NapNodes
Free tool · Project Zomboid (Build 42)

How long is a day in Project Zomboid, and when does the power go out?

Pick your game's day length, say whether time stops when nobody is on and the shutoff day, and we'll tell you how many real hours of play are left until the power and water go off, and when that lands on the calendar at your pace.

Day length

In SandboxVars it's DayLength = 4.

Does time stop when nobody is on?

Shutoff day

ElecShutModifier and WaterShutModifier in SandboxVars (14 by default).

With days of 1 hour, 30 minutes

One in-game day
1 h 30 min real time
One in-game hour
3 min 45 s real time

From the start of the game; on the right, when it arrives on the calendar playing those hours per week:

Electricity goes off (day 14): after 21 h with the clock runningabout 2 weeks
Water goes off (day 14): after 21 h with the clock runningabout 2 weeks
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6 GB, no card and no end date; the world clock, your way in “Settings”.

The shutoff day, by day length

With the default shutoff (day 14), the hours of play with the clock running:

Days of 30 minutes7 h · one in-game hour, 1 min 15 s
Days of 1 hour14 h · one in-game hour, 2 min 30 s
Days of 1 hour, 30 minutes21 h · one in-game hour, 3 min 45 s
Days of 2 hours28 h · one in-game hour, 5 min
Days of 3 hours42 h · one in-game hour, 7 min 30 s
Days of real-time336 h · one in-game hour, 1 h

The two settings that decide the shutoff

  • “Electricity Shutoff” and “Water Shutoff” (ElecShut and WaterShut): a range. Power, from “14 - 30 Days” to “14 Days - 5 Years”, “Instant” or “Disabled”; water, the same but from day 0.
  • ElecShutModifier and WaterShutModifier: the day, as a number; 14 by default. It's the one you enter in the calculator.

The game counts them from the default start date of the game, July 9, 1993. If you want more time to build your base with power, raise it; for a hard game from the start, lower it.

On a server: don't let the clock run without you

In single player, time stops when you quit. On a server, it doesn't: it runs while the server is on, unless you enable “Pause time when nobody is on”. If you play in bursts, turn it on; if there are people at all hours (a public server), leave it off and make the day longer, so nobody misses a week of game time while they sleep.

On NapNodes all three are in the panel's “Settings”, with a search box: “Pause time when nobody is on” in “The essentials”; “Day Length” in “World: time and start”; the power and water shutoff in “World: power, water and weather”. World settings apply on restart. For everything else about the game, read the guide to zombies, difficulty and loot on your server.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a day in Project Zomboid?

By default, on Build 42, an hour and a half of real time (“Day Length” = 1 Hour, 30 Minutes). It can go from 15 minutes up to 23 hours, or real time (24 hours). An in-game hour lasts a twenty-fourth of that: with the default day, 3 min 45 s.

When does the power go out in Project Zomboid?

When the game reaches the day set in ElecShutModifier, which is day 14 by default; the water, with WaterShutModifier, also day 14 by default. With the default day, 14 days are 21 hours of play with the clock running.

Why did the power go out on our server when we'd barely played?

Because the server's clock runs while it's on even if nobody is there, unless “Pause time when nobody is on” (PauseEmpty) is enabled. With the default day, a server that's on 24 hours a day goes through 16 in-game days per real day: the day 14 shutoff arrives before the first real day is over.

Can I change the day length once the game has started?

Yes: it's a world setting (DayLength in the SandboxVars file) and it applies when the server restarts. The days already played don't change; what's ahead does.

Your Zomboid game, on a server

That way the world doesn't depend on anyone's PC and everyone joins whenever they like. On NapNodes there's a free 6 GB Project Zomboid server, no card and no end date, with every game setting in “Settings”; and plans from 6 GB with the RAM yours alone.

Create your free Project Zomboid server

Already have one? Check whether it responds with “Is my Project Zomboid server online?” or see the Project Zomboid plans.

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