# Project Zomboid Without Steam: Play on a Server With GOG Friends > How to play Project Zomboid multiplayer with a friend who owns it on GOG: no-Steam mode (-nosteam) on the server and in each game, and what changes with mods. Original page: https://napnodes.com/en/guides/project-zomboid-gog-no-steam-server · Updated: 2026-11-07 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. ## 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](https://napnodes.com/en/guides/update-project-zomboid-server). ## 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. 1. **Open “Settings”**: On your Project Zomboid server, scroll down to the “Players without Steam” block. 2. **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. 3. **Restart the server**: The change applies on restart. With the server on, “Restart”; if it was off, “Start”. 4. **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. 1. **Open the properties**: In your Steam library, right-click Project Zomboid → “Properties”. 2. **Type -nosteam**: Under “General”, in “Launch Options”, type `-nosteam`. Close the window: it saves on its own. 3. **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. 4. **Connect**: Select the server and “Connect”. If you get “Connection Failed”, first check that `-nosteam` is 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](https://napnodes.com/en/guides/add-mods-project-zomboid-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](https://napnodes.com/en/guides/project-zomboid-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](https://napnodes.com/en/guides/project-zomboid-private-server-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](https://napnodes.com/en/guides/project-zomboid-dedicated-server-pc). If you just want to check it works for you before setting anything up, the [NapNodes free server](https://napnodes.com/en/guides/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. ## 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. --- NapNodes gives you a free Project Zomboid server, no card and no end date: it isn't always on (it switches itself off after an hour with nobody on, and you start it again with one click). How it works: https://napnodes.com/en/free. Paid plans, always on and with no commitment: https://napnodes.com/en/pricing.