Changing the difficulty on your Unturned server is a great way to tailor the gameplay to your community. Whether you want a relaxed zombie survival experience or a punishing, hardcore challenge, swapping your server's mode only takes a few quick steps in your configuration files.
Always make sure your server is completely stopped before making configuration changes. Editing files while the server is running will cause your changes to be overwritten!
Editing Your Commands.dat File
To configure your server's difficulty, we need to edit the core commands file directly in your panel.
- Log into your MintServers panel and click the Stop button.
- Navigate to the Files tab on the left sidebar.
- Click through the file manager to locate your
Commands.datfile. - Click on
Commands.datto open the text editor. - Since it is a freshly generated server, this file will likely be completely empty. Simply type
Mode Easy,Mode Normal, orMode Hardon the very first line of the file. Do not use colons or equal signs; just use a single space between the command and the setting. - If you have already configured the server and the file has text in it, look for an existing line that says
Modeand change it. If the line is missing, add your mode to a brand new line at the bottom. Here is an example of how your file might look:
๐ Servers
๐ unturned (or your custom instance name)
๐ Server
- Click the Save Content button at the top of the editor.
- Return to the Console tab and Start your server.
Unturned Difficulty Modes Explained
If you are not sure which setting to choose, here is a quick breakdown of how each mode affects the game:
Easy: Ideal for casual players. Resources and loot are plentiful, zombies deal less damage, and player health regenerates faster. Bullet ballistics are simplified.Normal: The standard, balanced Unturned experience as the developer intended.Hard: Designed for veteran survivors. Loot is incredibly scarce, UI elements are hidden, zombies hit much harder, and survival mechanics are far more punishing.
๐ ๏ธ Troubleshooting Difficulty Settings
If your difficulty still has not changed after following these steps, double-check your Commands.dat file to ensure you did not accidentally misspell the mode or add duplicate lines. If you are still stuck, just open a support ticket and our team will gladly instruct you on how to resolve the configuration!