Satisfactory Server Ports: 7777, 8888 and Protocols Explained

A Satisfactory dedicated server is for PC players on Steam or Epic; PS5 and Xbox players cannot join a dedicated server or cross-play with PC. The default Satisfactory server ports are 7777 over UDP, 7777 over TCP, and 8888 over TCP. The two 7777 entries do different jobs, and the newer 8888 port carries Reliable Messaging. This guide explains each binding, which older ports to ignore, how to check what your server is actually listening on, and where the router and firewall steps begin. For the full self-hosting sequence, start with the dedicated-server setup guide.

Confirm your group can use a dedicated server#

Dedicated servers work for Satisfactory players on PC through Steam or Epic. They do not connect players on Xbox or PlayStation to a PC server, and the console versions do not have dedicated-server support. Check this before spending time on port forwarding: an open port cannot bridge a platform the game does not support. Coffee Stain’s official support FAQ confirms the platform limits.

Steam and Epic players can join the same PC server. The game still expects the server and each player to use compatible game builds. Stable and Experimental are separate branches, so if one friend opted into Experimental while the server and others are on Stable, resolve that mismatch before diagnosing the network. The active branch can change; check the launcher’s current selection instead of copying a version number from an old setup guide. A save made on a newer build may not load on an older one, so keep a backup before changing branches.

Players add a dedicated server through Satisfactory’s Server Manager → Add Server, using its address and port. The direct Join Game path is for sessions hosted through a player’s game and can produce an encryption-token error for a dedicated server. Once the server appears in Server Manager, the client still needs the correct ports to complete the connection.

Open the Satisfactory server ports for the default setup#

The default setup uses three protocol bindings across two port numbers. Treat each row as its own network rule when you configure your router or operating-system firewall. These defaults match the official dedicated-server port reference:

TCP and UDP are different transports, even when the port number is the same. A rule for 7777/TCP does not open 7777/UDP. Likewise, 8888/TCP is a separate binding; having both 7777 rules does not cover it.

These are defaults, not magic values for every installation. A host may allocate other ports, and a self-hosted server can be started with different values. Check the server’s configuration and listening sockets before creating rules. If you are setting up a home server, the complete dedicated-server guide covers installation and setup. The port list here stops short of router menus and Windows/Linux firewall commands because those depend on your own network and operating system.

Use TCP 7777 for the Server Manager connection#

Port 7777/TCP serves the dedicated server’s HTTPS API. The game’s Server Manager uses that API to read server information and perform management actions. It is why a server may appear in the manager but still show an API connection problem when TCP is blocked, pointed at the wrong address, or stopped at a self-signed-certificate warning.

The API endpoint is /api/v1 on the server’s configured game TCP port. With defaults, that is https://<server-address>:7777/api/v1. Satisfactory creates a self-signed TLS certificate when the server has no custom certificate. When adding a server, review and trust the certificate for that server in the game client; do not confuse that prompt with evidence that the port number is wrong. The HTTPS API documentation describes the endpoint and certificate behavior.

The TCP and UDP bindings share the standard game port number. If you deliberately change the standard port, set the server to listen on that value and use the same external port number. A TCP-only website that checks ports cannot prove the UDP game binding works. If the API works but friends cannot finish joining, check the 7777 UDP route and the separate Reliable Messaging port too.

Keep TCP 8888 available for Reliable Messaging#

Reliable Messaging uses TCP 8888 by default and has been part of dedicated-server networking since update 1.1. It carries game messages needed after the initial server connection. Missing it can leave a player stuck on the loading screen even though the server was found in Server Manager. Coffee Stain’s 1.1 patch announcement documents the networking change.

The default reliable-port allocator can try a range beginning at 8888 if a port is already occupied. If you set -ReliablePort explicitly, however, the server attempts that value; it can fail to start if the requested port is unavailable. Check the log and actual TCP listener rather than assuming that 8888 was selected because it is the default.

A server with Reliable Messaging configured on a different public port must also know about that external value. The game provides -ExternalReliablePort for this specific remap. That behavior is separate from the standard game port: external redirection of the standard port is not supported. If you run a mod that exposes its own monitoring or web interface, check that mod’s documentation for any additional port; it is not part of the vanilla three-binding list above.

Ignore the old 15000 and 15777 port list#

Guides written for older versions may tell you to open UDP 15000 and 15777, or to set -ServerQueryPort and -BeaconPort. Those are not current Satisfactory dedicated-server requirements. Port 15000 and 15777 were retired in version 1.0; the present default list is 7777/UDP, 7777/TCP, and 8888/TCP.

Do not add legacy rules just because an old guide lists them, and do not paste its startup flags into a current server. Extra rules make it harder to tell which binding is actually failing. The official dedicated-server history records the transition; if you are following an older guide, replace its port list with the current server documentation before continuing.

This does not mean every hosting panel exposes the raw defaults. A managed provider may assign the service different external values and configure the game around them. Use that provider’s displayed address and instructions. The numbers in this article describe the game’s default self-hosted setup, not a promise that every hosted server will be reachable at :7777.

Change a port without confusing it with port forwarding#

You can select another standard game port with -Port=<port>. That changes where the server listens; it does not make an external router port transparently forward to a different standard port. For the standard game port, the inside and outside numbers must match. The server may try the next higher port if the requested standard port is already in use, so confirm the actual bound value after startup.

Reliable Messaging has its own settings. -ReliablePort=<port> selects a reliable listener, while -ExternalReliablePort=<port> tells the server about an explicitly remapped external reliable port. The second setting is not a substitute for opening the right TCP listener, and changing it without matching your network setup can break joins.

1. Read the configured values

   Check the server startup arguments and its current log. Record the standard game port and reliable port that the running process selected; do not assume they stayed at their defaults.

2. Keep the standard port aligned

   If you chose a non-default -Port, use the same external and internal port number. Do not translate the standard game port to a different public port.

3. Set reliable remapping only when needed

   If your reliable TCP port is externally remapped, configure -ExternalReliablePort to that external value and verify the server log reports the expected mapping.

If you only want multiple servers on one machine or public IP, port assignment has additional constraints. Use a supported server-management setup and verify each instance’s sockets; do not copy a random -BeaconPort recipe from a pre-1.0 forum post. The server-settings reference covers the other settings that affect how your dedicated server behaves.

Check that the server is listening before testing from outside#

First confirm that the dedicated-server process has finished starting. Then inspect the local listeners for its selected game and reliable ports. On Windows, substitute your configured game port for 7777 and inspect TCP and UDP separately:

$gamePort = 7777
Get-NetUDPEndpoint | Where-Object LocalPort -eq $gamePort
Get-NetTCPConnection -State Listen | Where-Object LocalPort -eq $gamePort
Get-NetTCPConnection -State Listen | Where-Object { $_.LocalPort -ge 8888 -and $_.LocalPort -lt 9400 }

The final line checks the default reliable allocation range. If you explicitly configured a reliable port outside it, query that exact port instead. On Linux, inspect the server sockets with:

sudo ss -lntup

Look for the process and configured local ports. A missing line can mean the server did not start, the port is different from the value you expected, or another process took it. Read the startup log before changing network rules.

You can also check the local HTTPS listener on Windows with:

curl.exe -k https://127.0.0.1:7777

The server may return a route-not-found JSON response at the root URL; that can still confirm that a TLS listener answered. -k skips certificate verification for this diagnostic only. It checks TCP, not UDP, and it does not prove that a friend on the internet can reach your server. For an external check, ask a PC player outside your home network to add the address in Server Manager and complete a join. If local listeners are correct but remote players still fail, the remaining task is your router and firewall path; see the Satisfactory lag and connection diagnosis guide.

Skip home router setup when you want managed hosting#

If your group is on PC through Steam or Epic and you would rather not manage a home router or firewall, Game Hosting’s Satisfactory service has both required ports open and shows the address to enter in Server Manager. The panel’s join instructions handle the handoff; they do not make Satisfactory available to console players. See Satisfactory hosting options after confirming that everyone who needs to join is on a supported PC platform.

For a wider comparison of what to check in a host’s plans and support, use the Satisfactory hosting guide. If you stay self-hosted, the key is to match the protocol as well as the number: UDP 7777, TCP 7777, and TCP 8888 by default. Keep any non-default values in the server, network rules and join address aligned, and ignore the retired pre-1.0 port list.