# How to join your Squad server

> Find your Squad server in the server browser, under Custom Servers or the main list, use the queue and reserved slots, and fix it when it won't show.

By the Wilderack Crew. Last reviewed 2026-11-13. Topic: How to connect.

_Wilderack is not affiliated with Offworld Industries. Squad's license rules out running servers commercially, so Squad servers open on Wilderack only once Offworld makes us a hosting partner._

_Squad is a trademark of Offworld Industries Ltd. Wilderack is not affiliated with or endorsed by Offworld Industries Ltd._

Squad players join from the game's server browser. You don't type an address: you search for the server's name.

> [!NOTE]
> Squad servers can't be ordered on Wilderack yet. We open Squad once Offworld Industries makes us a hosting partner. These steps work for any Squad server.

## Join from the server browser

1. Open Squad and choose **Server Browser**.
2. If the server isn't licensed, open **Custom Servers**.
3. Type part of the server's name in the search box.
4. Pick it and press **Join**.

Turn on **Show in the server browser** in the server's settings, or nobody can find it. It writes `ShouldAdvertise` in `Server.cfg`.

## The queue

When the server is full, players wait in a queue. **Queue size** sets how many can wait at once (`PublicQueueLimit`, 25 by default). Each player then has 90 seconds to finish joining before their spot goes to the next one.

## Reserved slots for your members

**Reserved slots** keeps some places for your community. Give your members the `reserve` permission in `Admins.cfg` and they skip the queue. Licensed servers have rules on how reserved slots may be used, so check Offworld's policy first.

## Seeding a new server

A Squad server fills fastest when it already has players. Communities "seed" a server: a few players stay on a small layer until enough people join for a full match. Seeding layers are in the layer list like any other.

## Tags help players find you

Under **Settings**, **Server browser tags** writes `Tags` in `Server.cfg`. Use Offworld's tags, separated by spaces, such as `language_en playstyle_relaxed mode_aas`. Players filter the browser by them.

## Can't connect?

- **The server isn't listed.** Check that it's running in **Console** and that **Show in the server browser** is on. A new server can take a few minutes to appear.
- **Joining times out.** Restart the server once. If it keeps happening, see [common errors](https://wilderack.com/wiki/squad/common-errors/).
- **Mods don't match.** Players need every Workshop mod the server runs. Subscribing on Steam gets them.

## Questions and answers

### Why is my Squad server under Custom Servers?

Because it isn't licensed. Offworld lists licensed servers in the main browser and every other community server under Custom Servers. Players can join either one the same way.

### Can players join a Squad server by IP address?

Not from the main menu. Squad players join from the server browser. Search for the server's name, or add it to your favorites once you have played there.

### How do reserved slots work in Squad?

NumReservedSlots keeps that many slots for players with the reserve permission in Admins.cfg. When the server is full, they skip the public queue.

## Sources

- [Server Configuration](https://squad.fandom.com/wiki/Server_Configuration), Official Squad Wiki
- [Server Licensing and Administration Policies](https://www.joinsquad.com/server-licensing-and-administration-policies), Offworld Industries

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