diff --git a/src/dispatchers/playwrightDispatcher.ts b/src/dispatchers/playwrightDispatcher.ts
index 92794ba685..25b2001834 100644
--- a/src/dispatchers/playwrightDispatcher.ts
+++ b/src/dispatchers/playwrightDispatcher.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import net from 'net';
+import net, { AddressInfo } from 'net';
 import * as channels from '../protocol/channels';
 import { Playwright } from '../server/playwright';
 import { AndroidDispatcher } from './androidDispatcher';
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import { SelectorsDispatcher } from './selectorsDispatcher';
 import * as types from '../server/types';
 import { SocksConnection, SocksConnectionClient } from '../utils/socksProxy';
 import { createGuid } from '../utils/utils';
+import { debugLogger } from '../utils/debugLogger';
 
 export class PlaywrightDispatcher extends Dispatcher<Playwright, channels.PlaywrightInitializer> implements channels.PlaywrightChannel {
   private _socksProxy: SocksProxy | undefined;
@@ -45,9 +46,10 @@ export class PlaywrightDispatcher extends Dispatcher<Playwright, channels.Playwr
     }, false);
   }
 
-  enableSocksProxy(port: number) {
+  async enableSocksProxy() {
     this._socksProxy = new SocksProxy(this);
-    this._socksProxy.listen(port);
+    this._object.options.socksProxyPort = await this._socksProxy.listen(0);
+    debugLogger.log('proxy', `Starting socks proxy server on port ${this._object.options.socksProxyPort}`);
   }
 
   async socksConnected(params: channels.PlaywrightSocksConnectedParams, metadata?: channels.Metadata): Promise<void> {
@@ -85,8 +87,12 @@ class SocksProxy implements SocksConnectionClient {
     });
   }
 
-  listen(port: number) {
-    this._server.listen(port);
+  async listen(port: number): Promise<number> {
+    return new Promise(f => {
+      this._server.listen(port, () => {
+        f((this._server.address() as AddressInfo).port);
+      });
+    });
   }
 
   onSocketRequested(uid: string, host: string, port: number): void {
diff --git a/src/remote/playwrightServer.ts b/src/remote/playwrightServer.ts
index f32a866e92..56605417f9 100644
--- a/src/remote/playwrightServer.ts
+++ b/src/remote/playwrightServer.ts
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ export class PlaywrightServer {
           playwright = createPlaywright();
           const dispatcher = new PlaywrightDispatcher(rootScope, playwright);
           if (process.env.PW_SOCKS_PROXY_PORT)
-            dispatcher.enableSocksProxy(+process.env.PW_SOCKS_PROXY_PORT);
+            await dispatcher.enableSocksProxy();
           return dispatcher;
         });
         return () => {
diff --git a/src/server/browser.ts b/src/server/browser.ts
index 0e3d3fc77d..ee804a12a4 100644
--- a/src/server/browser.ts
+++ b/src/server/browser.ts
@@ -33,8 +33,9 @@ export interface BrowserProcess {
 }
 
 export type PlaywrightOptions = {
-  rootSdkObject: SdkObject,
-  selectors: Selectors,
+  rootSdkObject: SdkObject;
+  selectors: Selectors;
+  socksProxyPort?: number;
 };
 
 export type BrowserOptions = PlaywrightOptions & {
diff --git a/src/server/browserType.ts b/src/server/browserType.ts
index 9ed5ca5f77..766603200a 100644
--- a/src/server/browserType.ts
+++ b/src/server/browserType.ts
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ export abstract class BrowserType extends SdkObject {
   }
 
   async launch(metadata: CallMetadata, options: types.LaunchOptions, protocolLogger?: types.ProtocolLogger): Promise<Browser> {
-    options = validateLaunchOptions(options);
+    options = this._validateLaunchOptions(options);
     const controller = new ProgressController(metadata, this);
     controller.setLogName('browser');
     const browser = await controller.run(progress => {
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ export abstract class BrowserType extends SdkObject {
   }
 
   async launchPersistentContext(metadata: CallMetadata, userDataDir: string, options: types.LaunchPersistentOptions): Promise<BrowserContext> {
-    options = validateLaunchOptions(options);
+    options = this._validateLaunchOptions(options);
     const controller = new ProgressController(metadata, this);
     const persistent: types.BrowserContextOptions = options;
     controller.setLogName('browser');
@@ -243,6 +243,18 @@ export abstract class BrowserType extends SdkObject {
     throw new Error('CDP connections are only supported by Chromium');
   }
 
+  private _validateLaunchOptions<Options extends types.LaunchOptions>(options: Options): Options {
+    const { devtools = false } = options;
+    let { headless = !devtools, downloadsPath, proxy } = options;
+    if (debugMode())
+      headless = false;
+    if (downloadsPath && !path.isAbsolute(downloadsPath))
+      downloadsPath = path.join(process.cwd(), downloadsPath);
+    if (this._playwrightOptions.socksProxyPort)
+      proxy = { server: `socks5://127.0.0.1:${this._playwrightOptions.socksProxyPort}` };
+    return { ...options, devtools, headless, downloadsPath, proxy };
+  }
+
   abstract _defaultArgs(options: types.LaunchOptions, isPersistent: boolean, userDataDir: string): string[];
   abstract _connectToTransport(transport: ConnectionTransport, options: BrowserOptions): Promise<Browser>;
   abstract _amendEnvironment(env: Env, userDataDir: string, executable: string, browserArguments: string[]): Env;
@@ -256,15 +268,3 @@ function copyTestHooks(from: object, to: object) {
       (to as any)[key] = value;
   }
 }
-
-function validateLaunchOptions<Options extends types.LaunchOptions>(options: Options): Options {
-  const { devtools = false } = options;
-  let { headless = !devtools, downloadsPath, proxy } = options;
-  if (debugMode())
-    headless = false;
-  if (downloadsPath && !path.isAbsolute(downloadsPath))
-    downloadsPath = path.join(process.cwd(), downloadsPath);
-  if (process.env.PW_SOCKS_PROXY_PORT)
-    proxy = { server: `socks5://127.0.0.1:${process.env.PW_SOCKS_PROXY_PORT}` };
-  return { ...options, devtools, headless, downloadsPath, proxy };
-}
diff --git a/src/server/chromium/chromium.ts b/src/server/chromium/chromium.ts
index 52dc11b77e..f1ed62eee9 100644
--- a/src/server/chromium/chromium.ts
+++ b/src/server/chromium/chromium.ts
@@ -163,14 +163,14 @@ export class Chromium extends BrowserType {
       const proxyURL = new URL(proxy.server);
       const isSocks = proxyURL.protocol === 'socks5:';
       // https://www.chromium.org/developers/design-documents/network-settings
-      if (isSocks && !process.env.PW_SOCKS_PROXY_PORT) {
+      if (isSocks && !this._playwrightOptions.socksProxyPort) {
         // https://www.chromium.org/developers/design-documents/network-stack/socks-proxy
         chromeArguments.push(`--host-resolver-rules="MAP * ~NOTFOUND , EXCLUDE ${proxyURL.hostname}"`);
       }
       chromeArguments.push(`--proxy-server=${proxy.server}`);
       const proxyBypassRules = [];
       // https://source.chromium.org/chromium/chromium/src/+/master:net/docs/proxy.md;l=548;drc=71698e610121078e0d1a811054dcf9fd89b49578
-      if (process.env.PW_SOCKS_PROXY_PORT)
+      if (this._playwrightOptions.socksProxyPort)
         proxyBypassRules.push('<-loopback>');
       if (proxy.bypass)
         proxyBypassRules.push(...proxy.bypass.split(',').map(t => t.trim()).map(t => t.startsWith('.') ? '*' + t : t));
diff --git a/tests/port-forwarding-server.spec.ts b/tests/port-forwarding-server.spec.ts
index 0cdbe63169..bbe5d7e1d9 100644
--- a/tests/port-forwarding-server.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/port-forwarding-server.spec.ts
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ class OutOfProcessPlaywrightServer {
       detached: true,
       env: {
         ...process.env,
-        PW_SOCKS_PROXY_PORT: String(proxyPort)
+        PW_SOCKS_PROXY_PORT: '1'
       }
     });
     this._driverProcess.unref();
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@ class OutOfProcessPlaywrightServer {
         if (line.startsWith(prefix))
           resolve(line.substr(prefix.length));
       });
+      this._driverProcess.stderr.on('data', (data: Buffer) => {
+        console.log(data.toString());
+      });
       this._driverProcess.on('exit', () => reject());
     });
   }