How to Fix the Soulmask “Connection to Host Lost” Error

The fastest way to fix Soulmask’s “Connection to Host Lost” message is to identify whether the failure is on your PC, on the network path, or on the server. Restart the game and computer, verify the server address, port and password, then check client/server versions and required mods. If you host the server, inspect port forwarding, launch parameters and Windows Firewall before changing your router.

A single-player failure usually points to a local firewall, NAT path, mod or version mismatch. If every player is disconnected, the server may be offline, restarting, misconfigured or blocked at the host. The port numbers often shown in guides—game port 8777 and query port 27015—are examples, not universal values; always use the ports configured in that server’s launch file.

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What “Connection to Host Lost” means

Soulmask displays this error when the client can no longer maintain, or cannot complete, its connection to the Soulmask host or dedicated server. The interruption can happen before you enter the world, while the server list is loading, or after you have already joined. A timeout and an immediate return to the main menu are different symptoms of the same general failure: the client is not receiving a usable response from the host.

The causes fit three broad groups:

• Your PC or network: a blocked game process, unstable connection, NAT or router problem, incorrect address, or incompatible local files.
• The server: downtime, a restart loop, overload, incorrect launch settings, closed ports, or a host firewall rule.
• A conflict elsewhere on the network: another process using a configured port, a router rule pointing to the wrong device, or another application or device interfering with the connection.

Holy.gg’s April 10, 2026 guide calls a misconfigured dedicated server “another classic cause” of this error. That is a useful diagnosis, but it does not prove that every disconnect is server-side.

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First, determine who is affected

Do not begin by changing port numbers at random. Compare your symptom with the patterns below; the scope of the failure determines the most efficient next test.

Work through these fixes in order

1. Restart and verify the basic connection details

1. Exit Soulmask completely rather than leaving it suspended in the background.
2. Restart your PC and launch the game again.
3. If you administer the dedicated server, stop it cleanly, start it again and wait until it has finished loading before connecting.
4. Confirm that the server is actually online. A listing can remain visible while the process is stopped or restarting.
5. Re-enter the server’s current address, game port and password. A stale address, a copied port with an extra space, or a changed password can look like a connection failure.

These checks are deliberately simple: they eliminate a stalled client, a server restart, and an obsolete connection detail before you alter network settings.

2. Match game versions and required mods

The client and server must be compatible. Check for a pending Soulmask update in Steam, then ask the server administrator which version is running. If the server requires mods, make sure every required mod is installed and enabled in the same state expected by the server.

A Steam Community report from April 17, 2025 describes unofficial-server attempts ending with “connection to host lost,” “connection timed out,” or a return to the main menu. A commenter suggested missing mods as a possible cause. That is an anecdotal troubleshooting lead, not a universal explanation, so treat it as a compatibility check rather than a guaranteed fix.

If the disconnect started after an update, compare the timing with the server’s update. Do not assume your installation is at fault when the host has not yet updated, and do not assume the host is faulty when your client still has a pending update.

3. Confirm the server’s actual ports

Dedicated-server instructions commonly show 8777 as the game port and 27015 as the query port. A Steam configuration example uses GameServerQueryPort=27015, direct connection through port 8777 and an IPv4 host address. Another community discussion describes 8777 and 27015 as default private-connection ports.

Those numbers are configuration examples, not a guarantee that every Soulmask server uses them. Before forwarding anything, open the server’s launch file or hosting panel and record:

• the value assigned to -Port= (the gameplay connection);
• the value assigned to -QueryPort= or GameServerQueryPort (server discovery/query traffic);
• the server machine’s private IPv4 address, such as the address assigned by your router; and
• the public address or hostname that players are expected to use.

Forwarding 8777 while the server is configured for another game port will not help. The same applies to forwarding 27015 when the query port has been changed.

4. Fix port forwarding on a self-hosted server

Port forwarding tells the router which local computer should receive incoming traffic. On the server machine, find its private IPv4 address and reserve it in the router’s DHCP or LAN settings if your router supports reservations. Then create forwarding rules for the configured UDP game and query ports, pointing both to that same private address.

1. Sign in to the router’s administration page.
2. Open the section named Port Forwarding, NAT, Virtual Server or a similar label.
3. Add a rule for the configured game port and a separate rule for the configured query port.
4. Select UDP when the server instructions specify UDP, enter the same external and internal port, and set the destination to the server’s private IPv4 address.
5. Save the rules, restart the server if required, and test from outside the home network.

Testing only from the same Wi-Fi network can give a false sense of success because some routers do not support NAT loopback. A friend on another connection or a phone-hotspot test is a better check of public reachability.

If you would rather not manage router rules at home, you can run the server on a hosted Soulmask server from Godlike.Host, which includes free DDoS protection, a personal firewall for player access and 24/7 support by live chat or ticket.

5. Look for a port conflict

Another process may already be using a port selected for Soulmask. On Windows, open Command Prompt and run netstat -ano; inspect the output for the configured port and note any process identifier (PID) using it. You can match that PID in Task Manager’s Details tab.

If another service owns the port, stop the unrelated service when it is safe to do so, or change the Soulmask launch parameter to an unused value—for example, the hosting guidance discusses changing -Port= when a conflict is found. After changing a port, update the router forwarding rule and give players the new game port. A port change on the server without a matching client connection detail produces the same timeout as a closed port.

6. Check every startup parameter

A server can be running while still rejecting players because its launch parameters are incomplete or contradictory. Review the launch file or host panel for:

• server name and visibility settings;
• maximum-player limit;
• player password and separate administrator password;
• game mode and world selection;
• -Port= and -QueryPort= values;
• mod-related parameters or required startup arguments; and
• any recently changed path, profile or save-world setting.

Save one controlled change at a time and restart the server after editing. If the server began refusing everyone after a configuration edit, restore the last known-working values before experimenting with ports or mods.

7. Allow Soulmask through Windows Firewall

The host machine may need a firewall exception even when the joining player’s PC does not. In Windows:

1. Open Windows Security.
2. Select Firewall & network protection.
3. Choose Allow an app through firewall.
4. Select Change settings, then add Soulmask.exe if it is not listed.
5. Allow it on the network profiles used by the machine, such as Private; use Public only when that profile is genuinely required for the server’s network.
6. Apply the change and restart the server process.

Check third-party security software as well. A firewall rule for the game client does not automatically allow a separately installed dedicated-server executable, and a rule for the wrong executable path may have no effect.

8. Use direct connection for a private server

When a private server does not appear in the list, bypass discovery:

1. Start the dedicated server and wait until it has completed startup.
2. Launch Soulmask and choose its direct-connect option.
3. Enter the host’s reachable IPv4 address and the configured game port.
4. Enter the password exactly as configured, if one is required.

The Steam example uses port 8777, but substitute the value in the server’s launch configuration. The query port is used for discovery; it is not automatically the port you should type for gameplay.

9. Test from another network

Try connecting through a phone hotspot or another independent network. This changes the router, ISP path and often the NAT behavior without changing the game installation.

• Works on the alternate network: investigate your home router, ISP route, local firewall or NAT configuration.
• Fails on multiple networks: if other players also fail, the host or server provider should investigate; if only you fail, focus on your client, account and local files.

Return to your normal connection after the test. A hotspot is a diagnostic step, not a requirement to play permanently.

How to diagnose a dedicated-server failure

When everyone is disconnected

Check whether the server process is still running and whether it is repeatedly restarting. Review the latest startup output for a changed port, missing world data, a failed mod load or an invalid launch argument. Confirm that the host’s firewall and forwarding rules still point to the current private IPv4 address; routers can assign a different address after a reboot if no reservation exists.

When the server is listed but cannot be joined

A visible listing does not prove that gameplay traffic is reachable. Compare the server-list query port with the configured value, then test direct connection with the game port. If direct IP connection succeeds while the list does not, concentrate on query-port exposure and server-list settings instead of reinstalling the game.

When a private server works locally but not for friends

A local connection can succeed even when inbound traffic from the internet is blocked. Recheck public-address instructions, UDP forwarding and the server’s private IPv4 reservation. Ask a player outside your network to test after each change so you can distinguish local reachability from public reachability.

Client-side checks when you are the only affected player

First close overlays, VPNs and network-filtering applications that could intercept the game connection, then retry with the same server details. Verify that your local Soulmask installation is current and that your enabled mods match the server’s requirements. If the problem persists, test from another network before making destructive changes such as deleting saves or reinstalling. A failure that follows you to a second network is less likely to be caused by the original router.

Do not keep changing server ports to solve a problem that affects only one player. Port forwarding is a host-side remedy; it cannot repair a client-only version mismatch or a local firewall block.

Common mistakes that make the error persist

• Using the query port for direct gameplay: discovery and gameplay can use different ports. Enter the configured game port when connecting directly.
• Forwarding a default instead of the configured port: 8777 and 27015 are examples; a host may have changed either value.
• Forwarding to an old private IP: the server computer may have received a new LAN address after a router restart.
• Opening only the client firewall rule: the dedicated-server executable on the host may still be blocked.
• Changing several settings at once: edit one parameter, restart, and retest so you know which change mattered.
• Treating a community report as proof: missing mods can cause a compatibility problem on some unofficial servers, but that report does not establish a universal Soulmask rule.
• Testing from inside the same network only: local success does not confirm that friends can reach the server over the internet.

A practical decision path

1. Restart the client and, if applicable, the dedicated server.
2. Verify address, game port, query port and password against the current server configuration.
3. Ask whether other players can join.
4. If the failure began after an update, align client/server versions and required mods.
5. If everyone fails, inspect server startup parameters, process restarts, forwarding and host firewall rules.
6. If only you fail, test another network and investigate your local firewall, NAT path and mods.
7. If the list fails but direct IP works, focus on the query port and discovery configuration.

This order avoids unnecessary router changes while still reaching the host-side checks that solve the most persistent dedicated-server failures.

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