Control which GameObjects and components exist on the client or the server

In your multiplayer project, you can use multiplayer roles to define which Game Objects and Components exist on the client, the server, or both. For example, you can use this functionality to do the following:

  • Assign GameObjects that use a high amount of memory to the server to save memory on the client.
  • Assign GameObjects that communicate with other services on a server to that server.

Unity removes (strips) GameObjects and components that aren’t assigned to the multiplayer role the device uses when you build a project or enter play mode.

You can do this in the following ways:

Assign a GameObject to a multiplayer role

To select which GameObjects exist in the client or server multiplayer roles:

  1. Open a scene.
  2. In the hierarchy window, select one or more GameObjects.
  3. In the inspector window, select the multiplayer role icon.
  4. Select the multiplayer role(s) you want this GameObject to exist in: Client or Server.

Assign a component to a multiplayer role

To select which components exist in the client or server multiplayer roles:

  1. Open a scene.
  2. In the Hierarchy window, select one or more Game Objects.
  3. In the Inspector window, select the multiplayer role icon for the component you want to assign.
  4. Select the multiplayer role(s) you want this GameObject to exist in: Client or Server.

Assign multiple GameObjects and Components to the server or client

You can also use the search window to control which multiplayer role multiple GameObjects or components exist in:

  1. Open a scene.
  2. Open the Search window (menu: Edit > Search All)
  3. Search for the objects to select. To learn about Unity search terms, refer to Search expressions.
  4. Select the GameObjects you want to assign to a multiplayer role or that contain a component that you want to assign to a multiplayer role.
  5. In the Preview Inspector panel, select the multiplayer role icon for the selected GameObject or component.
  6. Select the multiplayer role(s) you want the GameObjects or components to exist in: Client or Server. This assigns the same role to every GameObject or component you select in the Search window.

Assign prefabs to a multiplayer role

You can't assign a root GameObject of a prefab asset to a multiplayer role. To assign the contents of a prefab to a multiplayer role, use one of the following methods:

  • Assign children of a prefab asset to a multiplayer role.
  • Assign an instance of a prefab to a multiplayer role.

Assign children of a prefab asset to a multiplayer role

To assign all GameObjects in a prefab asset to a multiplayer role, do the following:

  1. Select a child GameObject of a prefab asset in the Hierarchy window.
  2. In the inspector window, select the multiplayer role icon.
  3. Select the multiplayer role(s) you want the contents of this prefab asset, and its instances, to exist in: Client or Server.

The multiplayer role you select for the prefab asset applies to every instance of this prefab you create.

Assign a prefab instance to a multiplayer role

To assign a prefab instance, which is the actual GameObject in the scene, to a multiplayer role, do the following:

  1. Select a prefab instance in the Hierarchy Window and click Open.
  2. In the inspector window, select the multiplayer role icon.
  3. Select the multiplayer role(s) you want this prefab instance to exist in: Client or Server.

Stop Unity from stripping a MonoBehavior from multiplayer roles

To stop Unity from stripping a MonoBehavior from the server or client multiplayer roles, add the MultiplayerRoleRestricted attribute to a custom MonoBehavior. This marks the component as restricted which means that Unity can't strip it from the server or client multiplayer role.