How to Move an Unturned World to a Server

To move an Unturned singleplayer world to a server, copy two folders from Unturned/Worlds/Singleplayer_<slot>/ on your PC: Level (the map's bases, barricades and vehicles) and Players (your character). Upload them into the server's Servers/<server ID>/ folder, replacing the ones there, then set the Map line in Servers/<server ID>/Server/Commands.dat to the exact map name you played, for example Map PEI. It works when the server is stopped first and runs the same map.

What you can and cannot move

What goes where

The Worlds folder is inside the game's install folder, not your user profile:

• Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Unturned\Worlds\
• Linux: ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/common/Unturned/Worlds/
• macOS: right click Unturned in Steam, Manage > Browse local files, then open Worlds

The quickest way on any system is Steam: right click Unturned > Manage > Browse local files.

The trap: the slot number and the map name

Two numbers and one name decide whether your world shows up or the server hands everyone a fresh start.

The slot. The number in Singleplayer_0, Singleplayer_1 and so on is the character slot you were using when you played that world. The Unturned wiki confirms the folder number follows the active character slot. Inside Players, your folder is named after your SteamID64 plus the same slot, for example 76561198000000000_0. On a server, Unturned also files you under the character slot you join with. If you played in slot 2 and join the server on slot 0, the server looks in 76561198000000000_0, finds nothing and gives you a new character. Either join with the same character slot, or rename the folder to end in the slot you will use.

The map. Everything is stored per map. Level data sits in Level/PEI, and your character in Players/<id>/PEI/Player. If Commands.dat says Map Washington, the server ignores your PEI folders and starts Washington from scratch. Match the name exactly, including capitals, since our servers run on Linux.

Before you start

• Close Unturned so the world is saved. Singleplayer saves when you quit to the menu.
• Back up the whole Singleplayer_<slot> folder to somewhere outside the game folder.
• Start the server once so it creates Servers/<server ID>/ with its own Level, Players and Server folders.
• Get Workshop maps onto the server first. List the map's Workshop file ID in WorkshopDownloadConfig.json, restart, and let it download.

Step 1: Find the right Singleplayer folder

Open Worlds. If you have more than one Singleplayer_# folder, open Level inside each to see which maps it holds, and check the modified dates. Pick the folder with your map and the latest date.

Step 2: Save and stop the server

Unturned servers have no autosave of their own. The developer's server hosting docs say to use Save or Shutdown in the console. Type Shutdown so the server saves and closes cleanly, or stop it from your panel.

Step 3: Upload Level and Players

Open the server's Servers/<server ID>/ folder. The server ID is the name after +InternetServer/ in the start line, and on a hosted panel it is usually a setting called Server ID.

1. Rename or delete the server's existing Level and Players folders, so old data does not mix with yours.
2. Upload your Level and Players folders into Servers/<server ID>/.
3. Check the result reads Servers/<server ID>/Level/<Map>/Structures.dat, not Level/Level/<Map>.

Zip both folders first if there are lots of files, then extract them on the server.

Step 4: Set the map in Commands.dat

Open Servers/<server ID>/Server/Commands.dat and set the map to the folder name you see under Level:

Map PEI

While you are there, decide on PvE (leave the line out for PvP), MaxPlayers and Perspective. Add Owner with your SteamID64 so you are admin on the new server.

Step 5: Copy your difficulty settings by hand

Singleplayer keeps gameplay settings in Config.json. Since version 3.25.8.0, servers use a commented Config.txt instead, so settings like loot spawn chance, zombie damage and item decay go there. Open your old Config.json, note the values you changed, and set the same ones in Config.txt with the server stopped.

Step 6: Start and join with the same slot

Start the server, wait for it to load, and join on the character slot that matches your Players folder suffix. Your base, storage and vehicles should be where you left them.

Common problems

• Server loads a fresh map: the Map line does not match the folder name under Level, or the folder is nested one level too deep.
• Base is there but I am a new character: you joined on a different character slot than the _<slot> suffix on your Players folder. Rejoin on that slot or rename the folder.
• Friends from my singleplayer game are missing: singleplayer only has your character. Friends start fresh unless you are moving from another server, where their folders come with Players.
• Workshop map falls back to a default map: the map has not downloaded yet, or its ID is missing from WorkshopDownloadConfig.json.
• Progress lost after a restart: the server was killed without Save or Shutdown. Save before every stop.
• Settings did nothing: you edited Config.txt while the server was running. Stop, edit, start.

Moving it to GamezServers

On an Unturned server from GamezServers, press Backup first, then upload Level and Players with the file manager (it unzips archives on the server) or the SFTP login in Settings. Commands.dat and Config.txt open in the browser, Rocket is already set up for plugins, and your world stays online without your PC. For the rest of the setup, see how to host an Unturned server.

FAQ

Where are Unturned singleplayer saves stored?

In the game's install folder under Worlds/Singleplayer_<slot>/, with map data in Level and your character in Players. Open it from Steam with Manage > Browse local files.

Will I keep my character and inventory?

Yes, as long as you copy Players, run the same map, and join on the same character slot as the folder's _<slot> suffix.

Can I move my world to a different map?

No. Bases and characters are saved per map, so a world only loads on the map it was built on.

Do I need to copy Config.json?

No. Current servers use Config.txt, so copy the values you changed by hand instead of the file.