Game Directory — unturned

This article describes the game directory structure of Unturned.

This information primarily applies to the file structure used for a Windows computer. Some things may not apply for users on other operating systems. The installation path will be different if you have a non-standard installation of your operating system, Steam, or game.

Conventions

When a path starts with a backslash character \, it means that the installation directory has been omitted from the path.

When an ellipsis character ... precedes a backlash, it means that the file path up to that point has been omitted.

Layout

Once you have completed installation, you will have the following directory structure:

\

The root, acting as a system directory and containing several things:

The game executables, DLL (dynamic-link library) files, a VDF file, and an XML file.
Unturned's licenses, its application ID for reference, and its Steam Economy information alongside a test localization for it.
Various JSON files for providing game information such as the current version, configuration of the Streamer Mode name list, and preferences on graphical fidelity and other settings.
Screenshot.png, as created when taking a high-resolution screenshot in-game via Insert, and
Spy.jpg, as created when using the Spy tool as a server administrator.

The latest crash log also appears in the root, in a folder named in a YEAR-MONTH-DAY_STRING format, with "STRING" being a random set of numbers.

\.vs

The \.vs directory contains a Visual Studio file.

\_CommonRedist

The \_CommonRedist directory contains Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable installations required for the game.

\BattlEye

The \BattlEye directory contains an installer for BattlEye—the anti-cheat software used by the game. The directory also contains BattlEye's EULA and privacy information.

\Bundles

The \Bundles directory contains a majority of all the DAT files used for items, vehicles, objects, and other assets. All non-economy assets' localization files can also be found in this directory. Various tools and Unity package files are also available from here.

The directory is broken up into several folders:

...\Animals contains DAT files for animals.
...\Assets contains DAT files for miscellaneous assets; e.g., object material palettes, stereo songs, and map-specific zombie difficulty.
...\Effects contains DAT files for particle effects and various noises.
...\Items contains DAT files for items, including cosmetics and some other assets part of the Steam Economy integration.
...\Level contains various DAT and UNITY3D files used by the Editor.
...\Mythics contains mythic DAT files, as used for the Steam Economy.
...\NPCs contains DAT files for NPCs, vendor tables, quests, and dialogue.
...\Objects contains DAT files for map objects.
...\Skins contains skin DAT files, as used for the Steam Economy. Localization files for the assets is located in the root.
...\Sources contains Unity package files as examples for modding, various shaders and animations, a BLEND file of the player character model and a PNG of the textures for it, tools for properly exporting and bundling custom assets, and other useful resources.
...\Spawns contains all of the game's spawn tables.
...\Trees contains DAT files for natural resources (trees, bushes, and boulders).
...\Vehicles contains DAT files for vehicles.
...\Workshop is an archaic directory. It was originally used for manually installing game modifications without having to mix the files with official assets. However, after Steam Workshop integration as added, a majority of mod-hosting websites have since shutdown.

Maps can have an exclusive equivalent folder too, at ...\Maps\...\Bundles. All curated content is found within their map's respective ...\Bundles.

\Cloud

The \Cloud directory contains game data pertaining Editor settings, and the player's ignored blueprints.

\Content

The \Content directory contains files with core game framework data.

\Extras

The \Extras directory contains a high-resolution wallpaper, previous event-exclusive maps, high-definition exports of icons for game content and Steam Economy content, and various demo assets. A unique barricade item can be found at the \Extras\Bundles\Items\Barricades file path.

\Localization

The \Localization directory contains a bulk of the localization files.

Other localization files can be found at \Translations and \EconInfo_TestLocalization.json.

\Logs

The \Logs directory contains logs regarding occurrences on hosted servers and single-player worlds. Server hosts can configure the information saved to their server logs.

Logs pertaining to the latest crash will appear in the root.

\Maps

The \Maps directory contains all of the game's map folders, including any currently curated maps. When using the Editor, players can normally only edit maps they have created, unless a file called .unlocker is created and placed in the map's respective folder.

All curated content for a curated map is found within the map's respective ...\Bundles folder.

The map's Config.json is used for certain settings and options available to maps, e.g., the map's category, Devkit-related terrain options, train spawns, curated map's creators, and the Aurora Borealis.

The English.dat provides an English localization of the map's description and loading text.

\Modules

The \Modules directory is normally entirely empty. Its only purpose is to serve as a repository for custom game modules.

Modules are similar to mods, but can add entirely new features, act as a total conversion, or build on other modules to improve functionality. Third-party modules cannot be loaded with BattlEye enabled.

\Screenshots

The \Screenshots directory contains images used for loading screens.

\Servers

The \Servers directory contains data pertaining to servers hosted on the machine.

\Translations

The \Translations directory contains TRANSLATION files, which are used for localizations.

Other localization files can be found at \Localization and \EconInfo_TestLocalization.json.

\UnturnedData

The \UnturnedData directory contains all game data that will be loaded by the game at some point. All game assets and databases are stored in ASSETS files—a game resource archive used by Unity.

\Worlds

The \Worlds directory contains all single-player save data.