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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteThe reliable way to run a persistent 7 Days to Die PvP world is to install Steam’s separate 7 Days to Die Dedicated Server (application 294420), configure a copied XML file, open the required ports, and keep the process running under a restart policy. The host computer does not need a copy of the game, but every player who connects does. This guide covers Windows 10/11 and Linux, including V3 configuration, crossplay limits, mods, security and the fixes for settings that appear not to apply.
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What a dedicated PvP server does
A dedicated server is a standalone process rather than a world hosted by a player’s game client. The map and save remain available after the person who installed the server logs off, provided the machine and server process stay online. Players still need the game on their own accounts; the server machine does not need a game license.
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You can run the server on a spare Windows 10 or 11 PC, a Linux machine, or a managed game-server service. Self-hosting gives you direct control of files, branches and mods, but you must handle networking, updates, backups and restarts yourself.
Choose self-hosting or managed hosting
Decide this before installing anything. The game files and configuration are the same, but the work you own is different.
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| Consideration | Self-hosted machine | Managed hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | Install SteamCMD, download app 294420, configure the server, forward ports and test the firewall. | Usually faster because the provider supplies a control panel and preconfigured networking; exact onboarding depends on the provider. |
| Recurring cost | No hosting subscription; electricity, hardware and internet costs depend on your setup. | A recurring rental charge is normal; the 7D2D Wiki’s 2026 guidance does not state a universal price. |
| File and branch control | Full access to server files, Steam branches, XML copies and the Mods/ directory. |
Control depends on the panel and the provider’s supported game versions and branches. |
| Networking and security | You are responsible for the static LAN address, router forwarding, host firewall, dashboard and telnet exposure. | The provider normally supplies the public address and network layer, but you still need strong administration credentials. |
| Backups and restarts | Build your own scheduled backups and use systemd, a restart loop, screen or tmux. | Panels commonly offer scheduled updates, backups and restart controls; verify what is included. |
| Mods and crossplay | Direct control, including branch pinning and fresh worlds for overhauls. | Verify mod support, branch selection and crossplay behavior before paying. |
Hardware and network requirements
The 7D2D Wiki’s 2026 baseline lists 6 GB of free RAM and 15 GB of SSD space as a minimum. For a larger group or a modded installation, it lists 10–16 GB of RAM and at least 25 GB of SSD space as a comfortable target. Those figures cover the server software and a practical amount of world data; saves, backups and mod files grow over time, so leave additional capacity.
- Use a processor with strong per-core performance. Simulation and world generation can be sensitive to single-thread speed.
- Use an SSD rather than a hard disk for the installation, saves and backups.
- Choose a stable connection with enough upload capacity for your expected player count.
- Prefer wired Ethernet on the host. Wi-Fi adds another source of latency and disconnects.
- Give the machine a static address on your local network, or create a DHCP reservation in the router.
The server does not need to be the same computer on which anyone plays. Separating the server from a player’s gaming session avoids performance drops when the host launches another application.
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1. Install SteamCMD
Install Valve’s SteamCMD utility on the machine that will run the server. On Linux, create a dedicated, non-root account for the service before downloading files. On Windows, make a dedicated directory rather than placing the server inside a personal game-library folder.
2. Download application 294420
Open a terminal or command prompt in the SteamCMD directory and run:
./steamcmd.sh +login anonymous +app_update 294420 validate +quitOn Windows, use the equivalent SteamCMD executable with the same arguments:
steamcmd.exe +login anonymous +app_update 294420 validate +quitThe validate argument checks the downloaded files. Use it after the first installation and again when an update failed or files appear damaged.
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3. Make a working configuration copy
Inside the dedicated-server directory, find the shipped serverconfig.xml. Copy it to a new file named myserver.xml, then edit the copy. Keeping the original untouched gives you a clean reference and prevents an update from erasing your custom settings.
4. Launch the server with that copy
On Linux, start the process with:
./startserver.sh -configfile=myserver.xmlOn Windows, run startdedicated.bat after setting it to point at myserver.xml. Confirm in the console that the intended world and port are loaded. If you edit a different XML file from the one named in the launch command, none of those changes can affect this instance.
Configure the PvP rules in V3
Open myserver.xml in a text editor and work through these groups of settings. Save the file and restart the server after changing configuration.
Identity and discoverability
ServerName: Use a distinctive name that tells players whether the server is public, friends-only or crossplay.- Description, region and language: Fill these in so the listing communicates the rules and intended audience.
ServerPassword: Set a password for a private friends-only PvP server. Leave it empty only when you deliberately want an open public server.
Visibility and capacity
The V3 reference documents these ServerVisibility values:
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
2 |
Public |
1 |
Friends-only |
0 |
Unlisted |
Set ServerMaxPlayerCount to a number your CPU, memory and upload connection can actually sustain. Set reserved or administrator slots intentionally rather than assuming the server will protect them automatically.
World selection and generation
Choose GameWorld as Navezgane, RWG (randomly generated world), or the name of an existing world. When generating a random world, set WorldGenSeed and WorldGenSize deliberately. Record those values with your backups so you can reproduce the intended generation settings if the world must be rebuilt.
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V3 gameplay settings belong in SandboxCode
In V3, gameplay choices such as loot frequency, experience, day length, zombie speed and blood-moon behavior are carried by SandboxCode. Older guides often list individual XML properties for these options. Adding those removed legacy properties to a V3 file has no effect; remove them from your troubleshooting checklist and edit the supported sandbox data instead.
Because the exact sandbox string represents a set of game rules, change one planned group at a time, keep a copy of the previous working file, and restart before judging the result. Do not assume a line copied from a pre-V3 guide is still recognized.
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Give the host a static LAN address, then create router forwarding rules to that address and matching allow rules in the host firewall.
| Purpose | Protocol and port | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Game traffic | 26900 TCP and UDP | Yes |
| Additional game traffic | 26901–26902 UDP | Yes |
| Web dashboard | 8080 TCP | Optional administration |
| Telnet administration | 8081 TCP | Optional administration |
If you change ServerPort, move the adjacent UDP ports with it rather than leaving 26901–26902 pointed at the old range. Forward only to the server’s fixed LAN address. A port-forward rule aimed at a DHCP address that later changes will silently stop working.
Allow the same ports in Windows Firewall or the Linux firewall. Test from outside your home network; a connection made from the same LAN can succeed through local routing even when the public forward is wrong. Have a player on another connection search for the server or attempt a direct join after the process is running.
Secure administration before publishing the address
The current reference lists TelnetEnabled=true by default. With an empty telnet password, access is restricted to loopback, but that is not a reason to expose the interface publicly. Set a strong, unique credential if remote administration is genuinely needed, or disable telnet and the web dashboard when you do not use them.
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- Do not forward ports 8080 or 8081 to the public internet unless administration requires it.
- Restrict firewall rules to trusted source addresses where your router and operating system allow that.
- Use separate administrator credentials from your player password.
- Add only trusted 64-bit SteamIDs to
serveradmin.xml. - Keep the XML files and save directory readable and writable only by the dedicated service account on Linux.
Decide crossplay settings before launch
ServerAllowCrossplay is false by default. If console and PC players must share the world, enable it before publishing the server name and advertise the supported platforms clearly.
V3 crossplay discovery and joining depend on sanctions handling and on keeping the player-slot count at the default or lower value. Raising ServerMaxPlayerCount can make an otherwise valid crossplay server disappear from console search. Treat the slot policy and crossplay choice as one decision: a higher-capacity PC-only server may be incompatible with the console discovery rules.
Keep the world online and recover after restarts
Linux
Run the server under systemd with a service policy that uses Restart=always, or keep it inside screen or tmux. A service manager is preferable for a machine that should recover automatically after a crash or reboot. Ensure the service starts as the non-root account that owns the server files.
Windows
Use a restart loop or a service wrapper around startdedicated.bat. The wrapper should start the batch file with the same -configfile=myserver.xml target, wait for a clean shutdown, and relaunch after an unexpected exit.
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Updates and backups
Schedule SteamCMD updates during announced maintenance windows rather than while players are building. Stop the server cleanly, update app 294420, validate the files when needed, then start it again. Keep at least these backups:
- The active
myserver.xmland the untouched shipped configuration. - The world and player-save directories.
serveradmin.xmland any other access-control files.- The
Mods/directory, with a note of the game branch each mod requires.
Store a copy away from the server disk so a failed drive does not destroy both the live world and its backup.
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Install mods without creating version conflicts
Place server-side mods in the server root’s Mods/ folder. Every client must have compatible files for a mod that changes content or gameplay. A total overhaul must match on every client; a mismatch produces an incompatible-version failure rather than a partially working game.
When a mod requires a particular game branch, pin that branch and update the server and all clients together. If the overhaul requires a new world, create a fresh world instead of loading an old save into it. Record the branch, mod versions and world name in your maintenance notes so a later update does not accidentally mix incompatible files.
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The server starts, but my setting did not change
- Confirm that you edited
myserver.xml, not the shippedserverconfig.xml. - Check the launch line or batch file and verify it names
-configfile=myserver.xml. - Stop and restart the process after saving the file; do not judge a change in an already running instance.
- For loot, XP, day length, zombie speed or blood-moon behavior on V3, edit
SandboxCode. Removed legacy XML properties are ignored. - Read the startup console for a malformed value or a different world/config path than the one you expected.
Players cannot connect from outside the house
- Verify 26900 is forwarded for both TCP and UDP, and 26901–26902 for UDP.
- Check that the forwarding destination is the host’s current static LAN address.
- Confirm matching allow rules in the operating-system firewall.
- If
ServerPortwas changed, move the adjacent UDP ports with it. - Test from a genuinely external connection rather than relying only on a same-LAN test.
The server is missing from console search
Check ServerAllowCrossplay, sanctions handling and the slot count. A value above the default-or-lower player limit can prevent discovery even when PC players can see the server.
Players receive an incompatible-version error
Compare the server and every client’s game branch and mod set. Pin the required branch, update all parties to a compatible build, and remove or replace a mismatched total overhaul. If the overhaul requires a fresh world, create one after the versions match.
The world disappears after the host logs off
That behavior indicates a client-hosted game or a stopped server process. Start app 294420 as the dedicated process, keep the machine powered on, and use systemd, screen/tmux, a restart loop or a service wrapper so the process survives the administrator’s logout.
Launch checklist for a public PvP server
- Install app 294420 with SteamCMD and validate the files.
- Copy
serverconfig.xmltomyserver.xml. - Set the name, description, region, language, password, visibility, slot count and admin reservations.
- Choose
Navezgane,RWGor an existing world; set seed and size when generating a random map. - Put V3 gameplay rules in
SandboxCode, not obsolete XML properties. - Choose crossplay and a slot count that satisfies its discovery limits.
- Forward 26900 TCP/UDP and 26901–26902 UDP; expose 8080/8081 only when administration requires them.
- Set a static LAN address, apply host-firewall rules and test from outside the network.
- Add trusted 64-bit SteamIDs to
serveradmin.xmland secure or disable telnet and the dashboard. - Install compatible mods in
Mods/, pin branches when required and create a fresh world for an overhaul that demands one. - Automate restarts, announce maintenance, update during off-hours and back up saves and configuration.
With those pieces in place, app 294420 provides a persistent PvP world independent of any one player’s game session. The details that most often decide whether it works are using the copied configuration file, placing V3 rules in SandboxCode, forwarding the complete port set, and keeping server, clients and mods on compatible versions.
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