How to Configure Your Insurgency: Sandstorm Server

Learn how to configure your Insurgency: Sandstorm server using Game.ini, Engine.ini, and startup parameters.

Insurgency: Sandstorm server settings are controlled through configuration files and startup parameters. The main config file is Game.ini, located in the Insurgency/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ directory. You can edit it through the XGamingServer panel's file manager.

Accessing Configuration Files

Open the XGamingServer panel

Log in to the XGamingServer panel and select your Insurgency: Sandstorm server. Stop the server before editing config files.

Navigate to the config folder

Click Files in the sidebar and navigate to:

Insurgency/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/

Open the config file

The main configuration files are:

File	Purpose
`Game.ini`	Core gameplay settings — game mode rules, bot count, round limits, team settings
`Engine.ini`	Engine-level settings — tick rate, network settings, performance tuning
`Admins.txt`	List of admin Steam IDs (may be located in the `Insurgency/Config/Server/` directory)
`MapCycle.txt`	Map rotation and scenario order

📝 Note: If these files don't exist, start the server once and stop it. The server generates default config files on first launch.

Key Settings in Game.ini

The Game.ini file contains gameplay-related settings. Here are the most commonly changed options:

Bot Settings (Cooperative/PvE)

[/Script/Insurgency.INSCoopMode]
MinimumEnemies=6
MaximumEnemies=12
AIDifficulty=0.5
bBots=True

Setting	Description	Default
`MinimumEnemies`	Minimum number of AI enemies	6
`MaximumEnemies`	Maximum number of AI enemies	12
`AIDifficulty`	Bot difficulty (0.0 = easiest, 1.0 = hardest)	0.5
`bBots`	Enable/disable bots	True

Round and Game Settings

[/Script/Insurgency.INSGameMode]
RoundLimit=5
WinLimit=3
GameStartingPlayers=1
WarmupTime=15
PostRoundTime=20

Setting	Description	Default
`RoundLimit`	Maximum number of rounds per match	5
`WinLimit`	Rounds a team needs to win	3
`GameStartingPlayers`	Minimum players to start a match	1
`WarmupTime`	Warmup period in seconds	15
`PostRoundTime`	Time between rounds in seconds	20

Friendly Fire

[/Script/Insurgency.INSGameMode]
FriendlyFireModifier=0.0

Set FriendlyFireModifier to 0.0 for no friendly fire, or 1.0 for full friendly fire damage. Values between 0 and 1 scale the damage (e.g., 0.5 for half damage).

Mutators

Mutators modify gameplay rules. Common mutators include:

[/Script/Insurgency.INSGameMode]
Mutators=SlowCapture,AntiMaterielRiflesOnly

Popular mutators:

Mutator	Description
`SlowCapture`	Slows down objective capture speed
`FastCapture`	Speeds up objective capture
`BoltActionsOnly`	Restricts weapons to bolt-action rifles
`ShotgunsOnly`	Restricts weapons to shotguns
`PistolsOnly`	Restricts weapons to pistols
`NoDroppedWeapons`	Prevents picking up dropped weapons
`AllYouCanEat`	Unlimited supply points
`Frenzy`	Enemies are melee-only zombies
`HardcoreCheckpoint`	One-life checkpoint mode

Using Startup Parameters

Many settings can be set through the Startup tab on the XGamingServer panel. Startup parameters are command-line flags passed to the server executable.

Common Startup Parameters

Parameter	Description	Example
`-Port=`	Game port	`-Port=27102`
`-QueryPort=`	Steam query port	`-QueryPort=27131`
`-hostname=`	Server name	`-hostname="My Server"`
`-MaxPlayers=`	Maximum player count	`-MaxPlayers=28`
`-password=`	Server password	`-password=secret`
`-GameStats`	Enable game stats reporting	`-GameStats`
`-GSLTToken=`	Game Server Login Token	`-GSLTToken=yourtoken`
`-MapCycle=`	Path to map cycle file	`-MapCycle=MapCycle`

Setting the Initial Map and Scenario

The initial map and scenario are set via the travel startup parameter:

Oilfield?Scenario=Scenario_Oilfield_Checkpoint_Security

This loads the Oilfield map with the Checkpoint (Security) scenario. See the change map guide for a full list of maps and scenarios.

Engine.ini Settings

The Engine.ini file controls engine-level settings. The most commonly changed setting is the server tick rate:

[/Script/OnlineSubsystemUtils.IpNetDriver]
NetServerMaxTickRate=128

Setting	Description	Default
`NetServerMaxTickRate`	Server tick rate (updates per second). Higher = smoother but more CPU-intensive.	64

A tick rate of 128 provides smoother gameplay and is recommended if your server has the resources for it.

Map Cycle Configuration

Create or edit MapCycle.txt in the Insurgency/Config/Server/ directory to define your map rotation:

(Scenario="Scenario_Crossing_Checkpoint_Security",MaxPlayers=28)
(Scenario="Scenario_Hideout_Checkpoint_Security",MaxPlayers=28)
(Scenario="Scenario_Summit_Checkpoint_Security",MaxPlayers=28)
(Scenario="Scenario_Precinct_Push_Security",MaxPlayers=28)

Each line specifies a scenario and optional max players. The server cycles through these maps in order.

⚠️ Warning: Always stop the server before editing config files. Editing while the server is running may cause your changes to be overwritten when the server saves its state on shutdown.

💡 Tip: Make one change at a time and test. If the server fails to start after a config change, check the Console for error messages — they usually point to the exact line causing the issue.

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