How to Host a Factorio Server (Step by Step, 2026)

The simplest way to host a Factorio server is to rent a small headless one: pick a plan, pay, and your factory is online in about 60 seconds with its own address, so the night shift can keep building while you sleep. This guide covers hosting Factorio with GamezServers step by step, from choosing a plan to friends connecting, then the first things to set up: server-settings.json, mods and Space Age, and uploading your existing save. If you want to run the headless server on your own machine, read how to make a Factorio server.

Step 1: Pick the right plan

Factorio is light on memory compared with most survival games, because every player simulates the map on their own machine and the server keeps everyone in lockstep. Memory grows with map size and mods, and a fast CPU core matters more than a pile of RAM.

In short:

• A fresh vanilla map with two or three friends: Starter.
• Space Age with a few planets, or a base that is getting big: Standard.
• A megabase, Krastorio 2, Space Exploration style overhauls or an open public server: Pro.

New customers get 50% off the first month on any plan. See choosing a plan for more.

Step 2: Split the cost (optional)

At checkout, choose Split with friends and pick 2 to 10 people.

• You pay your share and the server starts right away.
• Each friend gets their own payment link and pays by card when they are ready. Every share keeps the server running longer.
• Each share includes a 1 USD payment fee, so Standard split four ways is about $3.50 each.
• If you are a new customer, friends get 50% off their first month too.
• If someone leaves, the remaining shares go up (never above the full server price), and everyone is emailed before any change.

Friends who make an account with the email they paid with see the server in their own dashboard, with the console, actions and files.

Step 3: Pay

Name your server, sign in or create an account on the same page, and pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay through Stripe. There is no setup form. The getting started guide shows the screens.

Step 4: What appears on the dashboard

Your server shows up on the dashboard as Setting up and switches to Online about a minute later. Open it to reach the control panel:

• The address and port at the top, ready to copy.
• A live console with full access, including every / server command.
• One click actions: Start, Stop, Restart, Backup, plus Save game, List players and Broadcast.
• A Files tab to edit server-settings.json and upload saves and mods, and an SFTP login in Settings for big uploads.

Step 5: Copy the address and connect

Click the address to copy it. It looks like 203.0.113.10:34197. Then each player:

1. Opens Factorio on the same version as your server.
2. Clicks Play, then Multiplayer, then Connect to address.
3. Pastes the server address, including the port, and clicks Connect.
4. If the server runs mods, accepts the prompt to sync them, and Factorio downloads the rest.

There is no port to forward and no firewall to change. If someone sees "Version mismatch detected!", their game is on a different version than the server. On Steam they can pick the matching version under Properties, Betas. Our version mismatch guide has the details.

Step 6: Configure your server

Stop the server, open Files, edit, then start it again.

server-settings.json

This file holds the multiplayer settings. The keys most groups change:

• name and description: what shows in the server browser.
• game_password: set one so only your friends get in.
• visibility: "public": true lists the server in Browse public games. A public listing also needs your factorio.com username and token in the same file.
• max_players: 0 means no limit. Your plan's player count is the practical guide.
• autosave_interval and autosave_slots: minutes between autosaves, and how many to keep.
• auto_pause: true pauses the factory when nobody is online, so biters do not eat your walls overnight.
• only_admins_can_pause_the_game: stops random players pausing a public game.

Keep the JSON valid. One missing comma or quote stops the server from starting, and the console shows which line is wrong.

Mods and Space Age

Add mods from the Factorio mod portal: put the mod zip files in the mods folder and restart. The file mods/mod-list.json switches mods on and off, and it is also where the expansion content is turned on. Inside its mods list, the expansion entries look like this:

{ "name": "space-age", "enabled": true },
{ "name": "quality", "enabled": true },
{ "name": "elevated-rails", "enabled": true }

Players never install mods by hand. When they join, Factorio offers to download the exact mods and versions the server runs. Everyone joining a Space Age map needs to own Space Age. Only portal mods can sync this way, so keep edited or private mods off shared servers.

Upload your existing save

Want to continue a factory from single player? Your saves are in:

• Windows: %appdata%\Factorio\saves
• Linux: ~/.factorio/saves
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/factorio/saves

Stop the server, click Backup, then upload your save zip into the server's saves folder. The server runs the save that is already there, so give your file the same name as that one (or replace it), and start the server. If your save used mods, add the same mods to the server. Full steps in how to upload a Factorio save to a server.

Make yourself admin

In the panel console, type:

/promote YourFactorioName

You can then kick, ban, change settings with /config and more. See the Factorio server commands list.

Backups

Click Save game, then Backup before big changes: a new mod, a version update, or letting a new player loose near the main bus. You keep 3 backups, on top of Factorio's own autosaves in the saves folder.

Sleep when empty

With Sleep when empty on, the server stops after 90 minutes with nobody online. The map is saved and anyone with access starts it again with one click. Factorio's own auto_pause already freezes the factory when nobody is on, so sleeping costs you nothing in game. Turn it off in Settings if you want the server always up for a public community.

Upgrading your plan

When the base outgrows its plan, move up in Settings. The price is prorated and the new RAM applies after a restart. Keep in mind that late game slowdown in Factorio is usually UPS, the simulation that runs on every player's machine. Fewer bots, trains and belts on screen help there, while a bigger plan helps most when the server itself is short on memory.

Self hosting vs GamezServers

Running the headless server yourself is a fun project if you have a Linux box. The full walkthrough is in how to make a Factorio server.

FAQ

How much does a Factorio server cost?

From $4.99 a month for 2 GB, with 50% off the first month for new customers. Split with friends, it can cost less than a coffee each.

Does the server need to own Factorio or Space Age?

No. The headless server needs no login. Every player needs their own copy of Factorio, and Space Age maps need each player to own the expansion.

Do players need to download mods?

Not by hand. Factorio offers to sync the server's mods when they join.

How many players can join?

Factorio has no hard cap. Our plans are sized for 8, 16 and 32 players, and the real limit is how busy your factory is.

Can I password protect the server?

Yes. Set game_password in server-settings.json and restart.