How to set up a Satisfactory server from scratch

What you need first

• An active Satisfactory plan on Fatality — see our Satisfactory hosting plans.
• A Steam copy of Satisfactory on each player's PC (required to connect).
• RAM: 8 GB for small factories; 12-16 GB for late-game / Phase 4+ megabases; 24 GB+ for 4-player co-op on a long-running world with heavy automation.

Deploy the server (1-click)

Our Satisfactory template runs SteamCMD with App ID 1690800 (anonymous login — free) and opens the default Satisfactory ports.

1. Pick the Satisfactory template at checkout

   On our Satisfactory hosting page, pick a plan sized for your factory ambition. Pick a location near your group — Satisfactory is co-op, not PvP, so exact latency is less critical but still matters for build responsiveness.

2. Wait for SteamCMD

   Server download is ~7 GB. First install takes 5-8 minutes. Console shows LogNet: Added socket subsystem and then the game ports going live.

3. Note the default ports

   Satisfactory uses three UDP ports by default (all opened on our plans):

   7777   — Game port (must be reachable)
   15000  — Beacon / discovery port (optional, used for LAN discovery)
   15777  — Query port (optional, for server lists)

Claim the server with an admin password

Satisfactory is different from most dedicated servers: initial configuration happens in-game, not through a config file. Nobody is an admin until someone claims the server.

1. Add the server in Satisfactory's Server Manager

   Launch Satisfactory. From the main menu: Server Manager → Add Server. Enter your server's IP and port (usually YOUR-IP:7777) and a display name.

2. Wait for "Unclaimed" status

   The server should show up with a red Unclaimed badge. If it says Offline, check the panel console — the server may not have finished booting yet, or the port may be blocked.

3. Claim it — choose server name & admin password

   Click Claim Server. Enter:

   • Server name — what other players see in the browser
   • Admin password — required for admin actions (world changes, saves, settings)

   Once submitted, the server is claimed by your Coffee Stain / Epic account.

4. Set a client password (optional)

   If you want a private server, set a join password as well. This is separate from the admin password — anyone with the client password can connect, but only admins can change world settings.

Manage the server in-game

Satisfactory's Server Manager UI handles most day-to-day operations — no web panel, no SFTP, no CLI required:

• Status tab — server version, uptime, active save, online players
• Sessions tab — create a new game, load an existing save, upload saves
• Saves tab — list all saves on the server, download, delete, upload from your local PC
• Settings tab — the same settings you'd find in ServerSettings.ini, exposed as a friendly UI. Autosave interval, client password, advanced game settings.
• Players tab — list of connected players, kick/ban options
• Advanced tab — access to Advanced Game Settings (creative mode, no build cost, etc.), which enables the cheaty stuff and disables achievements on the save.

Configure ServerSettings.ini

For settings not exposed in the in-game UI (or for scripted setups), the raw config lives at:

FactoryGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ServerSettings.ini    (Linux)
FactoryGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/ServerSettings.ini  (Windows)

The file is auto-generated on first boot. Typical contents:

[/Script/FactoryGame.FGServerSubsystem]
mAutoPause=False
mAutoSaveOnDisconnect=True
mAutoLoadSessionName=MyFactory
mServerRestartTimeSlot=09:00:00

[/Script/FactoryGame.FGAdminInterface]
AutosaveInterval=300         ; Autosave every 5 minutes
NetworkQuality=3             ; 0=Low, 1=Medium, 2=High, 3=Ultra
ServerGameplayAutoPause=True

What each setting does:

• mAutoPause — pauses the world when no players are connected (saves CPU; usually leave False for 24/7 factories)
• mAutoSaveOnDisconnect — forces a save when the last player disconnects
• mAutoLoadSessionName — which save to load on server boot
• AutosaveInterval — seconds between autosaves. Default 300; for megabases lower to 180 so you lose less on a crash
• NetworkQuality — how much state the server syncs. Ultra is the right setting unless you're bandwidth-constrained

Save management

Saves live at:

FactoryGame/Saved/SaveGames/server/

Each save is a .sav file. Saves can be uploaded / downloaded through the in-game Server Manager (Saves tab), or directly via SFTP.

Upload an existing single-player save

1. Find your local save: %LOCALAPPDATA%\FactoryGame\Saved\SaveGames\<your-account-id>\
2. Copy the .sav file
3. In the server's Server Manager → Saves → Upload Save, or SFTP it to FactoryGame/Saved/SaveGames/server/
4. In the Sessions tab, select the uploaded save and click Load

Download a save (for backup or local play)

Saves tab → pick save → Download. The file downloads to your local PC as a .sav — you can then load it in single-player to keep playing solo.

Autosaves and backups

Satisfactory keeps a rolling window of autosaves (MyFactory_autosave_0.sav, _autosave_1.sav, etc.). On top of that, our panel takes daily snapshots of the entire save directory with 30-day retention, so you can roll back to yesterday if today's world corrupts.

Mods via Satisfactory Mod Manager (SMM)

Satisfactory has a mature modding scene. The official manager is Satisfactory Mod Manager (SMM), which pulls from Ficsit.app, the central mod repository.

Install SMM locally first

1. Download SMM from ficsit.app or directly from the GitHub releases
2. Install it on your PC
3. Point it at your local Satisfactory install — it auto-detects in most cases

Add your server as a modded installation

1. Open SMM → Add Server

   In SMM, click the dropdown for installation → Add remote server. Enter your server's IP, port 7777, and the admin password you set when claiming.

2. Pick mods from Ficsit.app

   Browse the Mods tab inside SMM. Click Install on each mod you want. SMM:

   • Downloads the mod's server-side files
   • Uploads them to the server via the admin API
   • Resolves dependencies (usually requires Satisfactory Mod Loader (SML) — SMM installs that automatically)
   • Prompts you to restart the server when ready

3. Distribute matching mods to every player

   Each player installs SMM locally, adds their local Satisfactory install, and installs the same mod set and versions as the server. SMM has a profile export/import feature — share a profile file with your community and they can one-click match your server's mod list.

4. Restart the server

   SMM prompts you; restart from the panel to finalize. Mods load on boot.

Popular mods to start with

• Refined Power — new power generators, fuels, and storage
• Infinite Nudge — unlimited building precision nudging
• Mini Mam — compact MAM UI, saves on-screen space
• More Machines — additional crafting machines / extractors
• FicsIt-Networks — Lua scripting inside the game (automation / signage / complex control logic)
• Structural Solutions — extra building parts, very popular
• Area Actions — quality-of-life copy/paste for large areas

Connect and test

1. Launch Satisfactory

   Single-player menu is fine to start.

2. Open the Server Manager

   Main menu → Server Manager. Your claimed server is in the list.

3. Join a session

   Select the server → pick a session (save) → Join Game. If the server is running an active session you'll drop straight into your factory.

4. Alternatively: Session Browser

   Main menu → Play → Session Browser lists any server that's broadcasting publicly (without a client password). Yours appears here if configured as public.

Common errors and fixes

Server shows "Offline" in Server Manager

Usually one of:

• Port 7777 UDP isn't reachable — our panel opens it by default, but a manual firewall might block it
• The server hasn't finished booting — first boot can take 60-120 seconds
• The IP changed (rare on our infra) — update the server entry in your Server Manager

"This server is Unclaimed"

Nobody has claimed it yet. Click Claim Server in the Server Manager, set a name and admin password. First claimant becomes admin.

"Failed to connect" with a correct IP

Check the server's active session has actually loaded. An Unclaimed or No-Session server will reject connections even with the right IP. Load a save from Sessions first, then connect.

Server keeps crashing after a Satisfactory update

Almost always a mod incompatibility. Roll back to the previous game version via SteamCMD:

app_update 1690800 -beta previous_release validate

Once your mods update for the new version, re-roll forward.

"Save is from a newer version"

A player loaded the save in single-player on a newer game version than the server. The save's on-disk format has been upgraded and can't be opened by the older server. Either:

• Update the server to the latest Satisfactory via SteamCMD
• Restore the previous save file from our panel's Backups (daily auto-snapshots ship standard)

Lag / chunk streaming issues with 3+ players

Usually server-side CPU or network:

• Check NetworkQuality=3 (Ultra) in ServerSettings.ini — worth the bandwidth
• Upgrade plan CPU/RAM if the megabase is pushing limits
• Check mAutoPause=False so the server doesn't de-sync after brief disconnects

Admin password forgotten

Rare but annoying. You can reset it by deleting FactoryGame/Saved/SaveGames/server/ServerGameState.sav via SFTP and restarting the server — this un-claims it, and you can re-claim with a new password. Your actual factory saves are unaffected.

Can't see my friend's factory / "The host is too far away"

Satisfactory unloads chunks far from the host. If the host is 300 km away on the map, you can't walk to them. Teleport via the map (pick a point near them), fly there with a Jetpack / Hover Pack, or the host can use the Summon Pioneer admin command to teleport a player to their location.

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Stuck on something specific? Email support with your server IP, the save you're trying to load, and the last 50 lines of the server log — we'll usually have an answer within the hour.