Get started with the Multiplayer Center
Get recommendations about which Unity multiplayer packages and services to use based on the needs of your game.
Read time 2 minutesLast updated a month ago
The Multiplayer Center provides a starting point to create a multiplayer game. It recommends Unity multiplayer packages and services based on the needs of your game and provides links to documentation and resources to help you get started.
Game type | Example games | Networking solution | Connect players | Develop and test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casual co-op | Puzzle games, group exploration, co-op platformers | Netcode for GameObjects and Unity Transport | Multiplayer Services SDK | Multiplayer Play Mode and Multiplayer Tools |
| Competitive | First-person shooters, fighting games, battle royales | Netcode for Entities and Unity Transport | Multiplayer Services SDK and a server hosting service of your choice | Multiplayer Play Mode, thin clients, and the Network Profiler |
| Turn-based | Strategy games, board games, auto-battlers, card games | Cloud Code | Multiplayer Services SDK | Multiplayer Play Mode |
Get started with the Multiplayer Center
To use the Multiplayer Center in your project and have it automatically recommend and install packages, do the following:
- Open the Unity Multiplayer Center window Window > Multiplayer > Multiplayer Center.
- Select Game Specifications to generate recommended packages and solutions in the Recommendation tab.
- Install the packages that the Multiplayer Center recommends.
- Follow the examples and resources in the Quickstart tab to use the packages you installed.
Generate a list of recommended packages for a multiplayer game
To generate a list of packages that meet the needs of the multiplayer game you want to make:
- Select a value in each Game Specification field.
- Examine the packages that the Multiplayer Center suggests are the best solutions for your game.
Hover over each package name in the Recommended Multiplayer Packages section to learn why each package is useful for the game specifications you selected.
The recommendations that appear in the Recommendation tab change immediately when you change any of the Game Specifications properties.
You can select which packages to install or ignore. However, you can't deselect packages that are essential for the netcode solution or hosting model you selected.
Install recommended packages
To install the packages that the Multiplayer Center recommends, select Install Packages. Unity then installs these packages and their dependencies in your project and automatically opens the Quickstart tab.
To remove a package from the install process, deselect the checkbox next to the package name before you select Install Packages.
When a tick appears next to a package name, hover over it to learn which version of this package exists in your project.
To install an individual package:
- Select the Open Package Manager icon next to the package you want to install.
- In the Package Manager window that appears, select Install.
Important
If the Multiplayer Center detects that any other multiplayer package is already installed, a warning dialog appears to cancel the installation of those packages. To avoid breaking changes, back up your project before you continue. If you continue with the installation, Unity installs or upgrades the selected packages but doesn't remove existing packages. This can cause compatibility issues. To fix them, remove the conflicting packages from your project in the Package Manager window.
Get started with the recommended packages
The Quickstart tab includes guidance, examples, and links to resources about the packages that the Multiplayer Center installs. Follow this guidance to set up and use these packages. The content in the Quickstart tab might change based on the recommendations you selected in the Recommendation tab.
The Quickstart tab organizes this guidance into categories. Follow the instructions in each category from top to bottom to set up each package in your project.