Your server, explained without the fluff
What you need to know to run a game server with your friends, including how to do it for free on your own PC when that's what suits you. We're translating them game by game: Project Zomboid is the first.
Project Zomboid
All Project Zomboid guides, sorted by topic and version →
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How to Set Up a Project Zomboid Server to Play with Friends
A Project Zomboid dedicated server: how much RAM it needs, how to join, where the admin password is and how to add mods from the Steam Workshop.
How Much RAM Does a Project Zomboid Server Need?
How much RAM to give a Project Zomboid server by players and mods: 6 GB minimum on Build 42, 8 GB with lots of mods. And how to tell if you're short.
More Project Zomboid guides
Project Zomboid Private Server: Password and Whitelist
How to make your Project Zomboid server private: a password to join, a whitelist with /adduser and Open=false, and keeping it off the public server list.
Project Zomboid Server Lag: Causes and How to Fix It
Stutters, teleporting zombies and a slow-motion Project Zomboid server: how to tell whether it's memory, CPU or the connection, and what to change.
Free Project Zomboid Server: The Real Options and Their Catches
How to get a free Project Zomboid server: “Host” from the game, Steam's free dedicated server, or a hosting company's free server, and the catch with each.
How to Move Your Project Zomboid Save to a Dedicated Server
Move the Project Zomboid game you hosted on your PC to a server: which folder to upload, the sandbox settings, the mods and how to keep everyone's characters.
How to Reset Your Project Zomboid Server World and Start a New Game
Start a fresh game on your Project Zomboid server without losing the old one: a backup, moving the world folder aside, the accounts and new settings.
Project Zomboid Sandbox Settings: Zombies, Difficulty and Loot on Your Server
Where a Project Zomboid server's sandbox settings live (SandboxVars): zombie count, loot, power and water shutoff, and how to change them safely.
How to Add Mods to a Project Zomboid Server (Steam Workshop)
Steam Workshop mods on a Project Zomboid server: Workshop ID and Mod ID, servertest.ini, added maps and the “version is different than server's” error.
How to Make Yourself (or a Friend) Admin in Project Zomboid, Plus the Basic Commands
How to give admin in Project Zomboid to yourself or another player with /setaccesslevel, how to take it away, and the admin commands you'll use most.
Can't Connect to Your Project Zomboid Server? Causes and Fixes
Why you can't join a Project Zomboid server (connection timed out, mismatched mods, game version, password) and how to fix it step by step.
Build 42 vs Build 41 on a Project Zomboid Server: What Changes
What changes on a Project Zomboid server with Build 42: multiplayer, Build 41 saves that won't load, mods, RAM, and how to stay on 41 (legacy41).
How to Play Project Zomboid with Friends: Host, Dedicated or Rented Server
The three ways to play Project Zomboid with friends (Host, a free dedicated server or a rented one), how to invite them, how to join and how to spawn together.
Project Zomboid Admin Commands: The Full List (Build 42)
Project Zomboid admin commands for Build 42, with examples: players, items, teleporting, zombies, weather and the server. Plus how to type them correctly.
Project Zomboid Server .ini Settings Explained: the Options That Matter
What each important option in Project Zomboid's servertest.ini does (Build 42): password, public list, PvP, PauseEmpty, safehouses, saving and backups.
Safehouses and Factions in Project Zomboid: How to Claim a House on a Server
How to claim a safehouse on a Project Zomboid server, add your friends, create a faction, and which .ini options control it all.
How to Turn PvP On or Off on a Project Zomboid Server
How to disable or enable PvP on a Project Zomboid server: the PVP option, the skull safety system, damage between factions and non-PvP zones.
Best Project Zomboid Multiplayer Mods (Build 42)
Workshop mods that work on a Build 42 Project Zomboid server: a skill recovery journal, proximity inventory, read-book markers, cars and more.
Project Zomboid Server Ports (16261 and 16262 UDP) and How to Open Them
Which ports a Project Zomboid server uses (16261 and 16262 UDP), how to open them on your router and in Windows Firewall, and what to do about CG-NAT.
Project Zomboid Server Version Mismatch: How to Update Your Server
What to do when Project Zomboid says the server version doesn't match yours: updating the server, leaving a Steam beta, and Workshop mods.
How to Make a Project Zomboid Dedicated Server on Your PC (Windows and Linux)
Set up the free Project Zomboid dedicated server (Build 42) on Windows or Linux: installing it, setting the memory, the admin password and joining.
How to Host a Project Zomboid Game for Friends (and Fix Join Problems)
How to use Host in Project Zomboid: setting up the game, how much server memory to give it, inviting your friends and what to do if they can't join.
How to Add Workshop Maps to a Project Zomboid Server (and Which Work on Build 42)
How to add Workshop maps (Raven Creek and others) to a Project Zomboid server: Workshop ID, Mod ID, the Map= line and which are up to date for Build 42.
What's New in Project Zomboid Build 42 for Multiplayer
What's new in Project Zomboid Build 42 when you play together: a map twice the size, basements, animals, crafts, game modes and a fairer server.
Best Project Zomboid Settings for Playing with Friends
The game mode and the settings that change a Project Zomboid co-op game the most: zombies, power and water, XP, loot and time passing while nobody plays.
Dying on a Project Zomboid Server: What You Lose, Where You Respawn and How Not to Lose Everything
What happens when you die on a Project Zomboid server: a new character, getting your gear back, respawning in the safehouse, and settings and mods that help.
How to Set Up a Project Zomboid Roleplay (RP) Server: Settings and Rules
How to run a Project Zomboid roleplay server: character names, proximity chat and voice, a map that gives nothing away, PvP with rules and a whitelist.
Project Zomboid Server Not Starting? Errors and Fixes
Why a Project Zomboid server closes on startup: mods that aren't for Build 42, memory, a mistyped setting, a full disk or an update, and how to fix each one.
How to Play Project Zomboid with Radmin VPN or Hamachi (No Port Forwarding)
How to play Project Zomboid with friends over Radmin VPN or Hamachi when you can't open ports: creating the network, which IP to use and what to do if it fails.
Project Zomboid Server Backups: How to Back Up and Restore Your World
How to back up a Project Zomboid server: the backups the game makes on its own, which folders to copy by hand and how to restore a backup safely.
How to Change the Spawn Point on a Project Zomboid Server
How to choose where players spawn on your Project Zomboid server: a single town, fixed coordinates with SpawnPoint, or respawning in the safehouse.
Create your free Project Zomboid serverNo card needed. Or see the Project Zomboid plans.
Other games
The guides for Minecraft, Valheim, Hytale, Discord bots and the NapNodes panel are still in Spanish: Guías en español.