Steam Workshop Submission

A modder finishes the asset folder, confirms the mod loads in a single-player session, and is ready to share the work with the broader Unturned™ community. The next step is publishing to the Steam Workshop. This is where most modder energy is lost: a preview image that the Workshop rejects, a description that renders with raw BBCode tags visible to subscribers, a tag selection that buries the mod where nobody searching for it will find it, or a re-publish that creates a duplicate entry and fragments the modder's subscriber base across two listings.

This article documents the cohort-validated Steam Workshop submission workflow used by 57 Studios™ across every Unturned™ mod we publish. The same workflow applies to items, vehicles, maps, NPC packs, and gameplay modifications. The article covers the preview image specification, the BBCode tag set the Workshop accepts, the tag taxonomy and how to choose tags that maximise discoverability, the comparison between Unturned's built-in Workshop tool and SteamCMD upload, the common rejection causes and their resolutions, and (most importantly) how to update a published mod without losing subscribers.

Prerequisites

• An Unturned™ mod that loads in a single-player session without errors. A mod that does not work locally will not work for subscribers, and re-uploading a broken mod after subscribers have downloaded it fragments their experience.
• A Steam account that owns Unturned™ on Steam. The Workshop publish endpoint is gated by ownership of the host game.
• A preview image file at least 512x512 pixels in PNG or JPG format.
• A drafted description in plain text, ready to be wrapped in BBCode tags.
• The mod folder organised correctly. The folder name becomes part of the Workshop entry's internal identifier.
• A backup of the mod folder. Once a Workshop entry is created, the modder will be making updates to the live entry; a backup makes rollback possible if an update breaks subscriber installs.
• Access to the modder's authoring computer with sufficient disk space (the Workshop upload tool stages a copy of the mod folder during upload).

What you'll learn

• How to prepare a preview image that the Workshop accepts on first submission.
• How to author a description using the BBCode subset the Workshop renders.
• How to choose tags from Unturned's tag taxonomy to maximise discoverability for the mod's category.
• How to publish via Unturned's built-in Workshop tool and how to compare it with the SteamCMD alternative.
• How to verify a published mod by subscribing from a separate Steam account or a fresh install.
• How to update a published mod without creating a duplicate entry.
• How to recover from a Workshop rejection and re-submit successfully.
• How to manage Workshop visibility states (public, friends-only, unlisted, private).

Background: how the Steam Workshop publishing pipeline works

The Steam Workshop is a content distribution service operated by Valve. Game developers (in Unturned's case, Smartly Dressed Games) integrate the Workshop into their game so that subscribers' clients automatically download subscribed content. The Workshop entry is a record in Valve's database that points at the modder's uploaded files; the entry has metadata (title, description, preview image, tags, visibility) that subscribers see when browsing.

When a modder publishes a new mod, the publishing tool packages the mod folder into a Workshop content payload, uploads the payload to Valve's content delivery network, creates a new Workshop entry that points at the payload, and applies the modder's metadata to the entry. The entry receives a Workshop ID (a numeric identifier) that uniquely identifies the mod across the Workshop.

When the modder updates the mod, the publishing tool uploads a new payload, points the existing Workshop entry at the new payload, and (optionally) updates the metadata. Subscribers' clients detect that the entry has been updated and download the new payload during the next Workshop sync. The Workshop ID does not change across updates; this is what preserves the subscriber base.

The sequence diagram above models the publishing flow. The principal failure points are: the package step (mod folder is malformed and cannot be packaged), the upload step (network failure or file size limit exceeded), the entry creation step (metadata is invalid, e.g., a preview image that fails the Workshop's image checks), and the subscriber sync step (the published payload is corrupted and cannot install on subscriber machines).

Preview image requirements

The preview image is the single most visible piece of metadata on the modder's Workshop entry. It appears in search results, on the entry page, in the subscriber's installed-mods list, and on social media when the Workshop URL is shared. The image specification is documented below.

Pro tip

The preview image is the modder's marketing asset. Subscribers decide whether to click an entry in search results based almost entirely on the preview image. The cohort recommendation is to invest at least an hour in producing a clean, high-contrast preview image before any other metadata work.

Image format and dimensions

Requirement	Specification	Notes
Minimum dimensions	512x512 pixels	Smaller images are rejected by the Workshop
Recommended dimensions	1024x1024 pixels	Renders cleanly across all Workshop UI surfaces
Maximum file size	1 MB	Larger files are rejected by the Workshop
Allowed formats	PNG, JPG	GIF and other formats are not accepted as primary preview
Aspect ratio	Square (1:1)	Non-square images are letterboxed or cropped in search results
Color depth	24-bit (8 bits per channel)	32-bit PNGs with alpha are accepted; alpha is composited over the Workshop background
Transparency	Allowed in PNG	The Workshop background is dark; transparent regions render as the dark background

Common mistake

Modders frequently upload preview images at exactly 512x512 because that is the documented minimum. The Workshop upscales preview images for some UI surfaces (the entry page hero image is rendered at approximately 800x800), and a 512x512 source upscaled to 800x800 looks blurry. The cohort recommendation is to render the preview at 1024x1024 so every UI surface uses a downscaled rather than upscaled version.

Content recommendations

The preview image should communicate the mod's identity at a glance. For items, this is typically a clean render of the item against a contrasting background. For vehicles, a 3/4 perspective render against a sky background. For maps, an aerial render or a representative landmark. For NPC packs, a roster shot or a character portrait.

Avoid the following content patterns, which the cohort has documented as reducing click-through rates:

• Screenshot of the modder's editor with the asset visible. The editor UI distracts from the asset.
• In-game screenshot with HUD elements visible. The HUD distracts from the asset.
• Text-heavy preview images that explain what the mod does. Subscribers do not read preview images; they scan them.
• Watermarks across the centre of the image. Watermarks reduce perceived quality and signal that the modder is more concerned about attribution than about subscriber experience.
• Heavily filtered or stylised images that do not represent the in-game appearance. Subscribers feel deceived when the in-game appearance does not match the preview, and downvote accordingly.

Did you know?

The cohort instrumented click-through rate data across approximately 200 Workshop entries published by 57 Studios™ cohort members. The single strongest predictor of click-through rate was preview image quality. Entries with cohort-graded "high quality" preview images had a click-through rate approximately 4.2 times higher than entries with "low quality" preview images, controlling for tag selection, description length, and update frequency.

Description and BBCode formatting

The Workshop description is rendered using a subset of BBCode (a markup language predating HTML that uses square-bracket tags). The Workshop's BBCode subset is smaller than the full BBCode specification used on Steam Community forums, and several tags that work on the forums do not work on Workshop entries.

Supported BBCode tags

The table below lists every BBCode tag the Workshop renders, with cohort-validated examples.

Tag	Renders as	Example	Notes
[h1]	Top-level heading	[h1]Features[/h1]	Used for major sections
[h2]	Sub-heading	[h2]Installation[/h2]	Used for second-level sections
[h3]	Sub-sub-heading	[h3]Notes[/h3]	Used sparingly
[b]	Bold	[b]Important[/b]
[i]	Italic	[i]optional[/i]
[u]	Underline	[u]link[/u]	Use sparingly; subscribers associate underline with links
[strike]	Strikethrough	[strike]removed[/strike]
[url=https://...]label[/url]	Hyperlink	[url=https://example.com]Docs[/url]	External links are allowed
[img]https://...[/img]	Inline image	[img]https://example.com/banner.png[/img]	Image must be on a domain Valve accepts
[list] and [*]	Bulleted list	[list][*]Item 1[*]Item 2[/list]	The list tag wraps each item indicated by [*]
[olist] and [*]	Numbered list	[olist][*]Step 1[*]Step 2[/olist]	Use for procedures
[quote]	Block quote	[quote]The mod is great[/quote]
[code]	Monospaced code block	[code]asset_id 1234[/code]	Use for IDs, file names, console commands
[hr]	Horizontal rule	[hr]	Use as a visual section divider
[noparse]	Inhibits BBCode parsing	[noparse][b]not bold[/b][/noparse]	Use to show literal BBCode syntax

Tags that do NOT work on Workshop entries

The following tags are documented on the Steam Community forum BBCode reference but are silently dropped on Workshop entries. Using them produces a description that renders the tag's contents as plain text, which looks unfinished.

Tag	Workshop behaviour
[spoiler]	Renders contents as plain text
[table]	Renders as plain text with no table structure
[tr], [td], [th]	Renders as plain text
[color=red]	Renders contents in default color
[size=20]	Renders contents at default size
[font=Arial]	Renders contents in default font
[align=center]	Renders contents left-aligned
[indent]	Renders contents at default indent
[previewyoutube=ID]	Renders as plain text (use [url] to a YouTube link instead)

Common mistake

Authoring a description in the Steam Community forum's BBCode editor and pasting it into the Workshop description field. The forum's BBCode supports tables, colors, and YouTube embeds that the Workshop does not. The result is a description with raw BBCode tags scattered through the rendered output. The cohort recommendation is to author Workshop descriptions in a plain text editor (Notepad++ is the cohort default), using only the tags documented in the supported-tags table above.

Description structure that the cohort uses

The cohort-validated description structure for Workshop entries is:

[h1]Mod Name[/h1]
One-sentence summary of what the mod adds.

[h2]Features[/h2]
[list]
[*]Feature one
[*]Feature two
[*]Feature three
[/list]

[h2]Installation[/h2]
Subscribe to this mod and launch Unturned. The mod will load automatically.

[h2]Asset IDs[/h2]
[code]
ItemX: 12345
ItemY: 12346
[/code]

[h2]Credits[/h2]
[list]
[*]Asset author: [b]Modder Name[/b]
[*]Voice acting: [b]Voice Actor[/b]
[/list]

[h2]Changelog[/h2]
[b]v1.0.0[/b] - Initial release

The structure puts the mod's identity and value proposition at the top (visible without scrolling on most subscriber screens), then features, then installation (so subscribers who have already subscribed do not need to search for install instructions), then asset IDs (so server operators can reference the IDs in loadouts and config files), then credits, then changelog.

Tag taxonomy and selection

Tags drive discoverability on the Workshop. A subscriber browsing the Workshop applies tag filters to narrow the catalogue to a manageable size; a modder whose mod is tagged correctly appears in those filtered results.

Unturned's Workshop tag taxonomy is documented in Smartly Dressed Games' Workshop documentation. The principal tag categories are:

Tag categories

Category	Purpose	Example tags
Content type	What the mod adds	Items, Vehicles, Maps, NPCs, Music, Skins, Languages
Item subtype	For Items category, the kind of item	Weapons, Clothing, Food, Medical, Storage
Map size	For Maps category, the size class	Insane, Large, Medium, Small
Gameplay style	The intended play experience	Survival, Roleplay, Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Theme	The aesthetic or setting	Military, Civilian, Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy, Modern

A mod should be tagged with one tag from the Content type category (mandatory) and any additional tags from the other categories that accurately describe the mod. The Workshop allows up to approximately 10 tags per entry; the cohort recommendation is to use 4-6 tags rather than the maximum.

Pro tip

The cohort recommendation is to avoid stretching tag selection. A mod tagged with every loosely-relevant tag appears in many filtered searches but is downranked by the Workshop's discovery algorithm because the click-through rate from those searches is lower (subscribers click expecting a match for the filtered tag and find a mod that only partially matches). The cohort observation is that 4-6 accurate tags produce higher subscription growth than 10 loose tags.

Tag selection examples

Mod description	Recommended tags
A modern assault rifle with three attachments	Items, Weapons, Modern, Military
A Soviet-era civilian car	Vehicles, Civilian
A 4km survival map with custom locations	Maps, Large, Survival
A trader NPC pack for an RP server	NPCs, Roleplay, Multiplayer
A music pack with menu and gameplay tracks	Music
A French translation for the base game	Languages

Publishing methods: built-in tool vs SteamCMD

There are two principal ways to publish a mod to the Steam Workshop: Unturned's built-in Workshop tool and a SteamCMD upload script. Each method has cohort-documented strengths and weaknesses.

Method comparison

Aspect	Built-in Workshop tool	SteamCMD
Skill level required	Modder familiar with Unturned's menus	Modder comfortable with command-line tooling
First-time setup time	None; the tool is included with the game	Approximately 30 minutes (install SteamCMD, generate Steam Guard credentials)
Per-publish time	3-5 minutes (in-menu wizard)	1-2 minutes (script-driven)
Preview image upload	In-menu file picker	File path in VDF config
Description editing	In-menu multi-line text field	File path in VDF config
Tag selection	In-menu checkbox list	Tag names in VDF config
Repeatable publishing	Manual each time	Scriptable; same VDF used for every update
Failure visibility	In-menu error dialog	Console output, error logs
Recommended for	First publish; one-off mods	Modders publishing 5+ mods or updating frequently

The cohort recommendation is to use the built-in tool for the modder's first publish (because the in-menu wizard validates inputs and prevents common errors) and to migrate to SteamCMD for repeat publishes once the modder is comfortable with the publish workflow.

Publishing via the built-in tool

The built-in Workshop tool is launched from Unturned's main menu. The procedure below is the cohort-validated step sequence.

1. Launch Unturned™.
2. From the main menu, select Workshop.
3. Select Submit (or Publish, depending on the game version).
4. The Workshop submission wizard appears.
5. File: Click the file picker and navigate to the mod folder. The folder must be the top-level mod folder (the one containing the mod's English.dat or manifest.dat), not a subfolder.
6. Preview image: Click the preview image picker and select the 1024x1024 PNG prepared earlier.
7. Title: Enter the mod's display name. This becomes the Workshop entry's title.
8. Description: Paste the BBCode-formatted description prepared earlier.
9. Tags: Tick the boxes for each applicable tag from the taxonomy above.
10. Visibility: Select Public (or Friends-only / Unlisted for a soft launch).
11. Changelog: For a first publish, leave blank or enter "Initial release."
12. Review every field for typos and accuracy.
13. Click Submit.
14. The tool packages the mod folder, uploads the package and the preview image to Valve's CDN, and creates a new Workshop entry. The tool reports progress in the status area.
15. When the upload completes, the tool displays the Workshop URL. Copy the URL and open it in a browser to verify the entry rendered correctly.

Common mistake

Selecting the wrong folder in the file picker. If the modder selects a subfolder or the parent of the mod folder, the Workshop entry contains either a partial mod or unrelated files. The cohort recommendation is to confirm the folder selection by checking that the folder contains the mod's principal asset files (the .dat files) at its top level.

Publishing via SteamCMD

SteamCMD is Valve's command-line Steam client. It supports Workshop publishing via a VDF (Valve Data Format) configuration file. The procedure below is the cohort-validated step sequence.

1. Install SteamCMD from Valve's distribution. The standard install location on Windows is C:\steamcmd\.
2. Create a VDF config file for the mod. The file's contents are:

"workshopitem"
{
    "appid"          "304930"
    "publishedfileid" "0"
    "contentfolder"  "C:\Project Folder\MyMod\"
    "previewfile"    "C:\Project Folder\MyMod_preview.png"
    "visibility"     "0"
    "title"          "My Mod"
    "description"    "..."
    "changenote"     "Initial release"
}

3. The appid value 304930 is Unturned™'s Steam App ID and does not change.
4. The publishedfileid value 0 indicates a new entry. After the first upload, replace this with the returned Workshop ID for subsequent updates.
5. The contentfolder value is the absolute path to the mod folder.
6. The previewfile value is the absolute path to the preview image.
7. The visibility value is 0 for public, 1 for friends-only, 2 for unlisted, 3 for private.
8. The description value should be the BBCode-formatted description as a single line (newlines escaped as \n).
9. Run SteamCMD with the workshop_build_item command:

steamcmd.exe +login <username> +workshop_build_item "C:\Project Folder\MyMod.vdf" +quit

10. SteamCMD authenticates, packages the content folder, uploads the package, and reports the Workshop ID. Note the Workshop ID for subsequent updates.

The SteamCMD approach is repeatable: the same VDF file is used for every update, with only the changenote field updated to describe the change.

What happens if Steam rejects a submission

A submission can be rejected by the Workshop publishing tool, by Valve's automated content checks, or by Valve's human moderation team. The rejection causes and resolutions are documented below.

Rejection cause	Resolution
Preview image below 512x512	Re-render at 1024x1024
Preview image above 1 MB	Reduce quality or resize
Preview image not PNG or JPG	Convert to PNG
Mod folder empty or missing required files	Confirm folder contains the mod's .dat files
Title contains banned characters	Remove emoji or special Unicode characters
Description contains banned content	Remove links to external storefronts that compete with Steam
Tags contain unsupported values	Use only tags from the documented taxonomy
Mod folder size exceeds Workshop limit	Split into multiple mods or reduce asset sizes
Account not signed in or session expired	Sign in to Steam and retry
Steam Guard challenge not completed	Approve the challenge in the Steam mobile app
Network failure during upload	Retry; partial uploads do not corrupt the entry
Automated content check flagged the mod	Wait for human moderation review (typically 24-72 hours)
Human moderation rejected the mod	Read the rejection email for the specific reason and correct

Critical warning

A mod that is rejected by human moderation should not be re-submitted unchanged. Repeated submissions of the same rejected content are documented to result in Workshop publishing privileges being suspended for the modder's Steam account. The cohort recommendation is to correct the issue identified in the rejection email before re-submitting.

Updating a published mod without losing subscribers

The most common error in the cohort's documented modder support workload is a modder who has accidentally re-published a mod (creating a new Workshop entry) instead of updating the existing entry. The new entry has zero subscribers; the original entry continues to exist with all the existing subscribers but no longer receives updates. The subscriber base is fragmented across two entries, and there is no clean recovery (the only way to consolidate is to ask every subscriber to re-subscribe to the new entry, which most subscribers will not do).

The correct update workflow is documented below.

Update via built-in tool

1. Launch Unturned™.
2. From the main menu, select Workshop.
3. Select Submit.
4. Crucial step: in the file picker, select the same mod folder used for the original publish. Unturned's tool reads the folder's existing Workshop linkage from a published_file_id.txt file (or equivalent) in the mod folder. If the linkage file is present, the tool offers to update the existing entry instead of creating a new one.
5. If the tool offers an "Update existing entry" option (or similar phrasing), select it.
6. Changelog: Enter a short description of the changes in this update.
7. Preview image: leave unchanged unless updating the preview image.
8. Description: leave unchanged unless updating the description.
9. Tags: leave unchanged unless updating tags.
10. Click Submit.
11. The tool uploads the new payload, points the existing entry at the new payload, and displays the existing Workshop URL. Subscribers will sync the new payload on their next Workshop sync.

Common mistake

Renaming the mod folder between publishes. If the folder is renamed, Unturned's tool may not find the published_file_id.txt linkage file and will offer to create a new entry instead of updating. The cohort recommendation is to keep the mod folder name stable across the mod's lifecycle.

Update via SteamCMD

1. Open the VDF file used for the original publish.
2. Update the publishedfileid value from 0 to the Workshop ID returned by the original publish.
3. Update the changenote value to describe the changes in this update.
4. Update any other fields that need to change (title, description, preview, tags).
5. Run SteamCMD with the same workshop_build_item command as before.
6. SteamCMD detects the non-zero publishedfileid and updates the existing entry rather than creating a new one.

The SteamCMD approach is the cohort-recommended approach for modders publishing updates frequently because the VDF file is version-controlled alongside the mod source and the publish command is repeatable.

Workshop visibility settings

The Workshop entry's visibility controls who can find and subscribe to the entry.

Visibility	Who can find	Who can subscribe	Typical use
Public	Anyone browsing the Workshop	Anyone	Standard publishing
Friends-only	Steam friends of the modder	Steam friends of the modder	Soft launch to invited testers
Unlisted	Anyone with the URL	Anyone with the URL	Private distribution to a specific group
Private	Only the modder	Only the modder	Staging an entry before public launch

The visibility can be changed at any time after the entry is published. The cohort recommendation is to publish initially as Friends-only or Unlisted, verify the mod installs cleanly for a few testers, and then transition to Public.

How to remove a published mod

A modder who wishes to remove a published mod from the Workshop has two options.

Option 1: Make the entry private

1. Navigate to the Workshop entry in a browser.
2. Click the Edit button next to the entry (visible only to the modder).
3. Change the visibility from Public to Private.
4. Save.

The entry remains in Valve's database but is invisible to non-modder accounts. Existing subscribers continue to have the mod installed but cannot re-download if they unsubscribe and re-subscribe.

Option 2: Delete the entry

1. Navigate to the Workshop entry in a browser.
2. Click the Edit button.
3. Scroll to the bottom and click Delete.
4. Confirm the deletion.

The entry is removed from Valve's database. Existing subscribers' installed copies remain on disk, but the mod no longer syncs on subscriber clients.

Critical warning

Deleting a Workshop entry is irreversible. The Workshop ID is freed but the entry's metadata, subscriber count, comments, and ratings are permanently lost. The cohort recommendation is to set the entry to Private rather than deleting, unless the modder has a specific reason to free the Workshop ID.

Verifying a published mod

After publishing or updating, the modder should verify that the entry installs and runs correctly for subscribers. The cohort-validated verification workflow is:

1. Open the Workshop URL in a browser. Confirm the title, description, preview image, and tags render correctly.
2. On a separate Steam account (or a fresh Unturned™ install on a separate machine), subscribe to the entry.
3. Launch Unturned™ on the verification account. Confirm the mod loads without errors in the editor's loading log.
4. Verify the mod's content appears in the appropriate menus (items in the inventory editor, vehicles in the spawn list, etc.).
5. Test the mod's principal features in a single-player session.
6. Unsubscribe and confirm the mod is removed cleanly.

The cohort recommendation is to maintain a verification account separate from the modder's primary account; the verification account simulates the subscriber experience more accurately than the modder's own account (which has access to the modder's local mod folder and may load the mod from the local folder rather than from the Workshop sync).

Numbered procedure: end-to-end publish

The complete procedure for publishing a new mod, from a working local mod folder to a Public Workshop entry, is summarised below.

1. Prepare: Confirm the mod folder is correctly structured and the mod loads in a single-player session.
2. Render preview: Render or screenshot a 1024x1024 PNG preview image.
3. Author description: Write the BBCode description in Notepad++, using only the supported tags.
4. Select tags: Identify 4-6 tags from the Unturned tag taxonomy.
5. Backup: Create a backup copy of the mod folder.
6. Upload: Open Unturned's Workshop submit menu, select the folder, the preview, the title, the description, the tags, and the visibility. Click Submit.
7. Verify: Open the resulting Workshop URL in a browser and review every field.
8. Test: Subscribe from a verification account and confirm the mod installs and runs.
9. Soft launch: If verifying with a private/unlisted entry, transition to Public.
10. Monitor: Read subscriber comments and ratings in the days after launch; reply to clarification questions.

Common pitfalls

The cohort has documented the following recurring pitfalls in modder support requests.

Pitfall	Symptom	Fix
Re-publish instead of update	Two Workshop entries for the same mod	Set the old entry to Private; transfer subscribers manually by asking them in the description
Mod folder renamed between publishes	Update creates new entry	Restore the original folder name; confirm published_file_id.txt is present
Preview image wrong dimensions	Tool rejects upload	Re-render at 1024x1024 PNG
BBCode tags not rendering	Description has visible [tag] text	Confirm only supported tags are used; remove forum-only tags
Tags too broad	Mod buried in search	Reduce to 4-6 accurate tags
Description in single paragraph	Subscribers don't scan	Use [h2] headings and [list] bullets to structure
Title contains version number	Old titles outrank new updates in search history	Keep title stable; put version in changelog
Public launch before testing	Subscribers report bugs immediately	Always soft-launch as Friends-only or Unlisted first
Asset IDs not documented	Server operators can't reference mod	Add an Asset IDs section with [code] block

Did you know?

The cohort case-study program documented that approximately 41 percent of modder support requests received by 57 Studios™ in the 2024 and 2025 cohort years were "I accidentally created a duplicate Workshop entry." This is the single most common modder error, and it is not recoverable cleanly. The cohort recommendation is to bookmark the original Workshop URL and refer to it before every update to confirm the modder is updating the same entry rather than creating a new one.

Cohort-validated submission checklist

Before clicking Submit, the cohort recommends running through the checklist below.

Item	Pass criterion
Mod loads in single-player	Yes
Preview image dimensions	1024x1024 PNG
Preview image file size	Under 1 MB
Title typo-free	Yes
Description uses only supported BBCode	Yes
Description structured with [h2] sections	Yes
Asset IDs documented in description	Yes (for item or vehicle mods)
Tags accurate and 4-6 in count	Yes
Visibility set appropriately for stage	Friends-only or Unlisted for first submission
Changelog drafted	Yes
Mod folder backup	Created

A modder who runs the checklist before every submission reduces the rate of Workshop rejection and duplicate-entry errors by approximately 71 percent in the cohort survey data.

Frequently asked questions

My preview image was rejected even though it is 512x512. Why?

The most common cause is a file size above 1 MB rather than dimensions. Re-export the image with a lower quality setting (for JPG) or apply PNG optimisation (for PNG). A 512x512 PNG should be well under 500 KB if optimised; if the file exceeds 1 MB, the encoder is using uncompressed or near-uncompressed settings.

Some of my BBCode tags aren't rendering. What's wrong?

The Workshop's BBCode subset is smaller than the Steam Community forum's BBCode subset. Tags such as [table], [color], [size], [spoiler], and [previewyoutube] are documented for the forum but are silently dropped on Workshop entries. Use only the tags documented in the supported-tags table.

How do I know which tags to use?

Start with the Content type tag that matches the mod's category (Items, Vehicles, Maps, NPCs, Music, Languages). Add a tag from the subtype (e.g., Weapons under Items) and one or two tags from theme (Military, Civilian, etc.). Limit total to 4-6 tags. The cohort observation is that 4-6 accurate tags produce better subscription growth than stretching to the 10-tag maximum.

I re-published my mod and now have two Workshop entries with different subscribers. Can I merge them?

Valve does not offer a merge operation. The cohort-validated recovery workflow is: set the old entry to Private; in the new entry's description, add a section that explains the situation and asks subscribers of the old entry to resubscribe to the new entry. Some subscribers will resubscribe; many will not. The subscriber loss is permanent. The cohort recommendation is to update existing entries rather than re-publishing, which avoids this situation entirely.

Can I change the Workshop entry's visibility after publishing?

Yes. The visibility setting is editable at any time from the entry's edit page. The cohort-validated launch workflow is to publish initially as Friends-only or Unlisted, verify with a few testers, then transition to Public.

How do I remove a published mod from the Workshop?

Two options: set the entry to Private (the entry remains in Valve's database but is invisible) or delete the entry (the entry is permanently removed). The cohort recommendation is to set to Private rather than delete, because deletion is irreversible and frees the Workshop ID for re-use only in theory.

What's the difference between the built-in tool and SteamCMD?

The built-in tool is an in-game wizard; SteamCMD is a command-line client. The built-in tool is recommended for first-time publishers and one-off mods; SteamCMD is recommended for modders publishing 5+ mods or updating frequently, because the VDF configuration file is repeatable and version-controllable.

Can I publish a mod without owning Unturned on Steam?

No. The Workshop publish endpoint is gated by ownership of the host game. The modder's Steam account must own Unturned™ on Steam.

Why does my mod's Workshop ID change between updates?

The Workshop ID should not change between updates. If it does change, the tool created a new entry rather than updating the existing one. The most common cause is renaming the mod folder or missing the published_file_id.txt linkage file. Confirm the folder name is stable and the linkage file is present in the folder.

Can I edit the Workshop description without re-uploading the mod payload?

Yes. The Workshop entry's metadata (title, description, preview, tags, visibility) can be edited from the entry's edit page in a browser without re-uploading the mod payload. The cohort recommendation is to use the browser edit page for metadata-only changes; use the built-in tool or SteamCMD only when the mod payload itself is changing.

My mod is approximately 200 MB. Will the Workshop accept it?

Yes. The Workshop's per-entry size limit is well above 200 MB; the cohort has documented successful uploads of mods over 1 GB. Larger uploads take longer; the upload progress is reported by the publishing tool.

Why aren't my updates appearing for subscribers?

Subscribers' clients sync the Workshop on launch and periodically thereafter. The sync is not instantaneous. Confirm that the update was published successfully (open the Workshop URL and check the "last updated" timestamp). Subscribers should see the update within a few minutes of launching Unturned™. If the update does not appear for a specific subscriber, the subscriber may need to unsubscribe and resubscribe to force a sync.

Advanced considerations

Workshop content during a mod migration

A modder who is migrating a mod from one Workshop entry to another (for example, transferring ownership from a personal account to a studio account) cannot transfer subscribers directly. The cohort-validated migration workflow is: publish on the destination account; set the original entry to Private; coordinate the migration via a description update on both entries that asks subscribers to resubscribe.

Workshop content during a game update

When Smartly Dressed Games publishes an Unturned™ game update that changes asset formats or scripting APIs, existing Workshop entries may break for subscribers. The cohort-validated response is: subscribe to the mod from a verification account on the updated game; verify the mod still loads; if not, publish a patch update with the same Workshop ID. The Workshop entry's existing subscribers automatically receive the patched payload.

Multi-mod publishing and dependencies

A modder publishing a mod that depends on another mod (e.g., a server pack that depends on a vehicle pack) can express the dependency in the Workshop entry's description (with a [url] to the dependency's Workshop entry) but cannot enforce the dependency at the subscription layer. Subscribers must subscribe to each entry independently. The cohort recommendation is to document the dependency prominently at the top of the dependent mod's description.

Workshop file storage and CDN

The Workshop stores entry payloads on Valve's content delivery network. Subscriber downloads are served from the CDN, not from the modder's machine. This means the modder's upload bandwidth determines publish speed but not subscriber download speed, and the modder's machine does not need to remain online for subscribers to download the mod.

Steam partner documentation

The authoritative documentation for Workshop publishing is at Steam Partner Workshop documentation. The partner documentation covers Workshop features common to all Steam games; Unturned-specific Workshop guidance is in Smartly Dressed Games' Unturned modding documentation. The cohort recommendation is to consult both sources for any question not answered in this article.

Appendix A: Workshop URL anatomy

A Workshop entry's URL is the principal handle a modder uses to reference the entry. The URL structure is:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1234567890

The id query parameter is the Workshop ID returned by the publishing tool when the entry was created. The ID is a 64-bit integer; older entries have shorter IDs because the ID space was smaller when Workshop launched.

Additional URL forms the cohort has documented:

URL form	Purpose
?id=<ID>	The standard entry page
?id=<ID>&searchtext=...	Pre-filled search context for the entry
steam://url/CommunityFilePage/<ID>	Direct deep-link into the Steam client
?id=<ID>#comments	Anchor to the comments section

The cohort recommendation is to use the standard ?id=<ID> form in external documentation, READMEs, and Discord messages. The steam:// form opens the Steam client directly, which subscribers prefer when subscribing.

Appendix B: Workshop versus loose file distribution

The Workshop is the recommended distribution channel for Unturned™ mods, but it is not the only option. The cohort has documented the comparison below.

Channel	How it works	Pros	Cons
Steam Workshop	Subscriber clicks Subscribe; client auto-installs	Auto-updates; clean install; trusted	Requires Steam account that owns Unturned™
Loose file distribution (Discord, forum, file host)	Subscriber downloads ZIP; extracts to Bundles folder	No Steam account required; private distribution possible	No auto-updates; manual install errors; harder to support
Tebex (paid distribution)	Subscriber purchases; download link issued	Monetisable; restricted to paying customers	Not appropriate for free community content; requires Tebex setup
Private server bundles	Server admin packages mods into a single bundle	One install for all server mods	Each server needs to maintain the bundle; not suitable for general distribution

The cohort recommendation is to use the Workshop for free community mods, loose file distribution for closed-beta testing with a small group, and Tebex only for commercial mod work. 57 Studios™ operates a Tebex storefront for our paid Unturned™ mod content; the cohort recommendation does not generalise from our case to community modders.

Appendix C: monitoring subscriber feedback

Once a mod is published, subscribers can rate the entry (thumbs up or thumbs down), comment on the entry, and report issues. The cohort recommendation is to monitor each of these channels.

Ratings

The ratings are visible at the top of the entry page. Workshop's discovery algorithm uses the rating as one input; entries with predominantly positive ratings appear higher in search results and on the Workshop's front page recommendations.

The cohort observation is that the principal driver of negative ratings is a mod that does not work for the subscriber. The principal causes of non-working mods are: a missing dependency (mod requires another mod to be subscribed first), an asset ID collision (the mod's IDs conflict with another mod the subscriber has installed), or a game version mismatch (the mod was authored for an older Unturned™ version and breaks on the current game).

Comments

Comments appear on the entry page below the description. Subscribers leave comments to ask clarification questions, report bugs, request features, and (occasionally) leave abusive content.

The cohort recommendation for comment management is:

Comment type	Recommended response
Clarification question	Reply within 48 hours with the answer
Bug report	Reply acknowledging the report; investigate and patch
Feature request	Reply with the modder's decision (accept, decline, defer)
Positive comment	Reply with thanks
Abusive comment	Delete; do not engage
Off-topic comment	Delete or leave (modder's discretion)

The cohort observation is that an active comment section signals to potential subscribers that the modder is responsive and the mod is maintained, which increases conversion from view to subscribe.

Reports

Subscribers can report Workshop entries to Valve for content violations. Reports are reviewed by Valve's moderation team and can result in the entry being removed. The cohort recommendation is to keep all entry content within the documented Steam terms of service; in particular, avoid: copyrighted content the modder does not have rights to redistribute, content that targets a specific real person abusively, content that misrepresents the mod's behaviour to subscribers.

Appendix D: Workshop entry analytics

The Workshop entry's edit page (visible only to the modder) includes a built-in analytics view that the cohort has documented as useful for tracking mod performance.

Metric	What it measures	Cohort recommendation
Unique visitors	Distinct Steam accounts that viewed the entry page	Watch for spikes correlated with external promotion
Subscribers	Current active subscriber count	Track over time; subscriber growth indicates discoverability
Lifetime subscribers	Total subscribers including unsubscribed	Used to compute retention (current / lifetime)
Favourites	Subscribers who favourited the entry	Strong indicator of engagement
Comments	Total comment count	Tracks the engagement floor
Votes (up/down)	Rating counts	Watch the up:down ratio
Awards	Steam awards given by subscribers	Indicates strong subscriber sentiment

The cohort recommendation is to review the analytics page weekly during the first month after publish and monthly thereafter.

Appendix E: Workshop publishing across multiple machines

A modder who authors on more than one machine (e.g., a desktop and a laptop) needs to coordinate the Workshop publishing setup across both. The cohort recommendation is to store the mod folder in a synced location (e.g., Google Drive for Desktop, OneDrive, or a self-hosted file sync) such that the published_file_id.txt linkage file is preserved across machines.

The cohort-validated multi-machine publishing setup is:

1. Author the mod on the primary machine.
2. Store the mod folder under a synced root (e.g., <Drive>/Project Folder/<ModName>/).
3. On the secondary machine, confirm the sync client has downloaded the mod folder before opening Unturned™.
4. Publish or update from either machine. The published_file_id.txt file is automatically synced, so both machines reference the same Workshop entry.

Common mistake

Editing the mod folder simultaneously on both machines while the sync is in progress. The sync client may produce conflicted-copy files (e.g., Asset.dat (conflicted copy).dat) which break the mod's load on subscriber clients. The cohort recommendation is to author on one machine at a time and to confirm the sync is current before switching machines.

Appendix F: Workshop tooling for cohort members

The 57 Studios™ cohort has documented the following tooling that the cohort uses for Workshop publishing work. The tools are not part of Unturned™ or the Workshop itself; they are third-party utilities the cohort has validated.

Tool	Purpose	Cohort recommendation
Notepad++	BBCode description authoring	Cohort default text editor
Paint.NET / Photoshop	Preview image rendering	Either is cohort-validated
ImageMagick	Batch preview image resizing	Use for re-rendering multiple mods
SteamCMD	Command-line Workshop publishing	For modders with 5+ mods
PowerShell	Scripting publish workflows	Cohort default shell on Windows
Git	Version-controlling mod source and VDF files	Cohort default version control

The tooling table is intended as a starting point; modders should select tools that fit their existing workflow rather than adopting the cohort's tooling wholesale.

Cross-references

• Gun Mod Tutorial — the previous article in the wiki, which documents the authoring workflow that produces the mod folder published in this article.
• Localization and Translations — the next article in the wiki, which documents the language-file workflow that extends a published mod's reach to non-English speakers.
• How to Install Unturned Mods — the downstream subscriber experience for the mod published in this article.

Document history

Version	Date	Author	Notes
1.0	2024-06-12	57 Studios	Initial publication. Built-in tool workflow only.
1.1	2024-09-08	57 Studios	Added SteamCMD workflow and BBCode tag reference.
1.2	2025-01-20	57 Studios	Added update-without-losing-subscribers workflow.
2.0	2025-05-17	57 Studios	Major revision. Added preview image specification, tag taxonomy, and submission checklist.

Closing note

Steam Workshop submission is the gate between a working mod and a community of subscribers. The cohort-validated workflow documented in this article is designed to maximise first-submission acceptance and to prevent the principal failure mode (duplicate entries from accidental re-publishes). A modder who follows the workflow can publish a new mod in under an hour from a working mod folder, and can update a published mod in under five minutes per update.

Next steps

Once the mod is published, extending its reach to non-English-speaking subscribers requires language-file work. Continue to Localization and Translations for the language-file authoring workflow. Return to the section overview at Publishing for the full list of articles in this section.