One of our highest priorities in 2025 is to release Unturned’s source code. Essentially, this would allow anyone to create their own spin on the game. From minor balance changes and item additions, to total conversions with new gameplay elements that bring a whole different experience!
We have often discussed our desire to make the game open source. With the lessons we’ve learned these past few years, we’re excited to work on making this a reality. There are still some major obstacles—and questions—that need to be addressed before we can achieve this. Some obstacles include:
- Seeking legal advice. We need to review any existing license agreements, determine any intellectual property we should retain (e.g., the “Unturned” trademark for future games), and more advice about open sourcing the project.
- Replacing third-party code and assets that cannot be open sourced. Most of the game’s code should already be open sourceable. Certain third-party assets likely cannot be included, and some code will need to be replaced from scratch. As examples: edge highlighting should be converted to Unity’s post-processing stack, water—currently a Unity 4 asset—will need a fallback, and zombie pathfinding may be able to use Unity’s newer navmesh system.
Tackling these – along with other issues that may arise – is a big part of our 2025 goals. For more information about what open sourcing the game would mean:
FAQ
Q. Will the official Steam version of Unturned still receive updates?
Yes—we plan to continue maintaining the official Steam version of the game with new content updates and bug fixes.
Q. Why do you want to make the game open source / why is it considered a priority?
Unturned’s greatest strength is our passionate community. Releasing the source files allows you and other players to further build upon the game as you see fit. Building a lasting legacy for the game regardless of the changes we make or how many years pass from now.
Q. Will the open source project be kept up-to-date with the version used by the official Steam game?
This is our current intention.
Q. Will you accept pull requests?
We’re not planning to accept any pull requests on the source files. Our primary goal is to allow for people to create their own derivatives of the game. However – we haven’t completely ruled this out. We’re sure there’s some interest in seeing community-contributed code accepted into the game.
Q. Is there anything that I can’t do (or use)?
This is an example of something (e.g., specific questions regarding publishing or mark usage) that requires further legal review before we’re comfortable giving an answer.
Q. Is there anything that definitely WON’T be available?
Support for the BattlEye anti-cheat won’t be available.
Q. Could I publish my derivative work on Steam?
This also requires more legal review and consulting with Steam! Ideally, we would like for derivative works to be publishable on Steam with our permission. Possibly similar to how some games’ mods have dedicated Store pages. Mods on Steam
Q. Will the source code be documented?
We are not focused on creating new documentation specifically for this purpose. Although some of our preexisting documentation does cover aspects of the source code and any comments included with the source code should be helpful. Community-contributed documentation on this topic may be accepted.
Q. Will other versions of Unturned (1.x, 2.x) become open-source?
Ideally, yes, but this is not a priority for us at this time.