How to Change the View Distance on Your Satisfactory Server

View distance controls how far your Satisfactory server renders the world around your players. If buildings and machines are popping in close by, or if your server is struggling with a very large render range, adjusting this setting can make a real difference to both performance and gameplay feel.

This guide walks you through how to change the view distance on your Satisfactory server from the RiverHosting panel, without editing any files manually.

Before you start

• You need an active Satisfactory server with RiverHosting. If you do not have one yet, visit riverhosting.com to get started.
• Make sure your server is stopped before making changes to startup or config settings. Changing settings while the server is running may cause them to be ignored or overwritten.
• Log in to the RiverHosting panel at panel.riverhosting.com.

1. Open the Startup tab for your server

Satisfactory's view distance is controlled through the server's startup settings. Here is how to reach them:

1. Log in to the RiverHosting panel.
2. Click on your Satisfactory server from the server list.
3. In the left-hand menu, click Startup.
4. You will see a list of startup variables that control how your server launches.

2. Adjust the view distance setting

On the Startup page, look for the variable related to view distance. It is typically labelled something along the lines of View Distance or Net View Distance Scale.

1. Find the view distance variable in the list.
2. Click on the current value to edit it.
3. Enter your preferred value. A lower number reduces how far the world is rendered, which can improve server performance. A higher number increases render range but uses more resources.
4. Once you have entered your value, click outside the field or press Enter to save it.

3. Start your server and test the change

Once you have saved your view distance setting, you are ready to bring the server back online.

1. Go back to your server's main page by clicking Console in the left-hand menu, or clicking your server name at the top.
2. Click the Start button to start the server.
3. Wait for the server to finish loading. You can watch the Console to see when it is ready.
4. Join your Satisfactory server and check whether the view distance feels right.

Troubleshooting

• The setting did not seem to change anything. Make sure you stopped the server before editing the value, and that you started it again fresh after saving. Changes made while the server is running may not apply until the next restart.
• I cannot find the view distance variable. Scroll through the full list on the Startup page. The label may vary slightly. If you cannot locate it, try searching for keywords like "view" or "distance" if the page has a search field.
• The server is crashing after I changed the value. Revert the value to the default (usually 1) and start the server again. Very high values can sometimes cause instability, especially on servers with large saves.
• Performance got worse after increasing the value. Try reducing the view distance back toward 1 or below. Larger factories place more demand on the server, and a high render distance on top of that can slow things down.

Need help?

If you run into any trouble adjusting your view distance or your server is not behaving as expected, the RiverHosting support team is happy to help.