Before you start
This guide covers local and direct internet joining on Windows, plus a manually configured Playit tunnel. The port-editing steps require a Tavern build with Networking > Ports. Wait for the factory session to be ready before inviting friends.
Match the server and game-client versions. Choose whether to create a fresh factory or review an existing save, and decide who should have administration access. Coffee Stain links to its community-maintained dedicated-server reference for current game-specific instructions.
Use a Windows 10 or 11 x64 PC. Keep it on, awake, and connected while friends play, with enough memory left for Windows and your own game.
New to Tavern? Apply for the alpha. If you already have a server, keep a separate backup before linking or importing it.
Set up with Tavern
Choose a starting session
Choose Satisfactory and Install a new server. Review the server name, session/world name, starting location, and separate player/admin access. Keep the selected session name consistent when returning to an existing factory.
Wait for preparation and startup checks
Finish Tavern's setup and let first-session preparation complete. After Start, follow the reported progress and any required action. A server process running does not alone prove that a factory is ready to join.
Review the available settings
Some settings become available after the first start. Refresh Game Config when Tavern asks you to, then review the options for your installed version.
Finish the review and choose Create server. When setup is complete, start it and follow any instructions Tavern shows. Join yourself, then ask a friend to try the connection your group will use.
Bring your friends
Review both local ports
Stop the selected server and open Networking > Ports. The Game / API port needs TCP and UDP; Reliable messaging needs TCP. Their usual defaults are 7777 and 8888, but use the values for your server. Save changes before starting again. Saving in Tavern does not update your router or Playit tunnel.
Using your router
For direct router access, forward both TCP and UDP for the game/API port and TCP for the reliable messaging port to the server PC. Keep the game/API port number the same inside and outside your network. If the public reliable port differs from its local port, enter the public number in Reliable messaging > advertised public port. Allow both connections through Windows Firewall.
Create a two-port Playit tunnel
In Playit, create a TCP/UDP tunnel with Port Count set to 2. Playit shows the first public address and port; the second port is one number higher on the same IP. Set Origin Configuration > Local IP to 127.0.0.1 when the Playit agent and server run on the same PC. Use the server PC's local network address when the agent runs on another PC.
Match the allocated range
For the simple Playit setup, set its Local Port and Tavern's Game / API port to the first allocated public port. Set Tavern's Reliable messaging port and its advertised public port to the second allocated port. For example, a two-port allocation starting at 52999 uses 52999 for game/API and 53000 for reliable messaging. These are example numbers; use your own allocation. Save, start the server, and keep the Playit agent running.
Add the server in-game
In Satisfactory, open Server Manager > Add Server. Enter the local host address and game/API port when playing on your network, or the Playit/public hostname and first public port for an internet connection. Select the added server and join from Server Manager. Do not use Join Game > Join Game Directly for a dedicated server. Review your server's certificate identity and required access prompts. The game opens the second connection automatically; friends do not add a second server entry.
Check a real friend join
Ask a friend outside your home network to join through Server Manager and stay in the factory after loading. A running agent, a visible server, or a successful API check does not prove that both game connections work.
Changing local ports
For custom ports, stop the selected server and open Networking > Ports. Edit its local ports, save, update any router or tunnel mappings, then start the server and use the updated address. Tavern keeps game-required adjacent ports together and checks for conflicts. These controls require a Tavern build with the Ports section.
Share the connection details from the right server in Tavern. For friends outside your home, test with someone on another network; joining from the host PC alone is not enough.
Make it your world
Server and factory options
Use Settings > Game Config to review the server and factory rules. Available options depend on the installed version. Follow Tavern's instructions if a change requires a restart.
Player and admin access
Keep the client password separate from administration credentials. A friend being able to join should not automatically give them permission to manage the server or replace its active session.
Protect your progress
Back up the selected factory session and keep an original copy before importing. Tavern isolates managed saves under the server's data location, which can differ from the default location shown in a manual guide. Confirm the expected factory, progression, and inventory after a restart before relying on a migration.
In Backups, choose Create backup for this server. Wait for Activity to report completion and check that the backup appears in the list. Do this before updates, imports, or major changes.
Restoring replaces the current world data, so keep a copy of your latest progress first. Use Tavern's stop control and wait for shutdown before turning the PC off.
If something gets stuck
Startup is still pending
Read Tavern's progress and diagnostics. A pending label does not mean your factory is lost. Keep the save and follow any recovery instructions instead of replacing the world.
Encryption token missing
Add the dedicated server through Server Manager, then join from its server entry. Joining through Join Game > Join Game Directly can miss the dedicated server's connection ticket. If Server Manager also fails, check the game/API connection first.
Failed to Connect to the Server API
Check that the server is ready, the address uses the current game/API port, and the tunnel or router carries TCP as well as UDP for that port. Try the local address in Server Manager. If local access works but the public address fails, review the public tunnel or router path.
The factory loads, then I lose the host
Check the second TCP connection for reliable messaging. Confirm the tunnel's second public port, its local target, and Tavern's advertised public reliable port agree. A two-port tunnel aimed at local 7777 forwards to 7777 and 7778, not to 7777 and 8888. Use Networking > Ports to match a consecutive local range, or configure the reliable mapping explicitly. Check matching game versions and the player password too.
Do I need to leave my game open?
The dedicated server runs separately from your game client. The host PC, server, and selected connection route need to remain available while friends play.
Sources & testing status
Checked against Tavern's app source and the publisher resources below. Game support is in beta; your installed alpha may differ. This review did not include a new gameplay, restore, or outside-network join test.
- Coffee Stain: dedicated-server support and recommended reference
- Playit: Satisfactory Windows server and two-port tunnel setup
- Community-maintained Satisfactory reference: required ports and joining
The game's documentation may include features Tavern does not yet offer. Use the options available in your version of the app.