How to make a Project Zomboid server

You can have a Project Zomboid server running in a few minutes. Pick Build 42 or Build 41, a plan with at least 8 GB of RAM, and the region closest to your group. Friends join with the address and port from your address card, and you make yourself admin with one command.

What you need

• Your own copy of Project Zomboid on Steam. Each friend needs their own copy too. The server software is free and installs straight from Steam. We never ship game files.
• The same build as your friends. A Build 42 player can’t join a Build 41 server, and the other way round.
• A plan with enough RAM (the server’s memory). Zombies, players and mods all use it.

Build 42 needs about a third more memory than Build 41 for the same game. The performance guide explains what fills it up.

Create your server

1. Choose Project Zomboid in the game list.
2. Choose the build. Build 42 is the current stable version and what Steam gives players by default. Build 41 is the older version that many long-running servers and mods still use. Not sure? Read Build 41 vs Build 42.
3. Choose a plan from the table above. You can upgrade later without losing your world.
4. Choose a region: EU or US East. Pick the one closest to most of your players.
5. Choose a name. It becomes your address, like knoxcounty.play.wilderack.com. Names use 3 to 32 characters: lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens in the middle.
6. Pay, and the server installs the game from Steam and starts.

The first start

The very first start takes a few minutes, because the server downloads the game from Steam. After that, a normal start takes between 30 seconds and 3 minutes. You can watch it in Console. When the server prints SERVER STARTED, players can join.

On its first start the server creates its settings files in Zomboid/Server/. It also creates a built-in account called admin with a long random password. You won’t need that account for normal play.

Make yourself admin

The cleanest way is to give your own account admin rights.

1. Join the server once with your own username and password. That creates your account. See how to connect.

2. Open Console in the panel and type this, with your username in the quotes:

   setaccesslevel "YourName" admin

3. Leave the server and join again. You now have admin powers in game.

You can also add your username as an admin under Settings > Players, which runs the same command for you.

In the panel console you type commands without a slash. In the game’s chat, admins type the same commands with a slash in front, like /setaccesslevel "Friend" moderator. Old guides mention /grantadmin. Use setaccesslevel instead, which works on both builds.

Invite your friends

To play: send them the address and port from the address card on Overview, plus the server password if you set one. The How to join card shows them the exact steps, and so does how to connect.

To help run it: open Friends and make an invite link with a role. Admin can change settings, mods and backups. Moderator can start, stop and use the console. These panel roles are separate from in-game access levels, so give a friend both if they need to manage players in game.

What sleeping means for Project Zomboid

Your server naps when nobody’s playing, so you aren’t paying for an empty server to sit awake. It wakes when someone joins by address, usually in a couple of seconds.

• The world is paused while it sleeps. Zombies don’t move, crops don’t grow and the clock stops, much like the game’s own PauseEmpty setting.
• A sleeping server drops out of the public server list. Joining by address still works and wakes it. Friends can also open your wake link, play.wilderack.com/w/knoxcounty, to wake it first.
• A safe copy of your world is made every time it sleeps. See backups.

If you run a public server for strangers, you can keep it awake under Settings > Sleep.

What to read next

• How to connect: every way to join.
• Config reference: server and sandbox settings.
• Mods: Steam Workshop mods with one tap.
• Build 41 vs Build 42: which build fits your group.