Unturned How To Make A Group

Unturned is one of the most popular survival games, with its time in the sun way back in 2015. Since then, there have been many updates to keep the player base coming back for more.

How to Play Unturned With Friends

In 2020, Unturned even received a PS4 and Xbox port, which saw many players return to playing the game with their friends. But some players are wondering what exactly their options are to play the game in multiplayer mode.

We have compiled a short guide with instructions on how you can play Unturned with your friends on any platform.

How to Play Unturned With Friends on PC?

Most people will still prefer to use their PC to play Unturned, as it's where the game originated. Over time, there have been a few changes to how the multiplayer is processed in-game. The current iteration requires players to create and join servers if they want to play a game with their friends.

Creating a server to play can be an unintuitive process, but you won't need any additional programs or hosting services to make it work. Here's what you need to do:

Open Steam.
Go to the "Library."
Select "Unturned" from the list of games, then click on "Properties."
Click on the "Local Files" tab on the left, then click on the "Browse Local Files" button to enter the file explorer.
The file explorer should display your game's local files. Right-click on the "Unturned.exe" application, then select "Create shortcut."
You can rename the newly-made shortcut to let you know it's a server application. Usually, just renaming it to "Server" will do.
Right-click on the shortcut and select "Properties."
Look for the "Target" text box.
Put quotes around the original text in the text box.
Append the following text (without quotes, with the leading space) to the existing text in the text box. You can change "ServerNameHere" to be any name you like.
" -nographics -batchmode +secureserver/ServerNameHere"
Click "Apply" then "OK" to save the setting.
Run the shortcut application.
You'll see a command prompt. Let it work for about 10 seconds, then close it.
If you haven't created a server before, you'll notice a new folder in Unturned's directory named "Servers." Open it.
Open the next folder inside, then the "ServerName" folder, where the name the same as the one you used in Step 10.
Right-click on "Commands.dat" and select "Open with," then choose a text editor (such as Notepad).
Copy the following lines into the file:
map [map name here] port 27015 password [Server password here] maxplayers [Number here]
Save changes to the file and close.
Run the application you created in Steps 5-11 again. It should say "connected successfully."
You'll need to keep the command prompt open for the server to stay up.

If you want to connect to your server once you've created it, here's what you need to do:

Open Unturned.
Click on "Play."
Go to "Connect"
Type in "localhost" for the server IP.
Type "27015" as the port (the same one you used to create it).
Enter the password you've chosen.

Other players will need to use your IP to connect to the server or find the server on the global server list in the "Servers" section of the "Play" menu.

How to Play Unturned With Friends on LAN?

Playing Unturned on a local network isn't that much different from creating a global server. There are only a few notable differences in the steps required to create a local server. Here's what you'll need to do:

Open the Unturned file directory and create a shortcut of the "Unturned.exe" application. You can use Steps 1-6 in the "How to Play With Friends" section above.
Find the shortcut's "Target" text box (Right-click > "Properties").
Wrap the current text in quotes then add the following text (without quotes, but keep the leading space). You can choose your own server name.
" -nographics -batchmode +lanserver/ServerNameHere"
Save the settings ("Apply" and "OK").
Run the application for about 5-10 seconds, then close it.
Go into the "Servers" folder, and find the "Command.dat" file. Open it with Notepad or another text editor.
Copy in the necessary information:
map [map name here] port 27015 password [Server password here] maxplayers [Number here]
Save the file.
Run the server application again.

Players will see the server only if they're on the same network as the user running the server.

How to Play Unturned With Friends on Xbox?

If you're playing Unturned from Xbox, then your ability to enter and change game files directly will be rather limited. Thankfully, the creators of the Unturned console port have changed how the server aspect works and streamlined the process.

Here's what you need to do:

Open Unturned.
Select "Play Online."
Select "Create Server."
Follow the instructions in the menu to create an Unturned server to use to play with your friends.

Once the server is created, it will be visible to other players on their "Play Online" > "Servers" menu. They can connect to it directly (provided they have the password if you've put one).

Alternatively, you can all use a publicly-hosted server instead of one player hosting. This can be particularly useful if neither player has a powerful-enough connection to host the server for other people. The public servers take the top four spots in any server region.

How to Play Unturned With Friends on PS4?

PS4 has similar problems when it comes to local file inaccessibility and Steam performance. You'll have to use the provided instructions in-game to create a server or join a public one:

Open Unturned.
Select "Play Online."
Select "Create Server."
Follow the instructions to fill in all the required information, then invite other players.

PS4 players can also play on public servers. These servers will be on the top four server slots in any region.

How to Play Unturned With Friends With Hamachi?

Unfortunately, if you're using Hamachi to play the game with your friends, creating the server itself doesn't get any easier. The only thing that changes is the ability to host a server externally (if using the premium Hamachi settings). Otherwise, the host needs to follow the instructions in our "How to Play with Friends on PC" section.

Players can find the host's IP address by right-clicking their name in Hamachi, then use that IP to locate the server quickly using the "Connect" button in the "Play" menu.

How to Play Unturned With Friends Without Hamachi?

There are a few ways players can play the game without using Hamachi. The basic process of creating and locating a server doesn't require the players to use Hamachi in the first place, so we recommend following our guide on hosting a server if you don't want to go through third-party ones.

Otherwise, you can find online server-hosting services that will set up and maintain Unturned servers for you for a monthly fee. They can have a lot of customization and the main benefit is the near 24/7 uptime and a stable connection.

How to Play Unturned With Friends Without Server?

If you're on the console, you can also use the split-screen option to play the game with a friend on the same device.

Otherwise, there's no way to play Unturned in multiplayer without using a server setup, whether public, private, or paid.

Additional FAQs

Where Is the Lobby in Unturned?

Unturned never use to have lobbies or matchmaking for players to test their mettle against other players on a global scale. Recent patches, however, have implemented matchmaking. You can find it by following these steps:

1. Open Unturned.

2. Select "Play."

3. Select "Lobby." Alternatively, choose "Matchmaking" for the single-player server gameplay.

That's pretty much it! The lobby system will try to select the server with the lowest possible ping and available players. Groups can use lobbies as a way to join servers together and play the game.

How Do You Host a Game in Unturned?

If you want to host a game, you'll need to create a server on your device. Go to the sections above to find out how to create a server on your platform. Hosting a game requires a robust computer and a powerful internet connection capable of handling multiple players simultaneously.

How Do You Invite People in Unturned?

Game invites for Unturned are processed through the Steam platform. Simply open the Steam overlay while in-game, select a friend from the Friends List, and click "Invite to Game."

How Do You Play an Unturned Game?

At its core, Unturned is about survival and resource management. You'll need to find items throughout the map, gather resources, and craft useful equipment and items to help you outlast both other players and the environment.

How Do You Find Friends on Unturned?

You can look through online communities (such as forums or reddit) for willing players to join you. Alternatively, some players will simply meet other players on servers in the game and strike up a conversation. Finding friends to play with is no different than finding friends for other activities.

Unturned Is Better With Friends

With newfound popularity through recent patches and ports, Unturned looks to be one of the best multiplayer survival games on a budget. If you're willing to look past the dated graphics and a lower production budget, give it a try with a couple of buddies.

What is your favorite way to play Unturned? Let us know in the comment section below.