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Deploy Your First Game Server

This guide walks you through deploying your first game server.
PrerequisitesBefore you begin, please make sure you have completed the following setup steps:

Installation Guide

Install the PlayFlow plugin and its dependencies.

Unity Modules Setup

Install the required Linux modules for dedicated server builds.
PlayFlow Cloud makes deploying multiplayer game servers simple. Follow this guide to get your first server up and running in minutes.

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Create your PlayFlow account

To begin using PlayFlow Cloud, you’ll need to create an account:
  1. Visit app.playflowcloud.com
  2. Sign up with your email or connect with your GitHub/Google account
  3. Verify your email address if prompted

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Set up your organization

Organizations help you manage your game projects and team collaborations:
  1. After logging in, you’ll be prompted to create an organization
  2. Give your organization a descriptive name (e.g., your studio name)
  3. Optional: Invite team members by entering their email addresses
    • Team members will receive an invitation email
    • They can access all projects within your organization
Organizations can contain multiple game projects, making it easy to manage different titles under one account.

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Create your first project

Projects in PlayFlow represent individual games you’re developing:
  1. From your organization dashboard, click Create Project
  2. Enter a name for your project
  3. Optional: Add a description to help identify the project
  4. Now that you have a project, you can open the project.

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Upload your game server

You can upload your game server build either directly from the Unity Editor using the PlayFlow plugin or manually through the dashboard. The plugin is the recommended method for Unity developers.
Uploading via the Unity plugin is easy and automates the entire process.
  1. Get your API Key from your project dashboard on the PlayFlow website.
  2. In the Unity Editor, open the PlayFlow window by going to PlayFlow → PlayFlow Cloud.
  3. Paste your API key into the token box.
  4. Select your game server scene (or use the scene list from your editor’s build settings).
  5. Click the Upload Server button.
The plugin will automatically build, compile, and upload your game server directly to PlayFlow.

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Configure network settings

For your game clients to connect to your server, you need to configure network ports:
  1. Go to the Configuration tab in your project
  2. Under Network Configuration, specify the ports your game server uses:
    • Define which ports should be open (TCP/UDP)
    • Set the main port your game clients will connect to
  3. Save your network settings
Make sure to specify all ports your game server needs. Missing ports can prevent clients from connecting properly.

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Deploy your server

Now you’re ready to launch your first game server:
  1. Navigate to the Servers tab in your project
  2. Click Create Server
  3. Select your deployment region (choose one closest to your players)
  4. Choose your server type (development/production)
  5. Click Launch Server
  6. Wait a moment while your server initializes
Once launched, you’ll see your server status change to “Running” and you’ll get a connection address to use in your game client.

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Connect to your server

To test your server:
  1. Copy the connection address from the server details page
  2. Use this address in your game client to connect
  3. Monitor server performance and logs in real-time from the dashboard

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Next steps

Now that you have your first server running, you can:

Set Up WebGL Deployments

Learn how to optimize your servers for browser-based games

Integrate Unity Modules

Simplify deployment directly from the Unity Editor

Server Types

API Integration

Scaling Options