How to Host a Factorio Server: Hosted, Self Hosted or Free (2026)

There are three ways to host a Factorio server. Host it with us and your factory is online about a minute after checkout, with Space Age, passwords and mods set from a browser panel. Host it yourself for free with Wube's headless server, a free download from factorio.com that needs no login, on a machine with 2 GB of RAM or more and UDP port 34197 forwarded. Or click Host saved game in Factorio, which is free but stops when you quit. This guide covers all three.

Which way should you host Factorio?

Hosting from the game is fine for a group that always plays together. As soon as someone wants to keep building while the host sleeps, you need a dedicated server, at home or hosted.

How much RAM does a Factorio server need?

Less than most survival games. Every player simulates the whole map on their own machine and the server keeps everyone in lockstep, so a fast CPU core matters more than a pile of RAM. Memory grows with map size and mods:

Factorio has no hard player cap. The real limit is how busy your factory is. More in how much RAM a game server needs.

Option 1: Host a Factorio server with GamezServers

1. Pick a plan from the table above. Standard is the usual choice for Space Age. New customers get 50% off the first month.
2. Split the bill if you like. Choose Split with friends at checkout to share it between 2 and 10 people, each paying their own share by card with a 1 USD fee per share. Standard split four ways is about 3.50 USD each. Your server starts as soon as you pay your share.
3. Pay and open your server. It appears under Your servers as Setting up, then Online. The address at the top of the control panel looks like 203.0.113.10:34197. Click it to copy.
4. Choose Space Age or the classic game. Space Age, Quality and Elevated Rails are on by default and switch off together with the Space Age setting. Choose before the map is made, because switching changes an existing map.
5. Set a password. Set a Join password in the panel's settings, or turn on Whitelist only and add players with the Whitelist player button.
6. Share the address. There is no port to forward and no firewall to change.

The panel also has Save game, List players, Broadcast, Make admin, Kick player and Ban player buttons, a live console for every / command, a Files tab, and an SFTP login in Settings for big uploads. Billing is monthly with no contract, and you can cancel any time from the dashboard. See billing and cancellation and the control panel guide.

Upload your existing save

Your saves are in:

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

Press Backup, upload the save zip into the server's saves folder, set Save name in the panel to its file name without .zip, and restart. If the save used mods, upload them to the mods folder too. Full steps in how to upload a Factorio save to a server.

List it publicly

Turn on Public listing and add your factorio.com username and token (from your profile on factorio.com) in the panel. Without them the server still works for everyone with the address.

Option 2: Make a Factorio server on your own machine

The headless server is the game without graphics and sound. It is free, needs no Factorio login and does not need its own copy of the game. It is a Linux build. On Windows, use your normal Factorio install with the same server options: the executable is bin\x64\factorio.exe inside the game folder.

You need a machine that stays on while people play, 2 GB of free RAM for a small vanilla map (4 GB for Space Age, 8 GB for megabases), a fast CPU core, the same Factorio version as your players, and access to your router.

Step 1: Download the headless server

Download it from the headless section of factorio.com/download, or straight from a Linux terminal:

wget -O factorio-headless.tar.xz https://www.factorio.com/get-download/stable/headless/linux64
tar -xJf factorio-headless.tar.xz
cd factorio

This creates a factorio folder with the server binary at bin/x64/factorio. Repeat the download after every Factorio update, because players cannot join a server on a different version.

Step 2: Create a save

A Factorio server always runs a save file. Create a fresh map:

./bin/x64/factorio --create ./saves/my-save.zip

To continue a single player factory, copy its zip from your saves folder into the server's saves folder and use that name instead. Its mods have to be on the server too.

Step 3: Configure server-settings.json

Copy the example that ships with the server:

cp ./data/server-settings.example.json ./data/server-settings.json

The settings most people change:

• name and description: what shows in the server browser.
• visibility: set public to true to list it in Browse public games, or false to keep it private. lan controls listing on your local network.
• username and token: your factorio.com username and token, only needed for a public server. The token is on your profile at factorio.com.
• game_password: set one so only your friends get in.
• require_user_verification: leave on true so players must log in with a real Factorio account.
• max_players: 0 means no limit.
• autosave_interval and autosave_slots: minutes between autosaves, and how many to keep.
• auto_pause: pauses the game when nobody is online, which most private servers want.
• 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. Every key is explained in our server-settings.json guide.

Step 4: Start the server

./bin/x64/factorio --start-server ./saves/my-save.zip --server-settings ./data/server-settings.json

To always load the newest save, including autosaves, use --start-server-load-latest instead of --start-server and a file name. When the console shows the server is hosting the game, it is ready. Stop it with Ctrl+C, and it saves before it shuts down. On Linux, run it inside screen, tmux or a systemd service so it keeps running after you close the terminal.

To make yourself admin, type /promote YourName in the server console, or list admin names in a server-adminlist.json file.

Step 5: Open UDP port 34197

Factorio uses UDP port 34197 by default and nothing else. TCP is not needed.

1. Allow UDP 34197 through the firewall. On Ubuntu that is sudo ufw allow 34197/udp.
2. Forward UDP 34197 on your router to the server's local IP.
3. If friends still cannot connect, check that your router is not randomising source ports on UDP, which the Factorio wiki lists as a known cause of failed connections.

A second server needs --port 34198 on its launch line, forwarded too. Our port forwarding guide covers the router side. If your router's WAN IP differs from what a "what is my IP" site shows, your provider uses CGNAT and forwarded ports never reach you.

Can a Raspberry Pi run a Factorio server?

Yes, now. Friday Facts #446 on 18 September 2026 announced Factorio for ARM64 Linux, including the headless version, running on a Raspberry Pi 5. On factorio.com the ARM64 headless download is offered for experimental 2.1, not stable 2.0, so every player has to opt into the 2.1 experimental branch to join. Read the Factorio 2.1 update guide first. A Pi 5 is fine for a small group and a growing base. Big Space Age megabases or overhaul mods want a faster CPU. The same build also runs on ARM cloud machines, including some free tier instances, though their availability and terms can change.

Option 3: Host Factorio for free from the game

1. In Factorio, click Multiplayer, then Host new game or Host saved game.
2. Choose the visibility: Public, Steam or LAN. Steam visibility lets Steam friends join without an address.
3. Set a password if you want one and start.
4. Friends join from the server browser, Steam, or Connect to address with your public IP. For friends outside your network, forward UDP 34197.

When you close the game, the server is gone, and nobody can keep building while you sleep.

How do friends connect to a Factorio server?

1. Open Factorio on the same version as the server.
2. Click Play, then Multiplayer, then Connect to address.
3. Enter the address including the port, for example 203.0.113.10:34197, and click Connect.
4. Enter the game password if there is one. If the server runs mods, accept the prompt to sync them.

A public server can also be found by name in Browse public games.

What are the catches with hosting for free?

• Uptime. A home server goes offline with power cuts, Windows updates and sleep mode.
• Updates. The server and every player need the exact same version. When Steam updates your game, you have to update the server by hand or nobody can join.
• Port forwarding and CGNAT. Behind CGNAT, outside players cannot reach a home server at all.
• Your home IP is shared with everyone who joins. See is hosting a game server at home safe.

How do you add mods and Space Age?

Download mod zips from the Factorio mod portal, put them in the server's mods folder and restart. At home, mods/mod-list.json switches mods on and off, and it is also where the expansion is turned on:

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

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

Backups, updates and upgrades

• Backups: on our servers, press Save game, then Backup before a new mod or a version update. Each server keeps 3, on top of Factorio's own autosaves. At home, copy the saves folder.
• Updates: on our servers, press Update game when Steam updates your game. It backs up your map, installs the newest stable release and keeps your saves, mods and settings. The Factorio version setting picks latest, experimental or an exact version like 2.0.72. At home, download the headless build again.
• Sleep when empty: our servers stop after 4 days with nobody online, and anyone with access starts them again in one click. Factorio's auto_pause already freezes the factory when nobody is on, so it costs you nothing in game. Turn it off in Settings for a public server.
• Upgrading: move to a bigger plan in Settings. The price is prorated and the new RAM applies after a restart.

Common problems

• Timed out while connecting: UDP 34197 is not forwarded, the firewall blocks it, or the router changes the source port. Test from outside your network, since some routers cannot loop back to your own public IP. More in Factorio can't connect to server.
• "Version mismatch detected!": the player and server run different versions. Update the server, or the player picks the matching version on Steam under Properties, Betas. See the version mismatch fix.
• Mod mismatch: a server mod is missing from the portal or has a different version. Let the game sync mods, and update the server's mods after a big release.
• Server does not start after editing settings: the JSON is broken. Check commas and quotes around the line the error mentions.
• Public server rejected: the factorio.com username and token are missing or wrong.
• Late game slowdown: usually UPS, the simulation itself, not the network. If only one player lags, their computer cannot keep up. If everyone slows down, fewer bots, trains and belts help most. More RAM only helps when the server runs out of memory.

FAQ

Is the Factorio headless server free?

Yes. It is a free download from factorio.com that needs no login and no extra copy of the game. Every player needs their own copy of Factorio.

How much does it cost to host a Factorio server?

With us, from 4.99 USD a month for 2 GB, with 50% off the first month for new customers. The bill can be split with up to 10 people.

Can I host a Factorio server without port forwarding?

Not reliably at home. Players joining by IP need UDP 34197 to reach it. A hosted server has its own public address. More options in hosting a game server without port forwarding.

Do players need to download mods?

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

Does the server work with Space Age?

Yes. Every player who joins a Space Age map needs to own the expansion. For friends without it, turn Space Age off before the map is made.

How many players can join?

Factorio has no hard cap. Our plans have 8, 16 and 32 slots, and the real limit is how busy your factory is.

Can I password protect the server?

Yes. Set a join password in our panel, or game_password in server-settings.json at home.

Can a Raspberry Pi 4 run Factorio?

Wube's ARM64 announcement showed a Raspberry Pi 5. Older or weaker boards may run small maps, but expect them to struggle as the factory grows.

See Factorio server hosting to pick a plan and keep the factory growing while you sleep.