Complete 7 Days to Die Server Hosting Guide

7 Days to Die has supported dedicated servers since its earliest alpha builds, and the post-1.0 era has only made the experience better. With crossplay support, the V2.0 Storm's Brewing content, and a steady stream of patches, there has never been a better time to run your own server. This guide covers everything from initial setup to ongoing maintenance.

Why a Dedicated Server?

The in-game host option ties the world to the host player's session. When they disconnect, everyone else gets kicked. A dedicated server runs independently, keeping the world available 24/7. It also gives you control over:

• All settings in serverconfig.xml
• Admin commands and player management
• Mod installation (PC servers)
• Blood Moon scheduling, difficulty scaling, and loot settings
• Crossplay configuration for mixed PC and console groups

Hardware Requirements

7 Days to Die is CPU-intensive, especially during Blood Moon hordes when dozens of zombies pathfind and attack simultaneously.

Player count	CPU	RAM	Storage
1-4 players	4 cores at 3.0 GHz	8 GB	15 GB SSD
5-8 players	4-6 cores at 3.5 GHz	12 GB	15 GB SSD
9-16 players	6-8 cores at 3.5 GHz+	16 GB	20 GB SSD

Use an SSD. The game streams world data from disk constantly, and a spinning drive will cause noticeable stutter during exploration and horde nights.

Self-Hosting Setup

1. Download the server files

Use SteamCMD to download the 7 Days to Die Dedicated Server (App ID 294420):

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 294420 validate +quit

2. Configure serverconfig.xml

This is the primary configuration file. Rename the default file to something unique for your server, then edit with a text editor (Notepad++ recommended). Only modify values inside value="" attributes -- do not alter the XML structure.

Essential settings to configure first:

<property name="ServerName" value="My 7D2D Server"/>
<property name="ServerPassword" value=""/>
<property name="MaxPlayerCount" value="8"/>
<property name="GameDifficulty" value="2"/>
<property name="DayNightLength" value="60"/>
<property name="BloodMoonFrequency" value="7"/>

3. Open required ports

Port	Protocol	Purpose
26900	TCP/UDP	Game traffic
26900-26902	UDP	Steam communication
8080	TCP	Web dashboard (optional)
8081	TCP	Telnet (optional, disable in production)

Keep ServerPort in the range 26900-26905 or 27015-27020 if you want LAN discovery to work.

4. Network protocol settings

For dedicated servers with proper port forwarding, disable SteamNetworking to reduce overhead:

<property name="ServerDisabledNetworkProtocols" value="SteamNetworking"/>

If players are behind restrictive NATs, keep SteamNetworking enabled as a fallback.

5. Start the server

On Windows, run startdedicated.bat. On Linux, launch through SteamCMD or a systemd service for automatic restart on crash.

Crossplay Configuration

Since V1.2, 7 Days to Die supports cross-platform play between PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. On dedicated servers (expanded in V2.0), crossplay supports up to 8 players.

To enable crossplay:

<property name="CrossplayEnabled" value="true"/>
<property name="EACEnabled" value="true"/>

Both settings must be active. EAC (Easy Anti-Cheat) is required for crossplay and prevents modded clients from joining, so crossplay servers cannot run mods.

Maximum world size for crossplay is 8192. Players must be on the same game version -- crossplay is not backwards-compatible across versions.

Admin Commands

Connect to the server console via Telnet or the web dashboard to run admin commands:

• admin add <steamid> <level> -- Add an admin (level 0 = full access)
• ban add <steamid> <duration> <reason> -- Ban a player
• kick <steamid> <reason> -- Kick a player
• settime day -- Set time to day (useful for testing)
• weather snow -- Force weather (debug)
• shutdown -- Graceful server shutdown

Protect the Telnet and web dashboard ports. Change the default passwords and consider disabling them entirely on production servers.

Keeping the Server Updated

After each Fun Pimps patch, update through SteamCMD:

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 294420 validate +quit

Players on a newer client version cannot connect to an outdated server. With the rapid pace of updates in 2025 (eight releases), staying current is essential.

Backups

Back up your server's save data before every update and on a regular schedule. The world save directory contains your map, player profiles, and all placed blocks. A corrupted save after a bad update or crash is unrecoverable without a backup.

Critical directories to back up:

• World save folder (generated maps and player data)
• serverconfig.xml (your configuration)
• Any mod files (if applicable)

Whether you self-host or go managed, the key is giving your group a persistent world that survives beyond a single play session. Pick your approach and start surviving.