If a Satisfactory server is missing, first determine whether you are joining a Friends Only hosted game or a dedicated server. Friends Only sessions are joined through the Join Game menu by an invited friend; dedicated servers are added and managed in Server Manager. For a dedicated server, check the running process and listening interfaces before changing the router. Current default dedicated-server networking requires three flows: 7777/TCP, 7777/UDP and 8888/TCP. A server can appear in a list yet hang during joining when one of those flows, especially 8888/TCP, is missing.
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The fastest isolation method is to test from another device on the same LAN and then from an external network. A LAN failure points to the process, binding, host firewall or local router. A LAN success followed by an Internet failure points to port forwarding, CGNAT, ISP filtering or an upstream firewall.
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Friends Only hosted session
A Friends Only game is hosted by a player rather than by a separate dedicated-server process. Friends join it from the game’s Join Game menu. Dedicated-server port-forwarding instructions do not automatically apply to this arrangement, so do not begin by changing router rules unless you have confirmed that a dedicated server is involved.
Dedicated server
A dedicated server runs as its own server process and is added through the in-game Server Manager. It must be running, listening on the intended interfaces, reachable through the host firewall, and mapped correctly through any router or upstream NAT. The checks below are for this session type.
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2. Confirm that the server process is actually running
The official dedicated-server troubleshooting guidance identifies a stopped or crashed process as the simplest reason a connection fails. Check the host before touching the router: a forwarding rule cannot make an inactive process visible.
Windows process check
- Open Task Manager and look for the Satisfactory dedicated-server process.
- For a command-line check, open Command Prompt and run
tasklist | find "FactoryServer.exe". - If no process is returned, start the server using the shortcut or script normally used on that machine.
- If it starts and disappears, inspect the server’s console output and logs for a crash, missing dependency, permission problem or an address/port conflict.
Do not assume that a launch window means the server stayed alive. Re-run the process check after several minutes and after a player attempts to connect.
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Linux process check
Use the process-check procedure in the official dedicated-server documentation for your installation method. Verify that the service manager, container or launch script reports the server as active rather than merely having completed a start command. If the process repeatedly exits, solve that local failure before investigating NAT.
Check for multiple instances
Two server instances can compete for the same port. One may fail to bind while another remains active, or a second instance may select a different available port. Stop unintended copies, start one known instance, and record the ports shown by its startup output.
3. Verify listeners and interface binding
A running process is not enough; the operating system must show listeners on the expected ports. On Windows, netstat -ano | findstr ":7777" and netstat -ano | findstr ":8888" can show matching entries and process IDs. Compare those IDs with the FactoryServer process in Task Manager. On Linux, use your distribution’s socket-listing tool, such as ss, to inspect TCP and UDP listeners.
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What the listening address means
0.0.0.0,*or::generally indicates that the process accepts connections on available interfaces.- A specific LAN address means the process is bound only to that interface. Ensure it is the address players are meant to use.
- A loopback address such as
127.0.0.1limits access to the host itself and will prevent other LAN devices from joining.
If a listener is absent, restart the server after correcting its configuration. If it is present only on the wrong interface, change the bind setting used by your launch configuration and verify the result again. When several instances are present, identify which process owns each listener before forwarding any port.
4. Open the current default dedicated-server ports
Patch 1.1.0.0 changed the default requirements. The current official port table lists these three flows:
| Port | Transport | Purpose | Where it must be allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7777 | TCP | Server traffic and HTTPS API | Server process, host firewall and router or upstream NAT |
| 7777 | UDP | Game traffic and lightweight query | Server process, host firewall and router or upstream NAT |
| 8888 | TCP | Reliable messaging, required since Patch 1.1.0.0 | Server process, host firewall and router or upstream NAT |
Forwarding only 7777 after a 1.1 migration can produce the confusing state in which the server is visible but joining never finishes. Treat TCP and UDP as separate rules even though they share the number 7777.
5. Account for custom port settings
The defaults apply only when the server uses its default configuration. The official port guidance notes that -Port= or reliable-port parameters can change the values. Read the launch command, configuration file and startup output to determine the actual numbers.
- Write down the configured game/server port and reliable-messaging port.
- Create matching TCP and UDP rules for the configured server port when both transports are used.
- Create a TCP rule for the configured reliable-messaging port.
- Use exactly those values in the host firewall and router forwards; do not leave one component on 7777 or 8888 by habit.
- Restart the process and confirm that the operating system is listening on the new values.
If you are diagnosing a migrated installation, temporarily returning to the documented defaults can remove ambiguity. Change one variable at a time so a successful test identifies the cause.
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6. Point router forwarding at the correct host
Every forward must target the machine currently running FactoryServer. A DHCP lease can change that machine’s private address, leaving an apparently correct rule pointed at an old computer.
- On the server host, record its current private IPv4 address.
- In the router’s port-forwarding page, select that address as the destination.
- Create entries for the required TCP and UDP flows, using the actual configured numbers.
- Save the rules and reboot only if the router requires it; a reboot is not a substitute for a correct destination.
- After a lease change, update the rule or reserve the host’s address in DHCP so future changes do not silently break it.
If the host has more than one network adapter, ensure the forward points to the interface on the same LAN as the router. A virtual adapter, VPN or disconnected Ethernet port can make an old address look plausible while sending traffic nowhere.
7. Allow the process through the host firewall and antivirus
Permit inbound traffic for the dedicated-server executable and for every required TCP or UDP port. Create rules on the active network profile; a rule limited to a private profile will not help if Windows identifies the connection as public.
Windows checks
- In Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security, inspect Inbound Rules for the server executable and the required ports.
- When Windows prompts about network access, allow the dedicated server on the networks where it is intended to operate.
- Temporarily test with security software configured according to the official support guidance, then restore protection and add a narrow permanent exception rather than leaving the firewall disabled.
- If strict or TBD NAT persists, the official support page recommends resetting the firewall and allowing the game executable through antivirus or Windows Defender.
Linux and appliance firewalls
Check the host firewall, container network policy and any hypervisor security group. A rule on the physical host does not automatically expose a port inside a container or virtual machine. The listener, container mapping and external rule must all use the same configured values.
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8. Test locally before testing from the Internet
LAN test
- From another device on the same LAN, add or discover the dedicated server in Server Manager.
- Attempt a complete join, not merely a list refresh.
- If it fails, recheck process state, listener addresses, host firewall rules and the server’s LAN address.
A successful LAN join proves that the process and local path work. It does not prove that the Internet path is configured.
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External test
- Move a test device to a different network, such as a mobile hotspot or another household connection.
- Connect using the public address and configured port information.
- Compare the result with the LAN test.
If LAN works but the external test fails, concentrate on router forwarding, CGNAT, ISP restrictions and upstream firewalls. If both fail, return to the process and binding checks instead of repeatedly editing NAT rules.
Verify from outside while the process is running
The official wiki suggests using nmap and online port checkers, but warns that many web checkers test TCP only. Test the UDP game flow separately where the tool supports it, and verify the reliable TCP port as well. A TCP-only “open” result cannot prove that UDP is reachable, and a checker run while the process is stopped will produce a misleading result.
9. Fix strict or TBD NAT status
Strict or TBD NAT usually means that the path between the client and host is not permitting the required inbound or return traffic. Work through the layers in order:
- Confirm that the server is running and listening on the configured values.
- Allow the executable and ports in the host firewall and antivirus.
- Confirm that the router forwards to the host’s current LAN address.
- Check whether the router’s Internet-facing address is a real public address. If it is itself private or shared, the connection may be behind carrier-grade NAT.
- Look for a second router, mesh gateway, modem firewall or VPN creating another NAT layer.
- Ask the ISP whether inbound connections are filtered or whether a public IPv4 address is available.
Users of pfSense may need Hybrid or Manual outbound mapping, as noted by the official support guidance, when automatic rules do not produce the required return path. Apply that change only after confirming the server’s actual interfaces and ports.
10. Match the symptom to the most likely check
| Symptom | First check | Likely action |
|---|---|---|
| Server absent everywhere | Process and listener state | Start or restart the dedicated server and verify that the expected port is bound. |
| Visible on LAN, absent from the Internet | NAT and an external test | Correct the LAN destination address and investigate CGNAT or ISP restrictions. |
| Appears in the list, but joining hangs | The UDP game flow and reliable TCP flow | Forward and allow both paths end to end, including the reliable port introduced with Patch 1.1.0.0. |
| Strict or TBD NAT | Firewall, antivirus and router NAT | Reset the firewall if necessary, allow the executable and correct the NAT mappings. |
| Only the host can see it | LAN firewall and interface binding | Bind to the LAN interface and permit inbound traffic on the active network profile. |
11. A clean recovery sequence
When a configuration has accumulated several changes, use this order to avoid chasing stale state:
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- Stop every unintended server instance.
- Confirm one clean process start and record its startup ports.
- Verify listeners and binding on the host.
- Apply host-firewall and antivirus exceptions.
- Confirm the host’s current LAN address.
- Update router forwards to that address and the recorded ports.
- Join from a second LAN device.
- Join from an external network.
- Only after both tests work, re-enable optional VPNs, extra adapters or non-default port settings one at a time.
This sequence distinguishes a server failure from a network-path failure and leaves you with a known-good baseline for future updates.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems12. When self-hosting is the wrong constraint
Managed hosting can remove some home-network problems, but it does not automatically guarantee compatibility. Compare options on the factors that affect this specific failure:
- Firewall and file control: self-hosting gives direct access to logs, launch arguments and firewall rules; a managed service may restrict them.
- Port configuration: verify that the provider lets you configure the current TCP and UDP flows, including the reliable-messaging port.
- CGNAT and ISP exposure: hosting outside your home can avoid your residential NAT, while self-hosting depends on a reachable public path.
- Maintenance: self-hosting requires updates, restarts, backups and crash recovery; a provider may handle some of these but not all.
- Branch compatibility: confirm support for the current Satisfactory branch and Patch 1.1.0.0 networking requirements.
- Cost and performance: prices and performance vary by provider and are not established by the networking documentation, so verify current terms separately.
Changing hosts is not the first remedy for a stopped process or a missing firewall rule. Consider it when CGNAT, ISP policy or maintenance capacity makes a reachable home server impractical.
13. The key statement from the official troubleshooting guidance
“The simplest reason for not being able to connect to the server is that it is not running.”
That guidance, from the Official Satisfactory Wiki’s dedicated-server troubleshooting page, remains the correct first check in 2026: establish that one intended process is alive and listening, then trace the connection outward through the host firewall, router and Internet path.
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