Factorio "Map Version Cannot Be Loaded" on a Server? Fix It

"Map version X cannot be loaded because it is higher than the game version" means the save was written by a newer Factorio than the one the server is running. Factorio can open older saves, never newer ones. Update the server to the same version as the game that made the save (or newer), and it loads. This happens most after someone uploads a save from a PC that Steam already updated, or from the experimental branch, to a server still on the previous stable release.

What the error looks like

In the server log or console, while loading the save:

Map version 2.1.7-0 cannot be loaded because it is higher than the game version (2.0.72-0).

The first number is the version that last saved the map. The one in brackets is the server. The server then stops, or starts a new map if it is set to create one when the save cannot load.

Why it happens

Factorio saves are forward compatible only. A 2.0 server can load a 1.1 save (and migrates it), but a 2.0.72 server cannot load a save from 2.0.73 or 2.1. Common ways to end up there:

• Steam updated your game first. You played the map on your PC, saved, and uploaded it. Your PC was already on the newest patch, the server was not.
• Experimental branch. Someone opted into experimental in Steam (for example the 2.1 releases) and saved the shared map. A stable server cannot open it.
• A pinned server version. The server was set to an exact version to match a mod, and the save moved past it.

The version mismatch guide covers the related problem of players being unable to join because their game and the server differ.

Fix 1: Update the server to match the save

Check which version made the save (the first number in the error), then update the server to that version or newer.

• Self hosted headless server: download the matching headless build from factorio.com, or update your install, then start it again with the save.
• Experimental saves: the server must run experimental too. Download the experimental headless build, or on a hosted server choose the experimental version.
• GamezServers: set Factorio version to latest for the newest stable, experimental for the experimental branch, or the exact version from the error, then press Update game. The update backs up the map first and keeps your saves, mods and settings.

Then make sure every player is on the same version, or they cannot join. Steam's Betas tab in the game's properties lets players pick experimental or a specific older version.

Fix 2: Load an older save instead

If you cannot or do not want to update the server, for example because a mod is not ready for the new version, use a save written by the older version:

1. Look in the server's saves folder for autosaves made before the upload. The server's own autosaves are written by the server's version.
2. On your PC, Factorio keeps your local autosaves too. Any save made before your game updated still has the old version.
3. Load or upload that one.

There is no way to convert a newer save to an older version. Once a map is saved on the new version, it stays on that version or newer.

Fix 3: Space Age saves on a server without it

A related failure: the save loads the right version but complains about missing mods called space-age, quality or elevated-rails. Those are the Space Age expansion. A map that used the expansion needs the server to run with Space Age on, and every player must own it.

• On a self hosted server, the expansion's mods must be enabled in mods/mod-list.json.
• On GamezServers, turn on the Space Age setting and restart.

Going the other way, a Space Age map cannot be turned back into a base game map. The Space Age server guide covers setting it up from the start.

Fix 4: Mods with the save

If the version is right but the server stops while loading with an error naming a mod, the save expects mods the server does not have, or has in another version. In game, Sync mods with save on the load screen sets your own game to match. For the server, copy the same mod files into its mods folder. The mods guide shows how.

Uploading a save the safe way

1. Check your game version in the main menu (bottom corner).
2. Check the server version in its log or panel.
3. If your game is newer, update the server first.
4. Stop the server, upload the save into saves, and point the server at it.
5. Start it and watch the log until the map is loaded.

More detail in uploading a Factorio save to a server.

Avoid it next time

• Update the server on the same day Steam updates the game.
• Keep the whole group on one branch: stable or experimental, not a mix.
• Do not play the shared map in single player on a newer version and then upload it, unless you update the server too.

On a GamezServers Factorio server, the version is one setting with an update button that backs up the map first, saves live in the file manager, and Space Age is a switch. The map stays online for your group without anyone's PC running. See the Factorio game page.

FAQ

What does "map version cannot be loaded because it is higher than the game version" mean?

The save was made by a newer Factorio than the server is running. Update the server to that version or newer.

Can I downgrade a Factorio save?

No. Factorio loads older saves and upgrades them, but a save written by a newer version cannot be opened by an older one.

Can a stable Factorio server load an experimental save?

Not if the experimental version is newer, which it almost always is. Run the server on experimental, or use a save from before the switch.

Why does my save say it is missing space-age?

The map used the Space Age expansion. Turn Space Age on for the server, and make sure every player owns it.