrusted players
- If possible, restrict RCON access to specific IP addresses at the firewall level — only your admin IPs need to reach the game port with RCON commands
- Consider running an SSH session to the server and using the server console directly rather than RCON over the internet