Survival · High-resource
Host a Project Zomboid Server in Staging (Staging)
Staging: awaiting manual game-client validation. Player connections are not yet verified. Evaluate this server before inviting players.
Host Project Zomboid on your own Windows 10/11 or Linux computer. Swarm Hosts gives you a browser control panel to start, stop, monitor, and back up your server.
- Guided settings
- Backups
Staging · client validation pending
Hardware and runtime
What Project Zomboid needs
Minimum requirements are a starting point. World size, player count, content, and game settings can require more resources.
- CPU
- 4+ cores
- Memory
- 8 GiB minimum
- Player traffic
- UDP
- Backup coverage
- 1 saved data location
Start with 4 CPU cores and 8 GiB memory. Leave additional disk space for saves, backups, and Workshop downloads. These are starting allocations for a small test server; player count and mods can increase resource use.
Technical overview
The dedicated server keeps saves, settings, and its Workshop cache in persistent storage. Its game and query traffic use an adjacent UDP port pair. See Staging games for evaluation limits.
Launch workflow
From host to running server
The staging image includes Build 42.21. Check the reported runtime version before choosing a client build and match both versions. The private RCON service is not a player connection port. Public network and relay reachability remain unvalidated.
- Choose Project Zomboid from Staging and select a suitable host.
- Set the Internal server name before first boot. It selects the configuration and save namespace; changing it later selects different server state.
- Set the public name, optional join password, player limit, public listing preference, and autosave interval.
- Leave the private admin and management credentials blank to generate unique values, or provide your own values of at least 16 characters. Keep them separate from the player join password.
- Launch, then inspect the startup logs and UDP query readiness result.
Networking
How players connect
For later client evaluation, add the displayed player host and primary UDP port in Project Zomboid's multiplayer server list. Both the primary port and the immediately following UDP port are needed. Use the displayed relay endpoint when available. Match the client and server game version, and check direct join before evaluating public server-browser discovery.
Managed shared relay when the game, host, and current relay path support it.
Game management tools
Manage your Project Zomboid server
Available tools depend on the game, server status, and your permissions. The game guide explains any setup needed for Server Actions.
Use the settings, files, backups, logs, and server controls available for this game. The complete guide documents any game-specific action prerequisites.
Mods & Content status
Mods and custom content
Project Zomboid resolves WorkshopItems to the provider's current files at runtime. Each ordered Workshop item also needs its internal Mods identifier (and Map entry for maps). Exact-version rollback is not available through the provider contract; back up saves and config before changes.
Workshop content is resolved by the game at startup to the provider's current files. The managed content page does not install or alter the server's WorkshopItems, Mods, or ordered Map settings. These fields must be managed together in the INI after a backup. The persistent cache does not provide exact version selection or exact rollback. Evaluate vanilla first, then add compatible content gradually.
Know before launch
Before you launch
- Awaiting manual game-client validation. Fresh Build 42.21 image startup, five-minute server stability, and generated save databases surviving restart were tested locally on 2026-10-09. Manual client connection and public network validation remain pending.
- Host on Windows 10/11 or Linux with Docker Desktop in Linux-container mode on Windows, or Docker Engine or rootful Podman on Linux.
- Managed shared relay when the game, host, and current relay path support it.
Windows 10/11 + Linux
Ready to host Project Zomboid?
Connect the Windows or Linux computer you already own, then follow the game-specific launch path.