Factorio server requirements: configurations by factory scale
For a Factorio server with 2–8 players, a starter base needs 2 high-performance vCPU, 4 GB RAM, and 30 GB NVMe, while a megabase targeting stable 60 UPS needs a CPU with a fast core at 3.8 GHz or higher and 8–16 GB RAM.
Why Factorio server requirements differ from other games
You cannot judge factorio server requirements by slot count alone: two players running a base at 10,000 science packs per minute can place more load on a server than eight players during the first hours of a new map. The server continuously calculates belts, inserters, trains, logistic networks, fluids, enemies, and mod scripts.
In most games, more concurrent players directly increase CPU and RAM usage. In Factorio, players add network traffic and actions, but the primary bottleneck is the size and complexity of the automated factory. The general principles in this guide to game server requirements and player capacity still apply, but target UPS matters more for Factorio.
Factory scale → VPS specs: a practical guide
For 2–8 players on a medium-sized factory, 2 high-frequency vCPU, 6 GB RAM, and 50 GB of NVMe storage are sufficient.
| Load scale | vCPU | RAM | Storage | Network port | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter: 2–4 players, up to 30 map hours | 2 vCPU, fast core from 3.5 GHz | 4 GB | 30 GB NVMe | 1 Gbps | Approximately $6–10/month, March 2026 |
| Medium base: 4–8 players, trains and bots | 2 vCPU, fast core from 3.8 GHz | 6 GB | 50 GB NVMe | 1 Gbps | Approximately $12–18/month, March 2026 |
| Large base: 2–8 players, 1–3k SPM | 4 vCPU, fast core from 4.0 GHz | 8 GB | 80 GB NVMe | 1 Gbps | Approximately $20–30/month, March 2026 |
| Megabase: 2–8 players, 3k SPM and mods | 4–6 vCPU, best core from 4.2 GHz | 12–16 GB | 100 GB NVMe | 1 Gbps | Approximately $35–60/month, March 2026 |
The table prices are general market estimates for March 2026: check the current price and CPU frequency of your selected Valebyte configuration before ordering. For a Factorio server, you cannot replace a high-frequency CPU with more slow vCPU, as this will provide almost no UPS improvement.
Factorio server how many players can it really support?
The better way to ask factorio server how many players is: “What factory can 2–8 players run at 60 UPS?” On a vanilla map, 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM can comfortably handle 4–8 connections until the base becomes a large bot-driven network.
Players create secondary, not primary, load
Every connected client receives world updates: character movement, entity states, maps, trains, and logistics networks. For 8 players with typical ping, a 1 Gbps port is normally more than enough; sustained traffic rarely comes close to the port's throughput. Short spikes can occur while synchronizing a new player, loading a large save, or during intensive construction.
The practical limit for 2 vCPU is not “8 slots,” but the point where the server can no longer calculate a tick within 16.67 ms. If six players are on the map and UPS remains at 60, resources are sufficient. If two players are online and UPS drops to 40–50, optimize the factory or move the save to a faster CPU.
How mods change Factorio server requirements
Krastorio 2, Space Exploration, Industrial Revolution, large QoL mod packs, and scenarios with more complex recipes change the calculation. A mod does not necessarily consume much memory, but its Lua scripts can significantly increase the time required to calculate each tick. For a large modded map, choosing 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, and NVMe from the start is sensible, even if the server is limited to four players.
Satisfactory has a similar relationship between automation and server resources; see this guide to Satisfactory server requirements, players, and factory size. However, Factorio is more sensitive to single-thread simulation performance.
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View plans →Factorio server UPS CPU: why clock speed matters more than core count
For factorio server ups cpu, the fastest CPU logical thread is critical because Factorio's main world simulation runs mostly sequentially. Four slow vCPU cannot replace two vCPU on a modern processor with high IPC and a 4.0–5.0 GHz clock speed.
60 UPS and the time budget for each tick
UPS means updates per second: the update rate of the game world. The normal target is 60 UPS, which means each tick must be calculated in approximately 16.67 ms. When the server needs 25 ms per tick, actual simulation speed falls to approximately 40 UPS. Players will notice slower production, trains, and bots even when network latency remains low.
Multiple cores are still useful: the operating system, save compression, networking tasks, backups, and separate processes will not compete with the main game thread. However, when choosing a VPS, assess CPU generation, single-thread performance, and the absence of aggressive CPU throttling before looking at core count.
What factory components use the most CPU
- Logistic networks: tens of thousands of logistic and construction bots generate frequent route and request checks.
- Transport lines: long, dense belt arrays carrying large numbers of items increase simulation workload.
- Trains: complex intersections, many stations, and dynamic routes add CPU work.
- Fluids: branching oil and steam networks require calculations; excessive connections are especially inefficient.
- Enemies and scripts: large biter waves, active expansion, and modded Lua events increase tick time.
When selecting factorio megabase server hardware, use the criteria in this guide on how to choose a CPU for a dedicated server: compare not only cores, but also architecture, sustained clock speed, and predictable performance.
How much RAM does a Factorio server need?
For factorio dedicated server ram, start with 4 GB for a vanilla starter map, use 6–8 GB for an active factory, and choose 12–16 GB for a modded megabase with backups and operating system headroom. RAM usage grows more slowly than CPU load, but insufficient memory causes swap activity and a severe UPS drop.
Factorio dedicated server RAM: what uses memory
Factorio dedicated server RAM is used by map state, chunks, entities, technology data, mods, connected players, and the Linux file cache. A 200–500 MB save does not mean the process will use the same amount of RAM: the decompressed world and working data structures require more memory.
On a VPS with 4 GB, reserve at least 700–1000 MB for the operating system and services. Do not host a control panel, database, Discord bots, web server, and multiple game worlds on the same machine without additional capacity. If available memory consistently falls below 1 GB, upgrade to 6 or 8 GB before swap appears.
Swap is a safety net, not working memory
1–2 GB of swap is useful as emergency protection against sudden OOM events, but the server should not use it continuously during gameplay. NVMe is faster than HDD, but even NVMe has latency orders of magnitude higher than RAM. Constant swap turns normal 60 UPS into unstable simulation performance.
free -h
vmstat 1
ps -o pid,%cpu,%mem,rss,cmd -C factorioIn vmstat 1 output, the si and so columns should remain close to 0 under normal load. Increasing values during gameplay indicate that you need more RAM or should remove third-party processes.
Factorio megabase server hardware: storage, networking, and backups
For factorio megabase server hardware, choose 80–100 GB of NVMe storage, a 1 Gbps port, and a CPU with a fast core; storage rarely determines UPS, but it directly affects startup, saves, and world recovery. HDD is acceptable only for an external archive, not the server's active working directory.
How much storage does the server and its saves need?
A clean server installation usually uses less than 2 GB, but it is not the only storage requirement. Keep at least 10–20 recent autosaves, separate manual restore points before mod updates, and an external archive. On a large map, a single save can be hundreds of megabytes, and 30 days of daily backups quickly become significant.
A practical minimum is 30 GB NVMe for a starter server, 50 GB for a medium base, and 80–100 GB for a megabase. Keep 20% of the disk free: this reduces the risk of errors while creating a new save and simplifies maintenance.
Network stability matters more than gigabits
For 2–8 players, a 1 Gbps port provides substantial headroom. The key factors are stable routing to players, low packet loss, and no artificial outbound bandwidth cap. High ping does not directly reduce UPS, but it makes cooperative building less enjoyable and can make it harder for players in other regions to connect.
If several gaming communities use the server, isolate instances by ports and resources. Unlike games with extremely heavy worlds, such as ARK Survival Ascended, Factorio is usually more economical with storage and memory, but becomes noticeably more demanding on single-thread CPU quality as the factory grows.
How to set up a Factorio server on a VPS
Run a Factorio server on Linux under a dedicated unprivileged user, with a fixed save directory and automated backups. For stable gameplay with 2–8 players, Ubuntu or Debian, 2–4 fast vCPU, and the UDP port selected in the configuration are sufficient.
Basic headless server launch
sudo useradd -r -m -d /opt/factorio factorio
sudo -u factorio /opt/factorio/bin/x64/factorio \
--create /opt/factorio/saves/main.zip \
--map-gen-settings /opt/factorio/data/map-gen-settings.json
sudo -u factorio /opt/factorio/bin/x64/factorio \
--start-server /opt/factorio/saves/main.zip \
--server-settings /opt/factorio/data/server-settings.jsonOpen the UDP port configured in server-settings.json; 34197/udp is commonly used. Do not run the server directly through an SSH session without systemd, tmux, or screen: the game process will stop when the connection closes.
Example server-settings.json
{
"name": "Valebyte Factorio",
"description": "Vanilla 2-8 players",
"max_players": 8,
"visibility": {
"public": false,
"lan": false
},
"require_user_verification": true,
"max_upload_in_kilobytes_per_second": 0,
"autosave_interval": 10,
"autosave_slots": 15,
"afk_autokick_interval": 0
}An autosave interval of 10 minutes and 15 slots provides approximately 150 minutes of local history without manual action. For a megabase, you can reduce the number of slots on the working disk and move archives to separate storage to avoid accumulating tens of gigabytes of old save files.
How to maintain 60 UPS without upgrading immediately
Optimizing Factorio server requirements often delivers a bigger improvement than adding another 2 vCPU: first identify the source of tick time, then change the factory design. Before any upgrade, make a copy of the save and test UPS on the same map after making changes.
Recommendations for medium bases and megabases
- Check update time in debug mode and compare results with the same number of players.
- Reduce excessively long belts and unnecessary item buffers; compact logistics reduce the number of active entities.
- Limit the size of logistic networks and do not keep thousands of idle bots in one area.
- Simplify rail intersections, avoid constant route recalculations, and prevent cyclic congestion.
- Split fluid networks into clear segments, especially in older versions and large oil-processing facilities.
- Test every major mod separately: one inefficient script can remove 10–20 UPS.
- Disable or limit aggressive enemy expansion if PvE is not the primary goal of the map.
More detailed multiplayer, mod, and diagnostic guidance is available in Factorio on a dedicated server: UPS optimization. For a permanent megabase, a dedicated server is the better choice: you get predictable CPU performance without contention from neighboring virtual machines.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players can a Factorio server with 2 vCPU support?
A server with 2 fast vCPU, 4 GB RAM, and NVMe can usually comfortably support 4–8 players on a vanilla starter or medium-sized base. However, slot count does not guarantee 60 UPS: a map with 2 players, thousands of bots, and a complex rail network may require 4 vCPU with a single-core frequency of 4.0 GHz or higher.
How much RAM does a modded Factorio server need?
For a small modded map with 2–4 players, start with 6 GB RAM. If you use large mod packs, multiple surfaces, active logistic networks, and saves measuring hundreds of MB, choose 8 GB. For a megabase with headroom for Linux, file cache, and backup operations, 12–16 GB RAM is recommended.
Will 8 vCPU increase UPS in Factorio?
Not necessarily. Factorio's main loop is largely limited by single-thread performance, so 8 slow vCPU can perform worse than 2–4 fast cores on a modern CPU. For a 60 UPS target, prioritize high IPC and a frequency of 3.8–4.2 GHz first; reserve additional vCPU for the operating system, mods, and maintenance.
Do I need SSD or NVMe for Factorio?
An SSD is essential, and NVMe is preferable for servers with frequent autosaves and large maps. Storage type has less effect on UPS than CPU, but 50–100 GB NVMe speeds up startup, save loading, and backups. Do not let disk usage exceed 80%, especially when storing 15–30 autosaves.
Conclusion
For Factorio with 2–8 players and a medium-sized factory, choose a VPS with 2 high-frequency vCPU, 6 GB RAM, 50 GB NVMe, and a 1 Gbps port. For a megabase, target 4–6 vCPU with the fastest possible core, 12–16 GB RAM, and 80–100 GB NVMe: single-thread performance will determine whether the factory can maintain 60 UPS.
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