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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:

Windows:

Linux:

Installing SteamCMD

How to Install SteamCMD on Windows

  1. Download From Here
  2. Extract the contents of the zip somewhere you can find it again.
  3. 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

  1. Log in to Steam anonymously:

    login anonymous

  2. Download the server:

    app_update 1110390

    Note

    this command can also be used to update the server.

  3. Close SteamCMD:

    quit

  4. 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

  1. Navigate to the SteamCMD > steamapps > common > U3DS directory.
  2. Right-click within the folder.
  3. Select New > Text Document
  4. Replace "New Text Document.txt" with "Tutorial.bat"
  5. Right-click on the batch script (Tutorial.bat) and select Edit.

  6. 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.

  7. Save your changes.

  8. Double-click the batch script to launch the server.

  9. 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

  1. Navigate to the SteamCMD > steamapps > common > U3DS directory.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  1. Determine the ServerID. This is the name after the +InternetServer/ or +LanServer/ command.
  2. 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:

  1. Browse to its web page, for example: Hawaii

  2. Copy the file ID from the end of the URL.

    URL: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1753134636
ID: 1753134636

  3. Insert the file ID into the File_IDs list:

    "File_IDs":
[
    1753134636
],

    Multiple file IDs should be separated by commas:

    "File_IDs":
[
    1753134636,
    1702240229
],

  4. 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

Last update: November 1, 2022