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Managing Connection Handshake Stability

The error message “Disconnected: Steam Auth Timeout” is a technical alert indicating that your Rust server failed to complete its cryptographic verification handshake with the Valve authentication servers within the allocated temporal window. This incident is most prevalent during periods of global Steam network congestion or when a player’s initial data burst is delayed by suboptimal network routing. Resolving this issue involves widening your server’s acceptance thresholds and optimizing the flow of diagnostic packets.

Difficulty

Beginner

Time

4 Minutes

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Technical Threshold Calibration

The most immediate method for mitigating timeout disconnections is increasing the server’s patience during the identity verification phase.
1

Access the Config Directory

Log in to the Game Panel and open the File Manager. Navigate to: /server/{identity}/cfg/.
2

Modify server.cfg

Locate and open the server.cfg file using the integrated editor.
3

Implement the Timeout Variable

Insert the following technical command at the conclusion of the file: server.connectiontimeout 300
4

Initialize Changes

Save the file. This increases the authorization window from the vanilla default to 300 seconds (5 minutes), allowing players with slower connections sufficient time to complete the Steam handshake.

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Advanced Network Optimization

If persistent timeouts continue following the threshold increase, you may be experiencing packet saturation during the world synchronization phase.
Try incrementing the server.maxpacketspersecond variable to 2500 within your Game Panel Startup tab. This allows the engine to handle a higher volume of inbound network events during the intensive joining sequence.

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Need Extra Help?

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Last Updated: January 2026 | Rust: Connectivity optimized.