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Steam Workshop content is what turns a stock Unturned server into something unique — custom maps, weapon packs, vehicles, cosmetics, and complete overhauls. This guide covers adding Workshop items to your server, switching to a Workshop map, and keeping everything updated.
Workshop items (maps, items, vehicles) and plugins (RocketMod/OpenMod) are two different systems. Workshop content is game content downloaded from Steam; plugins are server-side code. This page covers Workshop content, with a short plugin overview at the end.

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Find the Workshop ID

Every Workshop item has a numeric ID, visible in its Steam Workshop page URL: 
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2136627083
                                                        ^^^^^^^^^^
                                                        Workshop ID
Copy the number after ?id= — that’s what the server needs.

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Add Items to WorkshopDownloadConfig.json

The server downloads Workshop content listed in WorkshopDownloadConfig.json, found in your server’s folder (next to the Server directory that holds Commands.dat).
1

Open the File Manager

In the Game Panel, select your server and open the File Manager (or connect via SFTP — see File Management).
2

Edit WorkshopDownloadConfig.json

Add each Workshop ID to the File_IDs array:
{
  "File_IDs": [
    2136627083,
    2483365750,
    1983200271
  ],
  "Ignore_Children_File_IDs": [],
  "Query_Cache": []
}
Separate IDs with commas, but don’t leave a trailing comma after the last one — invalid JSON prevents the list from loading. The file also contains ignore/cache lists: Ignore_Children_File_IDs lets you skip specific dependencies an item would otherwise pull in, and Query_Cache is maintained by the server itself — you normally don’t touch it.
3

Restart the server

Restart from the panel. On boot, the server downloads every listed item (watch the Console for download progress) along with any dependencies the items declare.
Players don’t install anything manually — clients auto-download the server’s Workshop content from Steam when they join. First joins on a heavily modded server take a few minutes.

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Switch to a Workshop Map

Downloading a map isn’t enough — you also have to tell the server to load it. The map is set by the Map line in Commands.dat (inside your server’s Server folder): 
Map Washington
For a Workshop map, use the map’s exact folder name as shipped by the map author (shown on the Workshop page or visible in the downloaded map’s folder), for example: 
Map Kuwait
Restart the server after changing the map. Official map names include PEI, Washington, Yukon, and Russia — see the server configuration guide for map-specific settings.
Switching maps starts players fresh on the new map. Take a backup first if you might switch back — each map keeps its own save data.

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Keep Mods Updated

Workshop authors update their content regularly, and outdated server-side content can mismatch what clients download:
  • Restart regularly. The server checks its Workshop items on boot, so a scheduled daily restart (set one up under Schedules in the panel) keeps content fresh.
  • Watch for game updates. Major Unturned updates occasionally break older Workshop items until their authors update them. If your server misbehaves right after an update, test with mods temporarily removed from File_IDs.
  • Prune your list. Every item adds startup time and memory usage. Remove IDs you no longer use.

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Plugins: RocketMod and OpenMod

Beyond Workshop content, Unturned supports server-side plugin frameworks:
  • RocketMod (LDM) — the classic, battle-tested framework. Most older community plugins (kits, homes, TPA, economy) target Rocket. It’s in legacy maintenance mode but still widely used.
  • OpenMod — the modern, actively developed framework with its own growing plugin ecosystem and support for running many Rocket plugins through a compatibility layer.
Pick one framework and stick with it. Plugin configuration files, Rocket permissions, and example plugin configs are covered in the server configuration guide; moderation commands are in admin commands.

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Common Issues

Almost always a map name typo. The Map value in Commands.dat must match the map’s folder name exactly. Check the Console at startup — the server logs which map it’s loading, and falls back to a default when the name isn’t found.
The item may be unlisted, private, or removed from the Workshop — the server can only download publicly visible items. Open the item’s Workshop URL in a browser: if you can’t see it while logged out, the server can’t fetch it either. Remove the dead ID from File_IDs.
Usually broken JSON — a missing comma, a trailing comma, or stray quotes. Run the file through a JSON validator, fix the syntax, and restart.
See the workshop troubleshooting entry in join your server. Typically resolved by a client restart or a server restart to re-validate content.
Large maps and big item packs increase RAM and CPU usage. Trim the mod list or see the optimization guide — and consider a plan upgrade if you’re running a heavy modpack (upgrades keep all your files).

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