Host a Factorio dedicated server on your PC

This is for someone who has never run a game server. You will run Factorio as a dedicated server on a Windows PC so friends can play even when you are not in the factory. The PC has to stay on while people play.

Friends must be on the same Factorio version and the same mods, or they will not join. Do not pin an old zip. When they update, download a matching zip from the same Downloads page and make a new world, or copy your save across.

1. Get Factorio from the Downloads page

On Windows there is no separate headless zip. The dedicated server is the same factorio.exe you already know, started from a command window. The Headless download on that page is for Linux only. Do not hunt random links.

1. Open factorio.com/download.
2. Log in with the account that owns Factorio.
3. Under Download Factorio, get the Windows zip for the latest stable. Not the demo.
4. Extract it to a folder you will keep, for example C:\FactorioServer. Inside you should see bin and data.

2. If anyone does not own Space Age, turn it off first

Factorio 2.0 ships with Space Age turned on. If any friend does not own the expansion, they bounce on join. Do this before you create the world. A save made with Space Age on cannot simply have it switched off later.

1. In C:\FactorioServer, open the mods folder. Create it if it is missing.
2. Create or open mod-list.json in Notepad. Paste this, then Save:

{
  "mods": [
    { "name": "base", "enabled": true },
    { "name": "space-age", "enabled": false },
    { "name": "elevated-rails", "enabled": false },
    { "name": "quality", "enabled": false }
  ]
}

If everyone owns Space Age, skip this step and leave the three expansion mods on.

3. Copy the server settings

1. Open C:\FactorioServer\data.
2. Copy server-settings.example.json. Rename the copy to server-settings.json. Keep the example as a backup.
3. Open server-settings.json in Notepad.
4. Change name to whatever friends should see.
5. The password friends type is game_password. Put it in the quotes, or leave the quotes empty for no password.
6. Set visibility public to false unless you have filled in your factorio.com username and token. Friends can still join with your IP.
7. Leave RCON off. Do not add rcon_port or rcon_password. If those lines are already in the copy, leave the password empty.
8. Save. JSON is picky. Do not add extra commas.

4. Create a save, then host it

The dedicated server will not start without a save. Create one first, then start the server. Do both from the Factorio folder so the relative paths work.

1. Open File Explorer to C:\FactorioServer.
2. Click the address bar, type cmd, press Enter.
3. Type this and press Enter. Wait until it finishes:

.\bin\x64\factorio.exe --create .\saves\world.zip

1. When that window is done, start the server with this:

.\bin\x64\factorio.exe --start-server .\saves\world.zip --port 34197 --server-settings .\data\server-settings.json

Leave that window open while people play.

5. Open the port so friends can reach you

Friends outside your house need one hole in your router: send UDP port 34197 to this PC. Follow Port forwarding so friends can join for the Windows Firewall and router clicks. Use the Factorio row on that page. Factorio is UDP only.

6. Friends join

1. They open Factorio.
2. Choose Multiplayer, then Connect to address.
3. They type the public IP from the port-forwarding page, and port 34197 if it asks.
4. If you set game_password, they type that too.
5. They must match this PC's Factorio version and the same mods. If Space Age is on here, they need the expansion. If you turned the three mods off, they must have them off as well.

7. Save and stop

Type these in the server window:

• /server-save saves without shutting down.
• /quit saves and stops the server.

Do not close the window with the X if you can help it. Use /quit so it writes the save.

If you do not want the PC on

A hosted world does not need a zip or a router. omnipass.gg can run the dedicated server for you, so friends join without leaving a PC awake.