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How to Host an Unturned Server With Hamachi (Listen Server Guide)

Create a Hamachi virtual LAN, host Unturned from Play > Host, and have friends connect with the host’s Hamachi IPv4 address. This guide covers compatibility, firewall fixes, and the limits of the listen-server method.
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You can host a non-dedicated Unturned game over Hamachi by creating a Hamachi virtual-LAN network, starting Unturned’s Play > Host session, and having friends connect with the host’s Hamachi IPv4 address. The host must keep both Unturned and Hamachi running for the session; this is a listen server, not a separate dedicated-server process.

Before troubleshooting, check which Unturned build you use. The Unturned wiki guidance summarized in current search results says listen servers are supported only in classic Unturned and cannot be hosted in Unturned version 3. The menu path below therefore applies only when your installed build actually exposes the Host and Connect options described.

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What a Hamachi Unturned server actually is

Hamachi creates a private virtual LAN between the computers that join the same Hamachi network. Unturned then uses that virtual connection as though the players were on one local network. The person who clicks Host is running the game and serving the session at the same time.

That arrangement has three practical consequences:

  • It is a listen server, not a dedicated server. There is no independent server process that continues after the host exits the game.
  • The host must leave Unturned running while friends play.
  • Hamachi must remain powered on, and the host should keep the Hamachi window open for the duration of the session.

Hamachi does not make a dedicated server out of a listen session, and it does not remove the need for the correct game version, firewall permissions, address, password, and network membership.

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Check compatibility before you configure anything

Classic Unturned versus version 3

The Unturned wiki information summarized for this guide states that listen servers are supported only in classic Unturned and cannot be hosted in Unturned version 3. Because the current installed build and Hamachi version were not verified in the available documentation, do not assume that a current version-3 installation will expose the same controls.

Open Unturned and look for the menu sequence Play > Host. If your build has no Host option, or friends cannot use Play > Connect as described below, stop and verify the build rather than changing random ports. The Hamachi method cannot add a listen-server feature that the game build does not provide.

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What is and is not covered here

This procedure is for a small session in which one player hosts from the game client. It does not describe a persistent public server, server-side administration, mods, automatic restarts, or a hosted machine. Those require a separate dedicated-server setup and different operational decisions.

What every player needs

Each participant needs the following:

  • Hamachi installed and running.
  • A compatible Unturned build with the Host/Connect listen-server menus.
  • A stable internet connection for the virtual LAN.
  • Permission in the operating system firewall for Hamachi traffic and Unturned traffic when prompted.

The host additionally needs to create the Hamachi network and start the Unturned session. Friends do not create a second game server; they join the host’s session after joining the same Hamachi network.

Step 1: Install and start Hamachi on every computer

  1. Install Hamachi on the host and on every friend’s computer.
  2. Launch Hamachi on each computer and leave it running.
  3. Have everyone confirm that Hamachi shows an active connection before opening Unturned.

The exact current Hamachi download channel and plan availability were not established in the available documentation, so use the installer appropriate for your operating system and do not rely on an old version number or an assumed subscription tier.

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Step 2: Create a private Hamachi network

  1. On the host’s Hamachi window, create a new network and set a network name and password.
  2. Send the exact network name and password to the players who will join.
  3. Tell players to join that network from their own Hamachi clients.

Hamachi network names and passwords are case-sensitive, and spaces matter. A single capitalization difference or an extra space can leave a player in a different network or prevent the join attempt. Share the values by copying them exactly rather than retyping them from memory.

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Confirm membership before launching the game

In Hamachi, verify that every friend appears as a member of the host’s network. If someone is not listed there, fix the Hamachi join first; Unturned cannot connect two computers that are not on the same virtual network.

Step 3: Copy the host’s Hamachi IPv4 address

  1. In the host’s Hamachi client, locate the host computer’s Hamachi IP number.
  2. Right-click that address.
  3. Select Copy IPv4 address.
  4. Keep the copied address available to send to friends or paste into the game’s connection field.

Use the Hamachi IPv4 address, not an unrelated local address and not the word Localhost. Friends will paste this value into the Connect screen. Copying the address directly also avoids mistyping a digit.

Step 4: Start the listen server in Unturned

  1. Open Unturned on the host computer.
  2. Select Play.
  3. Select Host.
  4. Set the available session options, including any map, password, or gameplay choices your build presents.
  5. Click Host to start the session.

Keep Unturned open after hosting. Closing the game ends the listen server because the host’s game process is the server.

Step 5: Have friends connect

  1. Each friend first joins the host’s Hamachi network using the exact network name and password.
  2. In Unturned, the friend selects Play, then Connect.
  3. In the address field, replace Localhost with the host’s copied Hamachi IPv4 address.
  4. Enter any game password configured by the host and submit the connection.

Localhost refers to the friend’s own computer, so leaving it unchanged points the game at the wrong machine. The host’s Hamachi IPv4 address is the value that identifies the computer running the session across the virtual LAN.

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Settings and information to exchange

Before anyone clicks Connect, the host should send one short, unambiguous message containing:

  • The exact Hamachi network name, preserving capitalization and spaces.
  • The exact Hamachi network password.
  • The host’s Hamachi IPv4 address.
  • The Unturned session password, if one was configured.
  • Any map or session choice that friends need to recognize once they connect.

Keep Hamachi’s network credentials separate from the in-game password. They protect different layers: the Hamachi credentials control virtual-LAN membership, while the Unturned password controls entry to the game session.

Firewall permissions: the first fix when joining fails

A computer can be in the right Hamachi network and still reject the game connection if its firewall blocks inbound traffic. Allow inbound connections for both Hamachi and Unturned when the operating system prompts you. If you previously denied a prompt, open the firewall’s allowed-app or inbound-rule controls and add or enable both applications.

Apply the permission to the network profile used by Hamachi. The exact labels differ by operating system, so do not disable the firewall globally as a first step. A targeted rule for the Hamachi interface and Unturned is safer than turning off protection for the whole computer.

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Troubleshooting a friend who cannot join

1. Verify Hamachi membership

Both computers must show membership in the same Hamachi network. Recheck the network name and password character by character, including capitalization and spaces. If the friend is absent from the host’s member list, leave and rejoin the Hamachi network before testing Unturned again.

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2. Recopy the host address

On the host, right-click the Hamachi IP number and choose Copy IPv4 address again. Have the friend replace Localhost with that copied value in Play > Connect. Do not substitute the host’s ordinary home-network address unless your game and network setup specifically requires it; this workflow is based on the Hamachi address.

3. Check both passwords

Confirm the Hamachi network password and the Unturned session password independently. A correct Hamachi login does not override an incorrect in-game password, and a correct game password does not help a player who joined the wrong Hamachi network.

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4. Confirm that the host is still serving

The host must still be inside the hosted Unturned session, with the game open. Hamachi must also remain powered on; the host should keep the Hamachi window open. If either application was closed, restart it, recreate or rejoin the Hamachi network as necessary, host the game again, and send the current IPv4 address.

5. Check firewall rules on both computers

Allow inbound Hamachi and Unturned traffic on the host first, then check the joining computer if the problem persists. A firewall rule changed after an update or a previously denied permission can block the connection even though Hamachi reports that both peers are online.

6. Treat port advice cautiously

One older guide mentions port 25444 and a minimum of two players. Those details were not verified as current and should not be treated as universal requirements for the listen-server menu. Do not force that port or a player-count rule unless your specific Unturned build documents it or displays it in its own settings.

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Listen server versus a separate dedicated-server process

The Hamachi menu method and the older command-line method solve different problems. Use the first when the host is playing in the same session. The second starts a separate server process and is not a non-dedicated listen server.

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Characteristic Hamachi listen session Older command-line fallback
Where it starts Unturned menu: Play > Host A shortcut to Unturned.exe with launch parameters
Who runs the server The player’s running game A separate Unturned server window/process
Host must keep the game client open Yes No game client is described as required, but the server window must stay open
Version status Wiki guidance says classic Unturned only; not supported in version 3 Older Steam guide is labelled “Partially Outdated”
Port information Not stated as a universal fixed value Set in the generated Commands file; 25444 appears in one guide but is not verified as current

Fallback: the older command-line server procedure

If your goal is a separate server process rather than a player-hosted session, an older Steam guide describes this outline. It is explicitly labelled Partially Outdated, so treat it as a compatibility fallback and confirm every option against the build you install.

  1. Create a shortcut to Unturned.exe.
  2. Add launch parameters such as -batchmode -nographics +secureserver/name, replacing name with the server name required by that guide.
  3. Launch the shortcut so Unturned generates its server files, including a Commands file.
  4. Edit the generated Commands file for the server name, map, port, and password.
  5. Keep the server window open while players use it.
  6. When you need to stop the process, type shutdown in the server window.

This route is not a substitute for the Hamachi listen-server steps above. It also has no verified current parameter set in the available material, so do not assume that an older command line works unchanged with version 3 or a later build.

Operational limits and safe expectations

The host is the availability point

Because the game client is serving the session, a host closing Unturned ends that session. A dedicated process is the appropriate model when players need a server that remains online independently of the person who is playing.

Hamachi is part of the connection path

Every player must remain connected to the same Hamachi network, and the host’s Hamachi client must stay active. If Hamachi disconnects, the virtual-LAN path can disappear even when Unturned itself has not changed.

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Do not infer unsupported specifications

The available guidance does not establish a current Unturned build number, a current Hamachi version, a universal port, a current player limit, or Hamachi plan requirements. Those values can vary by edition or change over time. Use values shown by your installed build instead of copying a number from an old guide.

A repeatable pre-session checklist

  • Everyone installed and opened Hamachi.
  • The host created one passworded Hamachi network.
  • Network name and password were copied exactly, including case and spaces.
  • Every friend appears in that network.
  • The host copied the Hamachi IPv4 address.
  • The host opened Unturned and selected Play > Host.
  • Friends selected Play > Connect and replaced Localhost with the copied IPv4 address.
  • Any Unturned game password was entered separately from the Hamachi password.
  • Hamachi and Unturned are allowed through the firewall.
  • The host kept both Hamachi and the hosted Unturned session running.

When to choose another hosting method

Choose a dedicated-server setup instead when the host should be able to close the game, when the world must remain available between play sessions, or when you need server-process administration rather than a shared player session. The command-line outline above is an older fallback, not a guarantee of compatibility with current builds.

For a one-session, non-dedicated game on a compatible classic build, however, the Hamachi workflow is straightforward: establish the virtual LAN, host from the Unturned menu, and connect with the host’s Hamachi IPv4 address.

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