Limbo: a stub server during restarts
How not to kick players when a backend restarts: limbo on the proxy, a return queue, and configuring fallback.
Updated August 13, 2026
When you restart a game server, players either get kicked off the network or end up in the lobby. Limbo is the third option: they stay connected and wait.
How it works
Limbo is a minimal server (often built into a proxy plugin) that keeps the connection alive and shows a waiting screen. Once the backend comes back, players are moved back automatically.
Setup
- A limbo plugin on the proxy — Velocity.
- In the settings, specify which servers to "cover".
- The waiting message and the timeout.
Why you need it
- Restarting survival stops being an event: players don't scatter.
- A nightly scheduled restart doesn't reset AFK players.
- You can roll out updates at a convenient time, not only during dead hours.
Fallback without limbo
The minimal option is try on the lobby: if the backend goes down, the player lands in the lobby instead of getting kicked — Lobby.
Limitation
Limbo doesn't save the game state: the player returns to where they left, but everything that happened on the server in the meantime goes on without them.
