Deploy Your Unity Netcode Server

This guide assumes you already have a Unity Netcode for GameObjects project and are ready to deploy it on PlayFlow Cloud.

Unity Netcode for GameObjects is Unity’s official high-level networking library, providing a game-centric networking experience.

Video Tutorial

Watch the video above for a complete walkthrough of deploying Unity Netcode for GameObjects on PlayFlow Cloud, or follow the written guide below.

Before We Begin

Prerequisites

Ensure you have:

An existing Unity Netcode for GameObjects project
Unity Netcode for GameObjects package installed
NetworkManager configured in your scene

Install PlayFlow SDK

Install the PlayFlow SDK via Unity Package Manager:

https://github.com/PlayFlowCloud/PlayFlow-Multiplayer-Unity-SDK.git

For detailed instructions, see the Installation Guide.

Install Linux Modules

Install Linux Build Support modules in Unity Hub for server builds.

See Unity Modules Setup for your Unity version.

Configure Netcode for PlayFlow

Configure NetworkManager

Ensure your NetworkManager has:

Unity Transport component attached
Default port set (usually 7777)
Network Prefabs configured

Add Server Auto-Start

Create a script to auto-start the server in headless builds:

using Unity.Netcode;
using UnityEngine;

public class PlayFlowNetcodeStarter : MonoBehaviour
{
    void Start()
    {
        #if UNITY_SERVER || UNITY_HEADLESS
        NetworkManager.Singleton.StartServer();
        Debug.Log("Unity Netcode server started on PlayFlow");
        #endif
    }
}

Attach this script to a GameObject in your scene.

Configure Transport

For the Unity Transport component on NetworkManager:

Keep the default port (7777)
Server will automatically bind to 0.0.0.0 in headless builds

Unity Transport handles most server configuration automatically when running in headless mode.

Deploy to PlayFlow

Create PlayFlow Account

Go to PlayFlow Cloud and sign up or log in.

Create Organization & Project

Create an Organization (new orgs start on the Free plan; upgrade to Pro anytime)
Create a new project
Select Unity as the game engine

Link PlayFlow SDK

In PlayFlow dashboard, go to API Keys
Copy your PlayFlow API Key
In Unity, open PlayFlow → PlayFlow Cloud
Paste the API key

Upload Your Server

In the PlayFlow window:

Select your game scene
Click Upload Server

PlayFlow automatically builds and uploads a headless Linux server.

The build process takes a few minutes. You’ll see a success message when complete.

Configure PlayFlow

Configure Network Port

In PlayFlow dashboard:

Go to Configuration → Network Ports
Click Add Port
Enter:
- Port Name: netcode_game
- Port Number: 7777
- Protocol: UDP
Save configuration

Create Server

Go to Servers tab
Click Create Server
Select your uploaded build
Choose a region (required) and a compute size
Click Create Server

Wait for status to change to Running.

On the Free plan, servers run on the small compute size with a 1-hour maximum lifetime, and you can have 1 active server at a time. Choosing a different compute size and longer TTLs (up to 24 hours) requires the Pro plan.

Connect Your Client

Click Details on your running server
Copy the Host and External Port for your UDP port (these come from the network_ports[] array in the server API response — read them at runtime, never hardcode)
In your Unity client:

using Unity.Netcode;
using Unity.Netcode.Transports.UTP;

void ConnectToPlayFlowServer(string host, ushort externalPort)
{
    var transport = NetworkManager.Singleton.GetComponent<UnityTransport>();
    transport.SetConnectionData(host, externalPort);
    NetworkManager.Singleton.StartClient();
}

Pass the Host and External Port from PlayFlow into this method.

Do not connect to port 7777. 7777 is the internal port your server binds to inside the container. PlayFlow maps UDP through a proxy and allocates a different external port for clients. Always read the host and external port from the server’s network_ports[] response (or the dashboard Details panel) at runtime — they change per server.

Next Steps

Lobby System

Integrate Unity Lobby Service with PlayFlow

Matchmaking

Add matchmaking to your Netcode game

Server Management

Advanced server management techniques

Success!

Your Unity Netcode server is now running on PlayFlow Cloud! Clients can connect using the server’s public IP and port.

Common Issues

NetworkManager is null

Ensure NetworkManager exists in your scene and that you’re not trying to access it too early in the Start() method.

Clients stuck on connecting

Verify UDP port 7777 is configured in PlayFlow
Check that server is binding to 0.0.0.0 not localhost
Ensure firewall rules allow UDP traffic

High latency or packet loss

Adjust NetworkTickRate based on your needs
Configure Unity Transport reliability settings
Use PlayFlow’s server monitoring to identify issues

​Deploy Your Unity Netcode Server

​Video Tutorial

​Before We Begin

​Configure Netcode for PlayFlow

​Deploy to PlayFlow

​Configure PlayFlow

​Next Steps

Lobby System

Matchmaking

Server Management

​Success!

​Common Issues

Deploy Your Unity Netcode Server

Video Tutorial

Before We Begin

Configure Netcode for PlayFlow

Deploy to PlayFlow

Configure PlayFlow

Next Steps

Success!

Common Issues