Connection issues during a live Gimkit session can stop a class in its tracks. This guide covers the exact checks and fixes for troubleshooting in Gimkit game servers, from confirming uptime to clearing firewall and websocket blocks. Pass it to your school’s IT team if the network changes need administrator access.
Checking Server Status Before Troubleshooting in Gimkit Game Servers
Start by ruling out an outage on Gimkit’s side. If the platform is down, no local change will reconnect you.
Open the official status page at gimkit.crisp.watch/en/ and confirm every service shows as operational. If something is reported as degraded or offline, the wait is on Gimkit’s engineering team. If everything reads green, the problem sits on your network or device, and you can move to the next check.
Running the Gimkit Compatibility Check at gimkit.com/check
Gimkit has a built-in diagnostic at gimkit.com/check. Load the page and let each test finish. A full pass means Gimkit should run normally on your network. A failed test points directly at where the block sits.
The two failures that account for most of the trouble are firewall restrictions on *.gimkitconnect.com and blocked websocket connections. Both are covered below.
How to Fix a Failed Firewall Check on *.gimkitconnect.com
A failed firewall test means the school network is blocking traffic to Gimkit’s game servers. Those servers run on the *.gimkitconnect.com domain.
The asterisk matters. It’s a wildcard, so the firewall has to allow every subdomain under gimkitconnect.com, not a single specific address.
| Setting | Required Value |
|---|---|
| Domain to allow | *.gimkitconnect.com |
| Port 80 | Open |
| Port 443 | Open |
Send these values to your IT administrator and ask them to permit traffic to *.gimkitconnect.com on both ports. This is the single most effective fix when troubleshooting Gimkit game servers from inside a school network. If you also want to check whether Gimkit itself is reachable on a given day, the Gimkit packet loss page covers related connection symptoms worth knowing.
How to Fix Websocket and SSL Failures in Gimkit Game Servers
Gimkit uses websockets for real-time gameplay communication. Websockets keep an open, persistent connection rather than firing one-off HTTP requests, and many school proxies block them by default.
Gimkit needs secure websockets specifically. If your traffic runs through a proxy, that proxy has to allow websocket traffic to *.gimkitconnect.com.
SSL inspection adds a second layer to the problem. Some school networks decrypt outbound traffic and swap in their own certificates for monitoring. When that happens, Gimkit’s authentication sees a certificate mismatch and the connection drops.
| Issue | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Websocket blocked | School proxy restrictions | Allow websocket requests to *.gimkitconnect.com |
| SSL certificate error | Network monitoring replaces certificates | Exempt *.gimkitconnect.com from SSL inspection |
Both fixes — websocket access and SSL bypass — often need to be applied together for the connection to hold. If you’re setting up classes or assignments once the network side clears, the Gimkit classes walkthrough and Gimkit assignments guide cover the workflows that depend on these connections being live.
What to Do With Other Failed Tests at gimkit.com/check
Failures outside the firewall and websocket checks usually relate to non-essential parts of the platform. They rarely block hosting or joining a live session, so they sit lower on the priority list when troubleshooting in Gimkit game servers. Clear them after the connection-critical fixes above are in place.
If you teach with Gimkit on managed Chromebooks, reviewing how to mark Gimkit as trusted in Google Workspace can resolve a separate set of permission errors that look similar to network failures.
Getting Additional Help With Gimkit Game Server Issues
After running through every step, the connection should hold. If problems continue once all the firewall and proxy changes are in place, contact Gimkit support directly at hello@gimkit.com.
The full domain allowlist is available on Gimkit’s help center. Pass that list to your IT department alongside this guide so they have everything needed to clear network-level access in one pass. For teachers running Gimkit and Kahoot in the same week, the Kahoot it join page covers a comparable join flow that IT teams often configure together.
FAQs
Why won’t my Gimkit game connect at school?
The school firewall or proxy is blocking *.gimkitconnect.com or websocket traffic. Run gimkit.com/check to see which test fails, then ask IT to allow the domain on ports 80 and 443.
What domain does Gimkit use for game servers?
Gimkit game servers run on the wildcard domain *.gimkitconnect.com. The asterisk covers every subdomain, so firewalls need to allow the entire wildcard rather than a single hostname.
How do I fix a websocket error in Gimkit?
Ask your network administrator to allow secure websocket traffic to *.gimkitconnect.com through the school proxy. Some networks also need *.gimkitconnect.com exempted from SSL inspection.
Is Gimkit down right now?
Check the official status page at gimkit.crisp.watch/en/. It shows live status for every Gimkit service. Green across the board means the issue is local to your network or device.
Who do I contact if Gimkit still won’t work?
Email Gimkit support at hello@gimkit.com with the failed test names from gimkit.com/check and a description of the network setup. Include whether SSL inspection or a proxy is in use.
