To host an Unturned server safely, follow Smartly Dressed Games’ Server Hosting Rules, use a Game Server Login Token (GSLT) for any Internet-listed server, describe monetization accurately, and protect the rights of every Workshop asset you install. Servers can be temporarily or permanently banned for violations.
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The most commonly misunderstood points are that vanilla premium content cannot be sold, pay-to-win stores must be labeled Monetized, servers without a GSLT are hidden from the Internet list, and a server has no built-in autosave. The practical rules and setup decisions below apply to private, LAN, and public servers.
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What the official rules cover
Smartly Dressed Games (SDG) requires every server to follow its Server Hosting Rules. The policy records a clarification on June 12, 2025, and a moderation-policy change on June 3, 2024. SDG states that a violating server may be temporarily or permanently banned, so compliance is a hosting requirement rather than a suggestion.
The rules affect four areas owners often treat separately: what you sell, how you describe the server in the browser, what conduct and role-play you permit, and how you expose the server to the network. Workshop licensing adds a separate copyright obligation.
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Monetization: what you may and may not sell
Vanilla premium content is off-limits
Servers may not sell or otherwise grant access to Gold Upgrade benefits, vanilla cosmetics, or vanilla skins. SDG’s practical test is straightforward: if an item can be purchased from Unturned’s Stockpile or the Steam Community Market, treat it as vanilla premium content. Your server cannot sell it, bundle it into a rank, give it to donors, or make it a condition of joining.
This restriction applies even when the transaction happens through an external store or a staff member rather than an in-game menu. Moving the payment outside the game does not change what the buyer receives.
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Custom cosmetics can be offered only when the server owner owns or properly licenses the rights. Keep written permission, license terms, and a record of which files the permission covers. A commissioned model, logo, texture, or sound is not automatically cleared for server distribution unless the agreement grants the necessary rights.
Licensing also matters when a Workshop item is free. “Free to download” does not mean “free to repackage or sell.” Check the author’s stated license and retain evidence before placing an asset in a paid kit, donor package, or custom cosmetic catalog.
Pay-to-win is still monetization
A purchase is pay-to-win when it gives a gameplay advantage, such as a kit or vehicle that paying players can use to outperform players who do not pay. Do not disguise that advantage as a cosmetic rank or a donation reward. The server’s browser metadata must describe the real practice.
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Set the Monetization field truthfully
Use the server’s Monetization setting as a disclosure, not as a marketing choice. Select the value that matches what a player can actually buy.
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| Monetization value | Use it when | Examples |
|---|---|---|
None |
The server has no monetization, or accepts donations only. | No store; voluntary donations with no purchase benefits. |
NonGameplay |
Players can purchase items or services that provide no gameplay advantage. | Rights-cleared custom cosmetics or other strictly non-gameplay rewards. |
Monetized |
Purchases provide a gameplay advantage. | Paid kits, vehicles, or comparable advantages. |
Unspecified |
Only when you genuinely do not know how the server should be classified. | Do not leave this value merely to avoid disclosing a store. |
Reclassify the field when your store changes. A server that begins with donations and later adds paid vehicles is no longer None or NonGameplay; it must be marked Monetized.
Conduct and role-play restrictions
Do not promote cheats
Repeated violations of Steam’s Online Conduct rules by a multiplayer server may result in moderation. SDG specifically says servers that promote cheats are not allowed. That includes advertising cheat tools, directing players to cheating services, or presenting cheating as an accepted server feature. Moderate chat, Discord links, signs, and scripted messages consistently with that rule.
Do not base role-play on current tragedies
Simulating ongoing wars, current real-world conflicts, or natural disasters is prohibited. SDG warns that this can reduce a server’s visibility or trigger other moderation. A fictional setting or a historical setting is not a blanket exemption if the presentation is clearly intended to recreate an ongoing tragedy; avoid current events and use an invented scenario instead.
Keep the public description accurate
Your name, description, tags, monetization label, and advertised features should match the experience players receive. Misleading browser information can create moderation risk even when the underlying gameplay is otherwise permitted.
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Why a server is missing from the Internet list
A GSLT is required for public listing
An Internet server needs a Game Server Login Token. SDG states that servers without a GSLT are considered “anonymous” and are hidden from the Internet server list. The token is created for Unturned’s Steam application, app ID 304930.
A server can still be used privately without public listing. Friends can connect through a Server Code or a private/LAN arrangement, but those methods do not turn an anonymous server into a publicly discoverable one.
What to check when the server is invisible
- Confirm that the token was created for Unturned app ID
304930, not for another Steam game. - Place the token in the server’s expected configuration and restart the server after changing it.
- Verify that the server is intended to be public rather than password-protected for a private group.
- Allow time for the server to register after startup, then search using its exact name and map.
- Check that the server is not using a misleading or incomplete monetization declaration or other prohibited description.
A GSLT solves the anonymous-listing issue; it does not exempt the server from the hosting rules or guarantee that a network configuration is reachable.
Fake IP versus port forwarding
Choose one public-access method. You do not need both Fake IP and port forwarding.
| Method | Advantages | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| Fake IP | Helps avoid exposing the host’s real IP and does not require port forwarding. | The address and port change after every restart, so bookmarks and connection instructions must be updated. |
| Port forwarding | Provides conventional IP-based access and familiar server-browser behavior. | Requires router and firewall configuration and exposes the forwarded address. |
Anycast proxies need special care. They can make the browser’s displayed ping much lower than the latency players experience in game. SDG asks owners using this arrangement to submit a support request so the server can be flagged correctly. Ordinary proxies whose browser and in-game ping are similar are not flagged under this guidance. Do not use a proxy simply to make the listing look faster.
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Public-server setup checklist
1. Install the dedicated server
Install the Unturned Dedicated Server (U3DS). Windows and Linux are supported; macOS hosting is unsupported. For a single installation, use the platform’s normal dedicated-server installation process. For multiple installations or a fleet, use SteamCMD and the official U3DS app ID 1110390.
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2. Decide private or public access
For a LAN or friends-only server, use a private connection method or Server Code and decide whether a password is appropriate. For an Internet-listed server, plan for a GSLT and one of the two network-access methods above before inviting players.
3. Configure the GSLT for an Internet server
Create and use a token for app ID 304930. Without it, the server remains anonymous and is hidden from the Internet list. Treat the token as a credential: do not post it in screenshots, public configuration repositories, or chat.
4. Choose Fake IP or port forwarding
Pick the method that matches your access model. If you choose Fake IP, tell your community that the endpoint changes after each restart. If you choose forwarding, configure the router and host firewall for the server’s listening port and test from outside the local network.
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5. Add Workshop content
Edit WorkshopDownloadConfig.json and enter the relevant Workshop File IDs. At startup, U3DS installs or updates the specified mods and their dependencies. When players join, the server makes the required Workshop content available for automatic download.
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6. Set gameplay and browser options
Use Commands.dat and the Server Configuration to define the map, password, player limit, PvE or PvP mode, perspective, and other rules. Make the in-game rules agree with the public description. If the server sells only non-gameplay items, confirm that the store cannot accidentally grant a weapon, vehicle, kit, spawn advantage, or other competitive benefit.
7. Save before maintenance
U3DS has no built-in autosave feature. While the server is running, use Save deliberately. Use Shutdown for a clean close before updates, configuration changes, or operating-system maintenance. A scheduled backup strategy is your responsibility; do not assume that a crash or forced restart preserved the latest world state.
Workshop copyright and asset due diligence
Workshop authors can submit copyright notices through Steam’s DMCA process, which Steam’s copyright agent reviews. A takedown risk exists even when a mod is popular or has been available for a long time.
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- Save written permissions for commissioned or third-party assets.
- Check whether the license allows commercial use, redistribution, modification, and server-side delivery.
- Do not include another creator’s vanilla-looking cosmetic in a paid package unless you have explicit rights and it is not vanilla premium content.
- Remove disputed content promptly while you verify ownership.
Choose an operating model deliberately
| Decision | Option A | Option B | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audience | Private or LAN | Public Internet | Public listing requires Internet configuration and a GSLT; private play can use friends or Server Codes. |
| Network exposure | Fake IP | Port forwarding | Fake IP avoids direct IP exposure but changes endpoint after restart; forwarding uses a conventional address and router setup. |
| Store model | None or donations | Non-gameplay or pay-to-win | The choice determines the truthful Monetization value and the compliance risk of the store. |
| Content | Vanilla gameplay | Custom, rights-cleared content | Vanilla premium content cannot be sold; custom cosmetics require ownership or a suitable license. |
| Scale | One server | Multiple simultaneous servers | SteamCMD is the recommended deployment route for multiple U3DS instances. |
Managed hosting: requirements to verify
If you use managed Unturned server hosting instead of operating U3DS yourself, verify the service against the same rules. It should support U3DS, GSLTs, Workshop downloads and updates, and either Fake IP or port forwarding. A provider can automate installation and restarts, but it cannot make prohibited monetization, unlicensed content, misleading latency, or an inaccurate browser label compliant.
Ongoing compliance routine
- Recheck SDG’s current Server Hosting Rules before launching and before changing a store, event, or network design.
- Review the Monetization field whenever a new product or perk is added.
- Audit Workshop IDs and permissions after every mod update.
- Test the actual in-game latency rather than relying on a browser number, especially when using a proxy.
- Use
Savebefore routine maintenance andShutdownfor clean closures. - Keep GSLT and infrastructure credentials private.
- Remove promotions for cheats and avoid role-play based on ongoing real-world tragedies.
The policy dates are useful markers, not a guarantee that the rules will remain unchanged. SDG may revise wording or moderation practice, so treat the official rules as the controlling source whenever your server’s design is close to a boundary.
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