--- a/src/openttd.h
+++ b/src/openttd.h
@@ -57,6 +57,9 @@
 	PM_PAUSED_JOIN           = 1 << 2, ///< A game paused for 'pause_on_join'
 	PM_PAUSED_ERROR          = 1 << 3, ///< A game paused because a (critical) error
 	PM_PAUSED_ACTIVE_CLIENTS = 1 << 4, ///< A game paused for 'min_active_clients'
+
+	/* Pause mode bits when paused for network reasons */
+	PMB_PAUSED_NETWORK = PM_PAUSED_ACTIVE_CLIENTS | PM_PAUSED_JOIN,
 };
 DECLARE_ENUM_AS_BIT_SET(PauseMode);
 typedef SimpleTinyEnumT<PauseMode, byte> PauseModeByte;

--- a/src/saveload/afterload.cpp
+++ b/src/saveload/afterload.cpp
@@ -411,6 +411,15 @@
 		/* Restore the signals */
 		ResetSignalHandlers();
 		return false;
+	} else if (!_networking || _network_server) {
+		/* If we are in single player, i.e. not networking, and loading the
+		 * savegame or we are loading the savegame as network server we do
+		 * not want to be bothered by being paused because of the automatic
+		 * reason of a network server, e.g. joining clients or too few
+		 * active clients. Note that resetting these values for a network
+		 * client are very bad because then the client is going to execute
+		 * the game loop when the server is not, i.e. it desyncs. */
+		_pause_mode &= ~PMB_PAUSED_NETWORK;
 	}
 
 	/* in very old versions, size of train stations was stored differently */