The primary goal for Insurgency: Sandstorm realistic lighting is Global Illumination and Tonemapping. Standard settings often suffer from “Eye Adaptation” that is too aggressive or colors that feel overly “gamey.” This configuration focuses on DisplayGamma adjustment, increasing Ambient Occlusion depth, and enabling high-fidelity SSR (Screen Space Reflections) that are hidden in the base menus.
File Location
The Engine.ini file is found in your local AppData folder. Ensure you have launched the game at least once to generate the directory:
%LocalAppData%\Insurgency\Saved\Config\WindowsClient\Engine.ini
Technical Configuration (The 2026 “Ultra-Realistic” Template)
Open the file with a text editor. Scroll to the bottom and paste the following block. Note: These settings are designed for mid-to-high-end hardware as they significantly increase the number of light calculations per frame.
[/Script/Engine.RendererSettings]
# Insurgency: Sandstorm Realistic Lighting - GameEngineer.net
r.DepthOfFieldQuality=2
r.DefaultFeature.AutoExposure=1
r.EyeAdaptationQuality=2
r.DefaultFeature.Bloom=1
r.BloomQuality=4
r.DefaultFeature.LensFlare=1
r.LensFlareQuality=2
r.Color.Mid=0.45 -- Darkens mid-tones for a 'grittier' look
r.Tonemapper.Sharpen=0.6 -- Counters TAA blur without looking artificial
[SystemSettings]
r.AmbientOcclusionLevels=3
r.AmbientOcclusionRadiusScale=1.0
r.Shadow.DistanceScale=1.5 -- Shadows stay sharp at longer distances
r.ShadowQuality=5
r.Shadow.MaxResolution=2048
r.SSR.Quality=4 -- High-fidelity wet surfaces and reflections
r.SSR.Temporal=1
r.HighQualityLightMaps=1
r.LightFunctionQuality=2
r.LightShafts=1 -- Enables realistic 'God Rays' through dust/smoke
r.LightShaftQuality=1
r.Atmosphere=1 -- Improves horizon haze and sky realism
r.StaticMeshLODDistanceScale=0.5Parameter Breakdown:
- r.Color.Mid=0.45: The default
0.5can make the desert sun look washed out. Dropping this to0.45deepens the shadows and makes the highlights feel more intense, mimicking a high-contrast combat camera. - r.Shadow.DistanceScale=1.5: Prevents the “shadow pop-in” that occurs as you move. In 2026, modern GPUs can handle this extra distance, ensuring that trees and buildings cast realistic shadows even across long desert vistas.
- r.SSR.Quality=4: This is crucial for maps like Ministry or Precinct. It ensures that light bounces off tiled floors and metallic surfaces accurately, significantly increasing the “grounded” feel of the environment.
- r.LightShafts=1: When a grenade goes off or smoke is deployed, this setting allows light to filter through the particles in real-time, creating a highly cinematic atmosphere.
Strategy for 2026 Immersion
- The “Gamma 2.18” Trick: In your in-game settings, set your Gamma to 2.18 instead of the default 2.2. In 2026, display technology (especially OLED/Mini-LED) responds better to this slightly lower gamma, providing a “richer” color depth without losing detail in the blacks.
- Tessellation (ON): Always keep Tessellation enabled. It adds physical depth to brick walls and rocky terrain, which, when combined with the enhanced shadows above, makes the world feel 3D rather than a flat texture.
- Disable Motion Blur: For realism, motion blur often feels like a camera effect rather than human sight. Set
r.DefaultFeature.MotionBlur=0to keep the image crisp during fast tactical rotations. - Anisotropic Filtering: Force this to 16x in your GPU Control Panel. It ensures that textures at an angle (like a long road) don’t become blurry, which is vital for spotting silhouettes against a realistic background.
Key Performance Parameters
| Parameter | Recommended Value | Visual Impact |
| Shadow Resolution | 2048 | Removes “blocky” edges on character shadows. |
| Ambient Occlusion | 3 (Ultra) | Adds deep “contact shadows” in corners and gear. |
| Bloom Quality | 4 | Creates a soft glow around light sources (sun/lamps). |
| Screen Percentage | 100 or 125 | Higher values act as Super-Sampling for extreme clarity. |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Does this make the game too dark?
By design, realistic lighting makes dark rooms actually dark. In 2026, you are expected to use your Flashlight or Night Vision Goggles (NVG). If you prefer more visibility, change r.Color.Mid back to 0.5.
Will this affect my FPS?
Yes. These are “Quality-First” settings. Expect a 10–15% drop in average FPS compared to the High preset. If you need more frames, lower r.SSR.Quality to 2.
Why do my textures look “mushy”?
This is often a result of Texture Streaming. In your Engine.ini, under a [TextureStreaming] header, you can add r.Streaming.PoolSize=4000 (for 8GB VRAM cards) to force the game to keep high-res textures loaded.
My settings keep resetting!
After applying the tweaks, right-click Engine.ini > Properties > Check “Read-only.” Note: You must uncheck this to change any other core engine settings later.
Conclusion and Expected Results
By adjusting the Tonemapper and forcing high-quality Shadow and Reflection variables in your Engine.ini, you are moving away from the “flat” competitive look of Sandstorm. You can expect deep, atmospheric shadows, physically accurate light scattering through dust, and surfaces that react realistically to the environment.