How To Host A 7 Days to Die Dedicated Server

A 7 Days to Die dedicated server keeps your world running so your group can play without the host being in the game. This guide is for V 3.2.0, the stable version since 26 August 2026. We checked it against the dedicated server itself, installed and run on our own test machine on 4 October 2026, and against the files that ship with it. The biggest change in V3 is the SandboxCode: difficulty and game rules are no longer separate lines in the config file.

What You Need

• A Windows or Linux machine that stays on while people play. The dedicated server is a free tool on Steam, so you do not need a second copy of the game.
• Disk space: about 16.5 GB for the server itself (16.5 GB on Windows and 16.4 GB on Linux in our test installs), plus room for the world and saves.
• Memory: The Fun Pimps publish no figure for the server. Our test server used about 2.1 GB right after starting on Navezgane with nobody online. Players, a bigger world and mods all add to that.
• Players: ServerMaxPlayerCount is 8 by default. Crossplay servers are only listed with 8 or fewer slots.

Install The Server With SteamCMD

On a desktop with Steam, open your Library, show Tools, and install 7 Days to Die Dedicated Server.

On a machine without Steam, such as a Linux VPS, use SteamCMD. The dedicated server is app 294420 and downloads with an anonymous login.

Linux:

steamcmd +force_install_dir ~/7dtd-server +login anonymous +app_update 294420 validate +quit

Windows (from the folder where you unpacked SteamCMD):

steamcmd.exe +force_install_dir C:\7dtd-server +login anonymous +app_update 294420 validate +quit

Run the same command again to update. To try the experimental build, add -beta latest_experimental after 294420; older versions have their own branches too, such as v2.6.

Ports And Firewall

With the settings that ship in serverconfig.xml, our test server listened on:

• On your router, forward 26900 (TCP and UDP) and 26902 (UDP) to the machine running the server. Port 11000 only matters on your own network.
• Steam networking is off by default (ServerDisabledNetworkProtocols is SteamNetworking). The file's own note says to keep it off when port forwarding is set up correctly.
• Changing the port: the file suggests keeping ServerPort between 26900 and 26905, or 27015 and 27020, if PCs on your network should see it as a LAN server.

Configure The Server

Everything lives in serverconfig.xml in the server folder. The first settings to change:

The SandboxCode

Since V3.0, XP, loot, damage, zombie speed, blood moons, traders and every other option on the game's Sandbox Options screen are stored in one code. The game's own way to make one is to start a new game, open Sandbox Options, set everything, and use the copy code button.

A code is the letter A, then three letters for each option that is not at the game's default. The six difficulty presets are:

The code that ships in serverconfig.xml, AAAJABJACJADJARFBNC, is not quite Adventurer: it also raises block and terrain damage to 150%.

Tip: Our free 7 Days to Die SandboxCode and Server Config Generator builds a code from any preset with your changes, reads any code you paste, and writes your complete serverconfig.xml. We checked every code it makes against the dedicated server.

Start The Server

• Windows: run startdedicated.bat in the server folder. It starts the server in the background and writes a log file named output_log_dedi__ plus the date and time; the window it opens can be closed.
• Linux: run ./startserver.sh -configfile=serverconfig.xml. The script will not start without -configfile.

On our test machine the server was ready about 30 seconds after starting a new save on Navezgane.

To stop the server cleanly, connect to its telnet console and type shutdown. With the shipped settings, telnet is on and listens on port 8081 of the server itself only (no TelnetPassword means local connections only); telnet localhost 8081 from the server opens it. In our test the server saved its settings and closed about 3 seconds after shutdown.

Join Your Server

• Server browser: with ServerVisibility at 2, players find the server under Join a Game in the game's server browser.
• Direct connect: players can also connect with the server's public IP address and port 26900.
• Same version: players need the same game version as the server. Our test server reported itself as V 3.2.0.

Crossplay

Set ServerAllowCrossplay to true to let players on other platforms join. The config file's own note says crossplay servers are only found in searches and joinable when they have 8 or fewer player slots and IgnoreEOSSanctions is left at false.

Admins, Saves And Updates

Admins and the console

Admins and permissions are set in serveradmin.xml, which lives in the Saves folder of the server's user data folder (AdminFileName in serverconfig.xml names it). Admin commands run in the telnet console. To use telnet from another machine, set a strong TelnetPassword; without one, the server only accepts connections from itself.

The server also has a web dashboard (WebDashboardEnabled, port 8080), which is off by default.

Saves

Worlds and saves go in the server's user data folder. UserDataFolder in serverconfig.xml moves it; on our test server, with it set, a save was kept in Saves/Navezgane/<GameName> inside that folder. To back up, stop the server and copy that folder.

Updates

Stop the server, run the SteamCMD command again, and start it. SteamCMD's validate restores the shipped serverconfig.xml, so keep your own copy and put it back after each update.

Common Problems

My difficulty settings are not applying

The server is strict about the SandboxCode and does not warn you. In our tests it ignored the whole code when it did not start with A or set the same option twice, and skipped any value that does not exist. Paste your code into our generator to check it.

The Linux server will not start

Start it with ./startserver.sh -configfile=serverconfig.xml. Without -configfile the script stops straight away.

Players cannot connect

Check that 26900 (TCP and UDP) and 26902 (UDP) are forwarded to the right machine and allowed through its firewall, and that ServerVisibility is not 0 if players use the server browser.

My settings went back to the defaults after an update

SteamCMD's validate restored the shipped serverconfig.xml. Copy your saved version back into the server folder.

The server lags with many zombies

MaxSpawnedZombies (64 by default) covers the whole world, and the config file warns it can have a huge effect on performance. ServerMaxAllowedViewDistance (6 to 12) has a high impact on memory and performance too.

SteamCMD says "Missing configuration"

In our tests SteamCMD sometimes failed this way on the first run, then installed the server when we ran the same command again.

Or Rent A Server Instead

Hosting it yourself is free, but the machine has to stay on, and you look after the ports, updates and backups. A rented 7 Days to Die server runs on the host's hardware, and you paste the same SandboxCode and settings into its control panel. Compare what each host includes, such as memory, backups and server locations, before you buy.

Compare 7 Days to Die server hosts on price, locations, memory and support. When your server is running, add it to the 7 Days to Die server list for free so players can find it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

Checked on 4 October 2026 against:

• The 7 Days to Die Dedicated Server V 3.2.0 (b10): its shipped serverconfig.xml and start scripts, and our own test runs of it on Windows
• The Steam app information for the dedicated server (app 294420), including its branches
• The Fun Pimps' patch notes, including V3.2.0 Stable (26 August 2026)
• 7 Days to Die on Steam
• Valve, SteamCMD