Change Day/Night Cycle on Abiotic Factor Server

This guide shows you how to adjust the day and night cycle on your Abiotic Factor dedicated server, letting you control how long a full in-game day lasts. You’ll edit the server’s configuration file to set the day length, night length, and whether the cycle is enabled at all. This is useful for players who want longer days for building or shorter nights for less dangerous exploration.

What You’ll Need

• Access to the server’s file system (via FTP, a hosting control panel, or local file explorer if you host it yourself).
• The server must be stopped before editing the configuration file.
• A text editor like Notepad (Windows) or nano (Linux). Avoid using Word or other rich-text editors.

Step-by-Step

1. Stop the server. If the server is running, changes to the config file will be overwritten when it shuts down. Use your hosting panel’s stop button or run the stop command in the console.
2. Locate the configuration file. The file is named Game.ini and is typically found in the server’s Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ or Saved/Config/WindowsServer/ folder, depending on your operating system. If you’re using a hosting provider, check their file manager for the same path.
3. Open Game.ini with a text editor. If the file doesn’t exist, create it in that folder.
4. Find or add the [/Script/AbioticFactor.AFSessionSettings] section. This is the section that controls gameplay settings. If it’s not already there, add it at the end of the file.
5. Add or modify the day/night settings. Under that section, add or change the following lines (adjust the numbers to your preference):

   DayLength=1800
   NightLength=600
   bEnableDayNightCycle=True

   • DayLength – seconds of daylight (default 1800 = 30 minutes).
   • NightLength – seconds of darkness (default 600 = 10 minutes).
   • bEnableDayNightCycle – set to True to keep the cycle, or False to lock the time (see Tips).
6. Save the file. Make sure you save it as Game.ini with the same encoding (UTF-8 is safe).
7. Start the server. Boot it up again. The new values will take effect on the next full in-game day. If you want to see the change immediately, you may need to restart the server again or use the console command to advance time (see Troubleshooting).

Common Mistakes

• Editing while the server is running. The server will overwrite your changes on shutdown. Always stop the server first.
• Using the wrong section header. The settings must be under [/Script/AbioticFactor.AFSessionSettings] – a typo or missing brackets will cause the game to ignore your values.
• Setting values in milliseconds instead of seconds. The game uses seconds. 1800 is 30 minutes, not 1.8 seconds.
• Forgetting to add the True/False line. If you remove bEnableDayNightCycle, the game may default to its own setting, possibly disabling the cycle.
• Using a rich-text editor that adds formatting. This can corrupt the file. Use a plain text editor.

Tips

• Balance day and night for gameplay. A common setup is 30 minutes day (1800s) and 10 minutes night (600s) – similar to the default. For a more relaxed experience, try 45 minutes day (2700s) and 5 minutes night (300s).
• To permanently lock the time at a specific hour, set bEnableDayNightCycle=False and add ServerTime=12.0 (where 12.0 is the hour in 24-hour format, e.g., 18.0 for 6 PM). This freezes the world at that time.
• If you want to test different lengths without restarting, you can use the console command SetTimeOfDay (see Troubleshooting) to jump to a specific time, but the cycle length itself only changes with a restart.
• Back up your Game.ini before editing. Copy it to a safe location so you can revert if something goes wrong.

Troubleshooting

• The cycle doesn’t change after restart. Double-check the section header and that you saved the file correctly. Also, make sure the server didn’t create a second Game.ini in a different folder (e.g., Saved/Config/WindowsServer vs LinuxServer). Edit the one that matches your server OS.
• The server won’t start after editing. This usually means a syntax error in the file. Remove the lines you added and try again, then re-add them carefully. Check for missing brackets or extra spaces.
• Changes apply only after a full day. The server reads the values at the start of a new day. To see the effect immediately, restart the server once more after editing, or use the console command SetTimeOfDay 12 to jump to noon – this will force the cycle to recalculate.
• Can’t find the Game.ini file. If you’re using a hosting panel, look for a “Config Files” or “Server Settings” section. Some panels expose these settings directly. If not, contact your host’s support for the exact path.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the default day and night lengths?

The default is 1800 seconds (30 minutes) for day and 600 seconds (10 minutes) for night, totaling a 40-minute full cycle.

Can I set different lengths for day and night?

Yes, you can set them independently. The game will transition between them at the end of each period. There’s no separate “dawn” or “dusk” length – those are part of the day or night period.

Does this setting affect all players on the server?

Yes, the day/night cycle is a server-wide setting. All players see the same time of day.

Can I change the cycle without stopping the server?

No, you must stop the server to edit the config file. However, you can use console commands like SetTimeOfDay to jump to a specific time without a restart, but that doesn’t change the cycle length.

Will my changes reset after a server update?

Usually not, but it’s a good idea to back up your Game.ini before updating. Some updates may add new settings, but they typically don’t overwrite your custom values.

Is there a way to make the cycle longer than 24 hours?

Yes, you can set DayLength and NightLength to any positive number, including very large values. For example, setting both to 43200 (12 hours each) would make a full day last 24 real hours.

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