How to Set Up a Satisfactory Dedicated Server

Satisfactory factories only grow, and a dedicated server keeps yours running and expanding even when you log off — no more waiting for the host. Here's how to host one on Linux.

Sizing your server

Load scales with factory size more than player count, because Satisfactory simulates every belt, machine and item:

• Early game / small factory: 6 GB RAM.
• Mid-to-late game mega-factories: 8–12 GB RAM.
• CPU matters as belt and machine counts climb into the thousands.

Step 1: Install SteamCMD

sudo add-apt-repository multiverse -y
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install steamcmd screen -y

Step 2: Download the server

sudo adduser --disabled-password satisfactory
sudo su - satisfactory
steamcmd +force_install_dir ./sf-server +login anonymous +app_update 1690800 validate +quit

App ID 1690800 is the Satisfactory dedicated server.

Step 3: Start the server

cd sf-server
screen -S satisfactory
./FactoryServer.sh

Unlike many games, Satisfactory has no config file to edit up front — you configure and claim it from inside the game. Detach with Ctrl+A then D.

Step 4: Open the ports

Satisfactory uses UDP and TCP on port 7777:

sudo ufw allow 7777/udp
sudo ufw allow 7777/tcp

Older builds also used 15000 and 15777; the modern unified port is 7777.

Step 5: Claim the server in-game

This is the part that surprises people. In Satisfactory:

1. Open Server Manager from the main menu.
2. Add a new server using your-ip:7777.
3. On first connect you set the admin password and a server name — this "claims" the server to you.
4. Then either create a new save or upload an existing one to run on it.

Step 6: Load or create a save

From the Server Manager you can start a fresh game or upload a single-player save to continue it on the server. From then on, anyone with the server's join password can hop in and the factory keeps running.

Backups

Server saves live under ~/.config/Epic/FactoryGame/Saved/SaveGames/server/. Because a late-game save represents dozens of hours, back the folder up on a schedule:

cp -r ~/.config/Epic/FactoryGame/Saved/SaveGames/server ~/backups/sf-$(date +%F)

Mods with SMM

For modded play, the Satisfactory Mod Manager installs server-side mods, and every player needs the matching client mods. Mods can raise RAM use, so size up for big modded factories.

Advanced game settings

When you create the save from the Server Manager, you can enable advanced game settings — the equivalent of a creative/sandbox toggle. These let you disable power drain, unlock all research, give unlimited resources or turn off enemy creatures. They're perfect for a building-focused server, but note that enabling them flags the save, so decide early whether you want a "pure" progression run or a relaxed sandbox.

Server management tips

• The Server Manager shows CPU and memory use per server — watch it as your factory grows, since late-game belt and machine counts push CPU hard.
• Autosave interval and the number of retained autosaves are configurable; keep a few so you can roll back a bad build.
• To move an existing world onto the server, upload your single-player save through the Server Manager rather than copying files by hand.

Common issues

• Can't claim the server: you must connect from inside the game's Server Manager, not a browser — add your-ip:7777 there.
• Server not reachable: open both UDP and TCP on 7777.
• Performance drops late-game: a mega-factory is genuinely CPU-heavy — faster cores are the real fix.

The easy route

A sprawling Satisfactory factory is a genuine CPU and memory workload — thousands of simulated machines add up. Nxeon's VPS gives you the fast cores, generous RAM and NVMe storage that keep the simulation smooth, plus full root for mods and scripted backups. A one-click Satisfactory deploy runs SteamCMD for you, so you just claim the server in-game and start building.