How to Host an Unturned Dedicated Server for Free

By FreeGameHost Team • Updated May 2026 • 8 min read

Setting up your own game server provides total creative freedom, direct folder access, and a custom multiplayer experience. Set up a free dedicated Unturned server. Learn how to configure workshop mods, admins, maps, and network ports in 2026. Whether you are planning to host a small coop world for your close friends or build a public gaming community, configuring the server correctly is essential for maintaining 20 TPS (Ticks Per Second) and low connection latency.

In this comprehensive tutorial, we cover the exact system specifications, command blocks, configuration file lines, and plugin files required to get How to Host an Unturned Dedicated Server for Free running. Follow each step carefully to prevent server crash loops, OutOfMemory exceptions, and common connection issues.

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Step-by-Step Configuration Guide

Select Unturned template

Select the Unturned egg in your host panel. Pterodactyl will download server files (App ID 270120). Make sure to select the build version that matches your game server software exactly to prevent class loading errors during startup.

Configure Commands.dat

Open 'Servers/Default/Server/Commands.dat'. Set server name, map name, port, difficulty, and perspective (first/third person). This step is critical for proper server operation. Ensure that you have taken a manual file backup before committing these changes to disk.

Link Workshop mods

Add Steam Workshop item IDs to 'WorkshopDownloadConfig.json' to automatically download custom guns and cars. Make sure to select the build version that matches your game server software exactly to prevent class loading errors during startup.

Start Server Node

Boot the server, open Unturned, choose Connect, enter your server IP and UDP port 27015, and join. Check the server console panel logs as the startup sequence runs to verify that no error exceptions or missing dependency logs are thrown.

Recommended Configurations and Setup Files

To configure your server files correctly, navigate to the File Manager in your control panel and open the corresponding configuration files. Paste or modify the settings as shown in the configuration block below. These lines help prevent database thread blockages, optimize tick timing performance, and reduce entity rendering overhead on the game host:

# Servers/Default/Server/Commands.dat settings: Name FreeGameHost Server Map PEI Port 27015 Password secretKey MaxPlayers 16 Perspective both

Pro Tip: Run the command owner YourSteamID64 inside Commands.dat to automatically give yourself admin rights on startup. Pre-generating world chunks using plugin utilities (like Chunky) is highly recommended for reducing startup lag during exploration.

Frequently Asked Questions

What port does Unturned use?

Unturned uses port 27015 UDP. It also requires the next port (27016 UDP) open for query traffic.

Is Unturned server hosting free?

Yes. You can host a high-performance Unturned server with unlimited slots for free on FreeGameHost.

Host your game server in a secure cloud datacenter. Claim your free 24/7 server on FreeGameHost.

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