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Stop the Factorio server, place the scenario in the server’s user-data scenarios directory (or inside the named mod), then start it with --start-server-load-scenario [MOD/]NAME. This creates a new multiplayer session from that scenario. It does not resume an existing save; use --start-server-load-latest when you want to continue a saved game.

What changing a scenario actually does

A Factorio scenario is a scripted starting environment. It can define the initial map, rules, objectives, permissions, and event logic. Loading one on a headless server is therefore different from opening a save file. The server must be launched in scenario mode, and the scenario name must resolve to a folder in the expected location.

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Changing scenarios is a restart operation. You cannot replace the active scenario while the multiplayer process is running. Stop the process cleanly, verify the new scenario files, and launch the server again with the scenario flag.

Goal Use Result
Start a fresh multiplayer game from a scenario --start-server-load-scenario [MOD/]NAME Factorio loads the named scenario and starts a multiplayer server.
Resume the most recently saved game --start-server-load-latest Factorio loads a save rather than initializing a scenario.
Start from a specific save file Your normal server save option, such as --start-server <savefile> The existing map and its saved state are opened.

Do not combine the scenario workflow with a save-resume workflow unless you have confirmed that your Factorio version supports the combination you intend. An old 0.14.8 report described a case where a scenario option loaded a specified save but did not load the scenario into the server.

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Prepare the scenario before restarting

Identify the scenario name

The value after --start-server-load-scenario is the scenario’s name, not an arbitrary display title. If the scenario is installed directly under the user-data scenarios directory, use its folder name:

--start-server-load-scenario MyScenario

If the scenario belongs to a mod, prefix the name with the mod identifier and a slash:

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--start-server-load-scenario MyMod/MyScenario

The official command-line description uses the form [MOD/]NAME: without a mod prefix, Factorio searches the top-level scenarios directory in the user data folder; with a prefix, it searches inside that mod.

Place the folder in the right location

  • Standalone scenario: put the scenario folder in the Factorio user-data folder’s scenarios directory.
  • Mod-provided scenario: install the mod normally and refer to the scenario as MOD/NAME.
  • Docker deployment: mount the scenario where the image expects Factorio user data, then use the image’s scenario entrypoint.

The exact user-data path varies by operating system, installation method, container volume mapping, and service account. Use the same user-data location that the server already uses for its saves, mods, and configuration files. A scenario copied into a different account’s data directory will not be visible to the server process.

Check whether the scenario fixes the map

A scenario that contains blueprint.dat may intentionally use a fixed map. In that case, changing map-generation settings can appear to have no effect because the scenario supplies its own predefined layout. Check the scenario contents before troubleshooting random-seed or map-setting changes.

Change the scenario on a bare-metal server

The same Factorio command-line option works on Linux and Windows; only the executable path, service wrapper, and shell syntax differ. Run the command from the installation or service configuration used by your existing server.

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1. Stop the current server

  1. Warn connected players that the server will be restarted.
  2. Save or shut down the current session using your normal administration method.
  3. Stop the Factorio process or service and confirm that it is no longer running.

Stopping first matters because a second process may try to use the same ports, lock the same files, or continue writing the old save while you are preparing the new launch.

2. Install or copy the scenario

Copy the complete scenario folder, including its scripts and data files, into the user-data scenarios directory. Preserve the folder name you plan to pass to the command. For a mod scenario, ensure the required mod is installed and enabled for the server’s Factorio version.

3. Add the scenario flag to the launch command

The minimal form is:

./factorio --start-server-load-scenario ScenarioName

Replace ScenarioName with the folder name. For a mod-owned scenario:

./factorio --start-server-load-scenario ModName/ScenarioName

The option starts a multiplayer server and loads the specified scenario. Keep the server’s other required options—such as the server-settings file, port, or mods—when you adapt an existing service command.

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4. Apply map and server settings when appropriate

Factorio documents separate options for map generation, map settings, and server settings:

./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

This combined form is useful when the scenario creates a new map and you want explicit generation, map-behavior, and multiplayer settings. A scenario containing blueprint.dat can override the part of the process that would otherwise generate a fresh layout, so do not assume a new seed will change that map.

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5. Verify the startup output

  • Check that the process reports the intended scenario name.
  • Confirm that the server reaches its listening state without a missing-file or missing-mod error.
  • Join with a client and verify the scenario’s expected spawn, rules, or objectives.
  • Check the server log if the result looks like an ordinary free-play map instead of the scenario.

If the old world appears, you may have relaunched with a save flag or an unchanged service command. If the process starts but cannot find the scenario, re-check the user account, data directory, folder name, and mod prefix.

Windows-specific considerations

On Windows, edit the shortcut, scheduled task, service definition, or startup script that launches Factorio and add --start-server-load-scenario [MOD/]NAME. Do not add the option to a client shortcut that is unrelated to the headless process. The executable path may be quoted when it contains spaces; keep the scenario argument outside the executable path’s quotes.

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A forum report from Factorio 1.1.0 described --start-server-load-scenario failing on Windows while --start-server <savefile> worked. That report is version-specific and does not establish current behavior, but it is a useful diagnostic clue: test the exact command against the Factorio build you run, inspect the log, and avoid assuming that success with a save command proves scenario loading is configured correctly.

Run a scenario with Docker

Container images commonly provide a dedicated entrypoint because a scenario start is different from the image’s normal “load an existing save” startup. The exact volume paths and environment variables depend on the image, so preserve the image’s documented mounts for saves, mods, and configuration.

Using the factoriotools image

Run the image with the /scenario.sh entrypoint and pass the scenario name as the final argument. In outline, the command has this structure:

docker run --entrypoint "/scenario.sh" <your-existing-options> [MOD/]NAME

The scenario name must match the standalone folder or the MOD/NAME form. This mode starts cleanly from the scenario rather than loading a saved map.

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Use the image’s normal startup command when you want to run a save. Do not expect the scenario entrypoint to resume the previous world automatically.

Convert a scenario into a normal save

If you want the scenario’s initial state to become an ordinary save that can be managed like other server worlds, use the image’s /scenario2map.sh entrypoint:

  1. Start the container with the scenario-to-map entrypoint and the required scenario name.
  2. Allow Factorio to run to completion. The process writes a saved map into the mounted saves directory.
  3. Stop the one-shot container after the save has been created.
  4. Restart the image with its standard options so it loads that save instead of starting the scenario again.

This conversion is useful when the scenario is only needed to generate the initial world and subsequent restarts should use normal save semantics. Keep the generated file in the same persistent volume that the regular server uses.

Using an image with a scenario environment variable

Some community images expose a scenario variable instead of requiring an entrypoint override. The documented pattern for the rfvgyhn/factorio image is:

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FACTORIO_SCENARIO= [MOD/]NAME

For example, a wave-defense scenario can be specified as:

FACTORIO_SCENARIO=base/wave-defense

Use the variable syntax required by your shell or Compose file; the space shown in the generic notation is not intended as part of the value. Confirm that the container image version supports this variable and that its scenario and save directories are persistent.

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Scenario start versus save conversion

Workflow Best for What happens on restart
Start directly with --start-server-load-scenario Testing or repeatedly launching a scenario’s fresh start The scenario initialization runs whenever you launch with that flag.
Convert with /scenario2map.sh, then use normal startup Operating the result as a conventional persistent world The server resumes the generated save and its later progress.
Resume with --start-server-load-latest Continuing the latest existing save No new scenario initialization occurs.

Choose one workflow deliberately. A common mistake is to create a scenario-generated save and then keep launching the scenario entrypoint, which can produce a fresh initialization instead of continuing player progress.

Troubleshoot a scenario that will not load

The server starts the old map

  • Inspect the service or container command and remove an unintended save-start option.
  • Confirm that the scenario flag is spelled exactly --start-server-load-scenario.
  • Check that the scenario name is the folder name, including capitalization where the host filesystem distinguishes it.
  • Make sure you stopped the old process before starting the replacement.

Factorio says the scenario is missing

  • Place standalone content under the user-data scenarios directory, not beside the executable unless that is also the configured user-data location.
  • Use MOD/NAME only when the scenario is actually supplied inside that mod.
  • Check that the server service account sees the same user-data directory you inspected interactively.
  • For Docker, verify the volume mount and inspect the files from inside the container.

Map-generation settings appear ignored

Look for blueprint.dat. A scenario containing that file can intentionally force the same map each time. In that design, changing --map-gen-settings or the seed may not produce a different terrain layout.

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The scenario option behaves differently from the documentation

Factorio’s command-line behavior can vary by release, operating system, image, and wrapper script. Historical reports include old reports for a 0.14.8 flag-combination issue and a Windows 1.1.0 failure. Neither report verifies behavior in the current 2.x major version. Record the exact Factorio version, launch command, image tag, and log output before changing several variables at once.

The container exits immediately

  • Check whether you used a one-shot scenario or scenario-to-map entrypoint that is expected to terminate after writing a save.
  • Verify that the scenario argument is the final argument when the image requires that ordering.
  • Confirm that the mounted saves directory is writable and persistent.
  • Use the image’s normal entrypoint after conversion when your goal is a long-running server.

Safe changeover checklist

  1. Tell players when the server will restart.
  2. Back up the current saves and server configuration.
  3. Stop the running Factorio process.
  4. Copy the complete scenario into the correct user-data scenarios directory, or install its required mod.
  5. Choose the correct name: NAME for a top-level scenario or MOD/NAME for a mod scenario.
  6. Launch with --start-server-load-scenario [MOD/]NAME, preserving required settings options.
  7. For Docker, use /scenario.sh for a fresh scenario start or /scenario2map.sh to create a save.
  8. Read the startup log and join once to verify the scenario’s behavior.
  9. Document the working command so the next restart does not accidentally return to save-resume mode.

What is known about current-version behavior

The command-line distinction and directory layout described above are the established operational model: scenario loading uses --start-server-load-scenario [MOD/]NAME, while save continuation uses a save-loading option. The available historical reports do not provide a current, version-specific changelog for Factorio 2.x, so treat wrapper scripts, Windows behavior, and image-specific environment variables as implementation details to verify against the build you actually deploy.

The Bottom Line

To switch a Factorio headless server, stop it and relaunch with --start-server-load-scenario [MOD/]NAME. Put the scenario in the user-data scenarios directory or reference it inside its mod; for Docker, use the image’s scenario entrypoint, and convert it with /scenario2map.sh when you need a persistent normal save.

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