Brand new laptop, everything updated, BAR fresh from the installer, and the battle lobby disappears the second you host it. Welcome to the club. Here is what actually works.
New hardware hits this wall regularly. The installer finishes, everything says it is current, and something still misbehines. Three things to check before posting for help:
This is the big one. You host a private lobby. The battle listing appears for two seconds and vanishes. Your friends cannot see it. You refresh. Nothing.
What is actually happening: the lobby server requires a stable connection handshake. If your firewall, antivirus, or router is doing aggressive port inspection, the lobby registration silently fails. The lobby exists locally but never registers on the master server list.
Fixes that work:
Most install support threads land on the same conclusion: the system is fine, something between the system and the server is getting in the way. A brand new laptop means a fresh Windows image with whatever manufacturer bloat and default firewall rules shipped with it. The BAR installer does its job. The environment around it does the rest.
Clean up the noise, let the traffic through, and most install problems resolve in under five minutes. Post screenshots instead of vague descriptions when you do need help. It saves everybody time.
Every BAR player went through this. Fresh install, lobby disappears, confusion. The fastest way past this wall is methodical troubleshooting and asking clear questions when you need help. The community respects effort.
"Creed is the first really comfortable community I have been a part of. Everyone is nice and kind, the atmosphere is relaxed, and I am not getting yelled at for not being optimal."