Satisfactory Dedicated Server Won't Connect? The Real Fixes (2026)
Start here: are you even using the right menu?
The single most common "my server won't connect" report is not a connection problem at all. Satisfactory has two multiplayer menus and they are not interchangeable. A player-hosted game is joined from Join Game and shows up in your friends list. A dedicated server is added and joined only through Server Manager on the main menu.
Open Server Manager, click Add Server, and enter the address and port your host gave you, for example 123.45.67.89:7777. On HostSimple that address is on your server page and in your welcome email. If you were typing the address into the session browser or expecting the server to appear like a friend's game, that's the whole issue: it never will, by design.
Claim the server before anyone can play
A fresh dedicated server is unclaimed. It's running, it's reachable, but it has no owner and no session, so every connection attempt appears to do nothing. This trips up people migrating from a player-hosted world who expect to just join.
In Server Manager, select the server, and it prompts you to claim it: set an admin password and a server name. Once claimed, you either create a new session or load a save (see the save transfer guide for moving an existing factory across). Until a session is running, there is nothing to connect to, and that's the confusing part: the server is up but empty.
The port: one number, both protocols
Since the 1.0 release Satisfactory uses a single port for everything: 7777, on both UDP and TCP. The old separate game/query/beacon ports are gone. If you rent a server this is already handled and the port is shown in your panel, so you don't touch it.
If you self-host on your own PC or a home box, this is where most self-hosting attempts fail. You have to forward 7777/udp and 7777/tcp on your router to the machine, and open both in the host firewall. Forwarding only UDP, or only TCP, produces exactly the "connects locally but not for friends" symptom. Self-hosting also puts your home IP address in front of every player, which is the main reason people move to a dedicated host once the group grows.
"Incompatible version" and the Experimental trap
If most people connect and one person can't, or nobody can right after a game update, it's a version mismatch. The server and every client must run the same Satisfactory build. Two ways this happens:
The server is behind. After Coffee Stain ships an update, a server that hasn't restarted is still on the old build and rejects updated clients. HostSimple servers pull the latest build on every restart, so hit Restart on your server page and reconnect a minute later. Self-hosters have to re-run SteamCMD to update the server files.
Stable vs Experimental. Satisfactory has two branches, and they are not cross-compatible. A player on Experimental cannot join a stable server, and a save made on Experimental won't load on a stable server. Everyone in the group must be on the same branch. If your group wants Experimental, the server has to be switched to it too; on HostSimple that's a support ticket and a restart at the same price, covered in the hosting guide.
The certificate warning is not the problem
On first connect the client shows an insecure connection or certificate warning. This is normal. Dedicated servers ship with a self-signed certificate, so the game flags it the same way a browser flags a self-signed site. Accept it and continue; nothing is wrong and the connection is fine. People sometimes stop here thinking the warning is why they can't get in, and then never actually try the connect.
Still stuck? Work down this list
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Server not in the game list at all | Looking in Join Game instead of Server Manager | Add it in Server Manager with IP:port. |
| Added, but nothing happens on connect | Server unclaimed or no session loaded | Claim it, set admin password, create or load a session. |
| Works for you, not for friends | Only one of UDP/TCP 7777 forwarded (self-host), or their client version differs | Forward both protocols; have them match the server build. |
| "Incompatible version" | Server behind an update, or stable/Experimental mismatch | Restart the server to update it; put everyone on the same branch. |
| Certificate / insecure warning | Self-signed server certificate | Expected. Accept and continue. |
| Connects then times out under load | Undersized server for the factory | A busy factory needs 8 GB+ RAM and strong single-core CPU; oversold cheap nodes stutter at peak. |
| Everything looks right, still nothing | Server actually down or wrong address | Confirm the server shows online in your panel and re-copy the address rather than retyping it. |
On HostSimple the last two rows rarely come up: plans start at 8 GB of RAM on NVMe with strong single-core CPUs, and the connection address is shown with a copy button so there's nothing to mistype. If you've worked down this list and it still won't connect, email support and the founder looks at your actual server, usually within the hour.
Related guides
Satisfactory server hosting: requirements and real costs covers how much server a growing factory needs. Moving your save to a dedicated server walks through the in-game upload. Plans and the $1 trial are on the Satisfactory server hosting page: Standard is $11.99/month with 8 GB RAM and 25 GB NVMe, Large is $19.99/month with 16 GB, both with the single 7777 port open and DDoS protection on from the first minute.
Frequently asked questions
- Why can't I find my Satisfactory dedicated server in the game?
- A dedicated server is added through the Server Manager on the main menu, not the Join Game / session browser. Open Server Manager, click Add Server, and type the server's IP and port. Dedicated servers do not appear in the friends/session list the way a player-hosted game does.
- What port does a Satisfactory dedicated server use?
- One port, 7777, on both UDP and TCP (7777/udp and 7777/tcp). Since the 1.0 update Satisfactory no longer uses the old three-port range. If you self-host you must forward 7777 for both protocols; on a hosting provider the port is already open and shown in your panel.
- The server says it isn't claimed. What does that mean?
- A brand-new dedicated server has no owner yet, and nobody can play until someone claims it. In Server Manager select the server, set an admin password, give it a name, then either create a new session or load a save. Claiming is a one-time step on first connect.
- Why do I get an 'insecure' or certificate warning connecting?
- Dedicated servers use a self-signed certificate by default, so the client shows a certificate/insecure notice on first connect. It is expected and not an error. Accept it and continue; the connection still works normally.
- Everyone connects except me / except my friend. Why?
- Almost always a version mismatch on that one person's client. The server and every client must be on the same Satisfactory build, and a stable server will refuse a client on the Experimental branch and vice versa. Have the odd one out check their branch in Steam and update, or on HostSimple restart the server so it pulls the latest build.