If you are looking to host your very own 7 Days to Die server, you have come to the right place! Making a server is easy, all you need to do is install a server, and we will handle the rest of the setup for you. Now, making a server can be daunting, but not to worry, we have all the answers you need to take your first steps into hosting a server!

For those who don’t know what hosting a server is like, you should check out our Dedicated Server Hosting 101 for all your questions about dedicated servers. Otherwise, read on to learn how to host your very own server for 7 Days to Die.

What is 7 Days to Die?

7 Days to Die is the ultimate sandbox zombie survival simulator. Create your own world to survive in, as harsh or as safe as possible. Build elaborate bases, explore the perilous wastelands to gather resources, and become the ultimate survivor of the end times.

The game is currently in active development, progressing through a roadmap of updates starting from v1.0. As development continues, more features for surviving the zombie apocalypse will grow. The possibilities are never-ending.

What do I need to start a server?

Getting started with your own 7 Days to Die server is easy. Simply click the Add Server button, then click on 7 Days to Die. There are two options available for a server:

  • 7 Days to Die - Stable releases of 7 Days to Die.
  • 7 Days to Die Experimental - Bleeding edge versions of 7 Days to Die. Check out the latest updates sooner!

How do I join my server?

Once you have a server created, press the Start button and the server will start loading. Vanilla 7 Days to Die servers only take a minute to load, though modded servers may take longer to load. You will know if the server has finished loading if the output_log__(date)__(time).txt file says “StartGame done”. This file is generated in the root 7 Days to Die folder.

Inside the log file, we are looking for a few notable signs that the server is online and connected to multiplayer services.

To join the server, you will need the following:

  • A copy of 7 Days to Die.
  • The matching version of 7 Days to Die.
    • If the server is running Experimental, make sure the Experimental beta branch is chosen.
    • For modded servers, make sure the mods installed match the server’s.
  • A stable connection to play on the server.

Once you have all the above installed, you are ready to join the server! Start the game, click Play Game, then click on the Join a Game tab. On this page, click Connect to IP, then paste in your server’s Address and Port. Click Connect and you will join the server!

Click Join a Game and click the Connect to IP button at the bottom of this page. We will want to input our server’s address here. Copy the server address or the IP address (without the Port) and paste it into the IP field, then copy the 5-digit number at the end of your server’s IP address and paste it into Port.

Can I change settings on my server?

Yes, server settings can be adjusted on a 7 Days to Die server. All settings will be stored in the serverconfig.xml file. This file can control all kinds of server properties, such as the server’s name, description, a password, and more. The following are some common settings that can be adjusted.

Server Password

Need to lock the server down to only specific players? The ServerPassword option protects the server with a code that you and other trusted players will know. Set this to a secure password, then restart the server to apply the change.

World Map

When creating a server for the first time, the world map will default to Navezgane. If you want to use another preset world, or you have your own map you created, you can use the GameWorld setting to pick a different map. Some available worlds on a 7 Days to Die server include pregen maps such as Pregen06k01.

If you have your own map you created, these can be uploaded into your server’s Data/Worlds folder. Then, you can change the GameWorld setting to the name of the folder you uploaded.

Sandbox Options

As of v3.0, 7 Days to Die stores the settings of a world in a Sandbox Code. This code can only be obtained by using the in-game world creation page, and it controls all configurable aspects of the world, such as zombie AI, resource settings, and player modifiers.

When creating a new world, look for the Sandbox Options button. Make the changes you want for your desired world, then look for a string of letters. This is your code, and we will want to click the Copy button to get this code for the server config.

To get the code required for the config, start 7 Days to Die and click Play Game. Click on the New Game tab, then on the right panel, select Sandbox Options. Have a look around at the presets and settings you would like to apply on your server, then once you are done, click on the copy icon to copy the code found on the left panel. Paste this into the SandboxCode config, restart the server, and this will adjust all the settings applied.

How do I become an admin?

Server admins can be added to a file on a server. This file is called serveradmin.xml, and it will be located in the server's Saves/Saves folder. Players can be added individually based on a user ID, or they can be added based on a Steam user group. The serveradmin.xml file will contain an example for both methods as well as detailed instructions on obtaining information required for this file.

To add a user, you will want to identify who the player is you want to add to the list and what platform they use. This will make up the platform part of the user config. Next, we will want a player’s ID. Now, this ID will vary based on what platform the player is connecting from. When a player connects to a server, their ID will be displayed in an output_log__(date)__(time).txt file. Copy the ID that shows up here and add it to the userid config. Lastly, add a name for the user so we can easily identify them, and then set the permission_level. By default, this is 0, but we can make this higher or lower for varying admin levels, such as an admin that can kick players, and another level for using cheats. Finally, remove the <!-- --> from around the entry, save the file, and restart the server.

An example of what adding a user admin should look like. Our user is on Steam, so we can also use the provided instructions to get the user ID with a lookup tool. This will vary depending on what platform our user is on.

User groups will be handled differently, and only Steam users can be added due to the nature of a user group. First, to get the user group ID, go to the desired group page and add /memberslistxml/?xml=1 to the end of the URL. Look for groupID64 and copy the numbers in this entry and paste it into the steamID config. Then, add a name to the name config to make it easy to identify. A group will have a permission_level_default and permission_level_mod setting, which will default to 1000 and 0 respectively. Save the file, then restart the server to apply changes.

An example of a user group. Any user that is a moderator or higher in this group will be given admin permissions on your server, whereas everyone else will be a standard user. We can also use this to add everyone in a group as an admin by making the default “0”

Once we have our first admin added through this file, we can also add more users with the admin console command. We can use a player’s username with this command, rather than digging around for a user ID. The command used will be formatted as admin add <username/userid> <level>, where we can provide a username or user ID to specify a player, and then a permission level, with 0 for highest admin privileges and 1000 for regular players.

How do I add mods to my 7 Days to Die server?

7 Days to Die has a straightforward way of modding the server. As it has all the tools in place, you can turn a vanilla 7 Days to Die server into a modded one with very little setup. Always make sure to create a backup of a server before installing mods as instability may occur.

Before we get started, we need to make absolutely certain that our server is running the latest version, otherwise the mods we upload may get overwritten or the server data will be corrupted. Stop the server, then check for any updates.

First, we will need to download the mods. The location will vary as they may get hosted on different platforms, but the most important part is that the mod contains one of a 7DaysToDieServer_Data, Data, or Mods folder. A mod will have any one of these if they are a simple mod or an overhaul mod. Then, access your server’s files and upload the folders into their respective locations. If our mod contains a Mods folder, copy it over the server’s Mods folder, and so on.

These three folders are where mod data will be uploaded to. Most mods will be uploaded into the Mods folder, but if a mod overhauls certain behaviour, they will also contain a 7DaysToDieServer_Data and or a Data folder.

Just like that, we have mods installed! If there were any issues with mod installation, make sure to check the output_log__(date)__(time).txt file for any loading errors.

Can console players join my server?

Yes, 7 Days to Die supports crossplay between console and PC players. By default, a 7 Days to Die server will not have crossplay enabled, but with just a few config changes, the server will become available from the in-game server browser. The following settings will need to be changed in order to enable crossplay:

  • ServerAllowCrossplay: set this to True.
  • ServerMaxPlayerCount: set this to 8 or less. A crossplay server can only have a maximum of 8 players.
  • EACEnabled: set this to True. Servers must have Easy Anti-Cheat enabled.
  • IgnoreEOSSanctions: set this to False. Players banned from Epic Online Services must be excluded.

Other server settings such as the ServerName and ServerDescription can be optionally edited to make it easier to find the server. Do note that some settings can also impact server visibility, such as if a setting is beyond the available default settings.

How can I start my own 7 Days to Die server?

I am glad you asked because you are also in the right place! First, purchase the 4GB Hero Tier plan or above to create a server. A 7 Days to Die server can run on 4GB memory, though more will be required depending on the number of players on the server as well as content added by mods. If you need help picking the right plan for your server, don’t hesitate to reach out to support!