How to Play Unturned With Friends

The short version: Unturned has no "invite a friend to your singleplayer game" button. Every multiplayer session runs on a server, including the ones between two people. The good news is that the server software is free, ships with the game, and takes about five minutes to get your friends into — no port forwarding, no router settings, no payment.

This guide covers the fastest route first, then what changes when you want the world to still be there tomorrow.

The fastest way in

1. Install Unturned Dedicated Server from your Steam Library. It is a separate free tool listed under Tools, not part of the main game.
2. Launch it. Wait for the console to reach Loading level: 100%.
3. Invite your friends from your Steam friends list, or send them the Server Code printed in the console.
4. They open Unturned, go to Play → Connect Directly, and enter the code.

That is it. The server is LAN-by-default, which sounds restrictive but is exactly what you want here — it is invisible to the public server browser while remaining fully reachable through Steam invites and the Server Code.

"Without a server" is not really an option

A common search is how to play Unturned with friends without a server. There is no such mode — Unturned 3 has no in-client hosting or peer-to-peer co-op. What people usually mean is "without paying for one", and that is entirely achievable: the dedicated server tool costs nothing.

The Server Code changes every launch

Unless you configure a Game Server Login Token, a new 17-digit code is generated each time you start the server. Yesterday's code will not work today, which surprises people who shared it once and expected it to keep working.

Keeping strangers out

A LAN server is already unlisted, but if you later make the server public — or you simply want belt and braces — set a password:

Restart afterwards; Password is read at startup.

For a tighter lock, use the whitelist instead. Turn it on with Whitelisted and add each person explicitly:

Whitelisting means nobody can join even with the password unless you have added their Steam ID. Full syntax in Unturned Server Commands and Cheat Codes.

Playing on the same network

If everyone is physically in the same house or on the same LAN, the dedicated server's default mode already covers you — players will see it in the Multiplayer menu without any configuration, because LAN visibility is exactly what is enabled by default.

When the free route stops being enough

The self-hosted route has one structural limitation: the server only exists while the hosting computer is running it. That is fine for scheduled sessions and awful for a group that wants to log in whenever.

Signs you have outgrown it:

• People want to play when you are asleep, at work, or gaming on the same PC
• The host's machine struggles running the game and the server together
• You want plugins, a persistent economy, or scheduled restarts and backups
• You want a stable address people can favourite, rather than a code that rotates
• You do not want your home IP address handed to everyone who joins

Public self-hosting exposes your home IP

Making a self-hosted server publicly listed via port forwarding advertises your home connection to everyone who joins. For a handful of friends this rarely matters; for an open server it is a genuine risk. Steam's Fake IP option avoids it, and a rented server sidesteps it entirely.

A rented server is always on, has its ports already open, and applies game updates on restart. Setup is covered in How to Make an Unturned Server.

Playing with console friends

You cannot. Unturned's PC version and its console editions are separate games published by different companies, on separate server pools, and neither can join the other's servers.

This catches people out when a friend on Xbox or PlayStation wants to join a PC server. There is no workaround. See Is Unturned Cross-Platform? for the detail.

Getting more out of a shared server

Once your group is playing regularly:

• Make yourself admin with Owner <SteamID64> in Commands.dat so you can moderate and fix problems.
• Enable Cheats if you want to spawn items for a casual server — it is a per-server setting and entirely legitimate on your own server.
• Pick a better map. Curated maps like Elver and Escalation are a significant step up from PEI. See Unturned Workshop Mods and How to Change Maps.
• Add quality-of-life plugins. /home and /tpa from uEssentials change how a small group plays together. See Install RocketMod and OpenMod on Unturned.
• Turn on saving. There is no autosave — schedule the Save command or you will lose an evening's progress.

Which guide do I want?

FAQ

Can I play Unturned with friends without a server?

No — all Unturned multiplayer runs on a server. But the dedicated server tool is free with the game and friends can join by Steam invite in a few minutes, so you do not need to pay for one.

How do my friends join my Unturned server?

Steam friends list invite, or the 17-digit Server Code entered under Connect Directly. Both work while the server is LAN-only and unlisted.

How do I make my server private?

It already is, by default — LAN servers do not appear in the public browser. Add a Password line for extra safety, or use Whitelisted plus Permit to allow only specific Steam IDs.

Why does my friend say the Server Code is invalid?

It regenerates every time the server starts. Send the current one, or set a Game Server Login Token to keep it stable.

Can PC players play with Xbox or PlayStation players?

No. The PC and console versions are separate releases on separate server pools with no crossplay between them.

How many people can join?

Set MaxPlayers in Commands.dat — up to 200, though a self-hosted server on a normal desktop will struggle well before that.

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