Farming Simulator 25 dedicated server: how to set it up

To set up a Farming Simulator 25 dedicated server, you don’t need a separate download: the dedicatedServer.exe program ships with the PC version of the game, in its install folder. You need a 64-bit Windows PC, a game license just for the server (yours can’t host and play at the same time), a username and password in dedicatedServer.xml, and port 10823 forwarded on your router. As of October 2026, the server is managed through a web admin page on port 8080, supports up to 16 players, and accepts players on PC, Mac, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S as long as your mods are console-compatible. Here’s how to do it step by step.

What a dedicated server gives you over a regular game

In a regular multiplayer game, one player hosts, and when they leave, the farm stops for everyone. A dedicated server is a separate program that keeps the game running even when nobody is online, so everyone can drop in whenever they want. The basics of online play, crossplay, and per-platform limits are in our Farming Simulator 25 multiplayer guide.

You can run it on your own PC, on a spare computer, on a Windows VPS, or on a rented game server, which comes with the web admin page ready to go. GIANTS doesn’t publish server requirements; hosting guides call for about four cores and 8 GB of RAM (16 GB with lots of mods), plus the disk space the game takes, which you can check in how big Farming Simulator 25 is.

FS25 dedicated server key facts

Step 1: get a license for the server

GIANTS support explains that Farming Simulator licenses are single-user and that a key used on two systems at once in multiplayer gets temporarily blocked. Since the server counts as one more player, if you also want to play on it you need two licenses: yours and the server’s. The same goes for DLC: any DLC you want on the server has to be bought and installed there too. If you’re torn between editions or season passes, check Farming Simulator 25 price and DLC.

The cleanest option is the digital version from the GIANTS store, with a key by email and a download that doesn’t depend on Steam or Epic. On Steam, dedicatedServer.exe is also in the game folder, but Steam has to stay open on the account that owns the license (which can’t play on another PC), and some users report the server failing to start.

Step 2: install the game on the server machine

1. With your GIANTS key, go to the downloads page of their store (eshop.giants-software.com), enter the key, and download the Windows version.
2. Open the downloaded .img file (double-clicking mounts it as a drive), run Setup.exe, and finish the install. By default it goes to C:\Program Files (x86)\Farming Simulator 2025 (on Steam, steamapps\common\Farming Simulator 25).
3. Launch the game once and enter the key to activate it. On a VPS with no graphics card, a video driver error is normal: answer No and the game will close, but the license is already activated.

Step 3: username and password in dedicatedServer.xml

In the same folder as dedicatedServer.exe, you’ll find dedicatedServer.xml. Open it in a plain text editor and look for the <initial_admin> block. It has two values:

• <username>: the username for the web admin page.
• <passphrase>: its password. Always change it to your own, because anyone who gets into that page controls the whole server.

Save the file with the server closed so it doesn’t get overwritten. This login is only for the web page; the in-game passwords are set in step 5.

Step 4: start the server and open the web page

1. Run dedicatedServer.exe as administrator (right-click, «Run as administrator»). The first launch takes a while: it generates certificates and checks for updates.
2. A console window opens showing two addresses, one HTTP and one HTTPS. On the same machine, open http://127.0.0.1:8080 in your browser; from another PC on your network, replace 127.0.0.1 with the server’s local IP.
3. Log in with the username and passphrase from step 3.

Don’t close that console window: if you do, the web page and the server shut down.

Step 5: set up the game

On the web page’s home screen, you choose what the farm will be like. Settings can only be changed while the server is stopped.

Click Save, then Start. To change something later: Stop, make your changes, Save, and Start again.

Using a savegame you already have

Your saves are in Documents\My Games\FarmingSimulator2025, in savegame1, savegame2, etc. folders. To upload one from the web page’s savegames section, zip the folder’s contents, with careerSavegame.xml at the root and no subfolder. Before that, install the save’s mods and DLC on the server: if the map or a mod is missing, the server won’t start.

Step 6: mods and DLC on the server

1. Go to the web page’s Mods tab. From there you can add ModHub mods or upload your own as .zip files. Don’t unzip them: the game loads them as they are, just like on your PC (see how to install mods in Farming Simulator 25).
2. With the server stopped, go back to the home screen, check the mods you want to activate, and save.
3. If a mod won’t activate, it’s usually missing another mod it depends on: upload and activate that one first.
4. Start the server.

What each player needs

• ModHub mods: when joining, the game flags any that are missing and lets you download them without leaving.
• Outside mods: each player downloads them manually, from the official source and in the same version as the server.
• DLC: everyone needs the same DLC as the server.
• Console players: they can only join if every mod on the server is also on the console ModHub. A single script mod, like CoursePlay or AutoDrive, or an outside mod locks them out. If your group mixes PC and console, stick to ModHub mods flagged for console.

Step 7: open the ports

For friends to join from outside your home, the server needs the game port open on your router and in Windows Firewall:

• Game port, 10823: forward it on your router to the server’s local IP, over TCP and UDP. GIANTS support also lists UDP 10823, 10824, and 10825 for multiplayer connections: if someone can’t get in, open those too.
• Web admin page, 8080 and 8443: you don’t need to open these to the internet. If you want to manage the server remotely, allow them only for your own IP or use remote desktop.

If your ISP uses CGNAT (you don’t have your own public IP), ask for a public IP or use a VPS or a rented server.

How your friends join

1. Everyone needs the game updated to the same version as the server.
2. From the main menu, go to Multiplayer, then Join Game.
3. Search for the server by name. If it doesn’t show up, check the filters, such as crossplay; a freshly started server can take a few minutes to appear.
4. Download any mods it asks for, enter the game password, and join.

To manage farms and permissions from inside the game, log in as admin from the pause menu with the password from step 5.

Updates and common errors

• Nobody can join after a patch: update the server’s game to the same version as the players’, update the mods, and restart.
• The server doesn’t show up in the list: check port 10823, the game version, and the list filters.
• I can’t log in to the web page: check the username and passphrase in dedicatedServer.xml and make sure the dedicatedServer.exe console is still open. If another program is using port 8080, close it.
• Stuck loading at 100% or won’t start: it’s almost always a missing or incompatible mod or map. Check the server log on the web page, remove the last mods you added, and add them back one at a time.
• A player’s game crashes when joining with mods: have them run their log.txt (in Documents\My Games\FarmingSimulator2025) through Holyfix, our FS25 log analyzer, which tells you which mod is failing. You’ll find more fixes in FS25 mods not working.

More Farming Simulator 25 guides: multiplayer and crossplay, how to install mods, PC requirements, and official and modded maps.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Farming Simulator 25 dedicated server cost?

The program comes with the game, but the server needs its own FS25 license (plus its DLC) if you also want to play. On top of that, electricity if it runs on your PC, or whatever the VPS or rented server costs.

Can I play on my server with the same license?

No. GIANTS says keys are single-user and temporarily blocks keys used on two systems at once in multiplayer. You need one license for the server and another to play.

How many players does it support?

Up to 16 at once, on any platform. Games hosted on a console are capped at 6.

Can my friends on PS5 and Xbox join?

Yes, with crossplay turned on in the server, and only if every mod you use is also on the console ModHub. A script mod or an outside mod locks them out.