Configuring Game.ini and Engine.ini

A The Isle Evrima server is mainly configured through two files:

• Game.ini: most gameplay and administration settings (name, password, players, AI, dinosaurs, whitelist, admins, RCON…)
• Engine.ini: more technical parameters, related to the engine and networking

This page covers the structure of these files and the server settings. AI, playable dinosaurs and growth are covered in AI, playable dinosaurs and growth, admins and the whitelist in Becoming an admin.

Key names change between versions

The Isle Evrima is in active development: settings are regularly added, renamed or removed. The names on this page are the ones commonly found, as guidance. The reference is always the file generated by your server on first startup: edit the lines that are in it rather than copying lines from an old tutorial. If in doubt, our support team will point you to the right line.

Where are the files?

The server runs natively on Linux. Its configuration files live in the server's Linux configuration folder, usually:

TheIsle/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/Game.ini
TheIsle/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/Engine.ini

These files are created on first startup. If they are missing or almost empty, start the server once all the way, stop it, then open the folder again.

Editing the files safely

Stop the server before editing

Always stop the server from the panel Console before editing Game.ini or Engine.ini. The files are read at startup, and the server may rewrite its configuration when shutting down: a change made while the server is running may be ignored or overwritten.

1. Log in to your Game Panel: game.yorkhost.fr
2. Select your server and stop it
3. Open the Files tab and edit Game.ini (or Engine.ini)
4. Change only the values you need, keeping each line under its section
5. Save, then start the server

The files use the Unreal Engine INI format: sections in square brackets, then one Key=Value line per setting. Toggle settings often start with b and take true or false:

[/Script/TheIsle.TIGameSession]
ServerName=My The Isle server
bServerPassword=false

Keep a copy

Download a copy of Game.ini and Engine.ini before any game update or major change. A line moved into the wrong section or a typo in a key name is enough to make a setting ineffective, with no obvious error message.

Startup tab parameters

Depending on your server's configuration, some values may also be managed from the panel's Startup tab. A value passed at startup may take precedence over the one in the file. If a change to Game.ini seems to be ignored, check whether the same setting is defined in the Startup tab.

Name, password and player count

These settings are in Game.ini, most often in the [/Script/TheIsle.TIGameSession] section.

Key (check it in your file)	Purpose
ServerName	Name shown in the server list
bServerPassword	Enables (true) or disables (false) the password
ServerPassword	Password required to join the server
MaxPlayers or MaxPlayerCount	Maximum number of connected players, depending on the version and the section it is in
MapName	Map loaded by the server (for example Gateway, depending on the maps available in your version)
bEnableGlobalChat	Enables or disables global chat
ServerDayLengthMinutes / ServerNightLengthMinutes	Day and night length, in real minutes
bServerDynamicWeather	Enables or disables dynamic weather

Example for a private, password-protected server:

[/Script/TheIsle.TIGameSession]
ServerName=YorkHost - Evrima Survival
bServerPassword=true
ServerPassword=MyPassword

Player count and resources

The slot count is fully configurable, but each player adds CPU load and AI increases RAM usage. Stay within your plan's guidelines (see Getting started) and keep an eye on the console after raising the value.

Ports, RCON and queue

The game port

The game port is assigned by the panel and shown on your server's page. Do not change it in the configuration files. See Are all ports open?.

The queue

When the server is full, the queue lets players wait for a free slot instead of being turned away.

Key (check it in your file)	Purpose
bQueueEnabled	Enables (true) or disables the queue
QueuePort	Port used by the queue

RCON (remote administration)

RCON lets you send admin commands to the server from an external tool. See Becoming an admin for how to use it.

Key (check it in your file)	Purpose
bRconEnabled	Enables (true) or disables RCON
RconPassword	RCON password, make it long and unique
RconPort	RCON listening port

A port assigned to your server

The queue and RCON each use their own port, separate from the game port. That port must be one of the ports assigned to your server, otherwise it will not be reachable. First check whether the Startup tab already handles these ports; if not, or if your server only has one port, contact support to get an extra port instead of picking one at random.

Secure RCON

RCON access gives control over the server (kicks, bans, announcements…). Use a strong password, share it only with your admins, and leave bRconEnabled set to false if you do not use it.

Engine.ini: technical settings

Engine.ini contains engine and network parameters. Depending on the version, it may include for example network rate settings or settings that identify the server with the game's online services.

• Do not delete lines already present in the generated file: some may be needed for the server to start or to appear in the server list.
• Only edit this file for a specific setting whose effect you know, and keep a copy of the original version.
• If the server no longer starts after an Engine.ini change, restore the original copy.

What's next?

• AI, playable dinosaurs and growth
• Becoming an admin: admins by SteamID64, whitelist, RCON
• Backups and updates
• Troubleshooting