How to Switch Your Satisfactory Server to the Experimental Branch

Stable vs Experimental

Satisfactory ships in two branches on Steam:

• public — the default Stable branch. Most players run this.
• experimental — preview builds with new features that land weeks or months before they reach Stable.

Your client and server must run the same branch. If your friends are on Experimental, your server has to match — and vice versa.

Important: Save Compatibility

Saves are tied to the game version they were created on. A save made on Experimental will often not load on Stable once the save format diverges.

Back up your .sav files before switching. See our save upload guide for the local save path.

How to Switch Branches

1. Log in to the DoomHosting Panel and open your Satisfactory server.

2. Click the Startup tab in the sidebar.

3. Find the [Advanced] Branch Name variable. Type one of:

   • experimental — switch to the Experimental branch
   • public — switch back to Stable
   • leave it empty — use the primary branch (Stable)

4. In the same Startup tab, confirm these two variables:

   • Automatic Updates: 1
   • Validate Server Files: 1

   Both must be 1 for SteamCMD to switch branches on an already-installed server.

5. Go back to the Console tab and click Restart.

SteamCMD re-downloads the server files for the new branch. The first switch can take several minutes — watch the console output. The server is ready when you see the Game server started line.

Non-primary branches may not be fully compatible or stable. Always keep a recent save backup when running Experimental.

Verifying the Switch

After startup the console prints a build ID near the top of the log. Cross-reference it against SteamDB's Satisfactory Dedicated Server depot to confirm you're on the branch you expect.

When you connect through the Server Manager, Satisfactory will also warn you if your client and server versions don't match.

Switching Your Steam Client to Experimental

For every player who joins your server:

1. In Steam, right-click Satisfactory → Properties.
2. Open the Betas tab.
3. From the dropdown, select experimental.
4. Wait for Steam to download the update before connecting.

To return to Stable, select None in the same dropdown.

Switching Back to Stable

Repeat the steps above and set [Advanced] Branch Name to public (or leave it empty). Save files you played on Experimental may refuse to load on Stable — restoring a backup made before the switch is the safest path.

Troubleshooting

• Server keeps loading the old branch — both Automatic Updates and Validate Server Files must be 1. If they were already set, reinstall the server from the Settings tab to force a clean SteamCMD download.
• "Version mismatch" when connecting — your Satisfactory client is on a different branch than the server. Update the Steam Betas tab as shown above.
• Console shows download errors — Steam may be throttling. Restart again in 5–10 minutes.