Adding Workshop mods and maps to an Unturned server

Unturned has one of the simplest mod systems in the genre: the server declares Workshop IDs and clients download whatever they are missing on connect. No manual install on the player's side.

How it works

The server holds a file listing the Workshop IDs to load. Each ID matches a Steam Workshop item: a map, an item pack, a vehicle set.

On connect, the client compares its list with the server's and downloads what is missing. That is what makes modded servers accessible without a page of instructions.

Custom maps: the catch

A Workshop map is declared like any other item, but you also have to tell the server to load it, in Commands.dat. Declaring the ID without naming the map gives you a server that downloads it and boots on the default map anyway.

That is the most common confusion on custom-map servers.

What blocks

• An invalid or removed ID. The server boots without the mod, usually with no clear error in the logs.
• Mods that contradict each other. Two packs editing the same item produce unpredictable behaviour that is hard to attribute.
• A list that is too long. Every item is downloaded by every player on first connect: a large list dramatically lengthens entry time and drives off the curious.
• A Workshop-side update. A mod changed by its author is pushed to players without you doing anything, and can break your balance overnight.

Keeping the list manageable

Two habits prevent most problems. Add one mod at a time and check the server in between, rather than pasting fifteen at once. And note next to each ID what it contributes: six months later, a list of bare IDs is unreadable.

Where this happens

You need real file access to the instance to manage that list. Our Unturned hosting provides it, so you can add and remove IDs without going through an interface that hides the file.