Factorio Dedicated Server Hosting 2026

Factorio is one of the best co-op experiences in PC gaming — and dedicated server support is excellent. The headless server binary is lightweight, the config system is clean, and Wube Software maintains it meticulously. With the Space Age DLC (2024) bringing new planets and mechanics, there's more reason than ever to play with friends.

Factorio Server Requirements

Factorio is a CPU-intensive game as factories grow, but RAM requirements are modest:

Factory Stage	Players	Recommended RAM
Early game	1–8	2–4 GB
Mid-late game	1–8	4–6 GB
Megabase	1–16	6–8 GB
Space Age (multi-planet)	1–8	4–6 GB

The main performance bottleneck in Factorio is UPS (Updates Per Second) — the game simulation rate. A megabase late-game will drop UPS on any server regardless of hardware due to the sheer number of entities being simulated.

Factorio Headless Server Setup

Factorio provides a dedicated headless binary (no graphics required):

./factorio --start-server mysave.zip \
  --server-settings server-settings.json \
  --server-whitelist server-whitelist.json

The server-settings.json controls everything:

{
  "name": "My Factorio Server",
  "description": "A Renzom-hosted Factorio server",
  "max_players": 0,
  "visibility": {
    "public": true,
    "lan": false
  },
  "username": "",
  "password": "",
  "game_password": "",
  "require_user_verification": true,
  "autosave_interval": 10,
  "autosave_slots": 5,
  "afk_autokick_interval": 0,
  "auto_pause": true
}

Key settings:

• max_players — 0 means unlimited
• autosave_interval — minutes between autosaves (10 is a good default)
• autosave_slots — number of rotating autosave slots
• require_user_verification — requires a Factorio.com account to join (prevents griefing)

Factorio.com Account and Public Server Listing

To list your server publicly on Factorio's official server browser:

1. Create a Factorio.com account
2. Set username and password in server-settings.json
3. Set "public": true in the visibility block

Without credentials, the server can only be joined via direct IP.

Map Generation Settings

Factorio's map generation is highly configurable via map-gen-settings.json. For a beginner-friendly experience:

{
  "terrain_segmentation": 0.5,
  "water": 0.5,
  "starting_area": "big",
  "peaceful_mode": false,
  "autoplace_controls": {
    "coal": {"frequency": "normal", "size": "big", "richness": "big"},
    "stone": {"frequency": "normal", "size": "big", "richness": "big"},
    "copper-ore": {"frequency": "normal", "size": "big", "richness": "big"},
    "iron-ore": {"frequency": "normal", "size": "big", "richness": "big"}
  }
}

Setting resources to big richness reduces early-game resource anxiety in multiplayer.

Space Age DLC Considerations

The Space Age DLC adds multiple planets (Vulcanus, Fulgora, Gleba, Aquilo) each with unique mechanics. For servers:

• All players on the server need the DLC to connect
• Server needs the DLC installed on the host
• Multi-planet logistics increase CPU usage moderately

Mods on Factorio Dedicated Servers

Mods are managed via the mods/ directory. The server and all clients must have the same mods:

1. Install mods on the server via the mod portal or manually
2. The server generates a mod-list.json that clients can import
3. Clients need to have matching mod versions

Popular mods:

• Krastorio 2 — Overhaul mod, extends the tech tree significantly
• Space Exploration — Massive space overhaul (separate from Space Age DLC)
• Bob's and Angel's — Complex overhaul mods, for experienced players
• Quality of Life Research — Simple QoL improvements

Renzom Factorio Hosting

Renzom offers Factorio servers from €5.30/month on EU hardware in Falkenstein, Germany. Factorio's headless server is lightweight — even a 2 GB instance runs smoothly for early-mid game.

What's included:

• Headless server with automatic save management
• Full file access for server-settings.json and map-gen-settings.json
• Mod folder access for mod management
• Automatic restart after crashes

Configure your Factorio server →

Summary

Factorio dedicated servers are lightweight, well-maintained, and perfect for co-op play. 2–4 GB RAM gets you through most of the game; only truly massive megabases stress the server. With Space Age adding new content and the modding scene as active as ever, 2026 is a great time to run a Factorio server.

Start your Factorio server on Renzom →