A PlayNHost Factorio server runs the Space Age expansion by default, so every player needs the Space Age DLC to join. The Space Age switch in Settings, Game Settings turns three of the expansion's mods off for a new world. On Factorio 2.1 the expansion has a fourth mod that the switch does not change yet, explained below.
Switch Space Age off for a new world
- Keep the current world safe: it was made with Space Age, so download it or take a snapshot if you want to come back to it.
- Open your server in the panel and click the Settings tab.
- In Game Settings, switch Space Age off.
- Set a new Save Name, for example
basegame, so the server makes a new map: How to start a new world on your Factorio server. - Restart the server. The first
[pnh-update]line in the Console says that Space Age is off.
To switch it back on, turn Space Age on and restart. The Console shows [pnh-update] Space Age is on: players need the Space Age DLC to join.
What does the switch change?
Space Age is a paid expansion released on 21 October 2024 (Factorio wiki). The server always has its content; the switch decides whether the game uses it. At every start, the panel sets the mods Space Age, Quality and Elevated Rails on or off together in mods/mod-list.json to match the switch, and leaves every other mod's line alone. A hand edit of those three lines is put back at the next start, so use the switch.
Can players without Space Age join with it off?
Not guaranteed on Factorio 2.1. Since Factorio 2.1 (stable on 23 October 2026), the expansion has a fourth mod, Recycler (Friday Facts #449), and Wube marks it as needing the expansion (recycler/info.json). The Space Age switch does not change the Recycler mod yet. If a player without Space Age is refused after you switch it off, open a ticket so we can check the server's mod list with you.
| Space Age | Who can join |
|---|---|
| On (default) | Players who own the Space Age expansion |
| Off | See the Recycler note above |
On Nintendo Switch, the expansion exists only on the Switch 2 version (Factorio wiki).
Can I turn Space Age off on my current world?
No. A world made with Space Age was built with the expansion's mods, and the panel's own setting note says such a world needs Space Age on to load. Keep it on for that world, or start a new one as above. The same goes for a single-player world you upload: a save made with Space Age needs Space Age on.
Related: Players get a mod mismatch when joining your Factorio server, How to join your Factorio server.
