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GuidesGuidesLaunch a free Factorio server, let it create your save on first boot, and get the whole factory-building crew connected.
Factorio's dedicated server is refreshingly low-fuss: give it a save name, start it, and it either loads that save or creates a fresh one for you. This guide covers the full loop — first launch, joining, starting a new save, and adding mods the honest way.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| You need | A free Falix account |
| Time | Under ten minutes |
| Plan | Free — Factorio runs on the free plan |
Open Servers → Create server, go to the Games tab, and pick Factorio. That's the whole creation step — the panel sets up the dedicated server for you. (New to the create page? The Knowledge Base has a walkthrough.)
Open the Settings page, Environment tab, and find the SAVE_NAME variable. It defaults to save1. This is the name of the save file the server runs. You can leave it as-is for your first world or set a name you'll recognize later — either works.
Press Start and watch the Console. On the first boot there's no save file yet, so the server creates one with the name from SAVE_NAME, then boots into it. On later starts it simply loads that same save. Once the console shows the server running and hosting the game, you're ready for players.
Factorio needs the address and port — there's no name-only shortcut. Copy both from the Network page. In the game your friends open Multiplayer → Connect to address, paste in address:port, and they're in.
Want to begin a brand-new factory? You've got two clean options:
SAVE_NAME to something new on the Environment tab and restart. Since no save by that name exists, the server generates a fresh one (your old save stays on disk under its old name).⚠️ Heads up: Your save survives restarts, stops, and the free-plan sleep — but not a reinstall. The Reinstall action on the Settings page's Danger tab re-runs the install (with an option to delete all files), and switching the server to a different game reinstalls it too. Take a backup before either — on free, backups save to your own Google Drive.
Factorio uses a mods folder on the server, and here's the rule that trips people up: server-side mods must be matched by every client. If the server runs a mod, every player needs that same mod at the same version installed in their own game, or they can't join. So mods are a group decision, not a server-only switch.
⚠️ Heads up: Server-side mods must be matched by every client — same mods, same versions, for everyone — or players can't join.
To add them, upload the mod files into the server's mods folder with the File Manager, then restart. Get the mods themselves — and their exact versions — from Factorio's official mod portal at mods.factorio.com, and have everyone install the matching set locally. Keep the server list and the client lists identical and multiplayer stays happy.
The Console page is your confirmation: on first start you'll see the save being created and the server begin hosting; when a friend connects, their join shows up in the log. If someone can reach address:port and load into your factory, everything's wired correctly.
address:port from the Network page, not just the address. If that's correct, confirm the server is running: I can't reach my server.SAVE_NAME points to. Set it to the save you meant and restart.