Configuring your Space Engineers server

Generate SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg locally, manage Sandbox.sbc world setups, and configure hardware-safe PCU and block limits.

Updated July 24, 2026

Space Engineers

This guide covers SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg (the main server config), the easiest way to generate it, and world management. Complete Getting Started first.

The Config File

The server config is in the data folder shown in the panel (typically instance/SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg). World-specific settings also live in Saves/<World>/Sandbox.sbc.

The cleanest way to edit settings is the in-game Dedicated Server Configurator (see "Generating a Config Locally" below), but for quick changes you can edit SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg directly:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<MyConfigDedicated>
  <ServerName>My GSK Space Engineers Server</ServerName>
  <ServerDescription>Survival on Earth-like</ServerDescription>
  <Welcome>Welcome to the server!</Welcome>
  <Pause>false</Pause>
  <IgnoreLastSession>false</IgnoreLastSession>
  <ServerPort>27016</ServerPort>
  <SteamPort>8766</SteamPort>
  <ServerPasswordHash></ServerPasswordHash>
  <ServerPasswordSalt></ServerPasswordSalt>
  <RemoteApiEnabled>false</RemoteApiEnabled>
  <RemoteApiPort>8080</RemoteApiPort>
  <Administrators>
    <string>76561197960287930</string>
  </Administrators>
  <Banned />
  <Mods />
  <LoadWorld>/path/to/world</LoadWorld>
  <Scenario>Star System</Scenario>
  <PremadeCheckpointPath></PremadeCheckpointPath>
  <WorldName>My World</WorldName>
  <AsteroidAmount>0</AsteroidAmount>
  <SessionSettings>
    <GameMode>Survival</GameMode>
    <InventorySizeMultiplier>3</InventorySizeMultiplier>
    <AssemblerSpeedMultiplier>3</AssemblerSpeedMultiplier>
    <AssemblerEfficiencyMultiplier>3</AssemblerEfficiencyMultiplier>
    <RefinerySpeedMultiplier>3</RefinerySpeedMultiplier>
    <OnlineMode>PUBLIC</OnlineMode>
    <MaxPlayers>16</MaxPlayers>
    <MaxFloatingObjects>56</MaxFloatingObjects>
    <EnableCopyPaste>true</EnableCopyPaste>
    <AutoHealing>true</AutoHealing>
    <EnableSpiders>true</EnableSpiders>
    <EnableWolfs>true</EnableWolfs>
    <EnableEncounters>true</EnableEncounters>
    <CargoShipsEnabled>true</CargoShipsEnabled>
    <EnableDrones>true</EnableDrones>
    <EnableSunRotation>true</EnableSunRotation>
    <ThrusterDamage>true</ThrusterDamage>
    <DestructibleBlocks>true</DestructibleBlocks>
    <EnableIngameScripts>true</EnableIngameScripts>
    <EnableScripterRole>true</EnableScripterRole>
    <ViewDistance>20000</ViewDistance>
    <SyncDistance>3000</SyncDistance>
    <PermanentDeath>false</PermanentDeath>
    <AutoSaveInMinutes>5</AutoSaveInMinutes>
    <EnableJetpack>true</EnableJetpack>
    <SpawnWithTools>true</SpawnWithTools>
    <StartInRespawnScreen>false</StartInRespawnScreen>
  </SessionSettings>
</MyConfigDedicated>

Key Fields

Field	Notes
ServerName	Server browser display name
MaxPlayers	Capped by slot purchase
OnlineMode	PUBLIC, FRIENDS, PRIVATE, OFFLINE
GameMode	Survival, Creative
Scenario	Star System, Earth-like, Mars, Moon, Empty World, etc.
InventorySizeMultiplier	1 to 10 (3 is typical for casual servers)
AssemblerSpeedMultiplier	1 to 100
RefinerySpeedMultiplier	1 to 100
EnableCopyPaste	True to allow players to paste blueprints
AutoSaveInMinutes	5 to 15 is sensible
Administrators	List of SteamID64 strings (grants in-game admin)
Mods	List of Workshop mod IDs (see Mods)

Restart after editing.

Generating a Config Locally (Recommended)

Hand-editing XML is error-prone. The most foolproof method uses the in-game configurator:

Install Space Engineers Dedicated Server locally on your PC (free via Steam Tools; search "Space Engineers Dedicated Server").
Run it locally and configure everything in the GUI: scenario, multipliers, mods, admins.
Save.
Upload the resulting SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg and the world save folder to your server.
Set LoadWorld in the config to point to the uploaded world folder.

This gives you a valid config without wrestling with XML by hand, and the GUI exposes every setting with descriptions.

World Management

Worlds live in Saves/. Each world folder contains:

Sandbox.sbc (world settings)
Sandbox_config.sbc (gameplay settings)
Various .sbs files (the actual world state)
Backup/ (automatic in-world backups)

Uploading an Existing World

To move a single-player world to the server:

Find your local saves at %appdata%\SpaceEngineers\Saves\<SteamID>\.
Upload the world folder via SFTP to Saves/ on the server.
Set LoadWorld in the server config to the new path.
Restart.

Wiping a World

To start fresh, stop the server and either:

Delete the world folder, or
Change the WorldName (and LoadWorld) to a new value

Restart to generate a new world from your scenario and settings.

PCU and Block Limits

PCU (Performance Cost Unit) limits cap how much each player can build, which is the single most important lever for server stability:

<TotalPCU>200000</TotalPCU>
<PiratePCU>50000</PiratePCU>
<BlockLimitsEnabled>PER_PLAYER</BlockLimitsEnabled>

Set these in the config's session settings. See Getting Started for why subgrid-heavy builds are the main performance risk.

Common Issues

Players cannot connect: Confirm OnlineMode is PUBLIC and the port matches the panel's Network tab.
Config changes do not apply: You edited while the server was running, or edited the wrong copy. Stop the server, edit SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg, then start.
World will not load: LoadWorld points to a path that does not exist. Confirm the world folder is in Saves/ and the path matches.
Multipliers feel wrong in-game: Some settings live in the world's Sandbox.sbc rather than the dedicated config and can override it. Regenerating the config locally with the world loaded avoids mismatches.