Satisfactory is a factory game about scale. A few smelters turn into a production line, the production line turns into a mega-base with trains, drones and belts across the whole map, and a co-op group can spend hundreds of hours building it together. A dedicated server is what makes that work: the factory lives on a machine that is always on, anyone in the group can log in and build, and nobody has to be the host. This guide covers how the server works, how much memory it needs, the settings that matter, mods, saves, and how to get one running on GGHOST Cloud.
What you are hosting
The Satisfactory dedicated server runs the full simulation of your factory: every machine, belt, pipe, train and drone. Late-game saves get genuinely large, and the server keeps simulating whether you are online or not (unless you tell it to pause). That is why Satisfactory needs more memory than most co-op games.
Unlike many games, Satisfactory is managed mostly from inside the game. You add the server in the Server Manager on the main menu and then:
- Claim it by giving it a name and setting an administrator password. The first person to claim a new server becomes its admin.
- Set a player password if you want only your group to join. It is off by default.
- Create a new game or upload a save, and choose which session loads when the server starts.
You can change the server build or game version as a startup setting in the panel and restart.
How much RAM does a Satisfactory server need?
Satisfactory saves grow with the factory, and memory headroom is what stops a mega-base stuttering. These are the figures we size servers at:
- Up to 4 players: 8 GB.
- 4 to 8 players: 12 GB. Or a very large late-game save.
The player count is only half of it. A small group with a huge late-game factory can need the larger size, because what costs memory is the number of buildings, belts and vehicles, not the number of people. If you are bringing an existing late-game save, tell us and we size for the save. If the memory graph sits near the top at peak, size up.
On GGHOST Cloud you pay for memory, not player slots. The player limit is a setting you choose, not a line on the invoice.
Settings in Server Manager
Most server options live in Server Manager under the server’s settings, so you can change them without touching a file. Two matter more than the rest:
- Auto Pause: pauses the game when no players are connected. Leave it on if you want the world frozen while you are away; turn it off if you want production to keep running overnight.
- Auto-Save on Player Disconnect: saves the game whenever a player leaves, which gives you a recent save at the end of every session.
Console commands
Server Manager has a console tab for the server. Useful commands include:
server.SaveGame <name>makes a named save, which is worth doing before a big rebuild.quitshuts the server down.
Resetting the admin password
If the admin password is lost, stop the server and delete its ServerSettings save file (named after the server’s port) in the save folder, then start it again. This also resets the server name, player password and auto-load session, so you claim the server again from Server Manager.
Performance tips for big factories
- Keep the factory tidy. Huge numbers of items on belts, and long belts carrying nothing useful, all cost simulation time. Clean, balanced production lines run better than sprawling ones.
- Use trains for long distances. Moving goods across the map on very long belts makes the server track every item on them.
- Watch for build-up. Overflowing storage and items piled on the ground add up over a long save.
- Decide on Auto Pause. If nobody needs the factory running overnight, Auto Pause saves the server simulating an empty world.
Mods: installing them safely
Satisfactory mods come from the community mod repository, and the easiest way to manage them is the Satisfactory Mod Manager. Version 3 and later can manage a dedicated server directly over SFTP: you add the server in the mod manager with the SFTP details from your panel, choose mods, and it installs them into the server’s FactoryGame/Mods folder.
A few rules keep a modded server healthy:
- Stop the server before installing. Then start it and check the console for errors.
- Not every mod works on a server. Some only run on the player’s game. Check the mod’s page before installing it on the server.
- Everyone needs the same mods. Export your mod profile and share it with your group so their games match the server.
- Back up before every mod change. Removing a mod that added buildings can leave holes in your factory.
Backups and saves
On GGHOST Cloud, backups run on a schedule you set and restore from the panel without opening a ticket. Run a daily backup, and take a manual one, or a named save with server.SaveGame, before game updates, mod changes and big rebuilds.
To bring an existing factory over, use the Manage Saves tab in Server Manager to upload a save from your own game, then set it as the session to load. You can also upload save files over SFTP into the server’s save folder.
Getting a Satisfactory server on GGHOST Cloud
Satisfactory is set up on request, not through checkout yet.
- Ask us. Message us on Discord (or open a ticket) with the build, mods and player count you need, how big your save is, and where your players are. Singapore and Europe (France–Germany border) are live today; the United States (East, Central and West), the United Kingdom, India, Japan and Australia are available on demand.
- We size it and quote. We recommend the memory for your group and factory and quote a monthly price. There is no setup fee and no contract, and billing is at app.gghost.cloud.
- We set it up. We build the server on our Pterodactyl panel, usually within a few days.
- Claim and share. The address and port are shown in the panel. Add the server in Server Manager, claim it with your admin password, load your save, and share the address with your group.
You then have the full panel at panel.gghost.cloud: a live console, file manager, SFTP, scheduled tasks for restarts and announcements, sub-users for your group, and database access. Every node is behind DDoS protection from our network providers, on every plan. Support comes from the people who run the servers, on Discord and at hello@gghost.cloud.
The short version
Start with 8 GB for up to four players and 12 GB for larger groups or a big late-game save. Claim the server in Server Manager, decide on Auto Pause, manage mods with the Satisfactory Mod Manager over SFTP, keep everyone on the same mods, and back up before every big change. Then get back to building.
