Get started#

This guide walks you through setting up Multiplay Hosting as your project's game server orchestration platform. You’ll learn how to:

• Integrate your game server
• Create a build
• Create a build configuration
• Create a fleet
• Create a test allocation

Prerequisites#

Before you start, make sure you meet the following prerequisites:

• You have a Unity Cloud Dashboard account with at least one project.
• You have a game server executable that meets Multiplay Hosting’s integration requirements.

Set up Multiplay Hosting#

You can set up and manage Multiplay Hosting through the Unity Cloud Dashboard:

1. Go to cloud.unity.com.
2. Select the Products tab from the sidebar.
3. Under Gaming Services > Multiplayer, go to Multiplay Hosting and select Launch.
4. Select Setup guide.

Integrate your game server#

The first step in the process of setting up Multiplay Hosting is to integrate your game server executable. Multiplay Hosting also refers to this executable as the build executable.

1. Select your game engine
2. Link your Unity project
3. Install the Multiplay Hosting package

Select your game engine#

1. In the Setup guide, select Integrate game server.
2. Select the game engine your game server executable supports. Multiplay Hosting is engine-agnostic, meaning you can use Unity, Unreal, or a custom engine.
3. Select the engine, then select Next to continue.

Link a Unity project#

Before you continue, you must link your project with the Unity Cloud Dashboard using the Unity Editor.

1. Sign in to the Editor before linking the project to the Unity Cloud Dashboard.
2. Select File > Project Settings > Services.
3. If you already have a Unity project, select Use an existing Unity project ID. To create a project from the Unity Editor, select your Organization, then Create project ID.
4. Select Link project ID.
5. After you’ve linked your project in the Unity Editor, select Next in the Unity Cloud Dashboard.

Install the Multiplay Hosting package#

After you’ve linked your project to the Unity Cloud Dashboard, you can install the latest version of the Multiplay Hosting package.

Use the Unity Package Manager to import the Multiplay Hosting package in the Unity Editor:

1. In the Unity Editor's Package Manager, select Unity Registry.
2. Search for the following package:
   • For Unity 2022 LTS and later: com.unity.services.multiplayer
   • For earlier versions of Unity: com.unity.services.multiplay

   Note: For most users, the unified Multiplayer Services package replaces the Multiplay standalone package, which is deprecated in Unity 6. Consider migrating to the unified package to facilitate a smooth transition. Visit the migration guide for a step-by-step transition process.

3. After importing the Multiplay Hosting package in the Unity Editor, select Finish in the Unity Cloud Dashboard.

Create a build#

The following sections guide you through creating your first build, and supplement the embedded guide on the Unity Cloud Dashboard.

You can create a build in the following ways:

• With a direct upload
• With a container image
• With an Amazon S3 bucket
• With a Google Cloud Storage bucket

Create a build configuration#

Create a build configuration for the build you created in the earlier step, and set the server density. Refer also to Build configurations.

Create a fleet#

After you've created a build configuration, create your first fleet and define the following settings:

1. The fleet details
2. The fleet scaling settings
3. The fleet server density

Create a test allocation#

Finally, create a test allocation to make sure everything is working correctly. Refer to Test allocation documentation.

Next steps#

Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up Multiplay Hosting. You can continue to Multiplay Hosting in the Unity Cloud Dashboard to:

• View analytics about your fleet.
• Configure more builds, build configurations, and fleets.
• Create more test allocations.

You can also configure other Unity services, such as Matchmaker, Analytics, or Cloud Code.