Project Zomboid Without Steam: Play on a Server With GOG Friends
You have Project Zomboid on Steam and your friend bought it on GOG. In “Multiplayer” you can't see each other, and if you give them your server's address, they can't join. It isn't a bug: a normal server only lets Steam copies in. No-Steam mode fixes it, but it comes with a condition almost nobody mentions: from then on, the whole group launches the game that way. Here's how, and what you lose.
Why a GOG friend can't join your server
Out of the box, a Project Zomboid server starts with Steam: when someone connects, it asks Steam to confirm their account and that they own the game. A GOG copy has no Steam account to show, so the server won't let it through, even on the same version.
The way out is to start the server without Steam (the -nosteam option). The server then stops asking Steam and GOG copies get in. But it works both ways: a server without Steam doesn't talk to the normal Steam game either, so anyone who has it on Steam also has to launch it without Steam. There's no way to mix both modes on the same server.
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First: the same version
Build 42 has been the stable version since July 29, 2026 (42.20), on Steam and on GOG too. What has to match is the exact number: if the server runs one and your friend's game another, they can't join, wherever it comes from.
In GOG Galaxy, your friend should have the game up to date and on the normal branch (not a beta). The server's version shows in its console on startup. If they don't match, what to do when a patch locks you out.
On a NapNodes server: “No-Steam mode”
There's nothing to type into the startup: it's a switch in the panel. It comes off, because it changes how the whole group joins, and the panel explains it before you turn it on.
Open “Settings”
On your Project Zomboid server, scroll down to the “Players without Steam” block.
Turn on “No-Steam mode”
A window warns you that, from then on, everyone has to launch the game without Steam. Click “Turn on no-Steam mode”. It saves on its own.
Restart the server
The change applies on restart. With the server on, “Restart”; if it was off, “Start”.
Everyone, join
The card on “Home” changes its steps for joining: it now mentions launching without Steam. Give them the address and port as usual.
How each player launches the game
Whoever has it on GOG opens it as always, from GOG Galaxy or their shortcut: their copy already runs without Steam.
Whoever has it on Steam has to add a launch option. Without it, their game doesn't see the server and never connects. You set it once and it stays until you remove it.
Open the properties
In your Steam library, right-click Project Zomboid → “Properties”.
Type -nosteam
Under “General”, in “Launch Options”, type
-nosteam. Close the window: it saves on its own.Add the server by hand
Open the game, “Multiplayer” → “Add server”, with the address and port (don't look for it in the public list). Below it, “Add new account” with any username and password you like: it's your account on that server.
Connect
Select the server and “Connect”. If you get “Connection Failed”, first check that
-nosteamis spelled right, with the dash.
What you lose without Steam
Workshop mods. The Steam Workshop belongs to Steam: a GOG copy can't subscribe to anything, and without Steam the game doesn't download the server's mods on its own when you join. According to the Steam forums and other hosts, in no-Steam mode mods have to be installed by hand, on the server and in everyone's game, on the same version. On NapNodes, “Mods” downloads them from the Steam Workshop and we haven't tested it with no-Steam mode: if your game uses mods, try it first on a test world or play without them (how mods work on a server).
Inviting through Steam and seeing each other in the friends list: you join with the address only.
Banning by Steam account. /banid uses the SteamID, and without Steam there's no SteamID: to kick someone out for good, /banuser with their username (the admin commands).
Lock it down: without Steam any copy gets in
With Steam, the server checks that whoever joins has bought the game. Without Steam, nobody checks anymore: anyone with the address gets in. For a server among friends, that calls for two things: a password to join and staying out of the public list. If it's a closed group, better still, nobody can create an account on their own (private server with a whitelist).
On NapNodes they're under “Settings” → “The essentials”: “Password to join”, “Show in the public server list” and “Anyone can create an account when joining”. They save automatically and apply on restart.
And the obvious part: no-Steam mode is for copies bought in another store. Playing without having bought the game is against its terms, and a NapNodes server can't be used for that.
If you run it on your PC
The Steam dedicated server comes with two launchers on Windows: StartServer64.bat, with Steam, and StartServer64_nosteam.bat, without Steam. To play with GOG friends, the second one. Everything else (ports, the .ini, keeping it on) is the same as always: the dedicated server on your PC, step by step.
If you just want to check it works for you before setting anything up, the NapNodes free server has “No-Steam mode” too: no card, you start it when you're going to play and it shuts down on its own after an hour with nobody on.
Going back to Steam
If your GOG friend stops playing, or you want Workshop mods back without hassle: turn off “No-Steam mode” in “Settings” and restart. The Steam players remove -nosteam from their launch options. The world and everyone's accounts are still there.
Frequently asked questions
Can you play Project Zomboid between Steam and GOG?
Yes, on a server started without Steam (-nosteam). GOG players join as usual and Steam players have to launch the game with -nosteam in their launch options. On a normal server, with Steam, GOG players can't join.
Where do I put -nosteam on Steam?
Right-click Project Zomboid in your library → “Properties” → “General” → “Launch Options”. It stays there until you delete it.
Do Workshop mods work on a server without Steam?
Not the normal way: without Steam, the game doesn't download Workshop mods when you join and GOG copies can't subscribe. They have to be installed by hand on the server and in each game, on the same version.
Does the GOG version have Build 42?
Yes: Build 42 arrived as the stable version on Steam and GOG on July 29, 2026. To play together, the game's and the server's version numbers have to be the same.
Shall we set it up for you?
Project Zomboid servers from €12 a month, never oversold: your RAM is yours alone. And if you'd rather start without paying, there's a free Project Zomboid server, no card needed.
Not sure whether your server is online? Check it in a second with the Project Zomboid server status checker: players, version and password, free.
Keep reading
- Project Zomboid Server Always Online: Play Without Waiting for the Host
How to keep your Project Zomboid server always on so you can join without the host: your PC, an old computer or a host, and what PauseEmpty does.
- 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 Stuck on “Getting Server Info”: Why It Happens and How to Fix It
Project Zomboid stuck on “Getting Server Info” or “Connection Failed”? How to tell whether it's the server, the port, the game version, a mod or your network.