The best Insurgency: Sandstorm server settings depend on four choices: Checkpoint co-op or PvP, your human-player count, how much moderation you need, and whether maps are chosen by players or by a fixed rotation. For a small private Checkpoint group, start with an eight-player human cap, the documented bot and enemy-count values, map voting, and the sample respawn timers. For a private PvP event, set the cap in the travel URL, then choose either map voting or a curated MapCycle.txt; use the documented round and wave values as a baseline rather than as universal defaults.
Sandstorm divides configuration among travel parameters, startup arguments, text lists, and Game.ini. Keeping those layers separate—and placing each variable under the correct section—is more important than copying a large block of settings. The detailed examples below come from a 2020 configuration sample, while a September 2026 hosting guide reports current player-cap figures; recheck names and limits after a game update.
Which settings should you choose first?
Choose the game mode before editing anything else. Checkpoint is driven by AI quotas, enemy counts, objective-defense timers, and respawn pressure. PvP is driven by the human cap, round structure, overtime, team switching, and reinforcement waves. Your map policy and moderation plan come next because they determine whether you need a cycle file, voting controls, administrators, or RCON.
Checkpoint co-op priorities
- Set the human-player cap and decide how many friendly bots should fill empty slots.
- Tune minimum and maximum enemies, AI difficulty, and counterattack behavior.
- Choose player voting or a fixed map cycle, not both as competing policies.
- Keep an administrator account available even for a private passworded server.
PvP priorities
- Set the travel-URL player cap before selecting a map.
- Pick voting for a casual group or a hand-written cycle for an event.
- Use round, overtime, team-switching, and wave timers to control match length.
- Decide whether RCON is necessary for remote moderation.
How does the Sandstorm configuration model work?
Four configuration layers work together. A setting in the wrong layer will not be read, even when its spelling is correct.
| Layer | Where or how it is used | Typical purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Travel parameters | Appended to the map URL and prefixed with ? |
Per-travel values such as ?MaxPlayers=8 or ?Password=... |
| Startup arguments | Command-line options prefixed with - |
Hostname, ports, and the map-cycle file, for example -hostname="My Server", -Port=27102, -QueryPort=27131, and -MapCycle=MapCycle.txt |
| Text lists | Insurgency/Config/Server |
Admins.txt and newline-separated MapCycle.txt entries |
| Game.ini | Insurgency/Saved/Config/LinuxServer or Insurgency/Saved/Config/WindowsServer |
Mode and multiplayer variables |
Travel parameters use a question mark because they are part of the map URL. Startup options use a hyphen because they are process arguments. Do not move a Game.ini variable into the command line or put a startup option inside an INI section.
What is the best private Checkpoint co-op configuration?
For a small private group, use ?MaxPlayers=8 as the starting human-player cap. A September 2026 hosting guide reports eight human players as the co-op cap; treat that as a current vendor-reported constraint and verify it after updates. Bots and enemies are controlled separately in Game.ini.
Paste-ready Checkpoint baseline
[/Script/Insurgency.INSMultiplayerMode]
bAllowFriendlyFire=True
FriendlyFireModifier=0.2
bAutoBalanceTeams=True
bMapVoting=True
bUseMapCycle=False
IdleLimit=150
[/Script/Insurgency.INSCoopMode]
AIDifficulty=0.5
bUseVehicleInsertion=True
FriendlyBotQuota=4
MinimumEnemies=6
MaximumEnemies=12
[/Script/Insurgency.INSCheckpointGameMode]
DefendTimer=90
DefendTimerFinal=180
RetreatTimer=10
RespawnDPR=0.1
RespawnDelay=20
PostCaptureRushTimer=30
CounterAttackRespawnDPR=0.2
CounterAttackRespawnDelay=20
FinalCacheBotQuotaMultiplier=1.5This block transcribes the Checkpoint sample published by Nodecraft in 2020. It enables friendly fire with a 0.2 damage modifier, balances teams automatically, allows map voting, and disables the map cycle. The 150-second idle limit, 0.5 AI difficulty, four friendly bots, six-to-12 enemy range, and the objective and respawn timers are starting values rather than a promise that every group will prefer the same pace.
How should you tune the co-op baseline?
- Friendly fire: Keep
bAllowFriendlyFire=Truewhen accidental team damage is part of the intended challenge. Lower or raiseFriendlyFireModifieronly after the group has played a full round; the sample’s 0.2 value makes team damage a controlled risk rather than a free-for-all. - AI pressure:
AIDifficulty=0.5is the sample midpoint. The six-enemy minimum and 12-enemy maximum define the normal pressure band. Raising the range increases spectacle and CPU load; lowering it makes objectives easier to read for a small or inexperienced group. - Friendly bots:
FriendlyBotQuota=4fills out a partly empty team. If your group wants human-only play, test a lower quota and watch whether objective captures become under-manned. - Objective pacing: Attackers receive 90 seconds to defend a captured objective and 180 seconds at the final defense in the sample.
RetreatTimer=10andPostCaptureRushTimer=30shape the transition between objectives. - Respawns:
RespawnDelay=20sets the basic delay. The two DPR values govern respawn pressure during ordinary and counterattack phases; changing them alters how quickly a wipe can recover, so adjust one value at a time. - Final cache:
FinalCacheBotQuotaMultiplier=1.5increases the bot quota at the final cache, making the last objective a deliberate difficulty spike.
Should a private group use map voting or a fixed rotation?
Use map voting when players should choose the next scenario. Use a fixed rotation when you are running a curated session, teaching a route, or trying to keep a tournament-style schedule. The two switches are explicit: voting is bMapVoting=True with bUseMapCycle=False; a cycle reverses those values.
Player-chosen maps
bMapVoting=True
bUseMapCycle=FalseThis is the Checkpoint baseline. Players select from the available choices at the end of a round, and you do not need to maintain a cycle file.
Curated rotation
bMapVoting=False
bUseMapCycle=TrueCreate Insurgency/Config/Server/MapCycle.txt with one scenario entry per line, then point the server at it with -MapCycle=MapCycle.txt. Keep the spelling and line breaks exact. A cycle file is a separate text list; it does not belong inside Game.ini.
What is the best private PvP configuration?
Set the human cap in the travel URL, then choose the map-control policy. The September 2026 hosting guide uses 28 players in its PvP examples; treat that as a current vendor-reported figure rather than an immutable engine limit.
General PvP starting values
The documented general sample uses a five-round limit, three wins to win the match, 480-second rounds, 60-second overtime, 10-second team switching, automatic team balancing, and a 150-second idle limit. These are useful baselines for a private lobby, not mandatory settings for every mode or group.
| Control | Sample value | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Round limit | 5 | Maximum rounds in the match structure |
| Wins to win | 3 | Rounds required for a match victory |
| Round time | 480 seconds | Normal time available in a round |
| Overtime | 60 seconds | Extra time when the mode reaches overtime conditions |
| Team switching | 10 seconds | Delay associated with changing teams |
| Auto-balance | Enabled | Helps keep teams numerically even |
| Idle limit | 150 seconds | Time before an idle player is handled by the server |
Push-specific pacing
For Push, the sample lists RoundTimeExtension=300, five attacker waves and five defender waves per objective, AttackerWaveTimer=20, DefenderWaveTimer=35, LastStandSetupDelay=10, and AdvanceAttackerSpawnsDelay=30. These controls change how often players return to the fight and how much time attackers receive when objectives advance.
RoundTimeExtension=300
AttackerWavesPerObjective=5
DefenderWavesPerObjective=5
AttackerWaveTimer=20
DefenderWaveTimer=35
LastStandSetupDelay=10
AdvanceAttackerSpawnsDelay=30Place mode-specific values under the section used by your installed mode. Do not assume a Push variable belongs in the Checkpoint section simply because both modes use rounds and objectives.
How do you install the files and launch arguments?
Use this order so that the server starts with the correct files and then travels to the intended scenario.
- Stop the server. Editing while the process is running can be overwritten at shutdown.
- Open the platform-specific configuration directory. Linux servers use
Insurgency/Saved/Config/LinuxServer; Windows servers useInsurgency/Saved/Config/WindowsServer. - Create or edit
Game.ini. A freshly installed server may have a completely blank file. Add the section headers first, then place each variable directly below its header. - Create the server-list directory if needed. Put
Admins.txtandMapCycle.txtinInsurgency/Config/Server. - Enter startup arguments. A typical command-line set includes
-hostname="My Server",-Port=27102,-QueryPort=27131, and, when using a cycle,-MapCycle=MapCycle.txt. - Append travel parameters to the map URL. Use values such as
?MaxPlayers=8and a password parameter when appropriate. Keep the leading question mark and separate additional parameters with ampersands according to your host’s launch format. - Start and inspect the log. Join with one test account, verify the cap, confirm the map policy, and play long enough to observe objective and respawn timers.
- Stop, back up, and adjust. Change one related group of values at a time so a pacing change can be attributed to a specific edit.
How do you add administrators and enable RCON?
Use Admins.txt for persistent in-game administrators and RCON for remote console control. The admin guide specifies one 64-bit Steam ID per line. The default in-game admin-menu binding is Keypad Subtract.
Admins.txt format
76561198000000000
76561198000000001The numbers above illustrate the one-ID-per-line format; replace them with the administrators’ actual 64-bit Steam IDs. Do not add names, commas, or explanatory text on the same line.
RCON launch options
-Rcon -RconPassword=choose-a-long-unique-password -RconListenPort=27015RCON can also be configured through Game.ini. The documented remote commands include kick, ban, permban, unban, say, restartround, and travel. Restrict the RCON port at the network level where your host permits it, and never reuse the password for another service.
Why are my settings being ignored?
Most apparent failures come from file placement, syntax, or an override in another section rather than from the variable itself.
- Wrong prefix: A travel value needs
?; a startup argument needs-. PuttingMaxPlayersinGame.inidoes not replace the travel parameter used to set the human cap. - Wrong directory: Check the Linux-versus-Windows
Saved/Configpath and keep list files underInsurgency/Config/Server. - Blank line inside a section: Keep variables directly under their section header. The documented sample warns that a blank line can make the game interpret following lines as belonging to another section.
- Section override: Mode-specific sections can supersede global multiplayer or bot values. If a global value appears ineffective in Checkpoint, inspect the Checkpoint section for a more specific assignment.
- Conflicting map controls: Decide whether voting or cycling is primary. If both switches are enabled, the result may not match the policy you intended.
- Stale process state: Stop and restart after editing startup arguments,
Game.ini, or list files; then verify the active travel URL rather than an old console command. - Unsupported or renamed variable: The detailed table is based on a 2020 sample. If a current build rejects a value, compare the shipped configuration documentation for that build before assuming the syntax is still valid.
Which profile fits your group?
| Decision | Private Checkpoint | Private PvP |
|---|---|---|
| Human cap | Start at 8, based on the September 2026 hosting guide | PvP examples use 28, based on the same guide |
| Core settings | AI difficulty, friendly bots, enemy range, objective and respawn timers | Round limit, wins, round and overtime time, team switching |
| Map policy | Voting by default; cycle for a curated session | Voting for casual choice; cycle for an event |
| Pacing controls | Defend, retreat, capture-rush, counterattack, and final-cache values | Round extension and attacker/defender wave timers, especially in Push |
| Moderation | Admins.txt, vote controls, optional RCON |
Admins.txt, vote controls, optional RCON |
| Freshness risk | Cap is recent; detailed variables come from the 2020 sample | Cap is recent; detailed variables come from the 2020 sample |
How should you maintain the server after updates?
Keep a dated backup of Game.ini, Admins.txt, and MapCycle.txt before patching. After an update, test the launch command, confirm that the human cap still applies, and run one short round in each mode you host. The eight-player co-op and 28-player PvP figures are reported by a September 2026 hosting guide, while the detailed variable sample is older; neither should be treated as a permanent guarantee across future patches.
A practical maintenance checklist is:
- Confirm the process still reads the intended Linux or Windows configuration directory.
- Check that every section header and variable name is unchanged from the version you are running.
- Verify that only one map policy is active for the session.
- Join with a non-admin account to test moderation boundaries.
- Record any pacing change alongside the date and game build so you can roll back a troublesome edit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put more than eight human players into a Checkpoint server?
The September 2026 hosting guide reports eight human players as the co-op cap. If a later game update changes that limit, the travel parameter and host documentation should be checked again; adding more bot quota does not increase the human-player cap.
Why does my MapCycle.txt file load but maps still appear in a vote?
Map cycling and voting are separate policies. Confirm that the active configuration sets bUseMapCycle=True, sets bMapVoting=False, and passes the file through -MapCycle=MapCycle.txt; then restart the server so the startup argument is read.
What Steam ID format belongs in Admins.txt?
Use the account’s 64-bit Steam ID, with exactly one ID on each line. Names, profile URLs, and comma-separated entries are not the documented format.
Can I change Game.ini while players are connected?
You can edit the file, but a running process may not reload every value and may overwrite changes on shutdown. Stop the server, save a backup, apply the edit, and restart before testing.
Do the sample timers represent official permanent defaults?
No. The detailed values are transcribed from a 2020 hosting sample. They are useful starting points, but parameter names and defaults should be checked against the documentation shipped with the current build after an update.