How to set up a custom domain for your game server

Handing players a raw IP like 203.0.113.10:25565 is forgettable and looks unprofessional. A custom domain — play.yourserver.gg — is memorable, and it lets you move servers later without every player having to update anything. Here's how to point a domain at a game server, including the port trick that makes it seamless.

The basic idea

A domain maps a name to an IP with an A record. For a game server, that's the foundation: create an A record so play.yourserver.gg resolves to your server's IP.

Type: A
Name: play
Value: 203.0.113.10
TTL: 3600

Now players can connect to play.yourserver.gg instead of the IP — as long as the game uses the default port.

The port problem

DNS maps names to IP addresses, not to ports. So an A record alone gets players to the right server but not automatically to a non-default port. If your game runs on the standard port, you're done. If it runs on a custom port, you have two options.

Option A: SRV records (the clean way)

Some games — notably Minecraft: Java Edition — support SRV records, which *can* carry a port. This lets players connect with just the domain, even on a non-standard port, with nothing after it.

A Minecraft SRV record looks like this:

Type: SRV
Name: _minecraft._tcp.play
Value: 0 5 25565 play.yourserver.gg
TTL: 3600

Reading the value: priority (0), weight (5), port (25565), target host. You still need an A record for the target host (play) so the SRV's target resolves to your IP. With both in place, players just enter play.yourserver.gg and the client finds the port on its own.

The SRV name format is _service._protocol.subdomain. For Minecraft that's _minecraft._tcp in front of your subdomain.

Option B: Tell players the port

If the game doesn't support SRV records, keep it simple: point the domain with an A record and have players include the port.

play.yourserver.gg:27015

It's slightly less tidy, but the domain still means you can change servers without reprinting your IP everywhere — you just update the A record.

Step-by-step recap

1. Add an A record mapping your chosen subdomain to the server's IP.
2. If the game supports SRV and you use a non-default port, add the SRV record pointing at that host and port.
3. Verify the records resolve:

dig play.yourserver.gg +short
dig SRV _minecraft._tcp.play.yourserver.gg +short

1. Wait for propagation — usually minutes — then test connecting by name.

Why a domain beats a raw IP

• Memorable — players actually remember play.yourserver.gg.
• Portable — migrate to a new server and just repoint the A record; players never notice.
• Professional — a branded address signals a serious, lasting community.
• Flexible — run multiple servers on subdomains (smp., creative., events.) under one domain.

The Nxeon fit

Nxeon runs game servers and registers domains in the same platform, so you can spin up a server, grab its IP, and add the A (and SRV, if needed) records without hopping between accounts. Point a subdomain like play.yourserver.gg at your server, hand players the name, and never make them memorise an IP again.