How to Update a Satisfactory Server to a New Version (2026)

To update a Satisfactory dedicated server, stop it, copy the save folder (.config/Epic/FactoryGame/Saved/SaveGames/ on Linux, %LOCALAPPDATA%\FactoryGame\Saved\SaveGames\ on Windows), then run SteamCMD for app 1690800 with the same branch you installed and start it again. Your factory carries over. The one rule: saves only move forward. A save opened on a newer version or on Experimental will not load on an older Stable server, so keep the backup until you are sure.

What an update changes and what it keeps

Stable or Experimental?

Satisfactory has two branches, and the server and every player must be on the same one.

The Satisfactory wiki's dedicated server page lists app ID 1690800 and the -beta experimental option. Coffee Stain warns that saves updated on Experimental cannot be reverted, so the branch you pick is the branch your save stays on until Stable catches up.

Before you start

• Read the patch notes. Look for save changes, server fixes and anything that says mods will break.
• Check your mods. On ficsit.app, see whether each mod and the Satisfactory Mod Loader support the new version yet.
• Tell players. Steam and Epic update the game on their own, and anyone on an old version cannot join a newer server, or the other way round.

Step 1: Save and stop

Save from Server Manager in game (or wait for an autosave), then stop the server.

Step 2: Back up first

Copy the whole SaveGames folder off the server. It holds server/ with your .sav files, blueprints/ and the server settings file. Downloading your newest save from Server Manager > Manage Saves is a good second copy.

Step 3: Update the server

Run the install command again from the same folder:

steamcmd +force_install_dir ~/SatisfactoryDedicatedServer +login anonymous +app_update 1690800 validate +quit

For Experimental, add -beta experimental before validate. Use the same branch as last time unless you mean to switch, and the same install folder, or you update a copy your start script never runs.

Step 4: Update or remove mods

If you run mods, update them before the first start on the new version. Open Satisfactory Mod Manager, select your server under Manage Servers, and update the profile. If a mod you depend on has no update yet, you have two choices: hold the server and every player on the old version, or remove that mod and accept that whatever it added disappears from the save.

Our Satisfactory mods guide covers profiles and server compatible mods.

Step 5: Start and load the save

Start the server and connect with Server Manager. It normally loads the last session by itself. If not, open Manage Saves and load your newest save. Check that power, trains and blueprints look right before your group starts building.

The gotcha: saves only move forward

Satisfactory saves are upward compatible, not downward. The moment a newer version saves your world, an older server cannot open it. Two common ways people get caught:

1. Trying Experimental on the server. You switch the server to Experimental, it autosaves, players complain, you switch back to Stable, and the save will not load. Unless you kept a backup from before the switch, you wait for Stable to catch up.
2. Updating while a mod is not ready. The server updates, the modded save is now on the new version, and rolling the server back is not possible from Steam, which only offers the current build of each branch.

So the backup in Step 2 is not optional. Keep it until your group has played a full session on the new version.

Common problems

• "Save is from a newer version" when loading: the server is on Stable and the save came from Experimental or a newer build. Update the server, or use an older backup.
• Players cannot join after the update: someone is on a different version or branch. On Steam, check Properties > Betas matches the server.
• Server crashes on start after an update with mods: the mod loader or a mod does not support the new version. Update them in SMM or remove the FactoryGame/Mods contents for now.
• Blueprints missing after the update: the blueprint folder name must match the session name. Updates do not rename it, so check it came back from a restore correctly.
• Server still on the old version: SteamCMD updated a different folder, or the server never fully stopped.

Updating on GamezServers

On a GamezServers Satisfactory server, Update on start is on by default, so a Restart from the panel installs the newest build of your branch before the server boots. Click Backup first. The branch is the Game branch setting in Settings (Stable or Experimental). If your mods are not ready for a new patch, turn Update on start off to hold the server on its current version, and turn it back on when they are. The save folder is at .config/Epic/FactoryGame/Saved/SaveGames/ in the Files tab. For what changed in the latest big update, see Satisfactory 1.2 for dedicated servers.

FAQ

Does updating a Satisfactory server delete my save?

No. Saves in SaveGames/server/ stay in place, and the new version upgrades them when it next saves. Back them up first, because an upgraded save cannot go back to an older version.

Can I go back from Experimental to Stable?

Only with a backup from before you switched. A save made on Experimental will not load on Stable until Stable reaches the same version.

Do Satisfactory mods break after an update?

Big updates usually break mods until their authors and the Satisfactory Mod Loader release new versions. Check ficsit.app before updating a modded server.

Why can my friend not join after the server updated?

Their game is on a different version or branch. Steam and Epic players must restart their launcher to get the patch, and Steam players must be on the same branch as the server.