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To host a Quake Live server in 2026, run the dedicated-server files on a Linux machine, install them with SteamCMD using app ID 349090, configure the included launch script and server settings, then make the game’s UDP port reachable. A home computer can work, but it needs router port forwarding and firewall rules; a VPS avoids inbound access through your home router while adding a recurring hosting bill and Linux administration.
The detailed installation recipe below comes from community documentation rather than a current Bethesda server manual. Check the files installed on your system before assuming an old script name, default path or console variable still applies.
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What a Quake Live dedicated server does
Quake Live is the arena shooter developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. Its Steam listing describes more than 100 arenas, more than 12 game modes and Steam Workshop support. Those are game features, not a guarantee about server capacity, latency or hardware requirements.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchA dedicated server runs the match process independently of a player’s client. Players connect to the server’s address, while the server loads maps, applies game rules and advertises its status to the master-server system when configured to do so. You can run one instance for friends, several instances on one Linux host, or a public server that appears in the in-game browser.
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Choose a home computer or a VPS
Both approaches use the same Quake Live server files. The important difference is who controls the network edge and the physical machine.
| Consideration | Home host | Linux VPS |
|---|---|---|
| Machine | An existing Linux desktop, mini-PC or server remains powered while people play. | A rented virtual machine runs in a provider’s data center. |
| Inbound networking | You must give the host a stable local address, configure the router and permit the game port in the host firewall. | The provider supplies a public network interface; you still configure the VPS firewall and operating system. |
| Cost | Uses your existing equipment and connection, although electricity and an upgraded connection may matter. | Has a recurring rental charge. The reviewed sources do not establish a current price or a universally suitable plan. |
| Availability | The server stops when the computer, home router or home connection goes offline. | Designed for an always-on environment, subject to the provider and your administration. |
| Latency | Often convenient for players near your home, but upload quality and routing determine the result. | Location can be selected for a player region, but no source-backed latency comparison is available. |
| Administration | You manage the operating system, router, firewall and physical machine. | You manage Linux, security updates, firewall rules and the rented instance. |
Choose a home host for a small group when you control the router and can leave the machine on. Choose a VPS when router access, carrier-grade NAT or home uptime is the obstacle and you are comfortable administering Linux. Neither the cited community guide nor the recent independent tutorial supplies a current hardware minimum, player-capacity benchmark or provider recommendation.
If you would rather skip router forwarding and Linux administration, Godlike.Host offers Quake Live server hosting with a panel-based setup, and its Quake Live page has a free server card for trying the panel first. The free server must be extended every 3 hours, has limited panel features and sits in one location; see the current plans for paid options.
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- A 64-bit Linux system is the clearest documented self-host route in the available instructions. The included 32-bit script may exist on some installations, but do not assume it is present.
- A user account that can install SteamCMD and write to a dedicated server directory.
- A fixed local address for a home host, or a public address and firewall access on a VPS.
- A plan for backups and for keeping the process running after a terminal closes.
- Access to the current Quake Live files. The Steam Community guide and the tutorial updated September 6, 2026 are community instructions, so compare their commands with the files you actually download.
Keep the server outside your personal home directory, such as /srv/quakelive, and keep configuration and logs in a location you can back up. Do not run unrelated services from the same account if you can avoid it.
Install the Quake Live server files with SteamCMD
The community Linux procedure uses SteamCMD, an anonymous login and app ID 349090. Distribution package names and SteamCMD behavior can change, so install the current SteamCMD package for your distribution or use the current official SteamCMD method, then verify that the app is still available before relying on the command.
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- Create a directory for the server and give your server account ownership of it. For example, use
sudo mkdir -p /srv/quakelivefollowed by an ownership change appropriate to your account. - Start SteamCMD and install or update the dedicated-server app. The community command pattern is
steamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir /srv/quakelive +app_update 349090 validate +quit. - Watch for an error indicating that the app is unavailable, authentication behavior has changed or the install directory was ignored. If SteamCMD reports a problem, stop and check its current syntax rather than repeatedly launching a possibly incomplete installation.
- List the installed directory and look for the Quake Live server executable, configuration directories and the launch scripts. The expected scripts in the guide are
run_server_x86.shandrun_server_x64.sh; use the one that is actually present and matches the host architecture.
validate checks the downloaded files and can repair missing or damaged content. Run the update command again when you intentionally update the server, and back up your own configuration first so a file refresh does not erase local changes.
Configure hostname, port and server type
The guide’s examples use a base game port of 27960. Treat that as an example, not a universal default. The exact configuration filename and variable names can differ between builds, so inspect the shipped examples and the launch script before editing.
A minimal configuration conceptually needs a public name, a server home path, a server type and a game port. In a configuration file, the guide’s settings are represented by values like these:
set sv_hostname 'My Quake Live Server'
set fs_homepath '/srv/quakelive/home'
set sv_serverType 2
set net_port 27960The syntax above is an illustrative pattern based on the community guide. Preserve the quoting and variable names used by your installed files. If your build uses a different port variable, use that variable instead of copying net_port blindly.
LAN versus internet visibility
The community guide documents sv_serverType 1 for LAN use and sv_serverType 2 for an internet server. Set the value that matches your goal:
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- LAN: intended for clients on the same local network. You normally do not need to expose the game port to the public internet.
- Internet: intended for players outside your home or data-center network. It requires an allowed inbound path and appropriate master-server settings.
The same guide says to check sv_master when a public server is not listed. Do not invent a new master-server address or setting; inspect the current configuration and console output to confirm the variable’s accepted syntax and value.
Choose a unique port for every instance
Each server process needs its own game port. Keep 27960 for the first instance only if no other service uses it; assign another free port to each additional instance and change the matching configuration and firewall rule. The guide’s multi-instance arithmetic is an example, not permission to assume that every neighboring port is free.
Launch the dedicated server
- Change to the installed directory, for example
cd /srv/quakelive. - Run the architecture-appropriate included script, such as
./run_server_x64.sh. Use./run_server_x86.shonly when that script exists and your system requires it. - Read the startup console. Confirm that the process loads the intended home path, binds the configured port and reaches its ready state without a missing-file or permission error.
- Leave the process running in a persistent service context rather than an ordinary SSH window. A terminal multiplexer can help during initial testing; a system service or another process supervisor is better for unattended operation.
If the script exits immediately, run it from the installation directory so relative paths resolve correctly, check execute permissions, and read the final console lines. A failed launch is different from a server that launches successfully but cannot be reached through the network.
How do I port forward a Quake Live server?
For a home-hosted internet server, forward the configured game port as UDP from the router to the Linux machine’s fixed local address. If your server uses 27960, the basic rule is UDP external port 27960 to UDP internal port 27960 at the host’s local address. Do not forward a different port unless the client connection and server configuration use that difference deliberately.
- Give the Linux host a DHCP reservation or another stable local address in the router.
- In the router’s port-forwarding page, create a rule for the server’s UDP game port and select the host’s local address.
- On the Linux host, allow the same UDP port through the active firewall. With UFW, an example for the base port is
sudo ufw allow 27960/udp; use your actual port and confirm the rule withsudo ufw status. - Check that the server process is listening on the expected interface and port. A listening process alone does not prove that the router forwards traffic correctly.
- Test from a genuinely external connection, such as a phone hotspot or a friend’s network. Testing only from inside the same LAN can succeed even when inbound internet traffic is blocked.
The guide distinguishes the UDP game path from TCP used by its ZeroMQ remote-console and statistics features. Basic game listing does not require you to expose remote administration. Keep those TCP features disabled unless you need them; if you enable them, use separate credentials, restrict source addresses where possible and forward only the exact ports the current configuration documents.
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Test direct connection before relying on the browser
First test the server by address. From an external Quake Live client, use the game’s direct-connect command with the public address and configured port, for example connect 198.51.100.24:27960 with the example address replaced by your real public address. A successful connection confirms that the process, firewall and forwarding path work together.
If direct connection succeeds but the server is absent from the public browser, investigate listing separately. Confirm that the server uses the internet server type, that the master setting is enabled as expected by the current files, and that the host can make outbound connections to the Steam master-server service. Browser data can be delayed or incomplete, so an alternate server browser and direct connection are useful cross-checks.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why is my Quake Live server not showing in the browser?
The process is not listening
Check the startup console and operating-system socket list. A typo in the home path, a missing asset or a port collision can stop the process before it becomes ready. Resolve that local failure before changing router settings.
The port is blocked or forwarded to the wrong machine
Verify that the configured UDP port, host firewall rule and router destination all match. If the home network has two routers, a modem-router combination or another NAT layer, the outer device must pass traffic to the inner router and then to the Linux host. Some internet services place customers behind carrier-grade NAT, which can prevent unsolicited inbound connections; the available sources do not quantify which providers impose that restriction.
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The server type or master setting is wrong
Confirm the LAN/internet value and inspect the current sv_master configuration. A server intended only for LAN play should not be expected to appear as a public listing.
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The browser is the problem
Use direct connect or another browser to distinguish a listing delay from an offline server. The community guide reports a special LAN-browser behavior limited to ports 27015 through 27020. Treat that as an old, guide-specific quirk and validate it against the current client and server combination rather than treating it as a universal Quake Live rule.
Run several Quake Live servers on one host
Multiple instances are practical when each process has an isolated configuration and a unique game port. Give every instance its own home path where required, its own hostname, and a distinct port. Replicate the router and firewall rules only for ports that should be reachable from outside.
- Record a port-and-directory map before launching anything.
- Start one instance and verify direct connectivity before adding the next.
- Check for collisions with SSH, monitoring, Docker or other game services.
- Use a process supervisor to restart a crashed instance, but avoid a tight restart loop that hides a persistent configuration error.
- Use separate remote-control credentials and ports if remote administration is enabled.
Use Docker if you already operate containers
The community quakelive-server-standards GitHub project provides a Docker-based framework for Quake Live server configuration. It can make repeatable deployments and multi-instance layouts easier for an operator who already understands images, bind mounts, networks and container logs.
Docker does not remove the networking work: publish the chosen UDP game port, persist the server’s home and configuration data, and apply host firewall rules. Read the project’s current instructions and compare its environment variables and volume paths with the files in your image. For a first-time Linux administrator, the direct SteamCMD installation is easier to diagnose because the launch script and files are visible on the host.
Maintenance and security checklist
- Back up
server.cfg, home-directory data, map or workshop configuration and any scripts you customize. - Run SteamCMD updates deliberately and review changed files afterward.
- Keep Linux and SteamCMD components patched through your distribution’s normal process.
- Expose only the UDP game port needed for play. Do not open TCP remote-console or statistics ports unless those features are enabled and secured.
- Use a non-root service account and limit write access to the server directory.
- Monitor logs, process state, disk space and bandwidth so a failed update or full filesystem does not look like a browser outage.
- Document the public address, game port, server type and restart procedure for anyone who helps administer the server.
What the available evidence does not establish
There is no source-backed current minimum CPU, memory, storage, bandwidth or player-capacity figure for a Quake Live dedicated server in the material available for this guide. There is also no verified 2026 price comparison among VPS providers and no measured latency ranking by region. Start with a modest test instance, watch CPU, memory, network and log behavior under your actual player load, and scale only when your observations justify it.
The Steam product claims about arenas and modes describe the game clients, not how many players a server can host. The installation and port instructions are based on a Steam Community guide, the independent tutorial updated September 6, 2026, and a community Docker framework; they should not be presented as current official Bethesda support documentation.
Quick Recap
Practical launch sequence
- Decide whether a home machine or VPS gives you the network control and uptime you need.
- Install current SteamCMD and verify that app ID
349090is available. - Install into a dedicated directory with
+login anonymous,+force_install_dirand+app_update 349090 validate. - Inspect the installed files and select the available
run_server_x64.shorrun_server_x86.sh. - Set a hostname, home path, server type and unique game port in the configuration format used by your build.
- Launch once in the foreground and resolve every startup error.
- For home hosting, forward the matching UDP port and allow it through the host firewall.
- Test direct connection from outside the local network.
- Only then troubleshoot master-server listing, browser behavior or additional instances.
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