Stop the Factorio headless server, place the scenario in the server user-data scenarios directory (or in the specified mod), then start a new multiplayer process with --start-server-load-scenario [MOD/]NAME. This flag starts from a scenario; it does not resume an existing save.
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For Docker, use the image’s /scenario.sh entrypoint and pass the scenario name as the final argument. If you need a normal save afterward, run /scenario2map.sh once to convert the scenario into a map in the saves directory.
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A Factorio scenario is a starting game definition, not merely another name for a saved map. The scenario command starts a multiplayer server from that definition. A save command, by contrast, opens an already generated map and its current progress.
| Goal | Use | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Start a fresh server from a scenario | --start-server-load-scenario [MOD/]NAME |
Loads the named scenario and starts multiplayer. |
| Continue the most recently saved game | --start-server-load-latest |
Resumes a save rather than creating a scenario start. |
| Start a particular save | --start-server <save-file> |
Loads the specified saved map. |
Changing the scenario therefore means stopping the current process and launching another one with the scenario flag. It does not transform the current save in place. Preserve the old save if you may need to return to it.
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Prepare the server before switching
Stop the running instance
Shut down the headless process cleanly before launching the replacement. Running two instances against the same data directory can cause port conflicts, locked files, or an accidental start with the old configuration.
Keep a copy of the existing save
The scenario launch creates a new game state. Back up the current save and note the server-settings file, map-generation settings, map settings, and mods used by the old instance. A scenario may require a particular mod set, and the scenario name alone does not preserve the old world’s progress.
Put the scenario where Factorio looks for it
Without a mod prefix, Factorio searches the top-level scenarios directory in the user data folder. The scenario’s directory name is the value supplied after the flag.
If the scenario belongs to a mod, use the form MOD/NAME. Factorio then looks inside that mod for the scenario. The slash is part of the command value; do not replace it with a save-file path.
Change the scenario on a bare-metal server
1. Confirm the scenario directory and name
- Open the Factorio user-data directory used by the server.
- Open its
scenariosdirectory for an unmodded scenario. - Place the complete scenario folder there, preserving its internal files and directory name.
- For a mod-provided scenario, verify the mod is installed and use the mod-qualified name, such as
MOD/NAME.
The command uses the directory name, not a display title. A spelling or capitalization mismatch can make the scenario appear to be missing.
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2. Start the scenario with the official flag
From the Factorio installation directory on Linux, the basic form is:
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factorio.exe --start-server-load-scenario ScenarioNameThe important part is --start-server-load-scenario; it tells Factorio to start multiplayer and load the specified scenario.
3. Supply server and map settings when needed
You can add the same settings files used for a normal headless start. A community scenario example combines all three relevant files:
./factorio --start-server-load-scenario FactorioScenarioMultiplayerSpawn --map-gen-settings your-map-gen-settings.json --map-settings your-map-settings.json --server-settings my-server-settings.json--map-gen-settings FILE controls map-generation settings, --map-settings FILE supplies map behavior settings, and --server-settings FILE applies multiplayer server configuration. Use paths that are readable by the account running Factorio. If a file is optional for your scenario, leave that flag out rather than pointing to a nonexistent file.
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4. Use the mod-qualified form when appropriate
For a scenario stored inside a mod, replace the plain name with MOD/NAME:
./factorio --start-server-load-scenario MOD/NAME --server-settings my-server-settings.jsonThis is different from placing a mod name in the save-file argument. The slash tells Factorio to look up the scenario inside the named mod.
5. Verify that you started the intended mode
Connect as a client and check that the new session is the scenario you selected, rather than the previous save. If you intended to continue an existing world, stop this process and use --start-server-load-latest (or a normal save-start command) instead. A scenario start is the wrong recovery method for resuming factory progress.
Run a scenario with Docker
Docker images do not use the bare-metal executable command directly. In the factoriotools/factorio image, invoke the scenario entrypoint and put the scenario name last:
docker run --entrypoint "/scenario.sh" factoriotools/factorio ScenarioNameUse the image’s normal volume, port, and configuration options in the places required by your deployment. The defining details for a scenario start are the /scenario.sh entrypoint and the final scenario argument. This starts cleanly from the scenario rather than loading a saved map.
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Convert a scenario to an ordinary save
Some operations are easier after the scenario has become a normal save. The Docker image provides a separate /scenario2map.sh entrypoint:
- Run the container with
/scenario2map.shand the scenario name. - Allow Factorio to run once and write the generated map into the saves directory.
- Stop that one-shot container.
- Restart the image with its standard options so it loads the resulting save.
Conversion is useful when you want to manage the result like any other save, resume it repeatedly, or apply a normal save-start workflow. It is not required when you simply want a server that starts from the scenario each time.
Use an image that exposes a scenario environment variable
The community image rfvgyhn/factorio documents an environment-variable method. Set FACTORIO_SCENARIO to the scenario value, including the mod prefix when needed:
FACTORIO_SCENARIO=base/wave-defenseThe exact container command and volume layout depend on that image’s deployment instructions. The setting’s meaning is the same: [MOD/]NAME identifies the scenario to load, while a save setting identifies a map to resume.
Map-generation settings and fixed scenarios
Why changing map settings may appear to do nothing
A 2017 Factorio forum explanation notes that a scenario containing blueprint.dat is designed to use a fixed map. When that file is present, changing map-generation settings can appear to have no effect because the scenario already contains the map layout.
Check the scenario’s files before troubleshooting --map-gen-settings or --map-settings. If the scenario is fixed by design, changing those JSON files will not turn it into a random world. Choose a scenario intended for generated terrain if variable map generation is required.
Do not confuse map settings with server settings
--map-gen-settings: generation parameters used when a map is created.--map-settings: settings that govern map behavior.--server-settings: multiplayer server configuration, such as the settings file used by the headless process.
Each flag accepts a file; none of them changes which scenario is selected. The scenario is chosen only by --start-server-load-scenario (or by the Docker scenario entrypoint).
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Troubleshoot a scenario switch
“Scenario not found” or an immediate startup failure
- Check that the folder is in the user-data
scenariosdirectory, not only beside the Factorio executable. - Use the folder’s actual name after
--start-server-load-scenario. - If it is mod-provided, use
MOD/NAMEand confirm that the required mod is installed. - Check every settings-file path for spelling and read permissions.
- For Docker, confirm that the scenario is visible inside the container’s mounted data directory and that
/scenario.shis the selected entrypoint.
The server keeps opening the old world
Look at the launch command actually used by the service, script, or container. A management script may still be passing --start-server with a save file, or Docker may be starting with its standard save-loading entrypoint. Replace that startup path with the scenario flag or /scenario.sh. Do not expect --start-server-load-latest to select a scenario; it deliberately resumes the latest save.
Map settings are ignored
Inspect the scenario for blueprint.dat. Its presence can make the map deterministic by design. Also verify that you are creating a new scenario world; map-generation options do not retroactively alter an existing save.
An old guide says to combine scenario and save flags
An old 0.14.8 bug report described a case where combining the scenario option with --start-server loaded the specified save but did not load the scenario into the server. Avoid combining those modes unless the documentation for the Factorio version you run explicitly supports the combination. Select one starting mode: scenario, latest save, or a named save.
Windows fails while Linux works
A 1.1.0 forum report documented --start-server-load-scenario failing on Windows while --start-server <savefile> worked. Those reports are version-specific and do not establish the behavior of current 2.x releases. If a Windows launch fails, first verify the executable, working directory, scenario location, and exact version; then test the same scenario with a minimal command and no optional settings files. Do not assume an old workaround applies unchanged to a newer release.
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Quick Recap
Choose the right workflow
| Situation | Recommended workflow | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Linux or Windows installation, fresh scenario start | Place the folder in scenarios; run --start-server-load-scenario [MOD/]NAME. |
Uses Factorio’s native scenario loader. |
| Docker, fresh scenario start | Use /scenario.sh and pass the scenario name last. |
Uses the container’s scenario-specific entrypoint. |
| Docker, scenario must become a reusable save | Run /scenario2map.sh, then restart with normal save options. |
Writes a map into the saves directory. |
| Continue an existing factory | Use --start-server-load-latest or a named-save start. |
Scenario loading starts a new scenario state. |
Final pre-start checklist
- The old server process is stopped and its save is backed up.
- The scenario folder is in the correct user-data
scenarioslocation, or inside the required mod. - The command uses the exact directory name and, when necessary, the
MOD/NAMEform. - You selected one startup mode instead of mixing scenario and save flags.
- Any map-generation, map, and server-settings files exist at the paths supplied.
- You checked for
blueprint.datif a supposedly random scenario always produces the same map. - For Docker, the container can see the scenario and uses
/scenario.sh(or/scenario2map.shfor conversion). - If running Windows or a legacy Factorio version, you validated behavior against that specific version rather than relying on old bug reports.
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