How to install and configure a dedicated FS25 server

Farming Simulator 25 (FS25) is the latest in­stall­ment in the popular sim­u­la­tion series, bringing players into the world of modern farming. With improved graphics, new vehicles, and expanded gameplay options, players can enjoy a realistic and immersive ex­per­i­ence on an FS25 server. Whether it’s fieldwork, animal husbandry, or forestry, FS25 combines strategic planning with a laid-back sim­u­la­tion. A dedicated Farming Simulator 25 server is perfect for playing together with friends.

What are the pre­requis­ites for a dedicated FS25 server?

A dedicated Farming Simulator 25 server should be stable and powerful to ensure a smooth gaming ex­per­i­ence for all players. The exact re­quire­ments for your FS25 server largely depend on the number of players, but you should keep the following minimum re­quire­ments in mind when choosing your server:

• Operating system: Windows Server 2019/2022
• Processor: Quad-core CPU with at least 3.0 GHz
• Memory/RAM: At least 8 GB (16 GB re­com­men­ded for large mul­ti­play­er sessions)
• Storage space: 40 GB (allow ad­di­tion­al space for mods and backups)
• Network: Stable broadband con­nec­tion (upload speed of at least 10 Mbps)

Keep in mind that only Windows operating systems are suitable, as native Linux support isn’t available. Setting up a Farming Simulator 25 server on Linux dis­tri­bu­tions is only possible through work­arounds – such as using the runtime en­vir­on­ment WINE, for example. However, it’s re­com­men­ded to use a Windows server directly. It’s crucial to ensure that the system has a 64-bit ar­chi­tec­ture and don’t forget to allocate ad­di­tion­al hardware resources for the operating system itself. For example, Windows Server 2022 requires a 1.4 GHz processor, 512 MB or 2 GB of RAM (without or with a graphical interface), and 32 GB of disk space.

An overview of the various server options for an FS25 server at IONOS

Before setting up your own FS25 server, you’ll need to decide which provider you want to use. With so many available providers and server options, this choice isn’t always straight­for­ward. For example, at IONOS, you can choose between two different server types. Both options, re­gard­less of the package, guarantee an external broadband con­nec­tion of up to 400 Mbps:

• vServer (VPS): VPSs work on the principle of vir­tu­al­isa­tion giving you access to vir­tu­al­ised resources. This means the hardware is shared with others, but this doesn’t affect the server’s per­form­ance or security. Billing is done at a fixed monthly rate.
• Dedicated server: A dedicated server has hardware ex­clus­ively reserved for you and your ap­plic­a­tions, making it a more expensive option. Billing is also monthly, based on the number of hours used, but it’s capped at a maximum amount.

The right IONOS servers for various FS25 scenarios

Choosing the right server type is just the beginning: Both vServers and dedicated servers are available in different packages. The best package for you depends largely on how you plan to use your FS25 server. For example, more players will require greater per­form­ance, which should factor into your choice. Below are some example scenarios for Farming Simulator 25 servers and the cor­res­pond­ing IONOS products that fit those needs.

The right IONOS server to get you started

If you’re unsure which server is right for you, it might be worth starting with VPS Windows L. This package offers excellent value for money and is a great option for trying out your own FS25 server. Another advantage is that if you decide to invite more players to your Farming Simulator 25 server, you can easily upgrade the package to meet your needs.

How to create an FS25 server step by step

Once you’ve got the right hardware, you can start setting up your own Farming Simulator 25 server. The following guide shows you how the setup works. For this example, we’ll use an IONOS server with Windows Server 2022.

Step 1: Establish remote con­nec­tion

In the first step, you’ll need to connect to your server. The easiest way to do this is through a remote con­nec­tion. At IONOS, you can easily set this up in the Cloud Panel. First, log in with your personal cre­den­tials on the login page.

Once logged in, click on the ‘Server & Cloud’ section. You’ll see an overview of all the server packages you’ve purchased from IONOS. Click on the server you’ve des­ig­nated for your FS25 server. Then, select the ‘Options’ tab. In the dropdown menu that appears, you can open the remote console.

Step 2: Open Ports

In order for you and your players to connect to the FS25 server or access the web interface of the dedicated server, you’ll need to open the necessary ports. The default ports used by Farming Simulator are Port 8080 (Web Interface HTTP), Port 8443 (Web Interface HTTPS), and Port 10823 (Game Port).

For IONOS servers, opening ports is straight­for­ward via the Cloud Panel. In the left-hand menu, navigate to the ‘Network’ section and select the ‘Firewall Policies’ submenu. From there, you can configure the port for­ward­ing by allowing specific IPs and spe­cify­ing the protocols and port numbers.

Step 3: Install Farming Simulator 25

Once you’ve suc­cess­fully connected to your server, you can install Farming Simulator 25 on it using a platform of your choice, such as Steam. As mentioned earlier, make sure to install a new license if you plan to connect to the FS25 server yourself later. After in­stall­a­tion, launch the game to activate the license. If you receive an error message, simply click ‘No’ to cancel the startup process – a full program launch isn’t required for license ac­tiv­a­tion.

Step 4: Set login data for the web interface

In the next step, adjust the login data for the web interface of the Farming Simulator 25 server. To do this, go to the in­stall­a­tion directory and open the con­fig­ur­a­tion file dedicatedServer.xml. Search for the entry initial_admin and enter the desired login in­form­a­tion in the two fields username and passphrase. Then save and close the file to apply the changes.

Step 5: Log into the web interface

Now run the dedicatedServer.exe file as ad­min­is­trat­or by right-clicking on the file and clicking on the cor­res­pond­ing option. In the command prompt window that then opens auto­mat­ic­ally, you will be presented with two URLs — the HTTP and the HTTPS address for the web interface of your FS25 server. You can now call up the desired variant in the browser of your choice to access the login for the interface.

Enter your login data to log in to the web interface and press ‘Login’.

Step 6: Configure and start FS25 server

Once logged into the web interface, you can now define the desired setup for your FS25 server: game name, login password, map, starting capital, game language, number of players and many other settings are possible. If you want to integrate modi­fic­a­tions, simply switch to the ‘Mods’ tab. There you can download the desired mod and then activate it in the initial ‘Home’ menu. Confirm your changes by clicking on ‘Save’ and then start the game session by clicking on ‘Start’.

Once you confirm the start of the server ap­plic­a­tion by clicking on ‘Continue’, another prompt window will open where you can watch as all the important files for the game world are gradually loaded.

Step 7: Connect to the dedicated Farming Simulator 25 server

Your own Farming Simulator 25 server is now always ac­cess­ible online for you and your teammates. To connect, simply follow these steps:

1 Launch FS25 as usual. 2. Click on ‘Mul­ti­play­er’ in the main menu. 3. Select the option ‘Join game’. 4. Use the search function to search for your FS25 server. Make sure that the correct filters are set. 5. Select the ap­pro­pri­ate entry and click ‘Start’. Enter the server password (if defined) and confirm the con­nec­tion by clicking ‘Start’ again.

Now you can create your character and embark on a new mul­ti­play­er farming adventure!

Want to give your Farming Simulator 25 server a personal touch? Register your personal domain and link the address to the server!