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What Experimental mode changes on a dedicated server
Satisfactory’s Experimental branch is a testing build. A dedicated server remains on its current branch until you explicitly request the Experimental branch during a SteamCMD update. Installing the branch on the server alone is not enough: each player’s game client must also be on Experimental, and the client and server must have matching versions.
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The practical change is the -beta experimental argument attached to the SteamCMD +app_update command. The server process, save files and configuration are otherwise managed in the same way. Because Experimental builds can change independently of the normal release, plan a maintenance window and keep a recoverable backup before updating.
Check these requirements before changing branches
- Administrative access: You need access to the machine that runs SteamCMD and permission to stop and start the dedicated-server service or process.
- A clean shutdown: Stop the server through its normal service or console procedure. Do not begin a branch update while it is writing a save.
- Backups: Copy the server’s save files and configuration files to a separate location. A backup of the whole installation is safer if you have enough storage.
- SteamCMD available: Confirm that SteamCMD can start and can reach Steam’s content servers. The login in the example is the anonymous SteamCMD login used for this server application.
- Client agreement: Tell players that they must select Experimental in their own Steam client before connecting.
- Maintenance time: Allow time for downloading and, if needed, validating files. No current official download size or build number is published, so do not schedule the window around an assumed figure.
The app ID shown in the command below is 1690800. It appeared in the command used for this procedure, but no current official source confirms that ID. Verify the current dedicated-server app ID in the Satisfactory Wiki or SteamCMD documentation before running the command; if the current ID is different, use the confirmed value instead.
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Linux: switch the installation with SteamCMD
1. Stop the server cleanly
Stop the dedicated-server process using the method you normally use to operate it. If it runs under systemd, stop that unit and wait until the process exits. If you launch it from a terminal or script, use that script’s normal stop command. The objective is to ensure that no save or configuration file is being written when you make the backup.
2. Back up saves and configuration
Locate the save directory and the configuration files used by this installation, then copy them outside the server directory or into a dated backup archive. Keep at least one copy that the update process cannot overwrite. Record which server directory the backup came from; this prevents restoring the wrong world if you maintain more than one installation.
3. Run the Experimental update
From the account and directory where SteamCMD is installed, run the Linux form of the command:
steamcmd +force_install_dir ~/satisfactory +login anonymous +app_update 1690800 -beta experimental validate +quitReplace 1690800 if your verification identifies a different current app ID. The command requests the Experimental branch and exits after the update.
| Argument | Purpose |
|---|---|
+force_install_dir ~/satisfactory |
Sets the directory that SteamCMD updates. Use the directory containing this server installation, not a new empty directory, unless you intentionally want a separate copy. |
+login anonymous |
Logs in with SteamCMD’s anonymous account for the dedicated-server download. |
+app_update 1690800 |
Requests an update for the server application ID shown in the procedure. The ID has no current official confirmation and must be checked before use. |
-beta experimental |
Selects the Experimental branch instead of the default branch. |
validate |
Optionally checks local files against the selected branch and replaces files Steam considers missing or mismatched. It can add download time. |
+quit |
Closes SteamCMD after the update finishes. |
4. Decide whether to retain validate
validate is optional. The guide describes it as a file check that replaces missing or mismatched files. Keep it when you want the branch transition to include an integrity check, or remove only the word validate when you need a normal update and already trust the local files:
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steamcmd +force_install_dir ~/satisfactory +login anonymous +app_update 1690800 -beta experimental +quitDo not remove -beta experimental if the purpose of this run is to move to Experimental.
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Start the server with your usual command or service. Have a test player select Experimental in Steam before connecting. If that client is still on the regular branch, a successful server update will not make the client compatible; the branches must match on both sides.
Windows: perform the same branch update
1. Stop and back up first
Stop the Windows service or dedicated-server process normally, wait for it to exit, and copy the saves and configuration to a separate folder or backup drive. Do not overwrite the backup with files from the Experimental run until you are satisfied that you can return to the previous state.
2. Run SteamCMD from an elevated or permitted account
Open the SteamCMD installation directory and use steamcmd.exe. Adapt the installation path to the actual Windows location; quote a path containing spaces. The equivalent command is:
steamcmd.exe +force_install_dir "C:satisfactory" +login anonymous +app_update 1690800 -beta experimental validate +quitC:satisfactory is an example path, not a required location. Keep the same app ID verification described for Linux, and use the path that contains your existing dedicated-server files. To omit the optional integrity check, remove validate while leaving -beta experimental in place.
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3. Restart and check the first connection
Start the Windows service or process after SteamCMD reports completion. Connect with a client that has already selected Experimental. A client on the regular branch is a useful negative test: it should not be treated as evidence that the server update failed when it reports a version mismatch.
Put the game client on Experimental
The client branch is selected in Steam, separately from the server update:
- Open Library in Steam.
- Right-click the Satisfactory game entry and choose Properties.
- Open the Betas tab.
- Select the Experimental beta from the branch selector for the game.
- Wait for Steam to finish updating before launching or attempting to join the server.
Every player who joins needs the same branch and a compatible build. A player who remains on Early Access or another branch cannot be fixed by changing server settings.
Automate the branch choice with systemd
If systemd updates the installation before starting the server, the update command in the unit must request Experimental as well. The Satisfactory Wiki notes that the ExecStartPre directive can be adjusted so SteamCMD fetches the Experimental branch on restart.
- Stop the service before editing its unit or drop-in configuration.
- Open the existing
ExecStartPrecommand that runs SteamCMD. Edit that command rather than adding a second updater that could race with it. - Ensure its
+app_updateportion contains-beta experimental, using the verified app ID and the installation directory for this server. The relevant sequence is+app_update 1690800 -beta experimental validate +quit; retain or removevalidateaccording to your chosen update policy. - Reload systemd’s unit configuration, then restart the service so the pre-start update runs before the server process.
- Review the SteamCMD output from the restart. If the service starts the game before SteamCMD has completed, correct the unit ordering before allowing players to connect.
Use an absolute installation path in a system service when the unit’s environment does not expand a shell shortcut such as ~. Keep the save and configuration backup outside that path so an automated update cannot replace it.
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How to tell whether the switch worked
- SteamCMD completes the requested update: The update command must finish before the server starts. A command that exits early because of a path, permission or network error has not switched branches.
- The server starts normally: Start it with the same service or script used before the change. Startup errors indicate an operational problem that should be solved before testing branch compatibility.
- An Experimental client can join: Test with a client that has completed its Experimental download. This verifies the branch pairing more meaningfully than testing with a client that remains on the default branch.
- No version-mismatch message appears: A mismatch generally means the client and server are not on the same version or branch. Have every player finish pending Steam updates before changing server files again.
Troubleshooting common failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Players receive a version-mismatch error. | The client and server are on different branches or one side has not completed its update. | Confirm the server update included -beta experimental. Have the affected player select Experimental in Library → Properties → Betas and wait for Steam to finish updating. Test again with a client on the same branch. |
| The server still behaves as if it is on the default branch. | The command updated a different installation directory, or the beta argument was omitted. | Check +force_install_dir against the directory used by the service. Re-run the command with -beta experimental and then restart the correct service. |
| SteamCMD reports missing or mismatched files. | The local installation does not match the selected branch. | Run the update with the optional validate keyword. Allow the file check to complete before starting the server. |
| The service starts, but the branch changes back after a restart. | The automated ExecStartPre command still requests the default branch or points at another installation. |
Inspect the systemd pre-start command and add -beta experimental to its +app_update invocation. Reload the unit and restart it. |
| SteamCMD cannot update the files. | Wrong path, insufficient permissions, unavailable network access or an incorrect app ID. | Verify the installation path and permissions, confirm SteamCMD can reach Steam, and re-check the app ID against the current Satisfactory documentation. Do not delete the existing installation or restore a backup until you know which failure occurred. |
| A player cannot connect even after selecting Experimental. | The client may still be downloading, may be on a different build, or may be connecting to a server that was not the installation you updated. | Wait for the client update, verify the server’s actual service path, and repeat the connection test after both sides report that their updates are complete. |
Revert the server to the normal branch
To return to Early Access or the default server branch, reverse the same operation rather than installing a second server over the first one:
- Stop the server cleanly and preserve the Experimental saves and configuration in a separate backup.
- Run SteamCMD against the same installation directory, but remove
-beta experimentalfrom the+app_updatecommand:
steamcmd +force_install_dir ~/satisfactory +login anonymous +app_update 1690800 validate +quitUse the Windows executable and Windows installation path on Windows. The app ID still requires verification before use. You may omit validate if you do not want the optional integrity check, but the beta flag must be absent for the default branch.
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- Start the server only after SteamCMD finishes.
- Have players return their clients to the normal branch through Steam’s Properties → Betas menu and wait for that update to complete.
The Satisfactory Wiki’s FAQ notes that Steam can remember the branch selected for an installation. If the server appears not to convert back, inspect both the Steam client’s remembered beta selection and any automated systemd update command; either can request or retain Experimental after you intended to revert.
Operating an Experimental server safely
Keep branch-specific backups
Label backups with the branch and date, such as “Experimental” or “default,” rather than relying on a filename that only contains the world name. This makes it possible to identify the correct recovery point if you switch more than once.
Separate testing from routine play
Experimental is intended for testing. Schedule updates when players are offline, announce the required client branch before the maintenance window, and test one client connection before opening the server to everyone. Do not assume that a successful download means all clients have already updated.
Keep automated updates consistent
A manual update and a systemd pre-start update must request the same branch. If one command includes -beta experimental and the other does not, a restart can undo the branch selection or leave the server on a different build than the one you tested.
Bottom line
Back up the server, stop it cleanly, run SteamCMD’s +app_update with -beta experimental, and restart only after the update completes. Then move every client to Experimental and keep the versions aligned. To revert, remove the beta flag, update again, and switch clients back to the normal branch.
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