Your own Satisfactory dedicated server, building while you are away

How much machine does a 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. When the Server Manager can't reach a new server, check those two ports before anything else: the ufw allow 7777 line in the install below opens TCP and UDP together, while 8888 needs its own TCP rule, and a firewall copied from an older guide will have opened 15000 and 15777 instead.

Installing on Ubuntu with SteamCMD

1. Order a server with Ubuntu and log in over SSH.
2. Turn the firewall on before anything listens: IPv6 first so the rules apply to both kinds of address, then SSH for yourself, then the game's ports.
3. Create an ordinary user called steam; the wiki recommends not running the server as root.
4. Install SteamCMD, Valve's download tool, from Ubuntu's multiverse section after turning on 32-bit support, and accept Steam's licence.
5. Download the server, Steam app 1690800, with an anonymous login, into a folder you choose.
6. Run FactoryServer.sh as a systemd service that belongs to steam, so the factory keeps going after you log out and after a reboot.

sudo sed -i 's/^IPV6=.*/IPV6=yes/' /etc/default/ufw
sudo ufw allow OpenSSH && sudo ufw --force enable
sudo ufw allow 7777
sudo ufw allow 8888/tcp

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

That last line stops at Steam's licence screen, which is why the block ends there. Accept it, then paste the rest:

# first download; after this the service looks for an update each time it starts
sudo -u steam bash -c 'cd /home/steam && /usr/games/steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/steam/satisfactory +login anonymous +app_update 1690800 validate +quit'

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/satisfactory.service > /dev/null <<'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=Satisfactory dedicated server
Wants=network-online.target
After=syslog.target network.target nss-lookup.target network-online.target

[Service]
ExecStartPre=-/usr/games/steamcmd +force_install_dir "/home/steam/satisfactory" +login anonymous +app_update 1690800 validate +quit
ExecStart=/home/steam/satisfactory/FactoryServer.sh
User=steam
Group=steam
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=60
KillSignal=SIGINT
TimeoutStartSec=1800
WorkingDirectory=/home/steam/satisfactory

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

sudo systemctl daemon-reload && sudo systemctl enable --now satisfactory

The unit is the example from the wiki's Running as a Service page, with these paths filled in and two changes of ours. The - in front of ExecStartPre lets the server start anyway when SteamCMD exits with an error; it doesn't help if SteamCMD hangs. TimeoutStartSec=1800 gives a long update half an hour, since the 90-second default in systemd covers that step too. A game patch arrives with sudo systemctl restart satisfactory, but mind the wiki's warning first: the server doesn't save by itself when it stops, so save the game or wait until nobody is connected.

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.

Picking a machine for a factory that keeps growing

Satisfactory rewards a quick processor that is not shared. Our game servers on bare metal are whole machines, configured how you like, with the operating system of your choice, so no one else's game shares the chip. Let the wiki's single-thread advice guide your choice of line, rather than the core count alone. At the access switch the port is your machine's alone.

If the line you want is already racked, it normally reaches you about thirty minutes after the order clears approval and any payment review. Pick a data centre near your group, and the unmetered port never counts your traffic. Support answers at any hour by chat, email or phone, and every line is listed 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.