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Choose Your Quick Start Guide

Select the networking framework you’re using to get started with PlayFlow Cloud.

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Video Tutorial

This video demonstrates deploying Unity games to PlayFlow Cloud. The concepts apply to all Unity networking frameworks.
PlayFlow’s backend is engine-agnostic — it hosts any headless Linux dedicated server over the REST API. Unity is the first-class SDK, and the guides below cover the most common setups.

Mirror

High-level networking library with clean API and battle-tested architecture

Mirror WebGL

Deploy Mirror games for web browsers with secure WebSocket connections

Fish-Net

High-performance networking with prediction and lag compensation

Fish-Net WebGL

Deploy Fish-Net games for web browsers with secure WebSocket connections

Unity Netcode

Unity’s official Netcode for GameObjects (NGO)

Godot

Deploy a Godot dedicated server using the REST API

Generic Setup

For other engines, frameworks, or custom networking solutions
Not sure which framework to choose?
  • Mirror: Great for beginners, large community, stable and mature
  • Fish-Net: Best performance, advanced features, actively developed
  • Unity Netcode: Official Unity support, good integration with Unity services

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Generic Setup

If you’re using a different framework or custom networking solution, follow these general steps.
Not using Unity? The Unity plugin and the Unity prerequisites below only apply to Unity projects. For any other engine (Godot, Unreal, custom C++/Go/Node servers, etc.), skip the Unity tooling and use Option 2: Manual Upload together with the REST API — PlayFlow runs any headless Linux dedicated server. The Godot quickstart is a worked example.
Prerequisites (Unity)If you’re building with Unity, make sure you have completed the following setup steps first:

Installation Guide

Install the PlayFlow SDK into your Unity project.

Unity Modules Setup

Install the required Linux modules for dedicated server builds.

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1. Unity Project Setup

Before uploading your server, ensure your Unity project is correctly configured.

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Configure Your Networking

Your game needs a networking transport. Make sure you have one set up. Take note of the Port you are using (e.g., 7777). You will need this later.

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Ensure Server Auto-Start

Your dedicated server build must start the server automatically when it launches. Most networking libraries have a setting for this, often called “Start on Headless” or similar. Ensure this is enabled so your server doesn’t just launch and sit idle.

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2. PlayFlow Account & Project Setup

1

Create your PlayFlow Account

First, you’ll need an account.
  1. Visit app.playflowcloud.com.
  2. Sign up with your email or connect with your GitHub/Google account.
2

Set up your Organization

Organizations help you manage your game projects and teams. You’ll be prompted to create one after signing up. Give it a name (e.g., your studio name).
3

Create your First Project

Projects in PlayFlow represent individual games.
  1. From your organization dashboard, click Create Project.
  2. Give your project a name and click Create.

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3. Upload Your Game Server

You can upload your game server build either directly from the Unity Editor using the PlayFlow plugin (recommended) or manually through the dashboard.
This is the easiest method for Unity developers.
  1. In your PlayFlow project dashboard, go to API Keys and copy your PlayFlow API Key.
  2. In the Unity Editor, open the PlayFlow window (PlayFlow → PlayFlow Cloud).
  3. Paste your API key into the token box.
  4. Select your game server scene from the list.
  5. Click Upload Server.
The plugin will automatically build a headless Linux server and upload it directly to PlayFlow.

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4. Configure and Deploy

1

Configure Network Ports

For clients to connect, you must tell PlayFlow which port to open.
  1. Go to the Configuration tab in your project.
  2. Under Network Configuration, add a new port.
  3. Set the Port Number to match the one your networking transport uses (e.g., 7777).
  4. Set the Protocol (usually UDP for games).
  5. Save your settings.
2

Deploy Your Server

Now you’re ready to launch your server.
  1. Navigate to the Servers tab.
  2. Click Create Server.
  3. Select the build you just uploaded.
  4. Choose a region and an instance type.
  5. Click Launch Server.
3

Connect to Your Server

Once the server status changes to “Running”, it’s live.
  1. Click Details on your running server.
  2. In the Network section, read the public host and port for each mapping.
  3. Use that host and port in your game client to connect.
Always read the connection details from the server’s response — never hardcode them. Each entry in the response’s network_ports[] array gives you the host and the external_port to connect to. The external port is allocated by PlayFlow’s proxy and is different from the internal port your server listens on (it is not 7777). TCP ports return a hostname (for example relay.computeflow.cloud) while UDP ports return a proxy IP address, so treat the host as a host string, not always a raw IP.

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Next Steps

Congratulations! Your first server is running. Now you can explore more of PlayFlow’s features.

Game Servers Overview

Learn more about how dedicated servers work on PlayFlow.

Game Servers API

Learn to manage servers programmatically from your game.

Lobby System

Learn how to create lobbies and match players together.