Hosting a Night of the Dead server
Night of the Dead is a zombie survival game from Jackto Studios, a two-person team in South Korea. You gather, craft and build a fortress on an island, then hold it against the zombie waves that arrive every night. It spent nearly four years in Early Access before its full release in May 2024, and it supports online co-op and PvP.
The game has a free dedicated server on SteamCMD that runs on 64-bit Windows. Almost everything is set in ServerSettings.ini: server name, password, player limit, difficulty, wave modes, PvP or PvE and the length of the day and night. Waves bring large numbers of zombies at once, so the server works hardest at exactly the moment your base is under attack.
What to compare
- CPU headroom for wave nights. A server that copes in daylight can stutter when a full wave hits the walls.
- Full access to ServerSettings.ini. Custom difficulty adds settings for zombie health and damage, respawn times, building HP, research costs and drop rates. A host that lets you edit the file directly gives you all of them, not just a few panel toggles.
- Backups and restores. A fortress takes many nights to build. Automatic backups protect it from a lost wave, a griefer or a bad update.
- PvP or PvE setup. PvP, team kill and hardcore mode are all settings. A public PvP server also needs DDoS protection.
- Location. Pick a datacentre near your group so building and fighting at the walls stay responsive.
See the current Night of the Dead hosting deals for offers from listed providers. For a whole machine, see dedicated servers.
Night of the Dead server hosting FAQ
How many players can join a Night of the Dead server?
The limit is the MaxPlayers value in ServerSettings.ini, and hosts sell plans by slot count. More players means more of the island active during each wave, so size the plan for your peak group.
Can I run a PvP Night of the Dead server?
Yes. PvP or PvE is a server setting, alongside options for team kill and hardcore mode.
Can I change the difficulty on my server?
Yes. Presets run from Peaceful up to Legend, and the custom difficulty lets you tune zombie strength, respawn times and resource rates individually.
Can I host a Night of the Dead server for free?
Yes, if you run it yourself. The dedicated server is a free SteamCMD download (app 1420710) for 64-bit Windows, using UDP port 7777 for the game and 27015 for queries by default. It is only online while that PC is on, so groups who play at different times usually rent one.
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