Project Zomboid Stuck on “Getting Server Info”: Why It Happens and How to Fix It

What that message means

It's a stage of the connection, not an error: the game has asked the server for its details and is waiting. Behind it there could be a server that's off or still starting, a mistyped port, different versions, mods that haven't finished downloading, an account that can't get in or a network cutting the traffic.

The same goes if it moves on to “Trying direct connection...” or ends in “Connection Failed”, “The server failed to respond”, “Timed out waiting for the server to respond” or “Failed to establish P2P connection with server”.

First: is it everyone or just you?

Ask a friend to join. If they get in, the server is fine and the problem is in your game or your network: go to “If it only fails for one person”. If they can't either, go to “If nobody can get in”.

If you're on your own, check whether the server responds with its address and port, without opening the game. If it does, start with “If it only fails for one person”. If not, “If nobody can get in”.

If nobody can get in

1. Make sure it has finished starting

   A server that has just been started doesn't answer yet: the map and the mods take time. Look at its console and wait for it to finish, especially with a lot of mods.

2. Check the port

   In “Add server”, the Port field comes filled in with 16261. If your server uses another one, the game asks at the wrong door and keeps waiting. It's the most common mistake on rented servers, where each one has its own (why).

3. If the server is at someone's home, check the router

   The game's ports use UDP and have to be open all the way to the PC running the server. With CG-NAT you won't manage to open them, however well you set them up: how to open them and how to tell.

4. If you can't join other servers either, check Steam

   During Steam maintenance or an outage, connecting can fail on every server, not just yours. Try another server from the public list before you touch anything on yours.

If it only fails for one person

1. Compare the version

   It's at the bottom of the main menu. It has to match the server's, and a new patch can leave one ahead of the other (how to match them).

2. Restart the game and check Steam's downloads

   If a mod is half downloaded or pending, the game can sit there waiting. Let it finish and try again. If the server rejects a file, that's a different problem: “File doesn't match”.

3. Try without a VPN and with the firewall paused

   A VPN, an antivirus or the firewall can cut UDP. Try for a moment without them. Another quick test is joining over your phone's shared data: if that connects, the problem is your network.

4. Check your account on the server

   If the server is closed with Open=false, only existing accounts get in, and if you have one, the password has to be yours: how the whitelist works.

5. Verify the game files

   In Steam, right-click Project Zomboid → Properties → “Installed Files” → “Verify integrity”.

If you changed branch: Pre-Release

Since 27 October 2026, The Indie Stone has published test versions on a branch called Pre-Release, which replaces unstable. That's where 42.22 is, while Steam's normal version is still 42.21 (as of 6 November 2026). If a player moves to that branch and the server doesn't, they no longer have the same version.

To go back: right-click Project Zomboid → Properties → “Game Versions & Betas” → “None”. The other way round, if the whole group wants to try it, the server has to be on the same branch. The Indie Stone warns it can't guarantee that a save from that branch will keep working in the final release: back up the world first.

What you don't need to do

To begin with, don't delete your Zomboid folder or all of workshop/content/108600, and don't reinstall the game: your saves and mods live there, and it's almost never the cause. You don't need to go back to Build 41 either, which is old advice from when 42 had no multiplayer.

And turning off DoLuaChecksum doesn't fix this: that check is the one for mismatched files, not the one for connecting.

On NapNodes

There's no router to touch here: the server's ports are already open. That leaves three things to check.

1. That it's running

   A free server switches off after 1 h with nobody on. Check its status in the panel and, if it says “Offline”, click “Start”. The first start takes about a minute.

2. That the port is its own

   In “Add server”, delete the 16261 and type the one on the “Address to play” card: it's almost never 16261.

3. That the version matches

   If a patch has just come out, turn on “Update the game on start” in “Settings” and click “Restart”.

If the problem is your home connection

If the server is on your PC and nobody can get in because of the router or CG-NAT, the quick way out is not hosting it at home. A free Project Zomboid server on NapNodes has 6 GB, needs no card and is ready in about a minute, with no ports to open. If you already have a save, it can be moved to a server.

Frequently asked questions