Why can't my friends join my Satisfactory server?

Work through these in order. Most of the time it’s the first: Satisfactory’s dedicated servers are joined from the Server Manager, not from Join Game.

1. They used Join Game

Join Game is for sessions hosted from someone’s own game. A friend who tries to reach your server that way gets a network error, “Encryption token missing”. Have them open the Server Manager from the main menu, add your server with the address and port from your Game Panel, and join from there.

The first time they connect, the game shows the server’s own certificate and asks whether they trust it. That’s expected, so they should confirm it.

2. No game is loaded

A server can be running with no game loaded, and nobody can join until one is. That’s how a new server starts, before anyone has created a game or loaded a save. Open the Server Manager as admin and do one or the other.

If it happens after every restart, set Auto-Load Session Name in the server’s settings to your session. See uploading your save.

3. Their game is a different version

The server and every player have to be on the same build of Satisfactory, or the game won’t connect. After an update, update your server (your Game Panel can run updates on a schedule), then have everyone restart Steam or Epic so their game updates too.

The Experimental branch is usually ahead of the normal release, so anyone on it needs to switch back to join a server running the normal release.

4. The player password

If you’ve set a player password, everyone enters it in the Server Manager. When you change it, everyone has to enter the new one, including friends who joined before. To let anyone with the address in, clear it in the server’s settings.

5. The server’s full

Satisfactory lets 4 players in by default, so a fifth friend can’t join until someone leaves. You can raise the player limit in Game.ini.

6. They’re stuck on the loading screen

If a friend gets as far as loading and never gets in, the server’s second port isn’t reaching them. Satisfactory uses its main port (7777 unless it’s changed) and a reliable messaging port (8888 unless it’s changed). Players only ever enter the first, because the server tells the game the second one itself. You can’t fix this from the game, so open a ticket and say which server it is.

7. The certificate is “not yet valid”

That error usually means a clock is wrong. Have your friend check the date, time and time zone on their PC, then try again.

8. The server runs mods

A server running mods marks itself as modded, and Satisfactory without mods won’t try to connect to it. Every player needs a modded game too. Each mod’s page on ficsit.app says what players have to install.

9. They’re on PlayStation or Xbox

Console players can’t join dedicated servers, and Satisfactory has no crossplay between PC and console. Players on Steam and Epic can both join, so anyone on PC can play.