Getting started

Abiotic Editor is a save-game editor for Abiotic Factor. It reads and writes the game's GVAS save files, understands the game's own data tables (items, recipes, skills, quest flags, story progression) by mounting the installed game's pak archives, and ships both a desktop app and a command-line tool.

In plain terms: it opens the .sav files Abiotic Factor writes to disk and shows you what's inside as clickable controls (sliders for your needs, a grid for your inventory, a checklist for recipes), so you can change your run (or repair it) without a hex editor. Edits stage until you press SAVE, and every write keeps a .bak backup.

Install

Grab the latest build for your platform from the Releases page:

The Windows and Linux / Steam Deck (Proton saves) editor packages are also available as separate files on the Nexus Mods downloads page.

Each zip's name carries the release version (e.g. AbioticEditor-desktop-win-x64-v1.2.0.zip).

Download	What it is
AbioticEditor-desktop-win-x64-v<version>.zip	Desktop editor (Windows). Extract and run AbioticEditor.Web.exe; no .NET install is needed.
AbioticEditor-desktop-linux-x64-v<version>.zip	Desktop editor (Linux, Steam Deck, and Proton saves). Extract and run launch-linux.sh.
AbioticEditor-cli-win-x64-v<version>.zip	Command-line tool (Windows)
AbioticEditor-cli-linux-x64-v<version>.zip	Command-line tool (Linux, including Steam Deck - finds saves inside the Proton prefix automatically)
AbioticEditor-cli-osx-x64-v<version>.zip / -osx-arm64-…	Command-line tool (macOS)

Unzip and run. The app and CLI both self-update from GitHub Releases: the app from its Settings ▸ Updates card, the CLI via abioticeditor update. Each release also ships a SHA256SUMS.txt so you can verify a download.

Windows: "unknown publisher" / SmartScreen

The Windows builds are not code-signed (a certificate that clears those warnings costs money this free, fan-made tool doesn't spend), so Windows reports an unknown publisher and SmartScreen or your antivirus may warn on first run. The download is safe; the warning is just the absence of a paid signature. Two ways around it:

Install with Scoop (no warning)

A command-line install via Scoop skips the SmartScreen prompt entirely and gives you one-command upgrades. Scoop verifies each download against the SHA-256 pinned in the manifest before extracting it.

scoop bucket add abiotic-editor https://github.com/ChristopherVR/AbioticEditor
scoop install abiotic-editor          # desktop app
scoop install abiotic-editor-cli      # command-line tool
scoop update  abiotic-editor          # later, to upgrade

If you'd rather run the zip download directly: right-click the downloaded .zip ▸ Properties ▸ tick Unblock ▸ OK, then unzip and run AbioticEditor.Web.exe. If SmartScreen still shows "Windows protected your PC", click More info ▸ Run anyway.

macOS is unsigned

The macOS builds are not code-signed, so Gatekeeper will warn on first launch. Right-click the app and choose Open, or clear the quarantine flag, to run it.

Build from source

Requires the .NET 10 SDK. Clone with submodules, since the build depends on the pinned submodules/ source projects (UeSaveGame and CUE4Parse).

git clone --recursive https://github.com/ChristopherVR/AbioticEditor.git
cd AbioticEditor

dotnet build src/AbioticEditor.Web                                  # local desktop editor host
dotnet build src/AbioticEditor.Cli                                   # CLI
dotnet test  tests/AbioticEditor.Tests                               # tests

The Razor desktop app runs on Windows and Linux with the standard .NET SDK. Package versions are managed centrally in Directory.Packages.props.

The CUE4Parse-Natives … 'cmake' is not recognized line during a build is benign. The native texture decoder is optional and managed parsing still works.

Where saves live

• Client saves (Windows): %LOCALAPPDATA%\AbioticFactor\Saved\SaveGames\<steamid>\Worlds\<WorldName>
• Client saves (Linux / Steam Deck, Proton):<Steam library>/steamapps/compatdata/427410/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/AbioticFactor/Saved/SaveGames/<steamid>/Worlds/<WorldName>
• Dedicated server: the folder containing Worlds\<WorldName> (the editor also finds Admin.ini and each world's SandboxSettings.ini).

Linux / Steam Deck (Proton)

The self-contained Linux editor provides the full point-and-click UI in its own desktop window. Extract AbioticEditor-desktop-linux-x64-v<version>.zip and run launch-linux.sh from Desktop Mode. The editor and CLI scan every Steam library, including internal storage, SD cards, Flatpak, and Snap installs, and find saves inside Proton prefixes without requiring a manual compatdata path.

Save kinds you'll see: Player_<steamid64>.sav, WorldSave_<Region>.sav, and WorldSave_MetaData.sav (story/metadata).

Next steps

• Desktop app: the point-and-click editor.
• Command-line tool: scripting and server admin.
• Plugins & language packs: install community tools and translations.
• Something not working? See Reporting a bug.