Cyberpunk 2077 was built as a single-player game, but a growing community is turning Night City into a shared world. If you have ever wanted to run your own roleplay city, street racing league, or freeroam playground, OPEN//77 is how you do it. The only question is how to get a server online and keep it there.
This guide walks you through the whole process: what you need, how the license key works, which ports to open, how to load Lua resources, and how players connect. We also cover the common mistakes new server owners make, so you can skip the frustration.
A quick note before we start. OPEN//77 is currently in Alpha, which means things change quickly. We have kept this guide up to date, but always double-check anything version-specific against the official OPEN//77 documentation.
What Is OPEN//77?
OPEN//77 is an independent multiplayer platform for Cyberpunk 2077. It is not an official CD PROJEKT RED product. Communities run their own dedicated servers, and players join them through the OPEN//77 launcher.
Each server decides its own rules. Gameplay is scripted in Lua 5.4 as resources that the server loads and streams to players. One server might be a strict roleplay city with jobs and factions, another a racing league, another pure PvP chaos. If you want a deeper look at what the platform can do, our OPEN//77 server hosting page covers the hosting side in detail.
What You Need Before You Start
Hosting a server and playing on one have different requirements, and mixing them up is the number one beginner mistake.
To host a server, you need:
- An OPEN//77 account, which gives you a server license key
- A machine running a 64-bit Windows or Linux server build
- A stable internet connection with the right ports open (or a hosting provider that handles this for you)
- Optionally, your own Lua resources, or the built-in freeroam setup to start with
The server does not need Cyberpunk 2077 installed. The dedicated server is a self-contained application, so no game files or REDengine are required on the host machine. That is a big reason hosting it on a proper server makes so much sense.
To play on a server, your players need:
- Alpha access to OPEN//77 (requested through the OPEN//77 Discord)
- Their own legal copy of Cyberpunk 2077 version 2.31 with the Phantom Liberty expansion
- 64-bit Windows 10 or 11
- The official OPEN//77 launcher
Because every player brings their own copy of the game, you never have to worry about game licensing on the server side.
Step 1: Get Your OPEN//77 Server License Key
Every OPEN//77 server is enrolled with a license key from your OPEN//77 account. This key is what lets your server register itself and appear in the launcher’s server browser.
- Create or log in to your OPEN//77 account.
- Generate a server license key from your account area.
- Keep the key private. Treat it like a password, and never post it in Discord or screenshots.
Tip: if you plan to run more than one server, such as a test server and a live one, check the OPEN//77 documentation on how many keys your account can use.
Step 2: Choose Where to Run Your Server
You have two options, and the right one depends on how serious your project is.
Option A: Self-host at home. It costs nothing extra, but you must keep a PC running 24/7, set up port forwarding, deal with an ISP that may block ports, and accept that your home IP address is exposed to attacks. Updates and backups are entirely your job.
Option B: Use a game server host. The server runs on dedicated hardware in a data center, with a public address, DDoS protection, and backups handled for you. For any community that wants reliable uptime, this is the smarter route. You can compare plans on our OPEN//77 server hosting page.
If you are still testing the platform, a small plan is enough. If you are launching a public roleplay server, start with more headroom, because script-heavy servers can use surprisingly large amounts of RAM.
How Much RAM Do You Need?
OPEN//77 does not publish official RAM requirements during Alpha, so treat these as practical starting points:
- 2 GB: a vanilla test server or learning Lua
- 4 GB: a small community with light scripts
- 8 to 12 GB: custom scripts, databases, and a growing roleplay community
- 16 GB or more: many resources, larger player counts, heavier workloads
OPEN//77 plans are generally priced by specs, not per player slot, so your resources matter more than your player count. A few heavy scripts can use more memory than dozens of players on a simple freeroam server. Start small and upgrade when you need to.
Step 3: Install the Server Build
Download the dedicated server build for your operating system (Windows x64 or Linux x64) from the OPEN//77 platform.
If you are using a hosting provider such as Revive Hosting, this step is mostly done for you. The server is deployed when your order is complete, so you can move straight to configuration.
If you are installing it yourself:
- Download the server build that matches your OS.
- Extract it into its own folder.
- Locate the main configuration file (OPEN//77 servers use a JSON-style config file, commonly named
server.jsonc). - Check the documentation for startup arguments and logging options, which control how the server launches and how much detail it prints.
Step 4: Add Your License Key and Configure the Server
Open your configuration file and enter your license key. While you are there, set the basics:
- Server name and description: this is what players see in the server browser
- Visibility: public servers appear in the server list, private ones are joined by direct address
- Player limit and tick settings: keep these realistic for your hardware
- Resources to load: the list of Lua resources your server starts with
Save the file, then start the server. Read the console output carefully the first time. A healthy startup shows the resource host loading, the server listening on its ports, and the server registering with OPEN//77. If something fails, the error is usually printed right there in plain text.
Step 5: Open the Right Ports
This is where most self-hosters get stuck. By default, an OPEN//77 server uses three ports:
| Port | Protocol | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 11778 | UDP | Game traffic |
| 11779 | TCP | Resource downloads |
| 11780 | TCP | Warden admin panel |
If players can see your server but cannot connect or download resources, a closed port is almost always the reason. Check your firewall, your router’s port forwarding, and any cloud security rules.
Two important notes:
- Defaults can be changed in your config, so confirm the actual ports your server reports on startup.
- Do not expose the Warden admin port (11780) to everyone unless you have secured it. Limit access to your own IP address where possible.
On a managed host, the network is already set up for game traffic, which removes this whole step from your to-do list.
Step 6: Load Your Lua Resources
Resources are what turn an empty world into an actual game mode. A resource is a Lua 5.4 script (or a bundle of scripts and assets) that the server loads and streams to players when they join.
You can:
- Start with the built-in freeroam setup, which includes races and PvP so players have something to do immediately
- Add roleplay systems, such as jobs, economies, factions, and inventories
- Write your own resources from scratch
Resources reload when you save the file, so you can test changes quickly. Resources can also show their own HTML-based interfaces, which is how menus, HUDs, and phones are usually built.
If your server needs to remember characters, money, or progress between sessions, connect a database such as MySQL. Persistence is what separates a world people return to from a one-night experiment.
Step 7: Start the Server and Test It
Start the server and watch the console. Then test it as a player would:
- Make sure you have Alpha access, and that the OPEN//77 launcher has verified your game and applied the multiplayer update.
- Open the launcher and find your server in the list, or use Direct Connect.
- Enter your server’s hostname or IP address and port, then connect.
- Join, move around, and confirm your resources load correctly.
Note that Direct Connect does not bypass Alpha approval or your own server’s access rules. It is simply the easiest way to reach a private or unlisted server.
Ask a friend in another city to join too. A server that works for you locally can still have port or latency problems for outside players.
Step 8: Back Up, Secure, and Maintain Your Server
Getting online is the easy part. Staying online is the real job.
- Back up regularly. Alpha updates can break things. Keep copies of your config, resources, and database before every update.
- Update carefully. OPEN//77 changes often, so read the changelogs before swapping in a new build, and test updates on a spare server if you can.
- Protect against attacks. Popular servers attract DDoS attempts. Protection at the network level is far more effective than anything you can set up at home.
- Watch your logs. Lua errors and crashes are easier to fix when you catch them early.
Common Problems and How to Fix Them
Players cannot see my server in the list. Check that visibility is set to public, your license key is valid, and the server registered successfully on startup.
Players see the server but cannot join. This is usually a closed UDP port (11778 by default) or a firewall rule. Also confirm the player has Alpha access and the correct game version.
Resources fail to download. The TCP resource port (11779 by default) is probably blocked.
The server crashes or lags under load. You may be out of RAM or CPU. Review your resource list, remove heavy scripts, or move to a larger plan.
It worked yesterday and broke after an update. Welcome to Alpha. Check the changelog, restore your backup, and update your resources to match any API changes.
Should You Host It Yourself or Rent a Server?
Self-hosting works for a short test. For a real community, most owners move to a host sooner or later, because uptime, DDoS protection, backups, and support all matter once players depend on your world.
At Revive Hosting, our OPEN//77 plans run on Ryzen 9 hardware with DDR5 memory and NVMe storage, with DDoS protection and a simple control panel included. You can see the full plan list on our OPEN//77 server hosting page, or explore our other game servers, like FiveM server hosting, if you run more than one community.
Revive Hosting is an independent hosting provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by OPEN//77 or CD PROJEKT RED. Cyberpunk and Cyberpunk 2077 are trademarks of CD PROJEKT.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Cyberpunk 2077 installed to host an OPEN//77 server?
No. The dedicated server is a standalone Windows or Linux application and needs no game files. Only your players need a copy of the game, with Phantom Liberty.
Is OPEN//77 free to host?
The platform itself is a community project, but running a server costs real resources: a machine, bandwidth, and storage. Hosting at home costs electricity and your own time, while a hosting provider charges a monthly fee for dedicated hardware.
What ports does an OPEN//77 server use?
By default, UDP 11778 for game traffic, TCP 11779 for resource downloads, and TCP 11780 for the Warden admin panel.
What programming language does OPEN//77 use?
Gameplay is scripted in Lua 5.4. Resources can also display HTML-based interfaces.
How many players can an OPEN//77 server hold?
It depends on your hardware and how heavy your resources are, not a fixed slot count. A well-optimized server on good hardware can hold far more players than a poorly scripted one.
Can I run a roleplay server on OPEN//77?
Yes. Roleplay cities, racing leagues, PvP, survival, and freeroam are all possible, because you control the gamemode through Lua.
Why choose a hosting provider over self-hosting?
A provider gives you 24/7 uptime, a public address without port forwarding, DDoS protection, automatic backups, and support when something breaks.
Final Thoughts
Hosting an OPEN//77 server is easier than it looks. Get your license key, choose your hardware, configure the server, open the right ports, load your resources, and test with real players. The rest is building a community worth coming back to.
Ready to skip the setup headaches? Launch your world with OPEN//77 server hosting from Revive Hosting and get your Night City community online in minutes.