To change an Abiotic Factor server’s sandbox rules, stop the server, open the world’s save directory, edit or create SandboxSettings.ini, and restart the server. The file must begin with [SandboxSettings]; each setting then uses a separate key=value line.
If you need a hosted instance while applying these file changes, Godlike.Host offers Abiotic Factor game-server hosting with its own game panel, free DDoS protection, and up to three free backups a day with restore. Not on the Abiotic Factor dedicated server wiki’s list of Verified Server Providers (github.com/DFJacob/AbioticFactorDedicatedServer, 10 Oct 2026).
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The exact location is not consistent across community and hosting guides. Start with AbioticFactor/Saved/SaveGames/Server/Worlds/<WorldName>/SandboxSettings.ini, but also check AbioticFactor/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/SandboxSettings.ini if the world-folder file is absent. These paths, setting names and difficulty values can change between game updates, so confirm which file your installation actually reads.
What you are changing
SandboxSettings.ini stores world rules for a dedicated Abiotic Factor server. It is separate from the server’s other configuration files, including GameUserSettings.ini and Admin.ini. A server reads the sandbox file when the world loads, so editing the file while the process is running is unsafe: the in-memory configuration can be written back over your change when the server shuts down.
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Sandbox settings are not the same as administrator permissions or ordinary game-user preferences. They control world behavior such as whether loot respawns and how quickly enemies appear. The fan-wiki guidance summarized by hosting guides also says these settings cannot be changed through the server console; use the file instead.
Before you edit: a safe change procedure
- Tell players to log out. A restart is required for most server changes, so schedule a short outage and make sure no one is still changing the world.
- Stop the server completely. Use your host’s stop control or stop the dedicated-server process. Do not edit while the status still says running.
- Back up the current files. Copy
GameUserSettings.ini,Admin.ini,SandboxSettings.ini(if it exists), and the complete world folder to a separate location. Include the date in the backup name so you can identify the last known-good copy. - Locate the active world save. Check the world-folder path first, then the Windows-server configuration path described below. If several world folders exist, use the folder whose name matches the world loaded by your server.
- Edit one change set at a time. Keep a copy of the original text and record which keys you changed. This makes a bad value easy to remove.
- Save as plain text and restart. Start the server only after the file is saved. Allow the world to load, then test the change in-game.
Where is SandboxSettings.ini?
There is no single path established by all current guides. Two locations are repeatedly reported:
| Reported location | How it is described |
|---|---|
AbioticFactor/Saved/SaveGames/Server/Worlds/<WorldName>/SandboxSettings.ini |
The world-specific location cited by the fan wiki and several hosting guides. |
AbioticFactor/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/SandboxSettings.ini |
A server-wide configuration location used by another hosting guide. |
Treat those as installation-dependent alternatives, not two files that should always be edited together. If both exist, change the file that is associated with the world or server instance you are actually running, then restart and verify. If a change has no effect, check the other reported location rather than assuming the first path is universal.
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Finding the right world folder
Open the server’s AbioticFactor/Saved/SaveGames/Server/Worlds directory and look for a folder named for your world. Do not edit a similarly named backup or an unused test world. If your provider exposes several instances, confirm that you are browsing the files for the same instance whose console or control panel you restart.
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What if the file does not exist?
Guides disagree about whether the game creates SandboxSettings.ini automatically for every save. Some report an automatically generated file; others report that no file appears until the administrator creates one. The safe approach is to create a new plain-text file named exactly SandboxSettings.ini in the location that applies to your server, then add the required section header and the settings you need.
Check that your editor has not added a second extension such as .txt. In a file manager that hides extensions, enable extension display before renaming. The filename must be SandboxSettings.ini, not SandboxSettings.ini.txt.
How to create or edit the file
- With the server stopped, open the applicable directory.
- Open the existing
SandboxSettings.iniin a plain-text editor. If it is missing, create a new plain-text file with that exact name. - Make the first line exactly
[SandboxSettings]. A hosting guide warns that settings may be ignored when this section header is missing. - Put one setting on each subsequent line in the form
key=value. Keep the key spelling and capitalization shown by the guide or in-game documentation for your version. - Save the file without rich-text formatting. Do not put the section header on the same line as a setting.
- Start the server and wait for the world to finish loading before testing.
Minimal file structure
[SandboxSettings]
LootRespawnEnabled=False
EnemySpawnRate=1.0The two keys above are examples reported by current guides: LootRespawnEnabled=False disables loot respawn, while EnemySpawnRate=1.0 sets the enemy-spawn rate value used by that guide. They demonstrate the syntax; they are not a complete list of available settings or a guarantee that every game build accepts the same keys and value ranges.
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Preserve settings you do not intend to change. Add a new key only once; duplicate entries can make it unclear which value the game uses. If you must replace a line, keep the same key and change only the value. Save a copy before removing any line so you can restore the previous configuration if the server behaves unexpectedly.
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Changing difficulty without guessing the number
Difficulty values are the most visible conflict in the available guides. One guide maps Normal to 0 and Hard to 1. Other guides describe a sequence beginning with 1 for Normal, 2 for Hard and 3 for Apocalyptic, while a fan-wiki example uses GameDifficulty=1 as a default. Those mappings cannot all be correct for the same build.
Do not publish or apply a number-to-label conversion from a generic table. First identify the labels shown by your current game version or the configuration instructions supplied for your server build. Then change the relevant difficulty key using that version’s documented value, restart, and confirm the resulting label in-game. If the label is wrong, stop the server, restore the backup, and try the mapping appropriate to your build rather than cycling through numbers on a live world.
Applying a change and verifying it
Dedicated servers
Start the server after saving the file. Most guides say a full restart is needed for sandbox changes. Wait until the world is available, join as an administrator, and test the behavior that the key is meant to affect. A restart is preferable to simply closing and reopening an editor: the running process must reload the file.
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Local or host-managed saves
The fan-wiki guidance distinguishes local saves from servers: a reload may be enough for a local game, while a dedicated server generally needs a restart. Host control panels may expose separate “reload” and “restart” actions; use restart when you are changing a dedicated server unless your provider explicitly documents a safe reload that rereads sandbox settings.
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Testing without damaging the main world
For a substantial rules change, use a copied world or a temporary test world if your provider supports it. Test one or two representative behaviors, then apply the same file change to the production world after making a fresh backup. This is especially useful when the setting name or value range is uncertain.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Common changes and their limits
Loot respawn
The example LootRespawnEnabled=False shows the reported syntax for disabling loot respawn. If you want respawn enabled, use the value documented for your build rather than assuming every Boolean accepts the same spelling. After the restart, test a location where you can observe the intended behavior; an already depleted container may not immediately demonstrate a change.
Enemy spawn rate
The example EnemySpawnRate=1.0 illustrates a numeric value. Do not infer the minimum, maximum or meaning of other numbers from that example alone. Use the value range documented for your game version, change it in a controlled test, and record the result before applying it to a long-running world.
Other sandbox keys
Community lists can become stale when a patch renames, removes or adds a key. Copy only keys you can identify for the version running on your server. An unknown key may be ignored, but a malformed line can make troubleshooting harder. Keep the file small and readable instead of pasting an entire list of unverified options.
Troubleshooting when a setting does not work
The server ignores every change
- Confirm the server was stopped before you edited and restarted after saving.
- Check that the first line is exactly
[SandboxSettings]. - Verify the filename is
SandboxSettings.ini, not a file with an additional extension. - Check both reported locations and make sure you edited the instance that is actually running.
- Compare the edited file with your backup for accidental formatting or spelling changes.
Only one key is ignored
- Check the key name and capitalization against instructions for your current build.
- Make sure the line uses one equals sign and no explanatory text after the value.
- Test the key by itself in a backed-up test world so another setting does not mask its effect.
- Consider that the key may have changed or been removed in a patch; community lists are not guaranteed to stay current.
The change disappears after shutdown
This usually indicates that the server was still running when the file was edited, or that you edited a file the process does not use. Stop the server, restore the last good backup if necessary, identify the active path, and make the change again before starting it.
The difficulty is not the label you expected
Restore the backup and check the mapping for your installed build. Because published mappings conflict, a value copied from another version can select a different difficulty. Verify the in-game label after every attempt.
An existing world will not accept the change
A single Steam-discussion report describes a setting that did not stick on a server-created world and suggests creating the world in the regular game and copying it to the server. That is an anecdotal workaround, not a general rule. Before attempting it, make a complete backup and confirm that the world-copy procedure is supported by your host; copying saves incorrectly can cause data loss.
Backing up and rolling back
Keep the original SandboxSettings.ini and the entire world directory untouched until the new configuration has been tested. If the server fails to load or the world behaves unexpectedly, stop it, replace the edited file with the backup, and restart. For a broader rollback, restore the backed-up GameUserSettings.ini, Admin.ini and world folder as a matching set rather than mixing files from different dates.
Use a dated folder outside the live server directory for backups. A backup stored inside a directory that the host synchronizes or purges may be overwritten or deleted along with the live files.
Quick Recap
What this method cannot do
- It does not edit settings through the console. The fan-wiki guidance says sandbox settings cannot be changed from the server console.
- It does not make conflicting paths universal. Your installation may read the world-folder file or the Windows-server configuration file.
- It does not guarantee permanent key names. Paths, keys, defaults and value ranges are patch-dependent.
- It does not eliminate the need for a restart. A running server can retain old values in memory or overwrite an edit when it shuts down.
A repeatable checklist
- Announce the maintenance window and have players leave.
- Stop the dedicated server and verify that it is no longer running.
- Back up
GameUserSettings.ini,Admin.ini,SandboxSettings.iniand the world folder. - Open
AbioticFactor/Saved/SaveGames/Server/Worlds/<WorldName>/. - If the file is not there, check
AbioticFactor/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/and create the file in the location that applies to your installation. - Ensure the first line is
[SandboxSettings]. - Add or modify one
key=valueline at a time. - Save as plain text with the exact
.inifilename. - Restart the server and wait for the world to load.
- Verify the result in-game, then keep the dated backup and change record.
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