--- title: "Unturned Server Config and Difficulty Settings" description: "Configure gameplay in Config.txt: spawn rates, zombie damage, decay and the browser listing, plus why Config.json is legacy and how difficulty presets work." url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/unturned/configuration-overview/" category: "Unturned" category_url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/unturned/" published: "2026-07-03T22:46:15.187Z" updated: "2026-08-07T20:33:27.817Z" source_format: "markdown" site: "GameServerKings" --- # Unturned Server Config and Difficulty Settings Unturned splits server settings across two files that do completely different jobs. `Commands.dat` controls how the server *runs* — its name, slots, map and admins. `Config.txt` controls how the game *plays* — spawn rates, damage multipliers, decay, and the server's listing in the browser. This guide covers the second one. ## Config.txt, not Config.json If you have read an older guide, it probably told you to edit `Config.json`. That format is legacy. Since build **3.25.8.0**, servers use `Config.txt`. Servers created before that still have a `Config.json`, which the game now converts at startup into a per-difficulty file named after the difficulty in use — for example `Config_NormalDifficulty.txt` on a default server. | | `Config.json` (legacy) | `Config.txt` (current) | |---|---|---| | Difficulties | Easy, Normal and Hard all in one file | One file per difficulty | | Comments | Not supported | Every option is documented inline | | Syntax risk | A missing comma breaks the whole file | No commas required | | Level overrides | Take precedence over your defaults | Your explicit values win | > [!IMPORTANT] If you see both files, the `.txt` is the one being read > The conversion only copies options you actually changed from default, because an empty value in `Config.txt` means "use the default". Editing `Config.json` after the conversion has happened changes nothing. Edit the `.txt` file. You can force the old behaviour with the `-UseLegacyJsonGameplayConfig` launch flag, but there is no good reason to on a new server. ## The file documents itself This is the part worth internalising, because it makes every stale options table on the internet redundant: **`Config.txt` generates a comment above every option** explaining what it does, its valid range, and its default. Open it in the **File Manager** on your [Unturned game server](/games/unturned-server-hosting/) and read it. That matters because the option list changes between builds. A table copied from a guide written two years ago will list options that no longer exist and miss ones that do. The file in front of you is always correct for the build you are running. Two launch flags help when the file gets long: - `-GameplayConfigNoGeneratedComments` strips the explanatory comments once you know your way around. - `-GameplayConfigNoEmptyValues` removes every option you have not overridden, leaving only your changes. And one helps when you are debugging: - `-LogGameplayConfig` prints every overridden value to the console at startup, so you can see exactly what took effect. ## What lives in Config.txt Settings are grouped into sections. The ones you will actually reach for: | Section | Controls | |---|---| | `Browser` | How the server appears in the list: description, icon, thumbnail, links | | `Server` | Anti-cheat, ping and timeout limits, rate limiting, scheduled shutdowns | | `Items` | Item spawn chances and despawn behaviour | | `Vehicles` | Vehicle spawns, decay and quality | | `Zombies` | Health, damage, spawn density, behaviour | | `Animals` | Spawn rates and drop multipliers | | `Players` | Health, stamina, item loss on death | | `Barricades` / `Structures` | Build limits and decay | | `Objects` / `Events` / `Gameplay` | World interaction and miscellaneous rules | ### Making your server look right in the browser The `Browser` section is the one most people never find, and it controls the things players judge a server on before joining: - `Desc_Full` and `Desc_Server_List` — your server's description - `Icon` and `Thumbnail` — image URLs shown in the browser - `Links` — your Discord or website - `Login_Token` — the Game Server Login Token, also settable as `GSLT` in `Commands.dat` > [!TIP] Icons and thumbnails are URLs, not uploads > Point them at an image you host somewhere publicly reachable. A broken or private URL just shows nothing, with no error in the console. ### Anti-cheat `VAC_Secure` and `BattlEye_Secure` live in the `Server` section and are both on by default. Turning either off is occasionally suggested as a fix for players who cannot connect — it is almost never the right answer, and it opens your server to exactly the cheating you would then be asked to moderate. See the connection troubleshooting in [Managing your Unturned server](/knowledge-base/unturned/maintenance/) before changing these. ## Difficulty Unturned ships three difficulty presets, and each has its own config file. `Mode` in `Commands.dat` selects which one the server loads: ```text title="Servers/Default/Server/Commands.dat" Mode Normal ``` Normal is the default. Because each difficulty is a separate file, changing `Mode` swaps the entire gameplay config at once — a setting you tuned in the Normal file has no effect on a server running Hard. > [!NOTE] Levels can override your config > Maps can ship their own gameplay overrides. In the current format, any value you set explicitly wins over the level's override, and values you leave empty can be overridden. To lock everything down regardless of the map, add the `-NoLevelConfigOverrides` launch flag. ## Applying changes 1. Stop the server. Most settings are read at startup only. 2. Edit the file in the **File Manager**, or over SFTP — see [How to Upload Files via SFTP](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-upload-files-via-sftp/). 3. Start the server and check the console. > [!WARNING] Take a backup before a bulk config edit > `ResetConfig` restores defaults and will discard every change you have made in one command. Snapshot first; see [How to Create a Backup](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-create-a-backup/). ## Which file do I want? | I want to change… | File | Guide | |---|---|---| | Server name, slots, map, password, admins | `Commands.dat` | [Unturned Server Commands and Cheat Codes](/knowledge-base/unturned/unturned-server-command-list/) | | Item spawn rates, zombie damage, decay | `Config.txt` | This page | | Which mods and maps are installed | `WorkshopDownloadConfig.json` | [Unturned Workshop Mods and How to Change Maps](/knowledge-base/unturned/how-to-install-unturned-workshop-mods/) | | Plugin behaviour | Plugin configs | [Install RocketMod and OpenMod on Unturned](/knowledge-base/unturned/how-to-install-rocketmod-plugins-for-unturned/) | ## FAQ ### Where is Config.txt? `Servers//Config.txt`, at the root of your server folder — one level above the `Server/` folder that holds `Commands.dat`. ### Why did my Config.json edits do nothing? Because the server converted it to `Config.txt` at startup and is reading that instead. Edit the `.txt` file, or the per-difficulty file such as `Config_NormalDifficulty.txt`. ### How do I increase item spawn rates? In the `Items` section of `Config.txt`. The generated comment above each option gives its range and default, which is more reliable than any figure quoted in a guide. ### How do I set my server's description? `Desc_Full` and `Desc_Server_List` in the `Browser` section of `Config.txt`. ### Do config changes need a restart? Yes. `Config.txt` is read at startup. ### What difficulty does my server use by default? Normal, so it reads the Normal difficulty config. Change it with `Mode` in `Commands.dat`. --- Made with 💜 by GameServerKings