---
title: "Unturned Server Commands and Cheat Codes"
description: "Every Unturned server command with exact syntax: Commands.dat startup settings, runtime moderation, and the cheat commands that need Cheats enabled."
url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/unturned/unturned-server-command-list/"
category: "Unturned"
category_url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/unturned/"
published: "2026-08-01T15:03:30.058Z"
updated: "2026-08-07T21:05:17.555Z"
source_format: "markdown"
site: "GameServerKings"
---

# Unturned Server Commands and Cheat Codes

Unturned has two kinds of commands, and almost every problem people hit comes from mixing them up. Some belong in a config file and only take effect when the server boots. Others only work while the server is already running. This guide covers every command in both groups, the exact syntax, and the handful of commands that behave differently on a hosted server than every generic guide claims.

## The two places commands live

**Startup commands** go in `Commands.dat`, one per line. The server reads the file once as it boots. Lines beginning with `//` are comments.

```text title="Servers/Default/Server/Commands.dat"
// Lines starting with // are ignored.
Name My GSK Unturned Server
Map PEI
MaxPlayers 24
Perspective Both
Cheats
```

**Runtime commands** work while the server is up. You can enter them two ways:

- In the **Console** tab of your panel, typed plainly: `Save`
- In **in-game chat**, prefixed with `@` or `/`, and only if you are an administrator: `/Save`

Parameters are separated by forward slashes, not spaces, and every time value is in seconds:

```text
/Ban 76561198000000000/Griefing/86400
```

A few commands work in both places. `Name`, `MaxPlayers` and `Welcome` can sit in `Commands.dat` or be changed live. Most cannot — `Map` and `Password` are read at boot only, and `Save` only means anything on a running server.

> [!IMPORTANT] There is no autosave in Unturned
> The server writes player and world data when you run `Save`, or when you shut it down cleanly with `Shutdown`. Killing the process — including a hard Stop — loses everything since the last save. Put a `Save` on a timer in the panel's Schedules tab; see [How to Setup Schedules](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-setup-schedules/).

## Making yourself an admin

Three ways, and they are not interchangeable.

| Method | Where | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| `Owner <SteamID64>` | `Commands.dat` | At boot. Grants full administrator rights, including cheat commands |
| `Admin <SteamID64>` | Runtime | Immediately, on the running server |
| One ID per line | `Server/Adminlist.dat` | At boot |

> [!WARNING] There is no `owners.dat` file
> `Owner` is a command you put inside `Commands.dat` — not a separate file. Guides that tell you to create `owners.dat` alongside `admins.dat` are describing something that does not exist. The admin list file is `Adminlist.dat`, capital A, inside the `Server/` folder.

Your SteamID64 is the 17-digit number from your profile URL, not your display name.

## Server setup commands

These belong in `Commands.dat`. Defaults are the game's, and an omitted line means the default applies.

| Command | Syntax | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `Name` | `Name [Text]` | — | Server name in the browser. 5–50 characters |
| `Map` | `Map [Level]` | `PEI` | Map loaded at startup. Built-in: PEI, Washington, Yukon, Russia, Germany |
| `MaxPlayers` | `MaxPlayers [Number]` | `8` | Slot count, 1–200 |
| `Password` | `Password [Text]` | none | Password required to join. Stored as a hash |
| `Owner` | `Owner [SteamID]` | — | Grants administrator rights to one SteamID64 |
| `Mode` | `Mode [Easy\|Normal\|Hard]` | `Normal` | Difficulty preset |
| `GameMode` | `GameMode [Class Name]` | — | Assigns a custom game mode class |
| `Perspective` | `Perspective [First\|Third\|Both\|Vehicle]` | `Both` | Allowed camera perspectives |
| `PvE` | `PvE` | off | Disables player-versus-player combat |
| `Cheats` | `Cheats` | off | Enables the cheat command group for admins |
| `Gold` | `Gold` | off | Restricts the server to Gold members |
| `Filter` | `Filter` | off | Rejects players with non-English alphanumeric names |
| `Hide_Admins` | `Hide_Admins` | off | Admins appear as ordinary players |
| `Sync` | `Sync` | off | Lets players share savedata between your servers |
| `Cycle` | `Cycle [Seconds]` | `3600` | Length of one day/night cycle |
| `Chatrate` | `Chatrate [Seconds]` | `0.25` | Minimum gap between chat messages, 0–60 |
| `Timeout` | `Timeout [ms]` | `750` | Ping threshold before a client is dropped, 50–10000 |
| `Queue_Size` | `Queue_Size [Number]` | `0` | Maximum queued connections, 0–64 |
| `Welcome` | `Welcome [Text]/[R]/[G]/[B]` | — | Message shown on join |
| `Loadout` | `Loadout [SkillsetID]/[ItemID]/...` | — | Items granted on spawn. Skillset `255` applies to everyone |
| `Log` | `Log [Chat]/[Join\|Leave]/[Death]/[Anticheat]` | `N/N/N/N` | Console logging toggles |
| `Votify` | `Votify [Allowed]/[Pass CD]/[Fail CD]/[Duration]/[Percentage]/[Players]` | disabled | Vote-to-kick parameters |
| `GSLT` | `GSLT [Token]` | — | Game Server Login Token |
| `Bind` | `Bind [IP]` | `0.0.0.0` | Binds a specific internal IP to the socket |
| `Port` | `Port [Number]` | `27015` | Listen port. Also uses the next two ports |

> [!CAUTION] Do not set `Port` on a hosted server
> Your panel allocates the port and the firewall is opened for that allocation specifically. Writing a `Port` line into `Commands.dat` points the game at a port nothing is forwarded to, and the server disappears from the browser. Leave it out entirely and let the allocation stand. Your actual port is shown in the panel's **Network** tab and beside the **Address** on the Console tab.

## Moderation commands

Runtime only. Every one accepts either a SteamID64 or the player's in-game name.

| Command | Syntax | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `Admin` | `Admin [SteamID \| Player]` | Grants administrator rights |
| `Unadmin` | `Unadmin [SteamID \| Player]` | Revokes administrator rights |
| `Kick` | `Kick [SteamID \| Player]/[Reason]` | Disconnects a player |
| `Ban` | `Ban [SteamID \| Player]/[Reason]/[Duration]` | Bans a player. Duration in seconds, default 365 days |
| `Unban` | `Unban [SteamID]` | Removes a ban |
| `Kill` | `Kill [SteamID \| Player]` | Kills a player where they stand |
| `Slay` | `Slay [SteamID \| Player]/[Reason]` | Kills and permanently bans |
| `Spy` | `Spy [SteamID \| Player]` | Requests a screenshot from that player's client |
| `Say` | `Say [Text]/[R]/[G]/[B]` | Broadcasts a coloured message to everyone |

Duration is seconds, so a one-day ban is `86400` and a one-week ban is `604800`. Omit it and you get a year.

## Cheat commands

Only some of these need the `Cheats` flag. The spawners and progression commands do; the world and teleport commands do **not** and work for any admin on a stock server. Assuming the whole group needs `Cheats` is the single most common "why doesn't this work" on Unturned servers — and assuming the opposite of the spawners is the second.

| Command | Syntax | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `Give` | `Give [SteamID \| Player]/[ItemID \| ItemName]/[Amount]` | Spawns items into a player's inventory |
| `Vehicle` | `Vehicle [SteamID \| Player]/[VehicleID \| VehicleName]` | Spawns a vehicle in front of a player |
| `Animal` | `Animal [SteamID \| Player]/[AnimalID]` | Spawns an animal in front of a player |
| `Experience` | `Experience [SteamID \| Player]/[Amount]` | Grants experience points |
| `Reputation` | `Reputation [SteamID \| Player]/[Amount]` | Grants reputation |
| `Flag` | `Flag [SteamID \| Player]/[Flag]/[Value]` | Sets a player flag |
| `Quest` | `Quest [SteamID \| Player]/[Quest]` | Grants a quest flag |
| `UnlockNpcAchievement` | `UnlockNpcAchievement [SteamID \| Player]/[AchievementID]` | Grants an achievement |

### World and teleport commands — admin only, no `Cheats` needed

These are the ones people most often give up on after enabling `Cheats` and finding nothing changed. They never needed it.

| Command | Syntax | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `Teleport` | `Teleport [SteamID \| Player]/[SteamID \| Player \| Location]` | Teleports a player |
| `Weather` | `Weather [None \| Disable \| Storm \| Blizzard \| GUID]` | Forces or clears weather |
| `Airdrop` | `Airdrop` | Sends a dropship over the map immediately |
| `Day` / `Night` | `Day` | Jumps the clock to day or night |
| `Time` | `Time [Seconds]` | Sets the exact point in the day/night cycle |

> [!NOTE] `Experience` grants XP, not items
> Several widely-copied command lists — including an older version of this page — describe `Experience` as taking an item ID and giving the player an item. It does not. It takes a number and grants that much experience. The command that spawns items is `Give`.

### Spawning items

`Give` accepts an item ID, an item name, or the item's asset filename:

```text
/Give Nelson/Maplestrike/1
/Give 76561198000000000/363/2
```

The amount is optional and defaults to one. Item IDs are per-map for modded content, so a workshop map's IDs will not match the base game's — check the map's own documentation rather than a generic ID list.

### Teleporting

`Teleport` takes a player and then a destination, which can be another player, a named location node, a waypoint, or a bed:

```text
/Teleport Nelson/Summerside
/Teleport Nelson/76561198000000000
```

## Lists and logs

Read-only, and safe to run at any time. Output goes to the Console.

| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| `Players` | Everyone currently connected |
| `Admins` | Current administrators |
| `Bans` | Active bans |
| `Permits` | Players on the whitelist |
| `Modules` | Loaded modules — useful for confirming RocketMod or OpenMod actually loaded |
| `Debug` | Server state summary |
| `Help` | Every command, or `Help [Command]` for one |

`Help` is worth knowing about. It reads the commands compiled into the build you are actually running, so it is always current in a way no web page can be.

## Whitelisting

Turn on the whitelist with `Whitelisted`, then manage entries.

| Command | Syntax | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `Whitelisted` | `Whitelisted` | Restricts joining to permitted players |
| `Permit` | `Permit [SteamID]/[Tag]` | Adds a player. Both parameters required |
| `Unpermit` | `Unpermit [SteamID]` | Removes a player |

`Permit` needs a tag as well as the ID — it is a label for your own reference, but the command fails without it.

## Utility commands

| Command | Syntax | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `Save` | `Save` | Writes world and player data to disk |
| `Shutdown` | `Shutdown [Delay]/[Explanation]` | Saves, disconnects everyone, then closes |
| `Reload` | `Reload [GUID \| Directory]` | Reloads an asset without a full restart |
| `ResetConfig` | `ResetConfig` | Resets the config file to defaults |
| `AllowP2PRelay` | `AllowP2PRelay [0 \| 1]` | Toggles Steam's P2P relay |
| `EffectUI` | `EffectUI [EffectID]/[Token]/...` | Spawns a UI effect for the calling player |

## About "Unturned cheat codes"

There is no cheat-code system in Unturned in the sense people usually mean — no strings you type at a title screen to unlock things, and nothing that works in someone else's server.

What exists is the cheat *command* group in the tables above. The spawners have two hard requirements: `Cheats` enabled in the server's `Commands.dat`, and administrator rights on that server. The world and teleport commands need only the second. That means:

- **On your own server**, you have every "cheat" in the game. Add yourself with `Owner` and the world commands like `Teleport` work immediately; enable `Cheats` as well and `Give`, `Vehicle` and the rest of the spawners join them.
- **On someone else's server**, nothing in this article will work for you, and no tool that claims otherwise is doing anything except getting you VAC banned.
- **In singleplayer**, enable cheats when creating the world and the same commands work from the in-game chat.

If you came here looking for a way to spawn items on a public server, the honest answer is that renting your own [Unturned server plan](/games/unturned-server-hosting/) is the only route — which is also the only reason a hosting company writes a page like this.

## Panel-specific behaviour

Three things work differently on a hosted server than on a self-hosted one:

- **The port is fixed.** Covered above, but it is the most common way to break a working server.
- **`Commands.dat` is yours to edit.** Unlike some games, the panel does not rewrite this file on boot, so changes you make in the **File Manager** persist. Edit it while the server is stopped — most settings are only read at startup anyway.
- **Cheats are off by default.** New servers do not ship with `Cheats` enabled. Add the line yourself.

For where each of these tabs lives, see [How to use your server panel](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-use-your-server-panel/). For editing config files over SFTP instead of the browser, see [How to Upload Files via SFTP](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-upload-files-via-sftp/).

> [!TIP] Take a backup before bulk command changes
> `ResetConfig` and a mistyped `Loadout` line are both easy to fix if you have a snapshot and awkward if you do not. See [How to Create a Backup](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-create-a-backup/).

## Commands vs server configuration

Two different files do two different jobs, and searching for "Unturned server settings" will land you on both.

| | `Commands.dat` | `Config.txt` |
|---|---|---|
| **Controls** | Server identity, slots, map, admins, moderation | Gameplay rules and multipliers |
| **Examples** | `Name`, `Map`, `MaxPlayers`, `Cheats`, `PvE` | Item spawn chance, zombie damage, vehicle decay |
| **Format** | One command per line, no `=` | Key/value with generated comments |
| **Read** | At boot, plus runtime for some | At boot |

If you are changing how the *game* plays rather than how the *server* runs, you want `Config.txt`. See [How to configure your Unturned server](/knowledge-base/unturned/configuration-overview/) for that side.

> [!NOTE] `Config.json` is the legacy format
> Servers created before build **3.25.8.0** have a `Config.json` file. The server now converts it at startup into a per-difficulty file such as `Config_NormalDifficulty.txt`. If you find both, the `.txt` is the one being read. Older guides that only mention `Config.json` predate the change.

## FAQ

### How do I open the console on an Unturned server?

On a hosted server the console is the **Console** tab in your panel — it is the landing view, and you type commands straight into it. If you are running the dedicated server locally, it is the black window that opens with the server. In-game, admins run commands from normal chat by prefixing them with `@` or `/`.

### Why do my commands do nothing?

Almost always one of three things: the command is a cheat command and `Cheats` is not enabled; you are not actually an administrator on that server; or you are using spaces instead of forward slashes between parameters. `Give Nelson 363 2` fails where `Give Nelson/363/2` works.

### How do I spawn items in Unturned?

`Give [Player]/[Item]/[Amount]`, with `Cheats` enabled and admin rights. The item can be an ID or its name, so `/Give Nelson/Maplestrike/1` and `/Give Nelson/363/1` do the same thing.

### Can I use these commands on a server I do not own?

No. Every command here requires administrator rights on that specific server. Nothing typed into chat gives you admin on someone else's server.

### Where is Adminlist.dat?

`Servers/<YourServerID>/Server/Adminlist.dat`, alongside `Commands.dat`. One SteamID64 per line. It is read at boot, so restart after editing.

### Do I need to restart after editing Commands.dat?

Yes for anything read at startup, which is most of it — `Map`, `Password`, `MaxPlayers`, `Cheats`. A handful of settings have runtime equivalents you can use instead to avoid the restart.

---

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