Unturned: Workshop Mods, Maps and Admin

How the server is put together

Your server has an instance folder, and the files sit on two levels:

Servers/YourInstance/
├── Server/
│   ├── Commands.dat        <- name, map, player count, owner
│   ├── Adminlist.dat
│   ├── Blacklist.dat
│   └── Whitelist.dat
├── Config.txt              <- gameplay: loot, zombies, vehicles
├── WorkshopDownloadConfig.json  <- workshop mods and maps
├── Players/                <- one folder per player
└── Level/                  <- the world: buildings, vehicles, items

Only Commands.dat and the access lists live in Server/. Config.txt and WorkshopDownloadConfig.json sit one level up, in the instance folder itself. This is a classic source of errors.

To reset the world but keep the players, delete Level/. To reset the players but keep the world, delete Players/.

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Step 1 - Commands.dat

One command per line. // in front makes a line a comment. The server has to be stopped before you edit the file.

Name My Unturned Server
Map PEI
MaxPlayers 24
Owner 76561198000000000
Cheats
Perspective Both
// Password MyPassword
// PvE

Command	Meaning
Name	The name in the server list
Map	The map's folder name - capitalisation matters
MaxPlayers	Number of slots
Owner	Your SteamID64. Grants admin, and cannot be removed with Unadmin
Cheats	No arguments. Without it, admins cannot use spawn and give commands
Password	Makes the server private
PvE	No arguments. There is no PvP command - PvP is the default
Perspective	First, Third, Both or Vehicle
Mode	Easy, Normal or Hard
Welcome	Welcome message, e.g. Welcome Good to see you/0/255/0
Port	Default 27015
Queue_Size	Number of queue slots
Whitelisted	Enables the whitelist
GSLT	Your Game Server Login Token

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Step 2 - GSLT, or the server is invisible

Without a Game Server Login Token the server counts as anonymous and is hidden from the internet server list entirely. Players can only join by direct IP.

1. Get a token from Steam's Game Server Accounts page using app ID 304930.
2. Set it as GSLT your-token in Commands.dat, or as Login_Token under Browser in Config.txt.
3. Restart, and give the list 5-10 minutes to pick the server up.

Ports: Unturned uses two consecutive UDP ports - your Port and Port + 1. On 27015 that means 27015 and 27016 UDP have to be open. Guides talking about three ports are out of date.

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Step 3 - Workshop mods and maps

The file is called WorkshopDownloadConfig.json and lives in the instance folder, not in Server/:

{
  "File_IDs":
  [
    1753134636,
    1702240229
  ],
  "Use_Cached_Downloads": true,
  "Should_Monitor_Updates": true
}

The ID is the number after ?id= in the workshop address. A comma between each ID - no comma after the last one.

The server downloads mods and their dependencies itself at startup and puts them under Workshop/Steam/content/304930/. Maps are sorted into Maps, everything else into Content.

Players do not have to subscribe to anything. Unturned automatically downloads the server's workshop content to them while they connect.

Using a workshop map

Set Map in Commands.dat to the map's folder name - not the title on the workshop page. You find the right name by looking in Workshop/Steam/content/304930/<FileID>/ for the folder containing Map.meta.

If the server cannot find the map, it simply starts on PEI without saying anything. That is the most common "my map did not change" support case.

The official maps - PEI, Washington, Yukon, Russia and Germany - ship with the game and need no download. Curated maps sit on the workshop like any other map and are set up in exactly the same way.

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Step 4 - Config.txt

Gameplay is controlled in Config.txt in the instance folder. The file is split into sections: Browser, Server, Players, Gameplay, Events, Items, Vehicles, Zombies, Animals, Barricades, Structures, Objects.

The settings people change most often:

Section	Key	Meaning
Browser	Icon, Thumbnail	URL to the server icon (64×64 PNG) and thumbnail
Browser	Desc_Full	The description in the server list
Browser	Login_Token	GSLT
Server	Max_Ping_Milliseconds	Default 750
Players	Lose_Items_PvP / Lose_Items_PvE	How much is lost on death
Players	Spawn_With_Max_Skills	All skills from the start
Gameplay	Ballistics	false gives hitscan instead of projectiles
Items	Spawn_Chance	Loot amount, 0 to 1
Items	Respawn_Time	How quickly loot comes back
Zombies	Damage_Multiplier	How hard zombies hit
Vehicles	Decay_Time	Default 604800 seconds, i.e. seven days
Barricades / Structures	Decay_Time	When abandoned bases disappear
Events	Use_Airdrops	Airdrops on or off

Servers created before version 3.25.8.0 still use Config.json instead of Config.txt. The contents are the same - only the format changed.

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Admins

• Owner <SteamID64> in Commands.dat makes you the owner. The owner cannot be removed with Unadmin.
• Admin <SteamID64> grants ordinary admin and is stored in Server/Adminlist.dat. Removed again with Unadmin.
• In the server console commands are typed bare: admin 76561198000000000.
• In-game they need a / or @ in front: /admin 76561198000000000 - and you must already be an admin.

Admin alone is not enough for spawn, give and teleport commands. Cheats also has to be in Commands.dat.

Other useful commands: Kick <player>/<reason>, Ban <player>/<reason>/<duration>, Save and Shutdown <delay>/<message>.

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Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
The server is not in the internet list	No GSLT	Get a token with app ID 304930 and add it
Still not in the list	Port and Port + 1 are not open (UDP)	Open both ports
The server starts on PEI instead of my map	Map does not match the map's folder name	Find the name in the workshop folder and write it exactly
Mods do not download	Invalid JSON in WorkshopDownloadConfig.json	Check commas and brackets - no comma after the last ID
Mods do not download (2)	The workshop item is not updated for the current Unity version	The server skips it - find a maintained alternative
My config changes disappeared	The server was running when you saved	Stop the server, edit, start
The map did not change	Maps cannot be swapped while running	Stop the server, edit Map, start
Admins cannot spawn items	Cheats is missing from Commands.dat	Add the line
The server crashes on startup	A corrupt Commands.dat, or a bad workshop item	Delete the file so it regenerates, or remove IDs one at a time

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Good advice

• Add mods in small batches. One bad workshop ID can stop the server from starting.
• Put Owner in from the start - then you cannot lock yourself out.
• Back up Players/ and Level/ before changing map or clearing things out.
• Keep Config.txt changes small and restart in between, so you can see the effect.
• Share a link to your workshop collection with players. They do not need it, but it shortens the wait on first join.

Can your server not find a map or a mod? Send us the workshop link in a ticket and we will find the right folder name.