A free Project Zomboid server that keeps the apocalypse going
A real dedicated Zomboid server, with your share link covering the bill.
Project Zomboid is at its best as a persistent world, and that means a server that runs when the host is offline. Free hosts rarely have the memory for Build 42. Here the server is a normal paid one, and the credits your link earns pay for it.
Staying longer? Subscribe and get 50% off your first month
- DDoS protected
- 24/7 support
- Live the moment you pay
Get your game server for free
One link, two ways to earn. Credits pay your bill.
Way 1, the big one
$10
for every friend who joins
Send your link. When anyone subscribes through it, you get credits. Friends or strangers, it all counts.
Way 2
5¢
for every click
Post your link anywhere. Every new person who clicks it earns you credits.
Rather just share the cost? Split the bill with up to 10 friends, each pays their own part. How bill sharing works
- Split the billUp to 10 friends, own cards
- Custom plansAny RAM up to 32 GB
- Prepaid or monthly3 days to 1 year
- Live in 60 secondsNo setup, no waiting
- Cancel any timeNo contracts, ever
How a Zomboid server ends up free
Build 42 is hungrier than you think
Build 42 is noticeably heavier than Build 41 on both RAM and CPU, and every Workshop mod or custom map adds to it. The server runs on Java, where a heap set too high gets it killed and one set too low makes it stutter. Around 6 GB suits a small vanilla group, 8 GB fits up to 12 players with a few mods, and long lived servers with big mod lists want 12 GB.
That is more than free hosts can give away per world, and hosting from your own game means Knox County freezes whenever you log off. Friends in other time zones cannot farm or scavenge while you sleep.
Two ways your link earns
Every account gets a share link in one click from the dashboard. No application and no code. It earns 5 cents in credits for every person who clicks it, counted once a day per person, and $10 in credits for every person who clicks it and subscribes, once per person.
Anyone counts. Survivors who find your link in a Zomboid Discord, a Workshop collection description or a clip of your safehouse earn you credits just like your group does.
What the credits buy
Credits are money that buys servers with us, not a discount, and they come off your bills automatically. Our 6 GB Starter plan is $14.99 a month, sized for vanilla Build 42 with up to 6 players, so three people who click your link and subscribe cover two months of it. Two cover a month of the 8 GB Standard plan at $19.99.
Once your credits cover a server you get it with credits alone, no card and no payment. A 3 day prepaid 6 GB server is $3.75, which 75 clicks pay for, and you keep adding time as credits come in. Credits never expire while the program runs, have no cash value and only pay GamezServers bills.
The same server as a paid one
Credit paid servers get dedicated memory, DDoS protection, backups, a live console and a file manager. We size the Java heap to your plan on every start. Set the join password, player slots and whitelist from the panel, paste Workshop IDs and Mod IDs and restart, and we add the Build 42 backslash for you. Groups finishing an older world can pick the Build 41 server type instead.
The apocalypse keeps going when everyone logs off, and the server updates itself on every restart. It only goes to sleep after 4 days with nobody on, and anyone with access wakes it with one click.
Pick your Zomboid plan
Every plan is live the moment you pay. Upgrade or cancel from your dashboard any time.
Starter
6 GBThen $14.99/mo. $0.50 a day.
Splitting with 3 friends? $4.77 each/mo
- 6 GB RAM
- 2 vCPU cores
- Up to 4 players
- DDoS protection included
- 24/7 support
Standard
8 GBThen $19.99/mo. $0.67 a day.
Splitting with 3 friends? $6.02 each/mo
- 8 GB RAM
- 2 vCPU cores
- Up to 8 players
- DDoS protection included
- 24/7 support
Pro
12 GBThen $29.99/mo. $1.00 a day.
Splitting with 3 friends? $8.52 each/mo
- 12 GB RAM
- 3 vCPU cores
- Up to 16 players
- DDoS protection included
- 24/7 support
What comes set up on a Zomboid server
5 cents per click
Anyone who clicks your link earns you credits, once a day per person.
$10 per subscriber
In credits, about two thirds of a month of the 6 GB Starter plan.
Java heap sized for you
Set to your plan on every start, so Build 42 neither crashes nor stutters.
Workshop mods
Paste Workshop IDs and Mod IDs in the panel and restart.
DDoS protection and backups
The same protection as every paid plan.
A look inside Zomboid
Real screenshots from the game. Click any of them to see it full size.
This is the panel. Click around.
This is the Zomboid panel you get. Click any button, or type a command.
Zomboid Server
play.gamezservers.com:16261
[12:00:00] Starting Project Zomboid server
[12:00:03] Loading world
[12:00:06] Server started on port 16261
[12:00:09] Ready for players. Try a button.
Power
Zomboid actions
How to join your Zomboid server
- 1
Launch Project Zomboid on the same build as your server (Build 42 unless the server runs Build 41).
- 2
Click Join on the main menu.
- 3
Enter
203.0.113.24as the IP and16261as the port, the join password if there is one, and a username and password for your account on this server. - 4
Click Save, select the server in your list and click Join. Workshop mods download automatically.
Common problems
IP and port go in separate boxes
Type the part of the address before the colon as the IP, and the number after it as the port.
Your account is made on first join
The username and password you type the first time you join become your account on this server. Use the same ones every time, or you start over as a new character.
Same build as the server
A Build 41 game cannot join a Build 42 server. In Steam, open Project Zomboid, Properties, Game Versions and Betas, and pick the same branch as the server.
Server not responding
Make sure the server is online. Servers sleep after 4 days with nobody playing, and anyone with access can start them again from the dashboard in one click.
Use the server address
Do not use localhost, 127.0.0.1 or your own IP from a home hosting guide. Copy the exact address of the server.
No port forwarding or firewall changes
Opening ports on your router is only for hosting a server at home, so there is nothing to change to join this one. If Windows asks whether to let the game through the firewall, choose Allow.
Common questions
Is the Project Zomboid server really free?
The server is a normal paid one. Your share link earns credits that come off your bill automatically, and when they cover the whole bill you pay nothing.
How much RAM does a Build 42 server need?
About 6 GB for a small vanilla group of up to 6, 8 GB for up to 12 players with a few mods, and 12 GB for big mod lists or extra maps.
How do I earn credits?
Two ways: 5 cents for every person who clicks your link, once a day per person, and $10 for every person who clicks it and subscribes, once per person. They do not need to be your friends.
Can credits pay for the server without a card?
Yes. Once your credits cover a server you get it with credits alone. A 3 day prepaid 6 GB Zomboid server is $3.75, and you can keep adding time with credits.
Can I run Workshop mods on it?
Yes. It is the same server as a paid one. Paste Workshop IDs and Mod IDs in the panel and restart. Big mod lists run best on 8 GB or more, which costs more credits.
Can I still play Build 41?
Yes. Pick the Build 41 server type for an older world or Build 41 only mods. Build 41 saves do not load on Build 42.
Do my friends need to own the game?
Yes. Every player needs their own copy of Project Zomboid on Steam, on the same build as the server.
How many mods can I run?
As many as your plan handles. Big mod lists and map mods run best on 8 GB or more.
How do I add Workshop mods?
Put the Workshop IDs in the Workshop IDs setting and the Mod IDs in Mod IDs, separated by semicolons or commas, then restart. Both are listed at the bottom of each mod's Workshop page. Map mods also need their map folder in the Map setting.
Does the server run Build 42?
Yes. Build 42 has been the stable branch since 29 July 2026 and is the default. Pick the Build 41 server type if your group wants to keep playing Build 41.
Can my friends and I split the cost?
Yes. At checkout choose "Me and my friends" and up to 10 people each pay their own share with their own card, on any plan length, from 3 days to a year. It is not a payment plan: nobody pays in parts over time, each friend simply pays their own share. You pay yours, send each friend their link, and the server starts straight away. Each share includes a $1 payment fee.
Can I build a custom plan?
Yes. Every game has a Build your own page: pick any amount of RAM up to 32 GB, any length from 3 days to 1 year, prepaid or a subscription, plus your server type and settings. A custom size costs 15% more per GB than the standard plans next to it.
Can I pay once instead of a subscription?
Yes. Pick Prepaid and pay once for 3 days, 30 days, 6 months or a year. Nothing renews: when the time is up the server pauses and keeps its world for 14 days. Add time or switch to a subscription from your panel any time. Short rentals cost more per day, since every server is set up from scratch.
How fast is setup, really?
Your server starts building the moment Stripe confirms payment. Most are online in under a minute, and the address and login appear on your dashboard automatically.
Zomboid servers for every crew
Modded servers
Modded Project Zomboid, no ini editing
Your Workshop collection, running for the whole group.
Build 42 servers
Build 42 multiplayer, ready for your group
The new Knox County, running around the clock.
Multiplayer server
A Project Zomboid multiplayer server that never logs off
Your group plays Knox County together, whoever is online.
Server for friends
Your own Knox County, just for your group
Scavenge, farm and die together, on your own schedule.
Server rental
Rent a Project Zomboid server
Pay for a weekend, a month or a year. Live the moment you pay.
Zomboid server guides
Zomboid7 min readHow to Host a Project Zomboid Server (Build 42, 2026)
How to host a Project Zomboid server with GamezServers: choose a plan, split the bill, join in minutes, then set servertest.ini, sandbox and mods.
ReadZomboid5 min readHow to Reset a Player's Character on a Project Zomboid Server
Delete or reset one player's character on a Project Zomboid server without wiping the world, by editing players.db or changing their username.
ReadZomboid5 min readProject Zomboid Server Hosting Cost in 2026 (Build 42 and Mods)
What a Project Zomboid server costs per month for Build 42, how Workshop mods and map mods push the price up, per player costs, and the free hosting options.
ReadZomboid5 min readProject Zomboid Server World Reset After Restart? How to Fix It
Your Project Zomboid server came back as day one with default settings? Why a restart starts a new world, and how to get the old save back.
ReadZomboid6 min readHow to Add a Custom Spawn to a Project Zomboid Server
Add custom spawn points to a Project Zomboid server with spawnregions.lua and a spawnpoints file, per profession and for map mods, and the SpawnPoint trap.
ReadZomboid6 min readHow to Add a Workshop Collection to a Project Zomboid Server
Turn a Steam Workshop collection into Project Zomboid server mods: get every Workshop ID and Mod ID, the Build 42 Mods format, and the sub mods to leave out.
Read
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