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Unturned Headless Rendering Error Fix for Dedicated Server

Unturned Guide • Updated Feb 21, 2026

Unturned Headless Rendering Error Fix for Dedicated Server

When launching an **Unturned dedicated server** on a Linux VPS without a desktop environment (GUI), the server might crash with a Failed to initialize graphics or Could not create X11 window error. This happens because the Unity engine (which Unturned uses) tries to initialize a display even for the headless server binary. This guide explains how to force the server into true headless mode.

🖥️ -nographics flag

This command-line argument tells the Unity engine to bypass all GPU initialization, which is essential for servers running on cloud infrastructure.

⚙️ -batchmode flag

Essential for automated environments, batchmode prevents the game from opening popup dialogs or waiting for user input during a crash.

How to Fix Graphics Initialization Errors

1. Update your Launch Script

Ensure your launch.sh or command-line string includes the following arguments in the correct order. The -nographics and -batchmode flags must come before the +Secureserver argument.

./Unturned_Headless.x86_64 -batchmode -nographics +Secureserver/MyServer

2. The 'Xvfb' Workaround (For Modded Maps)

Some Unturned workshop maps (like those with custom custom lighting shaders) still try to ping a display even with the flags enabled. If the server still crashes, you can use a Virtual Framebuffer on Linux:

# Install Xvfb
sudo apt-get install xvfb

# Run server with virtual display
xvfb-run --auto-servernum --server-args='-screen 0 640x480x24' ./Unturned_Headless.x86_64 -batchmode -nographics +Secureserver/MyServer

3. Checking libGL Dependencies

Even in -nographics mode, the engine requires OpenGL runtime libraries to exist on the system. If you see libGL.so.1 missing, install the following packages:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install libgl1-mesa-glx libglib2.0-0

Note: In the 2026 update, Unturned's ServerHelper.sh script includes these flags by default. If you are using a custom installer, ensure you are not accidentally overwriting the default flags.

Optimized Cloud Hosting

Manually configuring Xvfb and Mesa libraries can be tedious. Supercraft Unturned Servers are pre-baked with a specialized Linux kernel that strips away all unnecessary GUI dependencies, providing more RAM for your mods and faster boot times.

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