Unturned Server Setup Guide: Workshop and RocketMod

Unturned Server Setup Guide

An Unturned server is one of the easiest survival game servers to get running. This guide covers the install on a Linux VDS, Workshop content and the plugin layer.

1. Preparing the System

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y curl tar screen
sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash unturned
sudo su - unturned

2. Server Files

The App ID for the Unturned dedicated server is 1110390:

mkdir -p ~/steamcmd && cd ~/steamcmd
curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | tar zxvf -
./steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir ~/unturned-server +login anonymous +app_update 1110390 validate +quit

3. First Run

cd ~/unturned-server
./ServerHelper.sh +InternetServer/ServerName

The first launch creates the configuration directory:

~/unturned-server/Servers/ServerName/Server/

4. Commands.dat Configuration

Name Your Server Name
Port 27015
Map PEI
MaxPlayers 24
Perspective Third
Mode Normal
Cheats false
Password
Welcome Welcome to our server

5. Ports

sudo ufw allow 27015:27017/udp

6. Installing Workshop Maps and Mods

Add the Workshop IDs to the WorkshopDownloadConfig.json file:

{
  "File_IDs": [
    1234567890,
    9876543210
  ]
}

The server downloads the content itself on startup. If you are running a custom map, remember to write the map name on the Map line in Commands.dat.

💡 Large curated maps (Elver, Arid) push memory usage to several times that of the vanilla maps. If you are planning a modded server, size your resources accordingly.

7. RocketMod / OpenMod

The plugin layer is what lets you run plugins. After installation, plugins go into the Rocket/Plugins directory and the server is restarted. Common use cases:

• Economy and kit systems
• Administration commands and logging
• Automatic announcements and welcome messages

8. Automatic Startup

[Unit]
Description=Unturned Server
After=network.target
 
[Service]
Type=simple
User=unturned
WorkingDirectory=/home/unturned/unturned-server
ExecStart=/home/unturned/unturned-server/ServerHelper.sh +InternetServer/ServerName
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
 
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Common Problems

Server does not appear in the list

• Make sure you started it with the InternetServer parameter
• Check that UDP ports 27015-27016 are open

Workshop content is not downloading

• Verify that the File IDs are correct
• Look through the server logs for download errors

Conclusion

Setting up an Unturned server is light and quick, and a budget game server package comfortably carries a 30 player server. The only things that really push resource usage up are large Workshop maps and plugin load.

👉 See our Unturned server hosting page to match a package.