Unturned: How to Host a Private Survival Server for Friends

Launch the separate dedicated server tool

Steps

1. Install and launch Unturned Dedicated Server from the Steam Library; it is a separate tool from the game. [1]
2. Wait for the console to finish booting and display Loading level: 100% with the Server Code. [1]

Join the private world and save it

Steps

1. Invite friends through the Steam Friends List. Alternatively copy the 17-digit Server Code from the console or the in-game Copy Server Code button. [1]
2. Enter the code in Connect Directly. The randomly generated code changes on each server launch. [1]
3. Before finishing, enter Shutdown in the server console to save and close. Use Save for a manual save while continuing to play. [1]

Set the private world’s map and rules

The simple setup creates its configuration under the U3DS Servers Default directory. Basic settings such as Map, Password and Max Players live in Server/Commands.dat. Config.txt holds difficulty and advanced server settings, while WorkshopDownloadConfig.json controls Workshop downloads. Keeping these roles separate makes it easier to change the intended rule without editing an unrelated file. Most settings cannot be changed while the server is open. [1]

Steps

1. Save and shut down before editing settings that require the server to be closed. Find the simple-setup settings under U3DS/Servers/Default. [1]
2. Edit Commands.dat with one command per line. For example, Map selects the world and MaxPlayers sets capacity; the official example uses Map PEI and MaxPlayers 24. Replace example values with the map and limit you intend to host. [1]

Choose access and combat settings

The official example demonstrates a Password command to require a password, a PvE command to disable player-versus-player combat, and Perspective settings to restrict the camera view. Lines beginning with two slashes are comments in that example, so a commented sample setting is not an active server command. Choose the rules deliberately before inviting the group. [1]

Steps

1. If you require a password, use the documented Password command with your chosen value, rather than copying the example password. Use PvE if the world is intended to disable player combat. [1]

Use runtime commands while the server is running

Runtime commands are entered in the server console. An administrator can also issue them from in-game chat with an @ or / prefix. Save is specifically a runtime command, so it should be used while the server is running rather than placed into a startup setting file and assumed to schedule autosaves. [1]

Steps

1. Use Help in the console to list commands or describe a particular command before changing a rule you are unfamiliar with. [1]

Confirm which sharing mode you configured

The simple setup is a LAN server by default and does not appear in the public Internet list. Steam invitations and the current Server Code are the supported private sharing methods. Public Internet hosting is an additional configuration: it needs a Game Server Login Token and either Fake IP or port forwarding. Those extra settings are not prerequisites for the private session described above. [1]