How to join your Factorio server

You join a Factorio server from Multiplayer > Connect to address in the game. Type the address and port from the address card on Overview, like megabase.play.wilderack.com:30197, and you’re in. If the server uses mods, the game offers to sync them first.

Before you start

• Same game version. Your game must run exactly the same version as the server. On Steam, Factorio updates on its own, and so does your server, unless you pinned a version in Settings.
• Same mods. If the server uses mods, you need the same ones. The game can fetch them for you when you join.
• Space Age, if the server uses it. A Space Age server needs every player to own Space Age.
• Your address and port. Open the panel and copy them from the address card on Overview.

Your address and port

Your address card shows something like this:

megabase.play.wilderack.com:30197

Factorio takes the address and port together in one box, so copy the whole thing. Use the port from your address card, not Factorio’s usual 34197. Each server gets its own port. The only time you’d use 34197 is with the Dedicated IP add-on.

Join by address on PC, Mac or Linux

1. Start Factorio and select Play, then Multiplayer.
2. Select Connect to address.
3. In the IP address and port box, paste your address and port: megabase.play.wilderack.com:30197.
4. If the server has a password, type it in the Password box.
5. Select Connect.

If your mods don’t match the server’s, the game shows a list of differences and offers Sync mods with server. Accept it. The game downloads the right mods from the mod portal, turns them on, restarts, and joins. You need to be signed in to your factorio.com account for the download. Steam players usually are already.

Each time you join, the game downloads the map from the server. Big maps take a little longer.

Join from Browse public games

Your server can also appear in Multiplayer > Browse public games, where anyone can find it by name. For that, three things must be true:

1. The server is set to public. That’s visibility > public in server-settings.json, or the matching setting in Settings.
2. Your factorio.com username and token are on the server. See Add your factorio.com token.
3. The server is awake. A sleeping server drops off the list, so set Settings > Sleep to always-on for a public server.

Friends don’t need the list. Connect to address always works, and it wakes a sleeping server.

Nintendo Switch

The Switch version can play with PC players only when the game versions match exactly. The Switch often runs a version behind PC. A few more limits:

• Switch has no mods, so a modded server won’t work.
• Space Age needs a Switch 2.
• Dedicated servers don’t show in the Switch’s game browser.

If your group includes Switch players, pin your server’s game version in Settings to the version the Switch runs.

Server passwords

A password keeps strangers out of your server.

• In the panel: set the server password in Settings.
• In the file: set game_password in server-settings.json, then restart.
• In the game, as admin: type /config set password followed by the new password.

Players type the password in the Password box when they connect. To check whether one is set, admins can type /config get password.

Joining a sleeping server

Your server naps when nobody’s playing. Connecting with your address wakes it, usually in a couple of seconds, and the game carries on joining.

If the join fails while it wakes, wait a few seconds and select Connect again. You can also open the wake link play.wilderack.com/w/megabase and press the wake button first. That’s handy to share in your group chat before a session.

Can’t connect?

• “Could not establish network communication with server.”
• “Version mismatch detected!”
• “Mods mismatch detected!”
• The password doesn’t work
• The server doesn’t show in Browse public games

Still stuck? Write to support@wilderack.com with your server’s address. A real person will help.