Welcome to the guide!
Welcome to my quickstart Project Zomboid server guide! After finishing this guide, you should understand how to host and configure your very own Project Zomboid server for you and your friends to enjoy.
Note: This guide is made for Project Zomboid build v32.30 on Windows.
What is covered in this guide?
This guide covers downloading, configuring, and hosting a Project Zomboid server. It also covers installing mods on your server; Hydrocraft is used as an example. By the end of the guide you should be able to do the following:
| Download your slice of the Project Zomboid server pie. | Configure server settings to fit your needs. |
| Get comfy with great server mods like Hydrocraft. | Make your server habitable through port forwarding. |
Downloading the server
Downloading the server files is fairly straightforward.
 | Project Zomboid Dedicated Server |
In your Steam library, select the dropdown labelled "Games" (or your current selected category, e.g. "Installed," "Recent," "Favorites") and click on "Tools."
Find "Project Zomboid Dedicated Server" and install it. Once it's been downloaded, launch the server and follow the prompt to create an administrator account password. Once the server is finished loading (you'll be able to tell), type quit and close the window. The server is now ready to be configured.
Configuring server settings
Server settings are located in C:\Users\%username%\Zomboid\Server\servertest.ini and are all editable to your preference. Here are some settings worth noting:
-
nightlengthmodifier=
Length of the night.
Default modifier is1.0. -
PVP=
Controls whether players are allowed to participate in Player Vs. Player combat.
Default setting istrue. -
GlobalChat=
Controls whether players are allowed to use global chat.
Default setting istrue. -
ServerWelcomeMessage=
Message displayed when the user connects. I recommend tweaking the default to something more interesting. -
DisplayUserName=
Controls whether players can see usernames above players' heads.
Default setting istrue. -
Mods=
Specifies which mods to load. This will be explained in the next section. -
Map=
Specifies which map to load. This will also be explained in the next section. -
Public=
Controls whether players are allowed to participate in Player Vs. Player combat.
Default setting isfalse. -
PublicName=
Specifies the server name in public listings. -
PublicDescription=
Specifies the server description in public listings. -
MaxPlayers=
Controls whether players are allowed to participate in Player Vs. Player combat.
Default setting is64. -
SaveWorldEveryMinutes=
Specifies the time between autosaves in minutes. I recommend changing the default.
Default setting isblank. -
Password=
Specifies the server password. I also recommend changing this.
Default setting isblank.
There are many 56 options total, so I recommend that you figure out what the rest of them do and decide whether or not they are useful to you.
We can now move on to configuring mods.
Configuring mods (optional)
NOTE: This step is not required. I recommend it, but feel free to move on to port forwarding.
Configuring mods for your Project Zomboid server is very easy. In Project Zomboid, both the players and the server must have the same mods installed in order to work. Communicate with your players to plan which mods everyone will use. I'll be using Hydrocraft as an example.
 | Hydrocraft |
Hydrocraft, in it's authors words, is a mod based around crafting and filling in the empty world of Zomboid with more stuff," inspired by games like Haven and Hearth. It adds crafting trees for alchemy, herbalism, metallurgy, mining, and many other professions, and adds hundreds of other items. This mod is core to my server experience.
Download the non-Workshop version of Hydrocraft. Extract the contents of the zip file into a folder named Hydrocraft. The folder will contain a media folder containing mod assets, a Hydrocraft ReadMe.txt containing credit to contributors, a mod.info file containing mod name, poster file specification, id, and description, and the poster.png image.
Move the Hydrocraft folder, containing all the files I just described, to C:\Users\%username%\Zomboid\mods.
Now, open the Hydrocraft folder and open mod.info. One of the lines should read id=Hydrocraft. This is the identifier you need to place after Mods= in servertest.ini. For future reference, be sure to separate mod names with a semicolon if you end up with more than one.
Have all players subscribe (i.e., download) the Workhop version of Hydrocraft. This ensures that the player client and server are on always on the same page referencing the same content.
Mod installation complete!
All of the mods I have encountered so far (except for maps) are installed in exactly the same way. Just be sure to add the proper id to servertest.ini and separate them with semicolons.
Port forwarding
Port forwarding is a much better solution than Hamachi or other such products. Rather than opening ports, they create small, private virtual networks that essentially emulate LAN. They should be considered temporary solutions.
Port forwarding is the act of telling your router to allow specific ports to receive traffic. Port forwarding is required in order for people to connect with your server. However, there are many, many, many different router models, all with different software, so I'll just give you the essentials. If you've never done this before, don't worry! So long as you are specific with the ports you open, there shouldn't be any issues.
Here's what you need to know:
- Find your router on PortForward.com and find out how to log in to your router.
- Port 16261 needs to be forwarded as UDP/TCP or UDP. Be sure to specify your computer as the target computer.
- One more port (after 16261) should be forwarded ( as UDP/TCP or TCP) for every player slot. This can be done in a range. In my experience, I just port forward 16261-16272 as UDP/TCP.
Port forwarding complete!
Players should now be able to connect to your public IP address, which you can find at WhatIsMyIP.com. Have fun!
Credits
I'd like to thank some people for their contributions to Project Zomboid, the PZ modding community, and for helping me with this little guide:
- The Indie Stone development team, for making the game!
- AsenWolf, for bugging me to get the game I've already grown to love
- BadManWill393, for staying up late and figuring stuff out with me
- Hydromancex, for making such an amazing and expansive mod
- Smealum, for uploading the source of his Homebrew website :)
- PZwiki.net volunteers, for all of their hard work
- Sneater, for not wanting to be in the credits
I hope you've found this guide useful!
