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The reliable way to host a persistent 7 Days to Die world in 2026 is to install the separate dedicated-server tool (Steam app 294420), keep your own copy of its configuration, open the correct network ports, and maintain backups. The server runs independently of the game client, so friends can return to the same world even when you are not playing. You can run it on a Windows or Linux machine at home, or rent a managed game-server instance if you would rather avoid machine administration.
This guide covers the current V3.x setup, including the configuration changes introduced in V3.0. Defaults and property names can change, so check the files shipped with the exact build you install before copying older examples.
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What a dedicated server does
A dedicated server is a standalone process that hosts the world, accepts player connections, saves progress, and remains online without a player running the normal game client. The game itself is Steam app 251570; the free dedicated-server download is Steam app 294420. Installing the game is not a substitute for installing the server tool.
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The server can run on Windows or Linux. A separate machine gives the server its own CPU, memory, storage, and uptime. Running both the client and server on one computer is possible, but it creates resource contention and requires substantially more memory.
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Choose between self-hosting and renting
Both models can produce the same in-game result. The difference is who owns the machine work around it.
| Consideration | Self-hosted PC or home server | Rented managed server |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | No recurring game-server rental fee, but you provide hardware, electricity, storage, and an internet connection. | Recurring fee; the provider supplies the machine and network connection. |
| Control | Full access to files, launch arguments, logs, saves, and mods. | Settings and file access depend on the provider’s panel and service terms. |
| Administration | You install updates, configure the firewall, restart the process, and diagnose failures. | The provider generally handles machine availability and basic panel operations; you still choose game settings, versions, mods, and backups. |
| Network access | Usually requires router port forwarding, a stable local address, and an internet connection that accepts inbound traffic. | The provider normally supplies a public endpoint, so home-router forwarding is not required. |
| Backups | You decide where and how often to copy the save and configuration. | Backup schedules, retention, and restore access vary; verify them before relying on the service. |
| Location and latency | Usually best for players near your home connection, subject to its upload quality and routing. | You can often select a data-center region, but the available locations depend on the provider. |
Choose self-hosting if you are comfortable with operating-system updates, firewall rules, and recovery work. Choose a rental if predictable machine availability and a control panel matter more than direct access to the underlying system. Renting does not remove the need to understand the version, settings, mods, and save files your group uses.
If you decide to rent, Godlike.Host offers 7 Days to Die server hosting with a Pterodactyl-based game panel, up to three free backups a day with restore, free DDoS protection, and 10 data-center locations to choose from. Check the current plans before you pick a region.
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The Fun Pimps’ Steam listing for the game publishes 8 GB of RAM minimum, 12 GB recommended, and 15 GB of available storage. The same listing warns that running a dedicated server and the game client on the same computer doubles the RAM requirement. Those figures are published game requirements, not a dedicated-server performance guarantee or a promise of a particular player count.
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How to size a self-hosted machine
- Memory: Start with the published figures as a floor, then leave headroom for the operating system, background services, map generation, additional players, and mods. More RAM alone cannot guarantee smooth performance.
- Storage: Use an SSD where possible. Generated worlds, explored regions, player data, logs, and backups grow over time. A 15 GB free-space figure is not a long-term capacity plan for a frequently used world.
- CPU: The server must process simulation, entity activity, saves, and player connections. A separate, modern machine avoids making the client compete for processor time.
- Network: Upload capacity and latency matter to every connected player. A wired connection and a stable local address make troubleshooting easier.
- Operating system: Windows is familiar to many first-time hosts. Linux can run the server efficiently and is well suited to a dedicated, non-interactive machine, but requires comfort with a terminal and service management.
Larger worlds, widely scattered exploration, higher populations, and overhaul mods increase resource pressure. Do not convert the 8 GB or 12 GB figures into a fixed “maximum players” claim; the configuration reference’s default maximum is eight players, but that is a setting, not a benchmark.
Install the dedicated server with SteamCMD
SteamCMD is Valve’s command-line Steam client for installing and updating dedicated-server applications. Keep the server in its own directory and keep your custom configuration separate from files supplied by Steam.
Windows procedure
- Download and extract SteamCMD into a directory you control, such as
C:steamcmd. - Create a separate server directory, for example
C:7dtd-server. Do not mix it with your regular game installation. - Open Command Prompt in the SteamCMD directory and install app
294420with:steamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir C:7dtd-server +app_update 294420 validate +quit - When the command completes, inspect the server directory for the shipped configuration and executable. SteamCMD validation is useful after an interrupted update or suspected file damage.
- Copy the shipped
serverconfig.xmlto a second file, such asserverconfig-custom.xml. Edit the copy, not the vendor-supplied original. - Launch the server executable with the custom file, using the executable name present in your installation. The launch argument is:
-configfile=serverconfig-custom.xml
Linux procedure
- Install SteamCMD through your distribution’s supported package method or Valve’s documented download.
- Create a dedicated, non-login operating-system account for the server process. Running a network service under your everyday administrator account increases the impact of a mistake.
- Create a server directory owned by that account and install app
294420. A typical SteamCMD session is:steamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir /srv/7dtd +app_update 294420 validate +quit - Copy
serverconfig.xmlto a custom filename in the same installation or a clearly documented configuration directory. - Run the Linux server executable shipped by the installed build and pass
-configfile=serverconfig-custom.xml. Confirm the exact filename withls; executable names can change between releases. - For unattended operation, run the process under a service manager such as systemd or inside a persistent terminal session. Configure automatic restart only after you have confirmed that a clean shutdown saves the world correctly.
Do not place a personal Steam password in an unattended script. Anonymous login is sufficient for this dedicated-server app in the standard SteamCMD workflow. Run SteamCMD again with app_update 294420 validate when applying an update or repairing files, then review your launch script and custom configuration before starting the new build.
Create and maintain a custom configuration
The shipped XML is a reference for the build you installed. Copy it before editing because validation, updates, or a repair can restore the supplied file. Launching with -configfile ensures the process reads the copy you maintain.
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Settings commonly changed by a private group
- Server identity: Set a distinctive server name so friends can identify the listing.
- Password and visibility: Use a password for a private group and decide whether the server should be discoverable or joined by address.
- Player limit: The V3.3.0 configuration reference lists a default maximum of eight. Raising the value changes admission, not the hardware’s ability to simulate that population smoothly.
- World and seed: Select the world, generated-map option, and seed your group wants. Record these values with your backup so a recovery does not accidentally create a different world.
- Save location: Keep saves on a drive with adequate free space and include the location in your backup plan.
- Server port: The V3.3.0 reference lists
ServerPortdefaulting to26900.
V3.0 and later gameplay settings
Older tutorials often put gameplay rules directly in serverconfig.xml. The V3.3.0 configuration reference says V3.0 removed 30 old properties from that file. Gameplay parameters now use SandboxCode or runtime game preferences, depending on the setting. An XML line copied from an Alpha or 2.x guide may be ignored, rejected, or appear to work while doing nothing.
Before changing a gameplay rule, compare the property with the configuration reference for the exact installed version. Keep server identity, network, access, and file-path settings in the XML only when that build documents them there. Record runtime changes separately so another administrator can reproduce the setup.
Open the ports and make the server reachable
For the default game port, current setup guidance identifies TCP 26900 and UDP 26900 through 26903. You need to permit these on the host’s operating-system firewall. If the server sits behind a home router, forward the same ports to the server machine’s stable LAN address. A cloud machine may also have a provider-level firewall or security group that must allow them.
- Assign the server computer a reserved DHCP lease or static LAN address, such as
192.168.1.50, so forwarding does not break after a reboot. - In the router’s port-forwarding page, create rules for TCP
26900and UDP26900-26903pointing to that address. - In Windows Defender Firewall or your Linux firewall, allow the server executable or the same port range. Apply the narrowest profile and scope practical for your network.
- For a rented or cloud machine, add equivalent inbound rules in the provider’s firewall panel.
- Confirm that the active custom configuration still uses
26900. If you changed the port, update the corresponding forwarding and firewall rules and verify the UDP range documented for that build.
Do not test only from inside the host’s network. Ask a friend on a different connection to join using the server listing or public address. Some routers do not support loopback connections, so an internal test can fail even when outside players can connect.
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Optional dashboard and remote administration
Dashboard and telnet-style administration interfaces are optional. The setup material lists default dashboard/telnet ports 8080 and 8081. Enable only the interface you actually need, change default credentials, use a strong unique password, and restrict access by firewall or trusted network where possible. Do not expose an administration port to the public internet merely because the game port is open.
Start the world and verify the first connection
- Stop any old server process before changing files or updating the installation.
- Start the executable with
-configfile=serverconfig-custom.xmland watch the console or log for the configured name, port, world, and save path. - Wait for the world to finish loading before inviting players. The first generated world can take longer than a routine restart.
- Have a remote player join and confirm the correct world, version, password, and player limit.
- Move, place a block, and leave the world normally. Check that the save timestamp changes before shutting down the process.
- Record the installed game build, configuration filename, world/seed, port, mod list, and backup location in an administrator note.
Server and client builds must be compatible. After an update, have every player update before diagnosing a connection problem that is actually a version mismatch.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Backups, updates, and routine maintenance
The save is persistent data: it contains the world and player progress that cannot be recreated by reinstalling the executable. Back up the save directory and your custom configuration before an update, mod change, world-setting change, or major migration.
- Keep at least one backup on a different physical device or machine from the running server.
- Use dated backup folders so you can identify the last known-good world.
- Test a restore on a separate directory instead of assuming that a copy is usable.
- Back up before installing an overhaul mod; removing or changing mods can make an existing world behave differently.
- Leave enough free SSD space for the live world and several backups.
For an update, announce a maintenance window, stop the server cleanly, copy the save and configuration, run SteamCMD validation, read the new shipped configuration, and start with your custom file. Review properties removed or renamed in the new V3.x build rather than blindly merging old XML.
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Troubleshoot the common failures
The server does not appear or friends cannot connect
- Confirm the process is running and listening on the port shown in the active configuration.
- Check both the operating-system firewall and the router or cloud firewall.
- Verify that forwarding targets the server’s current LAN address.
- Confirm TCP
26900and UDP26900-26903are allowed for the default port. - Ask an outside player to test; an internal loopback failure may be a router limitation.
The server starts with the wrong settings
- Check the launch command for the exact
-configfilefilename and path. - Confirm that the edited copy is readable by the account running the server.
- Inspect the startup log for XML errors or unknown properties.
- Compare the property with the V3.x reference; a removed V3.0 gameplay property will not configure the rule you expect.
Players see a different world or lost progress
- Stop the server before copying or restoring saves.
- Verify the configured save path and world name.
- Check timestamps and restore the most recent known-good backup to a separate location first.
- Make sure the server is not launching a second installation with a different working directory.
Performance degrades as the group explores
Check available RAM, CPU load, SSD free space, save growth, player count, and mod activity. Scattered exploration and larger generated worlds create more data than a newly started map. Reduce unnecessary background services, move the server to a separate machine, or lower the configured population rather than assuming that a single hardware upgrade will solve every bottleneck.
Platform and crossplay limitations
Do not promise that every console or PC client can join every hosted setup. Current crossplay eligibility depends on the game’s supported platform combinations and build rules, and the available material does not establish a universal 2026 matrix. Verify the official platform guidance for the exact edition and version your group owns before buying hardware or a rental.
A practical 2026 launch checklist
- Install Steam app
294420, not only game app251570. - Use a dedicated server directory and, on Linux, a separate non-login account.
- Copy
serverconfig.xmlto a custom file and launch with-configfile. - Confirm the V3.x property list; do not reuse obsolete Alpha or 2.x gameplay XML.
- Set the name, password, player limit, world/seed, save location, and port.
- Allow TCP
26900and UDP26900-26903by default on every relevant firewall layer. - Secure or disable optional administration ports
8080and8081. - Back up saves and configuration before updates, mod changes, and world changes.
- Test from outside the host’s network and record the build and recovery steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I host the dedicated server and play on the same PC?
Yes, but the Steam listing warns that running the dedicated server and client together doubles the listed RAM requirement. A separate machine provides more predictable headroom.
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Do I need to buy the game again for the server?
No. The dedicated-server tool is a separate free Steam download identified by app ID 294420; the game client uses app ID 251570.
Which ports should I forward if I changed ServerPort?
Use the port and UDP range documented for the installed build, then change the host firewall, router forwarding, and any cloud firewall rules together. The default guidance is TCP 26900 and UDP 26900–26903.
How often should I back up the world?
Back up before updates, mod or world-setting changes, and any operation that could alter persistent data. Keep a copy away from the running machine and verify that a restore works.
Will an old serverconfig.xml tutorial work on V3.x?
Not necessarily. The V3.3.0 reference says V3.0 removed 30 gameplay properties from the XML and moved those rules to SandboxCode or runtime preferences. Check the reference for your exact build.
Quick Recap
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