The fastest way to change maps on an Arma server

To change the map on your Arma server, you edit the mission file in your server's configuration folder, restart the server, or use an in-game command if your server supports it. The method depends on whether you run a dedicated server, rent from a hosting provider, or play on a private multiplayer instance. Most hosted Arma servers let you change the map through a control panel without touching files directly.

If you rent from a hosting provider like GameServers, Nitrado, or GTXGaming, log into your control panel, find the Mission or Map section, select a new map from the dropdown, and restart the server. The change takes effect when the server boots back up. If you run a dedicated server on your own hardware, you will need to edit the server configuration file manually and restart the service.

Key Takeaways

  • Hosted Arma servers usually have a map selector in the control panel that does not require file editing.
  • Dedicated servers require you to change the mission name in the server.cfg file and restart the server process.
  • The map change takes effect only after a full server restart, not during a live mission.
  • Some servers use mission rotation files that cycle through maps automatically without manual restarts.

Changing the map through your hosting control panel

If you rent your Arma server from a hosting company, the control panel is the simplest route. Log in to your account, navigate to the server management page, and look for a section labeled Mission, Map, or Game Settings. Most providers display a dropdown list of available maps that came with the Arma installation on their servers.

Select the map you want, then click Save or Apply. The control panel will prompt you to restart the server. Click the restart button, and the server will shut down and boot back up with the new map loaded. This usually takes 30 seconds to two minutes. Players will be disconnected during the restart and can rejoin once the server is back online.

If the map you want does not appear in the dropdown, it may not be installed on the hosting provider's server. Contact their support team to request the map be added, or check whether you need to upload a custom mission file to the server's mission folder.

Editing server.cfg for a dedicated server

If you run a dedicated Arma server on your own hardware or a rented virtual machine, you control the configuration file directly. The server configuration lives in a file called server.cfg, usually located in your Arma server directory (often something like C:\Arma3Server\ on Windows or /home/arma3/server/ on Linux).

Open server.cfg in a text editor like Notepad or Nano. Find the line that reads mission = "missionname"; and change the mission name to the map you want. For example, to load Altis, the line would be mission = "Altis"; To load Stratis, it would be mission = "Stratis"; Save the file, then restart your server process. On Windows, stop the Arma3Server.exe process and start it again. On Linux, use systemctl restart arma3 or kill and restart the server script.

The mission name must match exactly the name of the .pbo file in your missionsPvP or missions folder. If the name is wrong, the server will fail to load and players will see a connection error. Check your server logs to see which mission file the server tried to load and whether it found it.

Using mission rotation for automatic map changes

Instead of restarting the server manually each time you want a new map, you can set up a mission rotation file that cycles through maps automatically. This is useful if you want your server to play Altis for two hours, then switch to Stratis, then back to Altis, without human intervention.

Create a text file called missions.txt in your server directory. List each mission name on a new line, one per map. For example:

Altis Stratis VieVille Altis

Then in your server.cfg, add the line missionRotation[] = {"missions.txt"}; The server will load the first mission, play until the mission ends or a time limit is reached, then automatically load the next mission in the list. When it reaches the end, it loops back to the beginning. This removes the need to manually restart and change the configuration each time.

Uploading custom maps to your server

If you want to run a custom map or a community-made mission that is not part of the standard Arma installation, you need to upload the mission file to your server. Mission files are .pbo files, which are compressed archives containing the map data and mission settings.

For a hosted server, use the file manager in your control panel to navigate to the missionsPvP folder (or missions folder, depending on your game mode). Upload the .pbo file there. Then go back to the Mission dropdown in the control panel and refresh the page. The new mission should appear in the list.

For a dedicated server you run yourself, use SFTP or direct file access to upload the .pbo file to the missionsPvP or missions folder in your Arma server directory. Once the file is in place, you can reference it by name in server.cfg or add it to your missions.txt rotation file. Restart the server to load it.

Troubleshooting map change failures

If the server does not load the new map after a restart, check that the mission name in server.cfg matches the .pbo filename exactly, including capitalization. Arma is case-sensitive on Linux servers, so "altis" and "Altis" are different. Check your server logs for error messages that mention the mission file.

If the map appears in your hosting control panel dropdown but the server fails to load it, the .pbo file may be corrupted or incomplete. Try restarting the server again, or contact your hosting provider to verify the mission files are intact. If you uploaded a custom mission and it does not appear in the dropdown, make sure it is in the correct folder (missionsPvP for PvP modes, missions for other modes) and that the filename ends in .pbo.

Some hosting providers cache the mission list. If you uploaded a new mission and it still does not show up, try logging out and back into the control panel, or wait a few minutes for the cache to refresh. If the problem persists, contact support and ask them to rescan the mission folder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do players get disconnected when I change the map?

Yes. The server must restart to load a new map, which disconnects all players. They can rejoin once the server finishes loading the new mission. The restart usually takes one to three minutes depending on the map size and your server hardware.

Can I change the map without restarting the server?

No. Arma requires a full server restart to load a different map. Some mission frameworks allow you to end the current mission and start a new one without a full restart, but this is not a standard server feature and depends on the mission script itself.

What is the difference between missionsPvP and missions folders?

The missionsPvP folder is for player-versus-player missions, while the missions folder is for cooperative or single-player missions. Your server.cfg determines which folder the server reads from. Check your server configuration to see which folder your server uses.

Why does my server show "No Mission" after I change the map?

The mission name in server.cfg does not match any .pbo file in your missions folder. Double-check the spelling and capitalization. On Linux, "Altis" and "altis" are treated as different names. Verify the .pbo file exists in the correct folder and restart the server.

Can I run multiple maps at once on the same server?

No. A single Arma server instance runs one map at a time. To run multiple maps simultaneously, you would need to rent or run multiple separate server instances, each with its own configuration and port number.