Unturned server Config.json and Commands.dat

An Unturned server is configured by two files in Servers/<ServerID>/Server/. Commands.dat says what the server is: its name, map, port, slots, owner, password, difficulty mode and login token, one command per line, read at boot. The gameplay config - Config.json on older instances, a commented Config.txt on servers created on newer builds - says how the game plays, in sections: Browser and Server for presentation and connection, then a full block for each difficulty (Easy, Normal, Hard) holding Items, Vehicles, Zombies, Animals, Barricades, Structures, Players, Objects, Events and Gameplay. The server only reads the difficulty block that matches Mode in Commands.dat, which is the reason most edits that "do nothing" do nothing.

This guide walks through the config file section by section - what each group of keys controls, which ones are worth changing and what to leave alone - and shows where it overlaps with Commands.dat. The full list of Commands.dat lines is in Unturned Commands.dat and RocketMod plugins, and the install, ports and token are in Unturned server setup.

Two files, and which one wins#

Put the login token in one place, not both, so you only have one to change when you rotate it. Steam game server tokens explained covers creating one against Unturned's app ID 304930.

Both files share the same editing rule: stop the server first. Unturned writes its configuration and save state on shutdown, and a file edited while the server runs is liable to be overwritten by the copy the server holds in memory.

Config.json and Config.txt hold the same settings with the same names. The newer text format adds comments and is easier to read; the JSON format is what most older guides show. Edit whichever your instance has. Creating the other one alongside it does not switch formats - the server reads the file it expects and ignores the stray one.

Generating a fresh file and reading defaults#

The defaults change between game versions as the developer rebalances, so the most reliable reference is a file your own build has generated:

1. Stop the server.
2. Rename the existing config to keep it as a backup.
3. Start the server once and stop it. A fresh config with current defaults appears.
4. Compare it with your old one and copy your changes across.

Doing this after a major game update is worth the five minutes. New keys appear, and an old config simply lacks them - the server falls back to built-in defaults for anything missing, which is safe but means you never see the new options.

Browser: how the server presents itself#

"Browser": {    "Icon": "https://example.com/icon.png",    "Thumbnail": "https://example.com/thumb.png",    "Desc_Hint": "Vanilla+ survival, weekly wipes",    "Desc_Full": "Rules and Discord link in the welcome message.",    "Desc_Server_List": "Vanilla+ survival, active admins",    "Login_Token": "",    "Monetization": "None"}

Images are fetched by players from the URLs you give, so host them somewhere reliable with a direct image link. The server list shows them small, and a clear icon helps a server stand out more than any description.

Monetization exists because the server browser lets players filter by it. Declare it honestly: a server that sells gameplay advantages and claims otherwise is the kind of thing that gets reported, and monetising a game server within the rules covers what is reasonable to sell in the first place. The accepted values are listed in the comment of a Config.txt, or in the developer's documentation for JSON configs.

Newer builds have added fields here over time, such as links shown on the server's info page. If your file lacks them, regenerate it as described above.

Server: connection and anti-cheat#

The exact set of keys in this section has grown across versions; your generated file is the list for your build.

The anti-cheat switches are the important ones. Turning BattlEye off is sometimes suggested as a fix for a connection problem; it does fix the symptom, and it also removes the main defence against cheat clients on a public server. Find the real cause instead.

The ping limit does the same job as Timeout in Commands.dat, and the name in Commands.dat is misleading - it is a maximum ping, not a timeout. A lower limit keeps players with poor connections from lagging everyone near them; a higher one keeps distant friends connected. On a server in Germany for European players, a few hundred milliseconds is a reasonable ceiling.

The shutdown options are useful together with a host that restarts the server. Find out first whether a clean exit on your host is followed by an automatic start, or whether the server waits to be started; if it waits, a scheduled restart from the panel is the more predictable choice. On RE:NODE the Schedules tab runs that as ordered tasks - a warning, a delay, save, a restart - which also re-reads both config files on the way up.

The difficulty blocks and Mode#

Everything below lives three times in the file: once under Easy, once under Normal, once under Hard. Only the block matching Mode in Commands.dat is used.

Mode Normal

"Normal": {    "Items": { "Spawn_Chance": 0.35, "Respawn_Time": 50.0 },    "Zombies": { "Spawn_Chance": 0.2, "Respawn_Night_Time": 30.0 },    "Vehicles": { "Respawn_Time": 300.0 }}

The defaults differ between blocks - Hard has fewer items and tougher zombies than Easy - so starting from the block nearest what you want and adjusting is easier than rebuilding one from scratch. The examples below use the Normal names; the keys are identical in every block.

Items: loot#

The temptation is to raise Spawn_Chance. At 1.0 every loot point is full, and the game's whole loop - travelling, risking towns, finding things - collapses in an evening. If you want a faster server, shorten Respawn_Time so places refill sooner, or raise the bullet multipliers so the guns people find are usable. Both speed the game up without making exploration pointless.

Despawn_Dropped_Time matters for performance and for arguments. Long values leave piles of dropped items in towns; short ones mean a player who dies far from home finds nothing when they get back.

Zombies and animals#

Night respawn is much faster than day respawn by default - thirty seconds against six minutes - which is what makes Unturned nights dangerous. Most of the feel of a server's PvE comes from that pair and from Spawn_Chance. The special-type chances are small numbers and small changes go a long way.

Can_Target_Barricades and Can_Target_Structures decide whether zombies damage bases. Turning them off makes building safe from zombies, which some PvE servers want and most survival servers do not.

Animals has a smaller version of the same idea: Respawn_Time, damage and armour multipliers, and per-map-size instance limits.

Vehicles#

The instance limits are worth knowing about: the cap that applies depends on the map's size class, and on busy servers a low cap is why nobody can find a car. Raising it costs some performance, since every vehicle is simulated and saved.

Barricades and structures#

Barricades covers placed items such as doors, walls placed as barricades, storage and traps; Structures covers floors, walls and roofs. Both have the same keys.

Decay_Time is the setting that keeps a map from filling with abandoned bases. The default is a week in seconds (604800). On a busy public server, shorter decay keeps space free; on a friends' server where people play once a fortnight, lengthen it or bases vanish between sessions. Tell players the number, because nothing feels more unfair than a base that decayed without anybody knowing it could.

The damage multipliers are raiding balance. Raising Armor_Hightier_Multiplier makes metal bases much harder to raid; lowering gun damage against structures makes raids depend on explosives. Change one at a time and watch how raids go for a week.

Players and gameplay#

Gameplay holds interface and rule switches: Crosshair, Hitmarkers, Ballistics, Chart, Satellite, Compass, Group_Map, Group_HUD, Allow_Static_Groups, Allow_Dynamic_Groups, Max_Group_Members, Friendly_Fire, Can_Suicide, Allow_Shoulder_Camera, and timers such as Timer_Exit, Timer_Respawn and Timer_Home.

The death settings define a server's character as much as loot does. Losing every item but no skills is the classic survival setting; keeping items on PvE deaths but not PvP deaths is a common compromise that makes zombies less frustrating without making PvP toothless.

Max_Group_Members limits how many players can be in one group. On a PvP server, a cap stops one large group dominating the map, though players can still cooperate outside the group system.

Objects and events#

Objects controls how the world resets after use: Fuel_Reset_Multiplier and Water_Reset_Multiplier for pumps and wells, Resource_Reset_Multiplier for trees and rocks, Resource_Drops_Multiplier for how much a tree or rock gives, and Rubble_Reset_Multiplier for destructible objects. Raising Resource_Drops_Multiplier is a gentle way to speed up building without touching loot.

Events controls weather and airdrops: rain and snow frequency and duration, Use_Airdrops, Airdrop_Frequency_Min and Airdrop_Frequency_Max, and the arena mode's timers. Weather keys have been reworked in newer builds, so trust your generated file. Airdrops are a good lever for a PvP server, because they create a reason to fight in predictable places.

A worked example: a faster survival server#

Settings make more sense as a set. Here is how a server for a group who play a few evenings a week might be built from the Normal block, and why each choice is made.

The group wants progress to feel quicker without the map becoming a supermarket. So Items.Spawn_Chance stays close to its default, and Items.Respawn_Time comes down, so a town that was looted on Monday has something in it on Wednesday. The gun and magazine bullet multipliers go up a little, so a found rifle can actually be used, which removes one of the most frustrating parts of the early game without handing anyone an arsenal.

Zombies stay dangerous at night - the short Respawn_Night_Time is part of what makes Unturned what it is - but Damage_Multiplier comes down slightly, because a small group cannot afford to lose a member to every bad corner. Can_Target_Barricades stays on, so bases still need defending.

On death, Lose_Items_PvE drops to a partial loss and skills are kept on PvE deaths, so being caught by a horde is a setback rather than a restart, while PvP deaths keep the full penalty so fighting still has stakes. Experience_Multiplier goes up modestly to match the shorter play time.

Bases get a longer Decay_Time in both Barricades and Structures, because this group sometimes misses a week, and nothing kills enthusiasm like returning to an empty plot. Resource_Drops_Multiplier in Objects goes up so building is less of a grind.

None of these is extreme, and that is the point: several modest changes in the right places make a server feel considerably faster while keeping the game's tension intact. Change them with the server stopped, restart, play for a week, and adjust. Keep the previous file beside the new one so you can compare when someone asks what changed - and take a backup before each round of edits, which on any host is cheaper than reconstructing a config from memory.

Troubleshooting#

My loot changes do nothing. You edited a block that does not match Mode in Commands.dat. Edit the matching block or change Mode.

My edits disappeared. The server was running when you saved, and wrote its copy over yours on shutdown.

The server fails to start after an edit. Invalid JSON - a missing comma or a trailing one. The console points at the problem.

New settings mentioned in patch notes are missing. Your config predates them. Regenerate a fresh file and copy your changes across.

The server is invisible in the list. No login token in either file, or an invalid one. Joining by IP still works, which proves the server itself is fine.

Players are kicked for high ping. Max_Ping_Milliseconds, or Timeout in Commands.dat. Raise it if they are legitimate distant players.

FAQ#

What is the difference between Commands.dat and Config.json?

Commands.dat sets what the server is: name, map, port, slots, difficulty mode and access. The config sets how the game plays: loot, zombies, vehicles, building, death and interface rules. They never contradict each other, apart from a few overlapping items like the login token.

Why does my server use Config.txt instead of Config.json?

Servers created on newer builds generate a commented Config.txt. Older servers keep their Config.json. The keys are the same; edit the one your instance has.

Which difficulty block should I edit?

The one named by Mode in Commands.dat. A server with Mode Normal reads only the Normal block.

How do I make loot more generous without ruining the game?

Shorten Items.Respawn_Time and raise the bullet multipliers rather than pushing Spawn_Chance towards 1.0. Places refill faster and guns are usable, while towns still need visiting.

How long do bases last when players stop playing?

Until Decay_Time in the Barricades and Structures sections passes without the owners nearby - a week by default. Lengthen it for groups who play rarely.

Do I need to restart after changing the config?

Yes. Both files are read at boot. Stop the server, edit, start again.