How to Configure Your Space Engineers Server

Complete Space Engineers server configuration — SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg reference, SessionSettings, PCU limits, inventory multipliers, performance tuning, and admin setup.

Space Engineers uses an XML config file (SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg) for server settings, and per-world settings in Sandbox_config.sbc. This guide covers both.

Server File Structure

SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg

Sandbox.sbc

Sandbox_config.sbc

SANDBOX_0_0_0_.sbs

Two Config Files, One World

File	Purpose
`SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg`	Server-level settings (name, ports, admins, mods, which world to load)
`Saves/<World>/Sandbox_config.sbc`	Per-world gameplay settings (inventory size, PCU, game mode). Takes priority over the SessionSettings copy in Sandbox.sbc

How to Edit

Stop your server

Go to Console in the XGamingServer Panel and stop the server. The server overwrites config files on shutdown — always stop first.

Open the config file

Click Files in the sidebar. For server settings, open SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg. For gameplay/world settings on an existing world, open Saves/<WorldName>/Sandbox_config.sbc.

Edit and save

Make your changes (maintain valid XML syntax), click Save Content, then start from Console.

Server Configuration Reference

These are in SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg:

<ServerName>My SE Server</ServerName>
<WorldName>Star System</WorldName>
<MaxPlayers>16</MaxPlayers>
<PauseGameWhenEmpty>true</PauseGameWhenEmpty>
<GroupID>0</GroupID>

Setting	Default	Description
`ServerName`	—	Name shown in server browser
`WorldName`	—	World display name
`MaxPlayers`	4	Maximum simultaneous players
`PauseGameWhenEmpty`	true	Pause simulation when no players are connected
`GroupID`	0	Steam group ID — only group members can see/join. `0` = no restriction
`OnlineMode`	PUBLIC	`PUBLIC`, `PRIVATE`, or `FRIENDS`

These are in Sandbox_config.sbc (or the <SessionSettings> section of the main config):

Setting	Default	Description
`GameMode`	Survival	`Survival` or `Creative`
`EnvironmentHostility`	SAFE	`SAFE`, `NORMAL`, `CATACLYSM`, `CATACLYSM_UNREAL` — controls meteor frequency
`AutoHealing`	true	Players slowly regenerate health
`EnableCopyPaste`	false	Allow blueprint copy/paste in multiplayer
`WeaponsEnabled`	true	Enable weapons and combat
`ThrusterDamage`	true	Thrusters damage nearby blocks and players
`CargoShipsEnabled`	true	Spawn NPC cargo ships
`DestructibleBlocks`	true	Blocks can be destroyed
`EnableVoxelDestruction`	true	Allow mining/terrain deformation
`PermanentDeath`	false	Characters permanently die (no respawn)
`EnableIngameScripts`	true	Allow Programmable Block scripts
`EnableEconomy`	true	NPC trading stations and contracts
`EnableBountyContracts`	true	Bounty contract system
`ExperimentalMode`	true	Required for mods and untested features
`WorldSizeKm`	0	World boundary in km (0 = unlimited)
`SunRotationIntervalMinutes`	120	Day/night cycle length (minutes)
`EnableSunRotation`	true	Enable day/night cycle

All of these default to 1 (1x speed). Higher values = faster.

Setting	Description
`InventorySizeMultiplier`	Player inventory capacity (3x or 10x is common)
`BlocksInventorySizeMultiplier`	Cargo container/block inventory size
`AssemblerSpeedMultiplier`	Assembler crafting speed
`AssemblerEfficiencyMultiplier`	Assembler resource efficiency (less waste)
`RefinerySpeedMultiplier`	Refinery processing speed
`WelderSpeedMultiplier`	Welding (building) speed
`GrinderSpeedMultiplier`	Grinding (deconstructing) speed
`HackSpeedMultiplier`	Hacking speed

Common Multiplier Presets

Style	Inventory	Assembler	Refinery	Weld/Grind
Realistic	1x	1x	1x	1x
Casual	3x	3x	3x	2x
Boosted	10x	10x	10x	5x

Setting	Default	Description
`TotalPCU`	100000	Total Performance Cost Units — the global budget for block complexity. Each block type has a PCU cost reflecting its performance impact
`BlockLimitsEnabled`	GLOBALLY	`GLOBALLY` (shared PCU pool), `PER_PLAYER` (each player gets their own budget), `NONE` (unlimited)
`MaxGridSize`	0	Max blocks per single grid. `0` = unlimited
`MaxBlocksPerPlayer`	0	Max total blocks per player. `0` = unlimited
`MaxFloatingObjects`	56	Max debris/dropped items. Lower = better performance
`ViewDistance`	15000	Client render distance in meters (5000–50000)
`SyncDistance`	3000	Network sync distance in meters (1000–20000). Higher = more server load
`TrashRemovalEnabled`	true	Auto-cleanup floating debris
`VoxelTrashRemovalEnabled`	true	Remove detached voxel fragments
`AdaptiveSimulationQuality`	true	Auto-reduce sim quality under heavy load
`MaxDrones`	5	Max AI drones simultaneously
`AutoSaveInMinutes`	5	Auto-save interval. Saves can cause brief lag spikes on large worlds

Performance Tips

PCU is the most important limiter. Set TotalPCU to 50000–100000 for stable performance. PER_PLAYER mode prevents one player from consuming all resources
Lower MaxFloatingObjects to 20–30 if you're seeing lag
SyncDistance of 3000–5000m is a good balance. Higher causes exponential network load
Disable EnableIngameScripts if players' scripts are causing lag (badly written scripts are a common performance killer)
ViewDistance is client-side but affects what the server sends. 10000–15000 is reasonable

Port	Protocol	Purpose
27016	UDP	Game traffic (primary)
8766	UDP	Steam communication
8080	TCP	VRage Remote API (optional)

Both UDP ports must be accessible. The Remote API is disabled by default — enable with:

<RemoteApiEnabled>true</RemoteApiEnabled>
<RemoteSecurityKey>YourHMACKey</RemoteSecurityKey>
<RemoteApiPort>8080</RemoteApiPort>

Admin Setup

Add admin SteamID64s to the config file:

<Administrators>
  <unsignedLong>76561198012345678</unsignedLong>
  <unsignedLong>76561198087654321</unsignedLong>
</Administrators>

Admin Permission Levels

Level	Access
None	Regular player
Scripter	Can use in-game scripts
Moderator	Can kick/ban players
Space Master	Creative tools + entity management (Alt+F10 menu)
Admin	Full access including server settings changes

Admins can promote/demote players in-game via the Alt+F10 Admin menu.

Adding Mods

Add Workshop mods to the config:

<Mods>
  <ModItem FriendlyName="Mod Name">
    <Name>1234567890.sbm</Name>
    <PublishedFileId>1234567890</PublishedFileId>
    <PublishedServiceName>Steam</PublishedServiceName>
  </ModItem>
</Mods>

The PublishedFileId is the number from the Steam Workshop URL. Mods auto-download on server start. ExperimentalMode must be true.

How to Configure Your Space Engineers Server

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