How to Set Up an Unturned Server with SteamCMD

To host an Unturned dedicated server, install SteamCMD, download the Unturned Dedicated Server with app ID 1110390, launch it with a unique ServerID, configure the files in U3DS/Servers/<ServerID>, and choose either Internet or LAN mode. A public server also needs router port forwarding and a valid Steam Game Server Login Token (GSLT) created with Unturned app ID 304930.

Godlike.Host offers hosted Unturned servers with its own game panel, SFTP access and free DDoS protection, if you would rather not host it yourself.

What you need before installing

Unturned separates the application used by players from the application used by a dedicated server. Keeping those identifiers straight prevents the most common installation mistake.

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You can run a LAN server without publishing it to the Internet, or an Internet server that is intended to appear in Unturned’s public list. Pick the mode before creating your launch script, because the mode is part of the startup argument.

Choose Windows or Linux

Both supported platforms use SteamCMD, app ID 1110390, the same ServerID concept, and the same server configuration layout. The practical difference is how SteamCMD and the launch script are run.

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macOS is not a supported hosting platform for the Unturned dedicated server. Use Windows or Linux for the host machine.

Install SteamCMD and download the dedicated server

SteamCMD is Valve’s command-line Steam client. It is particularly useful when you need to install or update dedicated-server files without installing the normal game client, and it is the practical way to maintain multiple independent server installations.

Windows installation

1. Download SteamCMD from Valve and extract it to a folder you can find easily. Avoid placing the server in a directory where your Windows account cannot write files.
2. Run steamcmd.exe. SteamCMD opens a command prompt rather than a graphical game launcher.
3. At the SteamCMD prompt, sign in anonymously and install the Unturned Dedicated Server:

login anonymous
app_update 1110390
quit

Linux installation

1. Install SteamCMD using the method appropriate for your Linux distribution.
2. Start the client with steamcmd.sh.
3. Run the same SteamCMD commands:

login anonymous
app_update 1110390
quit

The installation creates the dedicated-server files in steamapps/common/U3DS. Treat that U3DS directory as the server’s working directory: the launch helpers and the Servers folder are inside it.

Update or repair an existing installation

Run SteamCMD again and issue app_update 1110390 whenever you want to update the dedicated-server files. To verify and repair the installation, append validate:

login anonymous
app_update 1110390 validate
quit

Stop the running server before updating. Otherwise, files may be changed while the process is using them, and the result can be difficult to diagnose.

Create a ServerID and choose LAN or Internet mode

A ServerID is the name of one independent server instance. In the examples below, the ServerID is MyServer. Its saves and configuration are stored under U3DS/Servers/MyServer. Give every independent instance a different ServerID so that their worlds and settings do not overlap.

Windows launch scripts

Create a .bat file in the U3DS directory. For a public or otherwise Internet-listed server, use:

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start "" "%~dp0 ServerHelper.bat" +InternetServer/MyServer

For a server limited to players on the same local network, use:

start "" "%~dp0 ServerHelper.bat" +LanServer/MyServer

The %~dp0 part resolves the batch file’s own directory, allowing the script to find the helper when you start it from a shortcut or another working directory. Keep the ServerID after the slash consistent with the folder you intend to use.

Linux launch commands

From the U3DS directory, run one of these commands:

./ServerHelper.sh +InternetServer/MyServer

./ServerHelper.sh +LanServer/MyServer

If you run the command from a different directory, change to U3DS first so the helper can resolve the installation’s files. For unattended hosting, place the same command in a shell script or your operating system’s service/process manager, and make sure the process can write to the U3DS directory.

What the two modes mean

• InternetServer: selects Internet hosting. To appear in the public server list, it still requires a valid GSLT, and a home-network host normally needs port forwarding.
• LanServer: selects local-network play. It is intended for players who can reach the host on the same LAN and does not serve as a public Internet-listing setup.

Initialize the server safely on its first run

Start the selected launch script and watch the console. The first run creates the ServerID-specific files. Do not begin editing configuration while the level is still loading. Wait until the console reports Loading level: 100%.

When initialization reaches that point, enter Shutdown (or shutdown) in the server console. This saves the world and closes the process cleanly. A controlled shutdown is preferable to closing the window because it gives the server an opportunity to write its save data and configuration.

After the first clean shutdown, you should see the instance’s files under:

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U3DS/Servers/MyServer

Replace MyServer with your actual ServerID in every path and command that follows.

Configure Commands.dat and Config.json

Most server setup happens in the ServerID directory. Unturned uses two different configuration roles, so edit the right file for the setting you want.

Commands.dat for startup commands and server identity

Put one launch command per line in Commands.dat. Common entries include:

Use the command names expected by Unturned and keep each command on its own line. If a setting appears to be ignored, first confirm that you edited the Commands.dat inside the correct ServerID folder rather than a different instance’s directory.

Config.json for game rules

Game-rule settings are stored in Config.json. Make changes while the server is stopped, then restart it so the file is read consistently. Keep a backup before making broad edits; a malformed JSON file can prevent settings from loading correctly.

Do not place every setting in one file simply because both files are in the same directory: server commands belong in Commands.dat, while game-rule configuration belongs in Config.json.

Make an Internet server reachable and listable

An Internet-mode launch is only the first part of public hosting. Three separate conditions must be satisfied: the server must be using Internet mode, the network ports must reach the host, and Steam must accept the server’s login token.

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Forward the game and query ports

Unturned uses the selected port for game traffic and the next port for server-list queries. The Unturned 3 Knowledgebase recommends port 27015 for a first server and 27017 for a second server. Apply the port you choose in the server’s Port setting, then forward the required ports on your router to the computer running U3DS. Also allow the server through that computer’s firewall.

The recommendations identify the first and second server values; the query port is always the selected port plus one. When running more than one instance, assign each a distinct ServerID and distinct port range, then forward each range to the same host or the appropriate machine.

Create and apply a GSLT

All servers must use a valid Game Server Login Token to appear on the Internet server list. Create the token with Unturned’s player app ID, 304930—not the dedicated-server download ID 1110390.

After creating the token, set it in one of two supported ways:

• Put it in the Login_Token property in the server’s Browser configuration.
• Pass it with the GSLT startup command.

Restart the server after applying or changing the token. If the server runs but is absent from the public list, check the token before changing map or gameplay settings: a missing or invalid GSLT specifically prevents Internet-list visibility.

Add Workshop maps and other content

Workshop content is managed through WorkshopDownloadConfig.json in the ServerID configuration area. Add numeric Workshop file IDs to the File_IDs list. The Unturned 3 Knowledgebase uses 1753134636 as an example Hawaii Workshop file ID.

On startup, the server downloads the listed files and updates detected dependencies. Players connecting to the server download the required content as part of joining. Stop the server before editing the JSON, add each ID in the format the existing file expects, save it, and restart so the download process runs.

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If a Workshop map does not load, verify all of the following:

• The ID is numeric and was placed in File_IDs, not in Commands.dat.
• You edited the file under the same ServerID used by your launch command.
• The server was restarted after the change.
• Any detected dependencies were allowed to update at startup.

Run more than one Unturned server

Running multiple independent servers on one computer requires SteamCMD-based dedicated-server management. Smartly Dressed Games documentation states that multiple servers cannot be run at once from the same computer without using SteamCMD.

Give each instance its own:

• ServerID and corresponding U3DS/Servers/<ServerID> directory.
• Launch command, using either +InternetServer/<ServerID> or +LanServer/<ServerID>.
• Port value and the following query port.
• Configuration files, including Commands.dat, Config.json, and (when needed) WorkshopDownloadConfig.json.

For example, a first Internet server can use MyServer with port 27015, while a second can use a different ServerID and the recommended 27017 value. Do not point both launch scripts at the same ServerID or assign both instances the same port.

Windows and Linux administration differences

Once the files are installed, day-to-day administration is nearly identical: edit the ServerID folder, restart after configuration changes, and use SteamCMD for updates. The differences are operational rather than game-specific.

• Windows: keep the .bat launcher in the U3DS directory and use ServerHelper.bat. Windows firewall prompts and rules must permit the selected game and query ports.
• Linux: run ServerHelper.sh from the U3DS directory, ensure the account running it can read and write the installation, and use a shell script or service manager if the server must restart without an interactive terminal.
• Both: router forwarding is configured outside SteamCMD, and both platforms need the same GSLT for Internet-list visibility.

The server data is not moved to a platform-specific location by the launch mode: the authoritative instance path remains U3DS/Servers/<ServerID>.

Update and maintenance routine

1. Warn players and stop the server with Shutdown or shutdown so the world is saved.
2. Run SteamCMD with login anonymous and app_update 1110390.
3. If files appear damaged or incomplete, use app_update 1110390 validate instead.
4. Review the ServerID directory after an update, especially if you changed Workshop content or server rules.
5. Start the same launch script again and wait for Loading level: 100% before allowing players to reconnect.

Keep separate backups of each ServerID directory before major configuration or Workshop changes. A distinct directory per ServerID makes it possible to restore one world without replacing another.

Troubleshoot the problems that stop a server from working

Final pre-launch checklist

• SteamCMD is installed and the files are under steamapps/common/U3DS.
• You used dedicated-server app ID 1110390, not the player app ID.
• The launch mode and ServerID are correct: +InternetServer/<ServerID> or +LanServer/<ServerID>.
• The intended files exist under U3DS/Servers/<ServerID>.
• Commands.dat contains one command per line, while game rules are in Config.json.
• The first run reached Loading level: 100% and was closed with Shutdown or shutdown.
• For public hosting, the selected port and next port are forwarded and allowed through the host firewall.
• A GSLT created with app ID 304930 is set through Login_Token or the GSLT startup command.
• Workshop IDs are numeric entries in WorkshopDownloadConfig.json‘s File_IDs.

With those pieces in place, SteamCMD handles the dedicated-server installation and updates, while the ServerID directory holds each world’s identity, rules, and Workshop configuration.

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