There are two main ways to host a game of Planet M.U.L.E.:
-
Tunneling through a global proxy (e.g., Playit or Cloudflare)
- This is the easiest way to host a game.
What is port forwarding?
Port forwarding lets people on the internet connect to you (your server). It effectively places a device outside your router, as if it were directly connected to the internet.
It tells your router to send incoming data from the internet to a specific device on your network. A port forward maps data bound for a designated port number to the device or app you want it to reach. After you create the rule on your router, incoming data on that port is sent to the destination device you chose.
What is tunneling through a global proxy?
Tunneling through a global proxy routes all of your device’s internet traffic through a single intermediary server using a secure connection (often HTTPS CONNECT or SOCKS). This helps hide your activity from local networks, bypass filters or blocks, and make your traffic appear to come from the proxy’s location.
Tunneling (global proxy/VPN)
Pros: Easier to setup; works even with tricky home internet; hides what you do from local networks; can get around blocks; doesn’t open your home to the internet.
Cons: Can be slower; you must trust the proxy company.
Port forwarding
Pros: Fast and direct; great for letting people connect to your game/server; no third-party service needed.
Cons: Needs a real public IP; opens a door into your network (more to secure); trickier to set up on the router.
NOTE: Some ISPs block port forwarding to enhance security. In that case, tunneling will still work.
Tunneling using Playit
An alternative to port forwarding when hosting a game is to tunnel through a proxy.
There are multiple ways to do this, but this guide will walk you through getting it up and running with Playit.
I chose Playit because it’s free (there are premium plans as well, but they aren’t needed for this game), it’s easy to setup, it’s built for games, supports both UDP and TCP, and it’s open-source.
They also have a great discord server where you can get help if needed.
Note: You need to have Planet M.U.L.E version 1.4.0 or later to host using Playit
1) Getting Playit
- Register an account at playit.gg
- Download their app
- Start the app and follow the instructions to set up an agent.
2) Setting up the tunnel
On the Playit website, in your newly created agent, go to: Tunnels > Add Tunnel.
- Tunnel Type: UDP+TCP
- Port count: 1
- Enable Tunnel
3) Tunneling to your local IP
In the Update Local Address section on the website, enter the local IP address of your server. If the server is running on the same machine as the Playit app, use 127.0.0.1. Otherwise, use the device’s LAN address (typically 192.168.x.x). You can find this by logging into your router’s admin page and checking the connected devices list.
The local port should be 6260, since this is the port Planet M.U.L.E will be using.
4) Invite players and start playing
Make sure the agent is connected, the tunnel is enabled on the Playit website, and the Playit app is running on your local computer (or host machine). The app should indicate that it’s tunneling—once you see that, you’re good to go.
Create a new Planet M.U.L.E. game and share either the domain address or the public IP shown on the Playit website with the players you want to invite. They can join by entering that value in the Join Address field in the M.U.L.E. launcher.
5) Troubleshooting
If you run into any issues with Playit tunneling, reach out on their Discord server for support.
Port forwarding
Here is a short guide on how to get started with port forwarding. More in-depth guides can be found at https://portforward.com/.
1) Give your Planet M.U.L.E server a stable LAN IP
You don’t want the server’s IP to change and break the forward.
Best (recommended): Create a DHCP reservation in your router for the server’s MAC address (keeps using the same IP automatically).
Alternative (manual static IP on Windows)
- Settings → Network & internet → (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) → Hardware properties (or View additional properties)
- Edit next to “IP assignment” → choose Manual → toggle IPv4 → fill IP, Subnet mask, Gateway, DNS → Save.
- Choose Use the following IP address and fill in:
- IP address: match your router’s subnet.
- If the router is 192.168.1.1 → use something like 192.168.1.25.
- Example custom subnet: router 192.168.5.1, server 192.168.5.25.
- Subnet mask: usually 255.255.255.0.
- Default gateway: your router’s IP (e.g., 192.168.1.1, 10.0.0.1, or 192.168.5.1).
- Preferred DNS: usually the router’s IP (same as gateway).
(AT&T U-verse often uses 192.168.1.254 for gateway/DNS.)
- IP address: match your router’s subnet.
- Click Save.
Tip: Hard-wiring (Ethernet) is preferred over Wi-Fi for stability.
2) Log into your router
Open a browser and go to your router’s address. It varies depending on the router and brand.
Common defaults:
- 192.168.0.1
- 192.168.1.1
- www.routerlogin.net
Login credentials (vary by brand/ISP):
If you haven’t changed your router’s login credentials, you can usually find them on a sticker on the router or in the manual
- Username often admin (some D-Link models leave username blank).
- Password commonly admin, password or whatever you set originally.
If defaults don’t work, check the sticker on the router or your ISP’s docs. Change the admin password if it’s still default.
3) Create the port forward
In the router UI, find Port Forwarding / NAT / Virtual Server and add a rule:
- External/WAN port: 6260
- Internal/LAN IP: your server’s IP (e.g., 192.168.5.25)
- Internal port: 6260
- Protocol: TCP and UDP (both)
- Save/Apply (some routers need a reboot)
4) Allow the port in Windows Firewall (on the server)
Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName “MULE 6260 TCP” -Direction Inbound -Action Allow -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 6260
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName “MULE 6260 UDP” -Direction Inbound -Action Allow -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 6260
This will allow inbound UDP and TCP traffic on port 6260 (the port used to host Planet M.U.L.E.).
5) Test from outside your network
From a phone on cellular (not your Wi-Fi) or another external machine, test your public IP or DDNS name on port 6260.
If it fails:
- Confirm the M.U.L.E. server is actually listening on port 6260.
- Re-check the router forward and Windows firewall rules.
Verify your ISP isn’t using CGNAT (if so, consider a VPN with port mapping, reverse tunnel (like Playit, below), or requesting a public IP).
6) Torubleshooting
If you run in to any issues with port forwarding there’s plenty of help to at https://portforward.com/. If that doesn’t resolve it, you may need to contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP).