Squad Updated May 14, 2026

Squad Server Troubleshooting

Fix common Squad dedicated server issues: server not showing in the browser, players unable to connect, config not applying, Admins.cfg not working, and high CPU usage.

Squadtroubleshootingserver browserconnectionAdmins.cfgconfigperformance

Squad Server Troubleshooting

Server Not Appearing in the Browser

Check 1 — All ports are open

Open the required ports and verify:

sudo ufw status

Squad needs: UDP 7787, UDP 7788, UDP 27165, UDP 15000. All must be open.

sudo ufw allow 7787/udp
sudo ufw allow 7788/udp
sudo ufw allow 27165/udp
sudo ufw allow 15000/udp
sudo ufw reload

Check 2 — Cloud provider security group

VPS providers (AWS, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Vultr) have a separate cloud firewall. Both the OS firewall and the cloud firewall must allow these ports.

Check 3 — Give it time

Squad servers can take 5–10 minutes to appear in the browser after a (re)start. Wait and refresh.

Check 4 — ShouldAdvertise

Confirm ShouldAdvertise=True in Server.cfg. If set to False, the server runs but won't be listed.

Check 5 — License requirement

Some regions or browser filters show only licensed servers. Your server will appear in the unlicensed section without a license key.

Players Can't Connect

  1. Confirm the server is running: ps aux | grep SquadGameServer
  2. Check UDP 7787 is reachable: nmap -sU -p 7787 YOUR_IP
  3. Check for ServerPassword= — if set, players must enter it
  4. Review logs for crash or error: journalctl -u squad -n 50

Config Changes Not Taking Effect

  • Confirm you stopped the server before editing: sudo systemctl stop squad
  • Verify the file was saved correctly: cat /home/steam/squad/SquadGame/ServerConfig/Server.cfg
  • Restart the server: sudo systemctl start squad

Squad does not hot-reload configuration.

Admins.cfg Not Working

  • Verify the SteamID64 is correct (17-digit number, use steamid.io)
  • Confirm the group name in the Admin= line matches the Group= definition exactly (case-sensitive)
  • Make sure there are no extra spaces or characters in the file
  • Restart the server after any changes

Layer Not Found

Layer names are case-sensitive and must exactly match the layer list:

  • ✅ AlBasrah_AAS_v1
  • ❌ albasrah_aas_v1
  • ❌ Al Basrah AAS

Check available layers in the server log or the official Squad wiki layer list.

High CPU Usage / Poor Performance

  • Lower FIXEDMAXPLAYERS= — 80 players requires significantly more CPU than 50
  • Squad servers are CPU-intensive; single-core performance matters more than core count
  • Check for mod compatibility issues — some mods cause excessive server load
  • Monitor with htop or top to identify CPU spikes

Server Crashes on Startup

journalctl -u squad -n 100

Common causes:

  • Corrupt files — re-validate: +app_update 403240 validate
  • Insufficient RAM — ensure at least 16 GB free
  • Missing lib32 dependencies — install: sudo apt-get install lib32gcc-s1
  • Disk full — check with df -h

Getting Help

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