How to List Your OT Server on otservers.org

A new Open Tibia server doesn't get players by existing quietly. otservers.org is a directory of Open Tibia servers, and this guide, written for its own blog, walks through the process to list an OT server there: the add-server form, the first status check, proving ownership, and what the finished listing shows a visitor.

To list an OT server on otservers.org, submit its name, address and port through the add-server form. The listing goes live automatically once the server answers its first status check, usually within seconds. After that, you place a short verification phrase in the server's message of the day, and the next check confirms you own the listing and unlocks editing.

Before you start

You need three things ready before the form matters: a server that's actually running and reachable, its hostname or IPv4 address with no protocol in front of it, and the game port it listens on. Have a website address on hand too if you want a thumbnail on the listing, and know the two-letter country code and PvP type that describe the server. The form lists "Not sure" as a PvP type option if you haven't decided, and leaves client version to be detected automatically if you skip it. You'll also need the ability to edit the server's message of the day, since that's the mechanism Step 3 uses to prove ownership.

Step 1: Fill out the form to list your OT server

The add-server page asks for a fixed set of fields:

• Server name, as players know it
• Address: hostname or IPv4, with no protocol in front of it
• Port: the game port
• Website (optional): used for the listing's thumbnail
• Country: a two-letter code
• Client version: leave it blank and otservers.org detects it automatically
• Experience rate
• PvP type: no-PvP, PvP enforced, retro PvP, retro hardcore, or "Not sure"
• Description (optional): otservers.org can pull one from your website if you skip it

Get the address and port right. Everything that follows depends on otservers.org being able to reach the server at exactly that address and port.

Step 2: Let the first status check bring the listing live

Submitting the form doesn't finish the job. The first status check does. otservers.org queries the address you gave within a few seconds of submitting, and if the server answers, the listing goes live immediately and starts collecting player history right away. If the server doesn't answer, because of a wrong port, a closed firewall, or the server simply being offline, the listing stays dark. Confirm the address and port actually connect before you submit.

Step 3: Prove you own the listing

otservers.org gives you a short verification phrase, and where you put it decides whether the listing becomes yours. The FAQ describes the direct route: put the phrase in the server's message of the day, and once the next check sees it, the listing is verified as yours and you can edit it. The same mechanism works in reverse. Set the message of the day to "otservers.org-delete" and the listing comes down within a few checks.

If someone else already listed your server, claim it from its page first to get your own phrase, then follow the same message-of-the-day step.

The site's llms.txt file lists three more ways to prove ownership besides the message of the day: a DNS TXT record, a file at a known path on the server's website, or a meta tag. Pick whichever is easiest to set up. All four methods rely on the same principle: only someone who actually controls the server or its domain can complete one, which is why they count as proof.

Step 4: Read what your listing shows and how it's ranked

Once verified, a listing on otservers.org shows the server's client version, experience rate, PvP type, country, whether it's online right now, and charts of its player history over time. Every number on that page is otservers.org's own measurement. Player counts are polled from the server directly, not reported by the owner, and uptime is the share of checks that got an answer over the last 30 days. Ranking combines the 30-day average player count, that uptime figure, recent votes (which lose half their weight every week), and a paid highlight if the owner has bought one, minus penalties for time spent offline or stale.

Common mistakes

Most problems trace back to Step 1 or Step 3. A wrong address or port means the first check never gets an answer, so the listing never goes live. A mistyped or partial phrase in the message of the day means the claim never confirms, so copy it exactly as given.

Further down the line, the FAQ lists three reasons active listings get pulled: reporting player counts, uptime or records that otservers.org's own checks contradict; combining several worlds behind one shared login server to inflate a single listing; and counting characters parked on trainers as active players. An owner who thinks a removal was wrong can reply to the removal notification and have it reviewed by a person.

What's new (as of 5 September 2026)

The FAQ page, fetched 5 September 2026, walks through only one ownership proof: putting the verification phrase in the message of the day. otservers.org's llms.txt file, fetched the same day, documents three more: a DNS TXT record, a website file, or a meta tag. An owner who can't edit their server's message of the day, because it's hardcoded or the host doesn't expose it, now has a way around that. The human-facing FAQ doesn't mention it.

Key takeaways

• Listing a server on otservers.org is free, and it gets checked, ranked and shown like any other listing.
• The add-server form needs the server's name, address and port at minimum; client version is detected automatically if left blank.
• A listing goes live as soon as the first status check gets an answer from the server, usually within seconds of submitting.
• Ownership is proven with a phrase in the message of the day, or, per the site's llms.txt file, a DNS TXT record, a website file, or a meta tag.
• Player counts and uptime are otservers.org's own measurements, polled from the server directly and never reported by the owner.

FAQ

Is listing a server on otservers.org free?

Yes. The FAQ states that adding a server costs nothing, and it gets checked, ranked and shown the same as every other listing.

How do I claim a server that someone else already added?

Claim it from its page to get your own verification phrase, then put that phrase in the server's message of the day. The next status check confirms the claim and hands you editing rights. The FAQ notes this only works for someone who can actually edit the server's configuration.

How do I remove my server's listing?

Set the server's message of the day to "otservers.org-delete". The FAQ states the listing comes down within a few checks after that.

Why do listings get removed?

The FAQ gives three reasons: reporting player counts, uptime or records that contradict otservers.org's own checks; combining several worlds behind one login server to inflate a single listing; and counting characters parked on trainers as active players. An owner who thinks a removal was a mistake can reply to the removal notification and have it reviewed by a person.

What if I'm not sure which PvP type my server is?

Pick "Not sure". The add-server form lists it as an option alongside no-PvP, PvP enforced, retro PvP and retro hardcore, so an undecided answer doesn't block submission.

Add a server, and otservers.org's first status check takes it from there.