How to Host a Craftopia Server (Dedicated Server Guide 2026)

Q: How many players can join a Craftopia server?

maxPlayerNumber accepts 1 to 127, but Pocketpair warns that more than 8 players may cause stability problems. Most groups stay at 8 or fewer.

Q: Why won't my Craftopia server password work?

The password must be a PIN of up to 8 digits, with usePassword=1. Letters are not accepted.

Q: Where are Craftopia saves stored?

On Windows, in C:\Users\ \AppData\LocalLow\PocketPair\Craftopia\save. Copy the world from there to move it onto a server.

To host a Craftopia server, install the free dedicated server with SteamCMD (app 1670340), run it once so it writes ServerSetting.ini, then set name, difficulty, gameMode, maxPlayerNumber and the password under [GameWorld] and [Host]. Open UDP port 6587, restart, and friends join from Multiplayer > Join via IP with your-ip:6587. The password must be a PIN of up to 8 digits, and Pocketpair warns that more than 8 players can make the server unstable.

What do you need to run a Craftopia server?

The server itself is small to download, but memory climbs fast once a world fills with conveyor lines, machines, farms and dropped items. The server does not need a copy of the game, and each player needs their own Steam copy.

Group	RAM	Notes
Testing, 1 to 2 players	3 to 4 GB	Bare minimum, fresh world only
2 to 4 friends	8 GB	Comfortable start for a normal co-op world
Up to 8 players, automation spreading	12 GB	Where long running worlds end up
Big factory worlds kept for months	16 GB	Most headroom for large saves

Give it a CPU with good single core speed. Craftopia simulates every machine in the loaded area, so a busy factory hurts more than an extra player.

How do I install the Craftopia dedicated server?

Install SteamCMD in its own folder.
Download the server anonymously:

login anonymous
force_install_dir C:\craftopia-server
app_update 1670340 validate
quit

Start it once so it creates its files. On Windows run Craftopia.exe -batchmode -showlogs; on Linux the binary is Craftopia.x86_64.
Stop it, open ServerSetting.ini in the server folder, edit it (next section) and start it again.

Run the same app_update 1670340 line after every game patch. Craftopia updates often, and a server one version behind refuses players on the new build.

What goes in ServerSetting.ini?

The file is a plain ini with comments at the top explaining each value. These are the parts that matter for a co-op server:

[GameWorld]
name=CrewFactory
difficulty=1
gameMode=1

[Host]
port=6587
maxPlayerNumber=6
usePassword=1
serverPassword=48213907
bindAddress=0.0.0.0

[Save]
autoSaveSec=300
autoSavePerHour=1

Key	What it does	Good value
`name`	The world the server loads. A new name creates a new world	Match your save's name if you upload one
`difficulty`	`0` Easy, `1` Normal, `2` Hard, `3` Very Hard	`1` for most groups
`gameMode`	`1` normal world, `2` creative build, `3` creative play	`1` unless you only want to build
`port`	Game port	`6587`
`maxPlayerNumber`	Player cap, 1 to 127	8 or less
`usePassword`	`1` turns the password on	`1` for a private server
`serverPassword`	The PIN, numbers only, up to 8 digits	Never letters
`autoSaveSec`	Seconds between autosaves, `-1` turns it off	`300`
`autoSavePerHour`	Extra hourly save	`1`

The [Graphics] section (vSync, FPS cap, grass and cloth) does not need touching on a headless server.

Creative mode settings

With gameMode set to 2 or 3, the [CreativeModeSetting] section takes over: quickCraft (craft without costs), noDeath, noDamage, noHunger, infinitStamina, forceDayTime (0 to 24, -1 off), buildingIgnoreDamage, noBuild, and ageLevel, which decides which recipes everyone has. [CreativeModePlStatus] can override starting level, health, money and skill points. These do nothing in a normal world.

Settings are read when the server starts, so stop it, save the file and start it again after every change.

A Craftopia player firing a rocket powered machine at blue goblins on a grassy island

What ports does a Craftopia server use?

The game port is 6587, set by port under [Host]. Forward UDP 6587 on your router and allow it through the firewall. Some setup guides also forward TCP 6587 and the usual Steam ranges (UDP 27000 to 27031, TCP 27015 to 27030) when the server is hard to reach. If you cannot port forward at all, read how to host a game server without port forwarding or our general port forwarding guide.

How do players join a Craftopia server?

Launch Craftopia and choose Multiplayer.
Pick or create a character.
Click Join via IP.
Enter the address with the port, for example 203.0.113.10:6587.
Type the PIN if the server has one.

Dedicated servers are for the Steam version on PC. Xbox and PC Game Pass players cannot join them, so a mixed group has to use a hosted session instead.

The password gotcha

Most "wrong password" reports on Craftopia servers come from one detail: serverPassword is a numeric PIN, up to 8 digits. A word, a mix of letters and numbers, or a ninth digit does not work, and usePassword must also be 1 or the PIN is ignored completely. If players can join without being asked, check usePassword first.

The second trap is the player cap. The setting accepts up to 127, but Pocketpair's own warning is that more than 8 players may cause stability problems. Keep maxPlayerNumber at 8 or below unless you are happy to test it.

Moving an existing world onto it

Local Craftopia saves live here on Windows:

C:\Users\<you>\AppData\LocalLow\PocketPair\Craftopia\save

Close Craftopia and copy that folder somewhere safe.
Stop the server.
Copy the world's files into the folder the server saves to (the savePath in ServerSetting.ini, or the server folder if it is blank). Leave out steam_autocloud.vdf, which belongs to the Steam client.
Set name under [GameWorld] to the world's exact name, then start the server.

If the name does not match, the server quietly creates a fresh world instead. Step by step, including what happens to characters: how to move a Craftopia world to a dedicated server.

Common problems

Players get "wrong password": the PIN contains letters or more than 8 digits. Use numbers only and restart.
Nobody is asked for the password: usePassword is still 0.
Server loads a brand new world: name does not match the uploaded save, or the save went into the wrong folder.
Friends cannot connect after a patch: the server is on the old build. Run app_update 1670340 again and restart.
Settings changed back: you edited the ini while the server was running. Stop, edit, start.
Lag in a big factory world: the server is short on RAM. Move up a size before cutting down machines.

FAQ

How many players can join a Craftopia server?

maxPlayerNumber accepts 1 to 127, but Pocketpair warns that more than 8 players may cause stability problems. Most groups stay at 8 or fewer.

Why won't my Craftopia server password work?

The password must be a PIN of up to 8 digits, with usePassword=1. Letters are not accepted.

Can Xbox players join a Craftopia dedicated server?

No. Dedicated servers are joined by IP from the Steam version on PC only.

Where are Craftopia saves stored?

On Windows, in C:\Users\<you>\AppData\LocalLow\PocketPair\Craftopia\save. Copy the world from there to move it onto a server.

The easy option: host it with us

If keeping a PC on for the factory is the hard part, Craftopia hosting on GamezServers runs 8 GB at 19.99 USD, 12 GB at 29.99 USD and 16 GB at 39.99 USD a month, with 50% off the first month for new customers. On our servers the panel's World Name is written into [GameWorld] name every time the server starts, so change the world there rather than in the file; everything else in ServerSetting.ini is yours to edit in the file manager. Uploading a save is an SFTP login in Settings, there is a one click Backup before you replace anything, and auto update keeps the server on the current build.