Your own Satisfactory dedicated server, building while you are away

How big a server does your factory need?

Smaller than you might think at first, bigger as it grows. The official Satisfactory wiki puts memory at 8 GB, and says to go to 16 GB when saves get large or more than four players join. It also says the processor's single-thread speed matters most: the factory is worked out largely on one core, so a fast modern chip does more than a pile of slow cores.

• Processor: an Intel Core i5-3570 at minimum, or an AMD Ryzen 5 3600; faster per core is better.
• Memory: 8 GB to begin, 16 GB for a big build or a bigger group.
• Disk: the Linux server files take about 8 GB.
• System: 64-bit Windows or Linux (Debian, Ubuntu and friends). There is no ARM version.

Which ports do I open?

Two, since Patch 1.1. Port 7777 needs both TCP and UDP: it carries the game itself plus the server's API and query traffic. Port 8888 over TCP, added in Patch 1.1, handles reliable messaging. If a guide says 15000 or 15777, it predates version 1.0, which retired them.

Up and running in an evening

1. Order a server with Ubuntu and log in over SSH.
2. Create an ordinary user called steam; the wiki recommends not running the server as root.
3. Install SteamCMD, Valve's download tool, from Ubuntu's multiverse section after turning on 32-bit support, and accept Steam's licence.
4. Download the server, Steam app 1690800, with an anonymous login, into a folder you choose.
5. Open the ports, keeping SSH open for yourself, and start the server with FactoryServer.sh.

sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash steam
sudo add-apt-repository multiverse
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y steamcmd

# download now, and run again after every game patch
sudo -u steam /usr/games/steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/steam/satisfactory +login anonymous +app_update 1690800 validate +quit

sudo ufw allow 22/tcp && sudo ufw allow 7777 && sudo ufw allow 8888/tcp && sudo ufw enable
sudo -u steam /home/steam/satisfactory/FactoryServer.sh

To keep the factory running after you log out and after a reboot, turn that last command into a small systemd service that runs as steam and restarts if it stops.

Make it yours before anyone else does

A fresh server has to be claimed before anyone can play on it, and until then whoever reaches it first can claim it. Open Satisfactory, go to the Server Manager on the main menu, add your server's IP address and port, then name it and set an administrator password. Do it straight away. You can also set a password for players, which is switched off unless you turn it on.

It does not matter which shop your friends bought the game from: players on Steam and on Epic can join the same dedicated server.

Keeping your factory safe

The Server Manager lets you choose how often the game autosaves and whether it saves when someone leaves. On Linux, the saves land in the SaveGames/server folder, under .config/Epic/FactoryGame/Saved in the home folder of the user running the server.

Those saves live on the same drive as the server, so copy them to another computer regularly. Hundreds of hours of conveyor belts deserve more than one copy.

The server that fits

Satisfactory rewards a quick processor that is not shared. Our game servers on bare metal are whole HPE enterprise machines, configured how you like, with the operating system of your choice, so no one else's game shares the chip; pick a line with high clock speeds rather than the cheapest or the one with most cores, and your port is not shared with any other customer at the access switch.

A server already racked is ready about 30 minutes after your order is approved; payment checks can add time first. Pick a data centre near your group, and the unmetered port never counts your traffic. Support is there day and night by live chat, email or phone, and the whole range is on our dedicated servers page.

When you can skip it

If you play with one or two friends and always together, hosting from the game is fine. A dedicated server is worth it when you want the factory to keep producing while the host is away, when the save has grown big enough to slow the host's own game, or when the group keeps growing.

Questions people ask

Is 8 GB of memory enough for Satisfactory?

For a small group starting out, yes; that is the wiki's figure. Move to 16 GB for bigger factories or more than four players.

Do I still need ports 15000 and 15777?

No. Version 1.0 retired 15000 and 15777; the server now uses TCP and UDP on 7777, plus TCP on 8888 since Patch 1.1. Guides that still mention 15000 and 15777 are out of date.

Can friends on Epic join my Steam-installed server?

Yes. Players from both stores can join a dedicated server, whichever store the server files came from.

How do I become the server's admin?

Claim it from the Server Manager in the game's main menu: add the server, name it, and choose an admin password. Do it as soon as the server is running.

Can I run it on a Raspberry Pi or other ARM computer?

No. The dedicated server is built for 64-bit Intel and AMD processors only.

Where do I find my save to back it up?

On Linux, look for SaveGames/server under .config/Epic/FactoryGame/Saved in the home folder of the user that runs the server, and copy it somewhere else regularly.