Play Warcraft III LAN games online
Warcraft III has a Local Area Network option that has outlived Battle.net for a lot of people. It finds games by UDP broadcast, so a LanOrbit room is all it needs to work between cities — including custom maps and classic DotA.
Requirements
- Every player installs LanOrbit, signs in, and keeps it running for the whole session.
- Every player joins the same room before launching the game.
- Everyone runs the same game version: 1.26a or 1.27b are the usual community builds; 1.28+ also works if everyone matches.
war3.exeis allowed through Windows Firewall on Public networks.
Join the room first, launch the game second. Almost every "nobody can see my game" report comes from doing it the other way round — these games scan the network once, at startup.
Hosting a game
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Everyone joins the LanOrbit room before opening the game
Warcraft III scans for games when you enter the LAN screen and keeps listening, but the first scan is the reliable one.
Screenshot slot — drop yours atassets/img/guides/wc3-host1.jpg(16:9) -
Open Local Area Network from the main menu
Choose Local Area Network, then Create Game. Pick your map — custom maps must be byte-identical on every machine, so send the same .w3x file around.
Screenshot slot — drop yours atassets/img/guides/wc3-host2.jpg(16:9) -
Set the slots and start
Set teams and slots as usual. The game appears in everyone else’s list as soon as it is created.
Screenshot slot — drop yours atassets/img/guides/wc3-host3.jpg(16:9) -
Keep LanOrbit open behind the game
Warcraft III in fullscreen will happily hide it. Do not close it from the tray — the room disappears with it.
Screenshot slot — drop yours atassets/img/guides/wc3-host4.jpg(16:9)
Joining a game
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Enter Local Area Network
From the main menu pick Local Area Network. You should see the host’s game in the list within a few seconds.
Screenshot slot — drop yours atassets/img/guides/wc3-join1.jpg(16:9) -
Check the map name matches what you have
If the host uses a custom map you do not have, the game shows but you cannot join. Ask for the file and drop it in
Maps\Download.Screenshot slot — drop yours atassets/img/guides/wc3-join2.jpg(16:9) -
Join and pick a slot
Click the game, choose a slot and a team colour. Latency shows next to each player once the lobby fills.
Screenshot slot — drop yours atassets/img/guides/wc3-join3.jpg(16:9)
Troubleshooting
No games show up in the LAN list
Allow war3.exe through Windows Firewall on Public networks. Warcraft III uses UDP 6112 both ways — if one side blocks it, the list stays empty for everyone.
Some players see the game, others do not
Usually a version mismatch. 1.26a and 1.27b do not see each other. Check Version in the bottom corner of the main menu on every machine.
The game desyncs mid-match
Almost always a map or patch difference rather than the network. Re-download the map from the host and confirm the file size matches.
FAQ
Does DotA work over this?
Yes. DotA is a custom map, so as long as everyone has the same .w3x file it plays exactly as it did on a real LAN.
Can more than 12 people play?
No, that is a limit of the game engine, not of LanOrbit. Rooms can be bigger, the game lobby cannot.
What about Reign of Chaos without the expansion?
It works the same way, but RoC and TFT clients cannot see each other. Everyone needs the same one.
Do we need a no-CD patch?
Not for LAN play. If your copy asks for the disc, that is a copy protection question, not a network one.
