Your first 15 minutes: from order to playing

Short answer: After you pay, your server installs itself. Sign in to the Game Panel with Sign in with Host It Create It, open your server, select Start, then give your friends the address shown on the Console page.

Before you begin

You need: a paid order in the Client Area (https://client.hostitcreateit.com).
Have ready: your game, installed on your computer or console.
Time needed: about 15 minutes, most of it waiting for the install.

What this guide covers

Waiting for the install
Signing in
Starting the server
Naming it and setting a password
Joining and inviting friends

Steps

1. Wait for the install

After payment, your server is created and the game is downloaded onto it. Small games take a few minutes; large ones (for example ARK) can take longer. You’ll get an email when your server is ready.

Go to https://panel.hostitcreateit.com.
Select Sign in with Host It Create It and sign in with your Client Area account.
Select your server from the list.

If the status next to the server name stays on Connecting for more than a minute, the install probably hasn’t finished: check back in a few minutes. More detail: How to access your game server in the Game Panel.

3. Start the server

On the Console page, select Start.
Wait for the status to show Online and for the console to stop scrolling. The first start often takes longer, because the game creates its world.

More detail: How to start, stop and restart your server safely.

4. Name it and set a password

Open Game Settings if your game has it: it lets you change the server name, password and common options with menus. Otherwise, use Startup, which lists the settings your game reads when it starts.
Restart the server so the changes take effect.

More detail: Changing startup settings.

5. Join and invite friends

Copy your address: select Copy next to it at the top of the server page.
In your game, use direct connect or “add server” and paste the address.
Send the address and the server password to your friends.

More detail: How to find your server IP address and connection port and Inviting friends: sharing your address and password.

Expected result

You and your friends are playing on your server.

Already done for you

Nightly backups. Your server is backed up every night. See How to create and restore a backup.
Updates. Most games check for updates each time the server starts. See Updating your game server.

Common mistakes

Searching the server browser straight away. New servers can take a while to appear. Use the address instead: see My server is not showing in the game browser.
Sharing your Game Panel login with friends. Give them the server address and password. If someone needs to help you run the server, add them as a subuser: see Giving a friend or moderator access with subusers.

Troubleshooting

What you see	What it means	What to do
No server in the list after 30 minutes	Setup hasn’t finished, or failed	Check your service in the Client Area, then contact support
Goes to Online, then Offline	The game stopped with an error	See My server will not start
Friends can’t join	Address, version or password	See I cannot connect to my server

When to contact support

Contact support if your server hasn’t appeared 30 minutes after payment, or the install shows an error. Include your invoice number. See How to contact support with useful diagnostic information.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-05 · Applies to: Client Area (1.5.8) · Game Panel (hici 0.4.2)