How to Play Unturned with Friends

Overview

Just like many other games on Steam, Unturned allows for multiple users to play together. There are a few ways to do this, with joining an existing game being a popular choice. Unfortunately, you wouldn’t have any administrative control over these kinds of servers, as you don’t own it. Fret not! You’re able to create a private or public one with complete access to the settings, options, and configuration. The exact process is a bit technical, but there’s an easier solution. We’ll be reviewing the various methods to play Unturned with friends. Let’s get started!
 

Online vs LAN

There are two primary ways to play with your friends: hosting an internet or local area network (LAN) server. These are vastly different when compared, revealing positives and negatives for each. For example, using LAN means the server will only be accessible if your computer remains online, while the internet version is always active. This section will provide you with essential information about which type you should try out.
 
Server Type Comparison

Internet	LAN
Efficiently run and configure the server.	Tedious to configure and run the server.
Dedicated hardware to always be online.	Only active when your computer is online.
Quick access to files, settings, and configs.	Slightly harder access to server files.
DDoS protection against malicious attacks.	No protection against malicious attacks.
Managed through a simplified user-interface.	Managed through CMD and localized options.
Easily add mods, plugins, and more.	Increased difficulty for adding mods and plugins.
Available for other players to join.	Only players on your network can join.

 

Internet Servers

Due to the amount of benefits from hosting an internet server, you and others may want to try it out. Exploring more of these positives, installing addons and overall managing it is easily done with our panel. Our system automatically generates the needed files and allows you to quickly tweak them if you want. Additionally, we have plenty of resources for you to follow to accomplish almost anything with the internet server. Whether you want to change the map or completely customize the gameplay, it’s all efficiently done with our panel.
 

Dedicated Unturned Server

As for hosting with us, review the instructions below and check out our official tutorial to get more details.

1. Head towards your Apex server panel once received, then locate the Game File section.
2. Click on the currently used game version and search for Unturned, then select it.
   
3. Confirm the changes in the following prompts and generate a new world.
4. Afterward, press Restart Now when prompted to begin loading the files.
   
5. Once finished, join the server to confirm everything works.

 

LAN Servers

Rather than hosting a server on the internet, using LAN makes everything run on your computer. In other words, your friends cannot join if you’re offline. This can easily become problematic for many new server owners. However, keep in mind that only people on your network’s connection can join. There are third-party services to allow others to join, but complicates the already complex LAN setup. Regardless of this fact, review the instructions below to start making your own private Unturned server.
 

Downloading Server Files

Before doing anything, you’ll need to download a particular program to obtain the server files.

1. Download SteamCMD and extract the contents into an easily accessible folder.
   Note: This can be done with WinRAR, 7zip, or other file management software.
2. Afterward, open the steamcmd.exe program and wait for it to finish loading.
   
3. Next, enter login anonymous and wait for this to finish, then type app_update 1110390.
   
4. Once everything is done, enter quit in the program.
5. The server files are now located in the following directory: …\steamapps\common\U3DS

 

Starting the LAN Server

Upon receiving all the files, it’s time to start the server!

1. Navigate to this directory from your folder: …\steamapps\common\
   
2. Proceed to enter the U3DS area, then create a text file.
3. From here, rename it to anything and end it with .bat so it becomes a batch document.
   

   Note: You may have to enable File Name Extensions in your View options to do it.

4. Once this is finished, right-click and select Edit on the file.
5. While viewing it, copy and paste the following code:
   start “” “%~dp0ServerHelper.bat” +LanServer/MyServer
   
6. Change “MyServer” to anything you want, then Save and Close the file.
7. Run the newly created batch file and wait for it to finish loading.
8. Afterward, enter shutdown in the command prompt.
   

   Note: This safely closes down the server program.

 

It’s best to keep all “MyServer” type names similar or the same for consistency. This way, it’s easy to navigate in your directories. Otherwise, it may be harder to configure the server.

 

LAN Server Configuration

No one can join until you configure it, so make sure to follow along.

1. Return to the main U3DS directory, then locate and enter the Servers folder.
   
2. Afterward, continue towards your server name’s folder.
3. From here, select the Server directory and Edit the Commands.dat file.
   
4. Copy and paste the following code to setup the server:

   name [serverName]
   map [mapName]
   port 27015
   password [enter a password]
   maxplayers [value]
   perspective [both/first person/vehicle]
   mode [normal/easy/hardcore]
   [pvp/pve]
   owner [steamID]

5. Make sure to input your desired values and text for each applicable setting.
   

   Important: Do not include any brackets, as these are placeholders for your input.

6. Once everything is entered, Save and Close the file.

 

Joining a LAN Server

Finally! You and others can join the LAN Unturned server.

1. Launch Unturned from your Steam Library, then click Play in the menu.
   
2. Select Connect and enter “localhost” for the IP address.
3. Continue to type “27015” for the Port field.
4. Afterward, proceed to use your password in the Password section.
   
5. Press Connect at the bottom and select Join to load in the game.

 

Conclusion

Alright, so that was a lot to unpack just to play with your friends in Unturned. However, remember that the easiest solution is to simply host an internet server, rather than using LAN. This way, you’ll have a simpler time editing any file, adding mods, plugins, changing maps, and so much more. Luckily, the game itself is free and is widely available for all your friends. This makes it better for everyone, but manually setting up a server isn’t. We hope this blog was useful to you, have a good one gamers!