Server Hosting¶
Warning
New Unturned server hosting rules are in effect
Read the Server Monetization Policy page for more info
Warning
All servers must use a valid Game Server Login Token in order to appear on the server list.
Read the GSLT page for more information
All multiplayer servers are hosted using the Unturned Dedicated Server tool, which is installed and updated through Valve's SteamCMD tool.
Windows Server Hosting Tutorial Video
A video created by nelson that covers the basics of a windows server setup using the dedicated server app. The video does not cover Linux-based hosting or Port Forwarding which is required for internet-accessible servers.
Multiplatform:
- How to Configure Server
- How to Host Curated Maps
- How to Host Over Internet
- Port Forwarding
- RocketMod
Windows:
Linux:
Installing SteamCMD¶
How to Install SteamCMD on Windows¶
- Download From Here
- Extract the contents of the zip somewhere you can find it again.
- Run
steamcmd.exe
Continue to: How to Install Server using SteamCMD
How to Install SteamCMD on Linux¶
Installation on Linux varies by distribution and your admin preferences, so refer to Valve's Linux Documentation. Once downloaded, run the steamcmd.sh
script.
Continue to: How to Install Server using SteamCMD
How to Install Server using SteamCMD¶
-
Log in to Steam anonymously:
login anonymous
-
Download the server:
app_update 1110390
Note
this command can also be used to update the server.
-
Close SteamCMD:
quit
-
The server files are now in the SteamCMD > steamapps > common > U3DS directory.
Continue to: How to Launch Server on Windows or How to Launch Server on Linux
Launching the server¶
How to Launch Server on Windows¶
- Navigate to the SteamCMD > steamapps > common > U3DS directory.
- Right-click within the folder.
- Select New > Text Document
- Replace "New Text Document.txt" with "Tutorial.bat"
- Right-click on the batch script (
Tutorial.bat
) and select Edit. -
Insert the following text into the file:
start "" "%~dp0ServerHelper.bat" +InternetServer/MyServer
start "" "%~dp0ServerHelper.bat" +LanServer/MyServer
Note
In this example, MyServer is used as the ServerID for save data and configuration purposes.
-
Save your changes.
- Double-click the batch script to launch the server.
-
Cleanly shutdown the server once it finishes loading:
shutdown
Running it will have created a "MyServer" directory in U3DS > Servers. This is where all save data and configuration files are kept. Changing the
MyServer
ServerID in the batch script can be done to run multiple servers at once, or to keep save data separately.
Example
The included ExampleServer.bat
serves as an example script
How to Launch Server on Linux¶
- Navigate to the SteamCMD > steamapps > common > U3DS directory.
-
For an internet server run the following command:
./ServerHelper.sh +InternetServer/MyServer
./ServerHelper.sh +LanServer/MyServer
Note
In this example, MyServer is used as the ServerID for save data and configuration purposes.
-
Cleanly shutdown the server once it finishes loading:
shutdown
Running it will have created a "MyServer" directory in U3DS > Servers. This is where all save data and configuration files are kept. Changing the
MyServer
ServerID in the launch arguments can be done to run multiple servers at once, or to keep save data separately.
For an example script, open the built-in ExampleServer.sh
file.
Example
The included ExampleServer.sh
serves as an example script
How to Configure a Server¶
Each individual ServerID has its own save data and configuration.
- Determine the ServerID. This is the name after the +InternetServer/ or +LanServer/ command.
- Navigate to U3DS > Servers > ServerID.
Launch Commands¶
Launch commands are set up in the Server > Commands.dat
file. Each line should have only one command.
Common useful commands are:
-
Map: Specify the map to load by name, otherwise PEI is used.
Examples:
Map PEI Map Washington Map Russia
-
__ __: Running multiple internet servers simultaneously requires specifying different ports. Unturned will use the set port for game traffic, port + 1 for server list queries. Recommended port values are 27015 for the first server, 27017 for the second server, so on and so forth. See Port Forwarding for more information
Examples:
Port 27015 Port 27017
-
Name: Name of the server on the server list; set as "Unturned" by default.
- Password: Requires password to join the server. Note that the password is only SHA1 hashed, so don't use the same password anywhere else.
- Perspective: Can be set to "First", "Third", "Both", or "Vehicle" to change camera options.
- Cheats: Allows admins to invoke cheat commands like spawning items or vehicles from the chat.
Game rules, listing display, and many other options are available in the Config.json
file. Game options mirror the in-game Play > Singleplayer > Config menu. This file deserves further documentation but is not officially documented yet.
Workshop add-ons¶
Steam Workshop add-ons (e.g., maps, items, vehicles) are set up in the WorkshopDownloadConfig.json
file. To include a Workshop file on your server:
- Browse to its web page, for example: Hawaii
-
Copy the file ID from the end of the URL.
URL: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1753134636 ID: 1753134636
-
Insert the file ID into the File_IDs list:
"File_IDs": [ 1753134636 ],
Multiple file IDs should be separated by commas:
"File_IDs": [ 1753134636, 1702240229 ],
-
During startup the files will be updated, and any dependencies detected. Players will have the files downloaded while connecting to the server.
How to Host Curated Maps¶
Curated maps are available as workshop items, so are configured in the WorkshopDownloadConfig.json
file. During startup, the Map command searches installed workshop items for a matching name.
Curated Map file IDs
Map | File ID |
---|---|
Athens Arena | 1454125991 |
Belgium | 1727125581 |
Bunker Arena | 1257784170 |
California | 1905768396 |
Canyon Arena | 185020976 |
Carpat | 1497352180 |
Cyprus Arena | 1647991167 |
Cyprus Survival | 1647986053 |
Dango | 1850228333 |
France | 1975500516 |
Greece | 1702240229 |
Hawaii | 1753134636 |
Rio de Janeiro | 1821848824 |
Elver | 2136497468 |
Kuwait | 2483365750 |
How to Host Over the Internet¶
Hosting a publicly-accessible internet server requires an extra step compared to a LAN server. When on a home network Port Forwarding is required to direct traffic to the host computer.
One way to think of it is that when there are multiple devices (e.g. computers and phones) connected to the LAN, the outside internet does not know which device is the Unturned server. In this case, port forwarding specifies which LAN device is the host.
For port ranges and other details: Port Forwarding