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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.
To host an Unturned server, install Valve’s SteamCMD, download the Unturned Dedicated Server with app ID 1110390, launch a uniquely named ServerID, and then configure its map, ports, listing token, and Workshop files. Windows and Linux are supported; macOS hosting is not. Choose InternetServer for a public listing or LanServer for players on your local network.
This guide covers a first installation, safe shutdown, configuration files, router forwarding, Steam Game Server Login Tokens (GSLTs), Workshop maps, multiple servers, and the differences between Windows and Linux administration.
What you need before installing
- A Windows or Linux computer that can remain online while people play. Unturned’s documentation supports both operating systems and does not support hosting on macOS.
- Permission to install software and create or edit files on the host.
- SteamCMD, Valve’s command-line Steam client. It is particularly useful when you run more than one dedicated server.
- Router and firewall access if players outside your home network must connect.
- A Steam account for creating a Game Server Login Token. The token is created against Unturned’s player app ID,
304930, rather than the dedicated-server download app.
Keep the server’s files in a folder you can back up. The examples below use the installation directory’s default steamapps/common/U3DS location.
Install SteamCMD
Windows
- Download the Windows SteamCMD archive from Valve and extract it to a folder such as
C:steamcmd. Avoid placing it inside a protected Windows system directory if you want uncomplicated file editing. - Run
steamcmd.exe. SteamCMD opens a command prompt and updates itself if necessary. - At the
Steam>prompt, use the installation commands in the next section.
Linux
- Install SteamCMD using the package and repository instructions for your Linux distribution.
- Start the client with
steamcmd.sh. Depending on the distribution, you may need to make the script executable before running it. - Use the same SteamCMD commands shown below. The download app ID and ServerID conventions are identical on Windows and Linux.
SteamCMD is a command-line tool, not the graphical Steam client. Do not try to download the dedicated server by installing the regular Unturned game through the desktop client.
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Download or update the Unturned Dedicated Server
At the SteamCMD prompt, enter:
login anonymous
app_update 1110390
quitThe dedicated-server files are installed under steamapps/common/U3DS. You do not need to log in with a personal Steam account for this anonymous download.
For an existing installation, run app_update 1110390 again whenever you want to update it. To verify files and repair missing or damaged content, append validate:
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Choose a ServerID and launch the server
A ServerID is the name of one independent server instance. In the examples, the ID is MyServer. Unturned stores that instance’s saves and configuration in U3DS/Servers/MyServer. Use a different ID for every independent world; changing IDs creates a separate save and settings folder rather than changing the existing one.
Windows launch scripts
In the U3DS directory, create a batch file with one of these commands:
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start "" "%~dp0 ServerHelper.bat" +InternetServer/MyServerUse the Internet form for a server intended to appear publicly. For local-network play, use:
start "" "%~dp0 ServerHelper.bat" +LanServer/MyServerThe %~dp0 expression points the script at its own directory, so the launcher continues to work if you move the U3DS folder. Save the file with a .bat extension, for example StartMyServer.bat, and double-click it or run it from a command prompt.
Linux launch scripts
From the U3DS directory, run the appropriate command:
./ServerHelper.sh +InternetServer/MyServerFor LAN-only play:
./ServerHelper.sh +LanServer/MyServerIf Linux reports that the script cannot be executed, check its executable permission and start it again from the U3DS directory. Keep the terminal session available while testing so you can read startup errors.
Complete the first startup safely
- Launch the server with the Internet or LAN argument.
- Wait until the console reports
Loading level: 100%. The first startup creates the ServerID’s folder structure and save data. - At the server console, enter
Shutdownon Windows orshutdownon Linux. This saves the world and closes the process cleanly. - Open
U3DS/Servers/MyServerand edit the generated configuration files before launching again.
Do not close the console window or kill the process during normal operation when a controlled shutdown is possible. A clean shutdown is the point at which the server writes its current state to disk.
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Configure map, name, password and rules
Commands.dat: one launch command per line
Put startup commands in Servers/<ServerID>/Commands.dat, with one command on each line. Common settings include:
Map— selects the map used by the server.Port— selects the server’s network port.Name— sets the name players see in the browser.Password— requires a password to join.Perspective— controls the permitted camera perspective.Cheats— enables the game’s cheat setting when that is appropriate for your server.
Use the command syntax generated by the server and keep each command on its own line. A typo in a command can leave a setting at its default, so read the startup console after every change.
Config.json: game-rule settings
Game-rule settings are stored in Config.json under the same ServerID directory. Use this file for rules that are not simple launch commands. Make a backup before editing JSON, preserve its quotation marks and braces, and change only the value you intend to change. Invalid JSON can prevent the server from loading its configuration.
Make the server LAN-only or publicly reachable
LAN hosting
Use +LanServer/<ServerID> when every player is on the same local network. This avoids publishing the server to the Internet list and is the simplest option for a home session. Players still need to be able to reach the host machine through the local firewall.
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Use +InternetServer/<ServerID> for public hosting. A home-network server normally needs a router port-forwarding rule that sends incoming traffic to the computer running U3DS. Give the host a stable local address, then forward the selected game port to that address in the router. Also allow the server through the operating system firewall.
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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 same port value in the server configuration and in the router/firewall rules; do not forward traffic to a different machine.
When two instances share one computer, assign each a distinct ServerID and distinct ports. For example, do not let both instances claim the same game port. Test from a different network, such as a phone hotspot, because a test from inside the same LAN may be affected by the router’s own loopback behavior.
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Get a Steam Game Server Login Token (GSLT)
A valid GSLT is required for an Internet server to appear in Unturned’s server list. The token is created using Unturned’s player app ID 304930; this is separate from the dedicated-server download ID used with SteamCMD.
- Open Steam’s Game Server Login Token page while signed in to the account that will manage the server.
- Create a token for app ID
304930. - Copy the generated token and keep it private. Treat it like a credential for the server.
- Set it in the server’s Browser configuration with the
Login_Tokenproperty, or pass it with theGSLTstartup command. - Restart the Internet server and watch the console for registration errors.
If the server runs but is absent from the Internet list, check the token before changing unrelated settings. A missing or invalid GSLT prevents listing even when the game port is forwarded correctly.
Add Workshop maps and other Workshop content
Workshop downloads are controlled by WorkshopDownloadConfig.json in the ServerID configuration. Put numeric Workshop file IDs in the File_IDs list. For example, the Unturned 3 Knowledgebase uses Hawaii Workshop file ID 1753134636 as an example.
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- Find the Workshop item’s numeric file ID.
- Open
WorkshopDownloadConfig.jsonfor the intended ServerID. - Add the ID to
File_IDs, preserving valid JSON syntax. - Save the file and start or restart the server.
- Watch startup output while the server downloads the item and detects dependencies.
Files and detected dependencies are updated at startup. Players who connect download the required content. If a map does not load, verify that its numeric ID is present, restart after saving the file, and check the console for download or dependency errors.
Windows and Linux: which host is easier?
| Area | Windows | Linux |
|---|---|---|
| SteamCMD installation | Download and extract SteamCMD, then run steamcmd.exe. |
Install SteamCMD using the distribution’s package instructions, then run steamcmd.sh. |
| Server launcher | Create a .bat file that calls ServerHelper.bat. |
Run ServerHelper.sh from the U3DS directory. |
| Files and ServerID | Uses the same U3DS and Servers/<ServerID> layout. |
Uses the same U3DS and Servers/<ServerID> layout. |
| Automation | Task Scheduler or a startup shortcut can run a batch file. | Shell scripts and the distribution’s service tools are suited to unattended operation. |
| Firewall and forwarding | Allow the launcher through the Windows firewall and forward the game and query ports in the router. | Allow the launcher through the host firewall and forward the same ports in the router. |
| Administration comfort | Convenient for administrators who prefer graphical file and firewall tools. | Convenient for administrators comfortable with shell sessions, permissions and service management. |
The platform does not change the dedicated-server app ID, the ServerID concept, the configuration filenames or the GSLT requirement.
Run more than one Unturned server
Each independent instance needs its own ServerID directory and its own network ports. Create separate launch files, such as one for MyServer and one for a second ID, then give each instance a different Port value. The server-list query port follows each selected port, so account for both ports when creating firewall and router rules.
Valve and Smartly Dressed Games documentation specifically recommend SteamCMD when hosting multiple servers and note that multiple servers cannot be run at once from the same computer without using SteamCMD. Keep each instance’s Workshop and configuration files in its own ServerID folder to prevent accidental cross-configuration.
Updating, backups and routine administration
Update procedure
- Warn players and issue the server’s normal
Shutdownorshutdowncommand. - Back up the relevant
U3DS/Servers/<ServerID>directory, including its save and configuration files. - Run SteamCMD and execute
app_update 1110390. Addvalidatewhen you need a file check and repair. - Restart the same ServerID and confirm the map, name, port and Workshop content in the console.
Back up what matters
Back up each ServerID folder before changing JSON, installing a large Workshop collection or applying a server update. Preserve a known-good copy of Commands.dat, Config.json and WorkshopDownloadConfig.json separately from the world save so you can restore settings without overwriting newer progress.
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Do not publish a GSLT in a screenshot, public repository or shared support post. If a token is exposed, replace it through Steam’s token-management page and update the server configuration.
Quick Recap
Troubleshooting by symptom
The server does not start
- Confirm that SteamCMD completed
app_update 1110390and that the U3DS directory contains the launcher scripts. - Run the launcher from the U3DS directory so relative paths resolve to the correct files.
- Check that
Commands.dathas one command per line and thatConfig.jsonremains valid JSON. - On Linux, verify the script’s executable permission.
The server starts but is not in the Internet list
- Confirm that it was launched with
+InternetServer/<ServerID>, not the LAN argument. - Confirm that a valid GSLT for app ID
304930is set throughLogin_TokenorGSLT. - Check the selected game port and its next query port in the host firewall and router.
- Test from outside the host network and read the startup console for registration or networking errors.
Players cannot connect from outside the home
- Verify that the router forwards the selected port to the correct host machine.
- Allow the server through the operating system firewall.
- Make sure another server or application is not already using the same port.
- Check that the host’s local address has not changed since the forwarding rule was created.
A Workshop map or add-on is missing
- Check the numeric ID in
WorkshopDownloadConfig.jsonand confirm it is insideFile_IDs. - Restart the server after saving the file so downloads and dependency detection run at startup.
- Read the console for a failed download or an additional dependency that was not included.
- Ensure the connecting player is allowed to finish downloading the required content.
A setting appears to be ignored
- Check whether the setting belongs in
Commands.datorConfig.json. - Remove duplicate or misspelled command lines and restart the server.
- Confirm that you edited the folder for the ServerID you actually launch.
Quick launch checklist
- Install SteamCMD for Windows or Linux.
- Run
login anonymous,app_update 1110390andquit. - Choose a unique ServerID and launch with
InternetServerorLanServer. - Wait for
Loading level: 100%, then shut down cleanly once to create the files. - Edit
Commands.datandConfig.json. - For public hosting, forward the selected port and its next query port, then set a GSLT created for app ID
304930. - Add Workshop numeric IDs to
WorkshopDownloadConfig.jsonand restart. - Back up the ServerID directory before updates or major configuration changes.
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