Fix: ‘Connection to server timed out’ in Apex Legends

EA and Origin are long known for their issues with network connections and instability in their servers. They even released some games on Steam (Such as Apex Legends) to minimize this kind of outage but servers keep getting overloaded or not responding at all. However, it’s not a server issue every time and it can be an issue within your Network or game as well.

In this article, we are going to show you how to fix the connection timed-out problem in Apex Legends and going to give you some tips to minimize this kind of connection problem in other games as well. First, let’s see the common reasons for the game to throw this error.

Why causes Apex Legends’ server to time out?

These server issues aren’t anything new Apex Legends’ engineer @ricklesauceur also released whole documentation of network situation in Apex Legends called ‘WHAT MAKES APEX TICK: A DEVELOPER DEEP DIVE INTO SERVERS AND NETCODE‘, These issues have been in game since launch of Titanfall.

There are multiple reasons for your games to have this issue, however, we have collected some that are more command, here are the common reasons why you might be facing this issue:-

Troubleshooting Apex Legends connection timed-out issue

After some tests and research, we have come up with a list of solutions that you can try on your computer to fix this issue. However, keep in mind these issues will only work if there is something wrong with your computer.

If your ISP has blocked the ports or addresses you might not be able to play this game until you contact your ISP to get this issue resolved. It’s also worth mentioning that sometimes there is nothing wrong with your ISP and your Windows.

Before proceeding please make sure that Apex Legends’ servers are up and running by visiting this Apex Legends server status page.

1. Reset your Network Configurations:

Reset your Network Configurations to ensure that everything is set to optimal/stock settings and there is nothing wrong with your driver or Network settings.

To Reset your Network Configurations, follow these steps:-

1. Hold the Windows Key and Press X. Choose Command Prompt (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin).
2. Once PowerShell or Command Prompt is opened type the following commands one by one:-

   netsh winsock reset
   netsh int ip reset
   ipconfig /release
   ipconfig /renew
   ipconfig /flushdns

3. Restart your computer and check to see if the issue persists.

2. Forward the Required Ports:

If resetting your Network Settings didn’t work out for you, you can try to allow the games through your Firewall. This process can be a bit hectic but we have created a set of commands for you to make this process a little simpler.

In this example we are going to show you how to allow Apex Legends ports through your Firewall, follow these steps:-

1. Hold the Windows Key and Press X. Chose Command Prompt (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin).
2. Now type the following set of commands one by one to allow Apex Legends through your Windows Firewall:-

   netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name= "Apex Legends Appuals fix TCP Inbound" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=1024-1124,3216,9960-9969,18000,18060,18120,27900,28910,29900
   netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name= "Apex Legends Appuals fix UDP Inbound" dir=in action=allow protocol=UDP localport=1024-1124,18000,29900,37000-40000
   netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name= "Apex Legends Appuals fix TCP Outbound" dir=out action=allow protocol=TCP localport=1024-1124,3216,9960-9969,18000,18060,18120,27900,28910,29900
   netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name= "Apex Legends Appuals fix UDP Outbound" dir=out action=allow protocol=UDP localport=1024-1124,18000,29900,37000-40000

These commands should allow the ports Apex Legends servers to contact your client through. Keep in mind that these commands are only for Apex Legends and Windows Firewall.

If you have a third-party firewall installed on your computer you will have to whitelist Apex Legends from that firewall for more information (here).This link is an example of allowing an app through firewalls. In that article, we have shown how to allow Google Chrome through a firewall but you can use the same method to whitelist and allow any other application through your firewall.

If you are looking to allow another game through your Firewall you can follow this article (here) for a more in-depth explanation of allowing applications through the firewall.

3. Change your Local DNS to Google DNS:

Changing your DNS to Google DNS can be helpful and can help you in this situation. Google DNS is optimal for your computer as it works better than the DNS provided by your ISP. It’s available almost 99.9% of the time. To change your DNS, follow these steps:-

1. Press and hold the Windows key and then press the “R” key.
2. Now type “ncpa.cpl” and then press enter.

   

3. Right-click on your Network Adaptor and press properties.
4. Double-click on the option named “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)”

   

5. Now type “8.8.8.8” in Preferred DNS Server and “8.8.4.4” in Alternative DNS Server.

   

6. Now search for Command Prompt and run it as an administrator and type the following command to flush DNS cache and corrupted DNS data:-

   ipconfig/flushdns

7. Now restart your computer and check to see if the issue persists.

4. Uncheck the Automatic Proxy Settings:

This method will make sure to remove any automatic proxy settings applied on your network by your ISP which can potentially resolve this connection issue you are having. Follow the steps below:-

1. Press and hold the Windows key then press the R key to open the Run program.
2. Now type “inetcpl.cpl” and press enter.

   

3. Now head over to the “Connections” tab and click on the option named “LAN Settings”.
4. Now make sure the “Automatically detect proxy settings” option is unchecked.

   

5. Restart your computer and check to see if the issue persists.

5. Change your Network Profile:

Network Profile plays an essential role in your Network settings. It configures your Windows Firewall. If your Profile is set to Public, your Firewall will block any connection that’s not allowed manually.

However, this can lead to false positives such as your game being blocked and other legitimate apps not working.

To fix this problem, all you have to do is select a Private profile for your Network. Follow the steps below:-

1. Click on the Network Icon on the bottom right of your screen.
2. Click on the network that you are connected to and click “Properties”.

   

3. Now in the section named “Network Profile” select Private.

   

4. Restart your computer to ensure that the setting is applied perfectly.
5. Now check to see if the issue persists.

If none of the methods above worked for you. Unfortunately, you will have to use a VPN or Mobile Hotspot to play this game.