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Godlike.Host offers hosted Space Engineers servers with its own game panel, SFTP access and free DDoS protection, if you would rather not host it yourself.
Set the GameMode element inside SessionSettings to either Survival or Creative. The file you edit depends on whether the server will create a new world or load an existing save: use SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg for a new world, but edit Saves/<WorldName>/Sandbox_config.sbc for an existing world. Stop the server before editing, make a backup, save the file, and restart.
Which file controls the mode?
Space Engineers uses more than one configuration file, and choosing the wrong one is the most common reason a mode change appears not to work. A dedicated-server configuration can contain a complete SessionSettings block, but that block is primarily used when the server creates a new world. Once a save exists, the save’s own session file takes precedence.
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|---|---|---|
| Creating a new world | SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg, inside SessionSettings |
The next newly generated world uses the selected mode. |
| Loading an existing world | Saves/<WorldName>/Sandbox_config.sbc |
That save loads with the selected mode. |
| Hosted server with a file manager | Often config/SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg for server-wide/new-world settings, or the save’s Sandbox_config.sbc for an existing world |
Save the file in the host panel, then restart the server. |
The official SessionSettings reference identifies Sandbox_config.sbc as the per-save session file and says it is prioritized over sandbox.sbc and the SessionSettings block in the dedicated-server configuration. One precedence description gives the order as Sandbox_config.sbc, then Sandbox.sbc, then the .cfg SessionSettings block.
Allowed GameMode values
The setting accepts two values:
| Value | Use |
|---|---|
Survival |
Loads the world in Survival mode. |
Creative |
Loads the world in Creative mode. |
Use the value exactly as shown, including capitalization. The setting belongs inside the existing SessionSettings XML block. A typical entry is:
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<SessionSettings>
<GameMode>Creative</GameMode>
</SessionSettings>Do not replace the entire configuration with this short example. Add or change only the GameMode element in the file’s existing structure so that other session settings remain intact.
Change the mode for an existing world
Use this procedure when the server already has a world that players want to continue using, such as a Survival save being changed to Creative.
- Stop the server cleanly. Wait for the control panel or service manager to report that it has stopped and finished saving. Editing while the server is running can be overwritten by the next save.
- Back up the save folder. Copy the complete
Saves/<WorldName>directory to a separate location before changing anything. A backup gives you a rollback if the XML is malformed or the mode is not the one you intended. - Open the save’s session file. Navigate to
Saves/<WorldName>/Sandbox_config.sbc. Replace<WorldName>with the actual directory name of the world. The extension is.sbc; some third-party instructions incorrectly describe this file asSandbox_config.sav. - Find
GameMode. Within theSessionSettingsblock, locate the existing element. Change its value toCreativeorSurvival, depending on the desired result. If the element is absent, add it insideSessionSettingsrather than placing it outside the block. - Preserve valid XML. Keep the opening and closing tags paired, retain the angle brackets, and avoid adding comments or characters inside the value. Save the file in plain text without changing its extension.
- Start the server. Let it finish loading the same save. Do not create a replacement world unless that is your intention.
- Check the result in-game. Join the server and verify that the loaded world behaves as the selected mode. If it still loads in the previous mode, stop the server again and follow the troubleshooting section below instead of repeatedly editing the dedicated-server file.
For an existing save, changing SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg alone is not normally sufficient because the save-level file has higher priority. Edit the file that belongs to the world being loaded.
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Set the mode before generating a new world
Use the dedicated-server configuration when the server is going to create a world from scratch.
- Stop the server. This prevents the service from rewriting the configuration while you edit it.
- Open
SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg. On a self-managed installation, this is the dedicated-server configuration file. On a hosted service, it may be exposed through a file manager under a path such asconfig/SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg. - Locate
SessionSettings. Find theGameModeelement in that block and set it toSurvivalorCreative. - Handle an existing world deliberately. The new setting is used when a new world is generated. A hosting guide advises deleting existing worlds before starting if you want regeneration. Deletion is irreversible unless you have a backup, so moving the old world aside or making a verified copy is safer than permanently deleting it.
- Save and restart. Start the server and allow it to generate the world. Confirm the mode after joining.
If you want to retain an existing world, do not follow the regeneration step. Edit that world’s Sandbox_config.sbc instead.
Hosted-server file locations
Hosting panels do not all present the same directory tree. The important distinction is not the panel’s branding but whether you are editing the server-wide configuration or the save currently being loaded.
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- Use the panel’s file manager or SFTP access to find
SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg, commonly under aconfigdirectory, when preparing a new world. - Open the
Savesdirectory, select the exact world directory, and edit itsSandbox_config.sbcwhen changing an existing world. - Use the panel’s Save button if it provides one, then perform a full server restart. A panel restart is preferable to merely reconnecting to the console because the server must reload the session file.
- If the host provides automatic backups or a configuration editor, create a backup before using either feature to rewrite the file.
When the panel shows several world directories, use the one named by the server’s active world setting. Editing a different save has no effect on the world players actually join.
Why a change can appear to do nothing
The wrong configuration file was edited
This is the usual cause when a running save ignores a change made in SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg. Check whether the server is loading an existing world. If it is, edit Saves/<WorldName>/Sandbox_config.sbc and restart.
The server was not fully stopped
A running instance can save its in-memory settings over your manual edit. Stop it, wait until the process has exited, make the change again, and start it only after the file has been saved.
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The value or XML structure is invalid
Confirm that the value is exactly Survival or Creative, that GameMode is inside SessionSettings, and that the file remains an .sbc file. Check that the editor did not append a second extension such as .sbc.txt.
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An older Steam community report says sandbox settings can revert to values stored in an .sb4 file when it conflicts with an .sbc file, and suggests recreating the .sb4 from the .sbc. That report is not verified against the current game version, so treat it as a last-resort diagnostic: keep a full backup, stop the server, and do not delete or regenerate files without a rollback copy.
The host uses a session marker
One third-party hosting guide recommends stopping the server, deleting Saves/LastSession.sbl, editing the save’s .sbc file, and starting again. This deletion step is not confirmed by the official documentation and is not required as a general rule. Consider it only if the host’s own support instructions specifically identify that file as stale, and back up the save first.
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The wrong world was changed
Verify the directory name under Saves and compare it with the server’s active-world selection. A correctly edited file in an unused world directory will not affect the active server.
Session settings you may see beside GameMode
The same SessionSettings block can contain other world-session controls. Do not change them simply to set the game mode, but recognize them when checking that you are in the correct block.
| Element | What it controls | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
MaxPlayers |
The session’s player limit. | Leave unchanged unless you intend to alter capacity. |
InventorySizeMultiplier |
The inventory-size multiplier. | It is independent of the Creative/Survival choice. |
ViewDistance |
The view-distance setting. | Changing it is a separate performance and visibility decision. |
SyncDistance |
The synchronization-distance setting. | It is separate from GameMode. |
| Block-limit mode | How block limits are applied. | Possible values are NONE, GLOBALLY, PER_FACTION, and PER_PLAYER. |
When block-limit mode is NONE, the limits are disabled and MaxGridSize and MaxBlocksPerPlayer are ignored. That behavior is a separate setting; changing GameMode does not by itself document or guarantee a particular block-limit configuration.
A safe change checklist
- Identify whether the server is creating a new world or loading an existing save.
- Stop the server and wait for the save operation to finish.
- Back up the relevant configuration or complete save folder.
- Edit the correct file:
SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfgfor new-world generation, orSaves/<WorldName>/Sandbox_config.sbcfor an existing world. - Set
GameModeto exactlySurvivalorCreative. - Keep the XML inside
SessionSettingsand preserve the.sbcextension. - Save, restart, and check the mode in-game.
- If it reverts, check file precedence, the active world directory, and possible conflicting files before making destructive changes.
What to record before switching a live server
Write down the original mode, the save directory you changed, the exact file timestamp, and the backup location. This small change log makes it possible to restore the previous state or identify whether a host panel regenerated a file during restart. If several administrators manage the server, tell them whether the edit targets a new-world template or an existing save; otherwise someone may later change the lower-priority .cfg and expect it to override the save-level setting.
Quick decision guide
| Your goal | Action |
|---|---|
| Start a fresh Creative world | Edit SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg, set GameMode to Creative, move or delete the old world only if regeneration is intended, then restart. |
| Start a fresh Survival world | Edit the same .cfg file and set GameMode to Survival before generation. |
| Convert an existing world to Creative | Back up and edit that world’s Sandbox_config.sbc, set Creative, then restart. |
| Convert an existing world to Survival | Back up and edit that world’s Sandbox_config.sbc, set Survival, then restart. |
| Mode keeps reverting | Confirm the active save, stop the server, inspect precedence and XML, and investigate conflicting files only with a backup. |
Final verification
After the restart, join the server that actually uses the edited world and confirm the mode there. If the result is correct, retain the backup until players have confirmed that the save loads normally. If the result is wrong, do not delete additional files at random: return to the backup, confirm whether the save-level file or the new-world configuration is authoritative, and repeat the change on the correct file.
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