7 Days to Die SandboxCode Explained: serverconfig.xml in V3
V3.0 moved thirty gameplay settings — GameDifficulty, every BloodMoon key, day length, loot, XP — into one SandboxCode. TFP’s own words, the full list, how to make and paste a code, how to check it with gso, and the V3.1 change that can invalidate old codes.
November 5, 20267 min read
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If you have run a 7 Days to Die server before V3 and are now staring at serverconfig.xml looking for GameDifficulty, you are not missing it: it is gone. V3.0, "Dead Hot Summer", moved thirty gameplay settings out of the server's config file and into one property, SandboxCode. That covers difficulty, every blood moon setting, day length, loot, XP and zombie speeds. This article explains what changed, in The Fun Pimps' own words, how to build a code and put it on your server, how to check what the server is actually running, and the V3.1 change that can quietly invalidate a code you copied earlier.
What The Fun Pimps changed in V3.0
The V3.0 release notes (12 June 2026) put it like this:
"With the addition of over 150 Sandbox Options, some of the legacy options previously set in serverconfig.xml have been moved to a new SandboxCode XML property."
And for anyone with an existing server:
"For server admins that wish to continue their V2.6 save game, you will need to recreate your legacy serverconfig.xml settings using the in-game Sandbox Options menu."
"Copy the code, and then paste it as the SandboxCode property value in the updated V3.0 serverconfig.xml file."
The notes even anticipate the support tickets: "Although we have done our best to communicate with server providers, you may need to work with your specific provider to help setup these options."
Tired of an update undoing your settings?
Your server runs on its own copy of the settings file, which Steam updates never touch, and the Server Settings tab has a field for V3's Sandbox code instead of settings the game no longer reads. Backups, file manager and SFTP on every plan.
Three of them were new not long before. BiomeProgression and StormFreq arrived in V2.0, and JarRefund in V2.5. So even a server set up in 2025 may have them in its file.
"I edited serverconfig.xml and nothing changed"
It is a common V3 complaint, and the list above is the reason. If your file still has <property name="BloodMoonFrequency" value="5"/>, editing that value does nothing. The community wiki at wiki.7d2d.net puts it this way: "If your config still carries these, the server ignores them. They are not errors and will not stop it booting." The server starts, the setting is silently ignored, and the game runs on whatever the Sandbox Code says.
So if a change to difficulty, loot, XP, day length or blood moons "did not take", check two things. Is the setting on the list above? And did you change SandboxCode?
What a SandboxCode looks like
It is one property with a short code as its value. The shipped default is:
The Fun Pimps' notes say: "The SandboxCode above is an equivalent setup of the legacy default GameDifficulty setting of 'Adventurer' or 1." In other words, the default code stands in for the old default difficulty.
The code is not meant to be written by hand. The Fun Pimps have not documented what each part of it encodes, and we won't guess. You make one in the game and paste it in.
How to make a code and use it
In the game, start a New Game and open Sandbox Options. This is the menu where the "over 150 Sandbox Options" live: difficulty, blood moon frequency and horde size, day length, loot, XP and the rest.
Set everything the way you want your server to play.
Copy the code the menu gives you.
On the server, stop it, open your settings file and paste the code as the value of SandboxCode.
Start the server.
A V2.6 server owner moving to V3 does the same thing. Read the old values out of the old serverconfig.xml (difficulty, blood moon frequency, loot abundance and so on), set the same options in Sandbox Options, and paste the resulting code. That is exactly what TFP's notes ask for.
Checking what the server is running
V3.0's b259 update added two things for this. It made the server "Print Sandbox settings to log on game start". It also added a console command, getsandboxoptions or gso for short, to list the options. After pasting a code and restarting, run gso in the server console, or read the start of the log, and check that the values are the ones you meant. It is much quicker than waiting for a blood moon to find out.
The same update added a WebAPI endpoint, sandboxsettings, for anyone building tools on top of the server.
The V3.1 catch: older codes may be invalid
V3.1.0 (July 2026) split some options, such as density and respawn settings, into separate day and night values. The Fun Pimps warned at the time: "please check your preset codes to make sure they are still valid. Invalid codes may default some or all settings."
So a code copied before V3.1 may not mean what it used to, and may fall back to defaults in part or in full. If your server was set up on V3.0 and plays differently since, regenerate the code from Sandbox Options on the current game, paste it again, and check it with gso.
Codes and older game versions
SandboxCode exists only from V3.0. We tested what an older version makes of it: on 4 November 2026, a V2.6 server refused to start on a V3 settings file. It stopped at "Unknown config option" for SandboxCode. If you pin a server to V2.6 or earlier for an overhaul mod, it needs a pre-V3 settings file, with the old properties such as GameDifficulty that V2.6 still reads. See running Darkness Falls or Undead Legacy on a dedicated server.
Does the Sandbox Code affect crossplay?
Possibly, but nobody has published which options matter. Before V3, host guides listed crossplay-safe ranges for settings such as XPMultiplier and LootRespawnDays. Those names are now inside the code, and no equivalent list exists for V3. The server's own log is the test. In our crossplay test, the game named the problem at start in a CROSSPLAY INCOMPATIBLE VALUE line, so check the log after any change to the code. Details in 7 Days to Die crossplay servers for PS5 and Xbox.
Or let us run it
On 7 Days to Die server hosting at Connect, Sandbox code is a field on the Server Settings tab, under Gameplay. Paste the code from the game, save, restart. The settings V3 removed are not on the tab at all, so there is no slider for something the game no longer reads. Your settings are kept in serverconfig.connect.xml, which Steam updates never replace. More in Server settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where did GameDifficulty go in 7 Days to Die V3?
Into SandboxCode. V3.0 moved thirty gameplay properties, including GameDifficulty, every BloodMoon setting, DayNightLength, LootAbundance and XPMultiplier, out of serverconfig.xml and into that one code.
How do I get a SandboxCode?
In the game, open New Game, then Sandbox Options. Set the options, copy the code, and paste it as the value of SandboxCode in the server's settings file. Then restart.
What is the default SandboxCode?
AAAJABJACJADJARFBNC, which The Fun Pimps describe as equivalent to the old default difficulty, Adventurer.
Will the server error if my config still has the old settings?
No. According to the community wiki, the server ignores them silently. That is why edits to them appear to do nothing.
How do I check which sandbox settings my server is using?
Run getsandboxoptions (or gso) in the server console. The server also prints its sandbox settings to the log when the game starts.
My code worked on V3.0. Why does the server play differently now?
V3.1 split some options into day and night values and warned that "Invalid codes may default some or all settings." Make a fresh code on the current game.
Settings that survive every update
Your server runs on its own copy of the settings file, which Steam updates never touch, and the Server Settings tab has a field for V3's Sandbox code instead of settings the game no longer reads. Backups, file manager and SFTP on every plan.