How to Host a DayZ Server: Hosted or Self Hosted (2026)

There are two ways to host a DayZ server on PC. Host it with us and it is online about a minute after checkout, with the map, mods and their keys set from the panel. Or host it yourself with the free dedicated server: download SteamCMD app 223350 with a Steam account that owns DayZ, give it 8 GB of RAM for vanilla or 12 GB with mods, and forward UDP ports 2302 to 2305 plus the Steam query port 27016. This guide covers both, including the Nasdara map from the Badlands expansion.

Which way should you host DayZ?

Hosting it yourself suits a group with a spare PC that stays on. If nobody has one, or the router will not cooperate, a hosted server skips the setup.

How much RAM does a DayZ server need?

DayZ is heavy on memory, and mods and big maps push it up fast:

A vanilla friend server is happy on 8 GB. As soon as you add a mod stack built on Community Framework and DayZ Expansion, take 12 GB. Nasdara is the largest official DayZ map at 267 square kilometres, so budget extra headroom for it. More detail in DayZ server requirements and how much RAM a game server needs.

Option 1: Host a DayZ server with GamezServers

1. Pick a plan from the table above. New customers get 50% off the first month, so Standard is about 15 USD to start. See choosing a plan if you are unsure.
2. Split the bill if you like. Choose Split with friends at checkout to share it between 2 and 10 people. Each friend pays their own share by card with a 1 USD fee per share, so Standard split four ways is roughly 8.50 USD each. Your server starts as soon as you pay your share. If someone leaves, the other shares go up (never above the full price), and everyone is emailed before any change.
3. Add voice if you want it. Checkout offers a Mumble voice server alongside DayZ, free for the first 30 days.
4. Pay and copy your address. Name the server, sign in or create an account on the same page, and pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. The server shows as Setting up, then Online. The address at the top of the control panel looks like 203.0.113.10:2302.
5. Pick your map and rules. In the panel, set Map to Chernarus, Livonia, Sakhal or Nasdara, and set a Join password if you want the server private. First person only, Day speed, Night speed, Darker nights and No crosshair are settings too. Restart to apply them.
6. Add Workshop mods. Put each mod's Workshop ID in the Workshop mods setting with an @ in front and a semicolon after, like @1559212036; for Community Framework. Or export a modlist from the DayZ Launcher, upload it to the main folder and put its file name in Modlist file. On the next start we download the mods, load them with the right -mod parameter and copy each .bikey into the keys folder. Mods only the server runs go in Server side mods.
7. Share the address. Friends join through the DayZ Launcher, as described below.

Billing is monthly with no contract, and you can cancel any time from the dashboard. Friends who create an account with the email they paid with see the server in their own dashboard. See billing and cancellation and the control panel guide.

How do players join a DayZ server?

1. Open the DayZ Launcher from Steam and go to the Servers tab.
2. Search for the server name on the Community tab, or use Direct Connect with the IP and port, for example 203.0.113.10 and 2302. Direct Connect only takes the numbers, not a name like play.gamezservers.com. If it finds nothing, try the game port plus 4, which is the server list port.
3. If the server runs mods, open it in the launcher and let it subscribe to and download every mod in its list. Wait until they all finish, or the server kicks you for missing mods.
4. Click Play from the launcher, never from the in game server browser or Steam favourites, which skip the mods.

Players need to own the matching DLC to join a Livonia, Sakhal or Nasdara server. Chernarus comes with the game. If the server is not in the list, see DayZ server not showing in the launcher.

How do you kick, ban or message players?

From the panel. The Players tab lists who is on with Message, Kick and Ban buttons, and quick actions message everyone, warn of a restart and lock the server. They work through BattlEye RCon, so BattleMetrics or DaRT work too with the RCON port and password from your panel. In game, log in as admin with #login and the admin password from your panel. For teleporting, spawning items and a player map, most owners add an admin mod from the Workshop, such as VPPAdminTools or Community Online Tools. See DayZ server admin tools and commands.

Option 2: Host a DayZ server on your own PC

Bohemia Interactive ships a free dedicated server for 64 bit Windows and Linux. You need:

• A PC or server that stays on while people play, with the RAM from the table above.
• A Steam account that owns DayZ. Unlike many games, the DayZ server cannot be downloaded with an anonymous SteamCMD login. Many people make a second Steam account that owns DayZ just for the server, so SteamCMD logins do not clash with the account they play on.
• SteamCMD, Valve's command line tool for downloading servers.
• Access to your router, so players outside your home can connect.

Step 1: Download the server with SteamCMD

The DayZ server is Steam app 223350:

steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/dayz/server +login your_steam_username +app_update 223350 validate +quit

On Windows, use a folder like C:\dayzserver instead. SteamCMD asks for your password and Steam Guard code the first time and remembers the session afterwards. Run the same command whenever DayZ updates, because players cannot join a server on an older build.

The server folder contains DayZServer_x64.exe on Windows or DayZServer on Linux, the serverDZ.cfg config file, the mpmissions folder with each map's mission, a keys folder and a battleye folder.

Step 2: Edit serverDZ.cfg

Open serverDZ.cfg in a text editor. The lines most groups change:

hostname = "Chernarus PvE | Friends";
password = "changeme";
passwordAdmin = "a-long-secret";
maxPlayers = 20;
disable3rdPerson = 0;
disableCrosshair = 0;
serverTimeAcceleration = 4;
serverNightTimeAcceleration = 8;
serverTimePersistent = 1;

• password: set one for a private server, leave it empty for a public one.
• passwordAdmin: the password you use to log in as admin.
• maxPlayers: up to 60 on PC.
• disable3rdPerson and disableCrosshair: 1 makes a hardcore first person server.
• serverTimeAcceleration: how fast the day passes. 4 means a day lasts 6 real hours.
• serverNightTimeAcceleration: multiplies on top of that at night, so nights go by faster.
• serverTimePersistent: 1 keeps the time of day across restarts.
• verifySignatures = 2;: keeps signature checks on. Leave it at 2.
• steamQueryPort: the port the server browser uses to find you, see the ports below.
• instanceId: keep it at 1 unless you run several servers on one machine.

Every line ends with a semicolon. A missing one is the most common reason a server refuses to start. Every setting is explained in DayZ serverDZ.cfg explained.

Step 3: Choose the map

The map is set at the bottom of serverDZ.cfg, in the class Missions block:

class Missions
{
    class DayZ
    {
        template="dayzOffline.chernarusplus";
    };
};

Each template matches a folder in mpmissions. Badlands and Nasdara came out on 15 October 2026 with update 1.30. If your server was installed before then, run the SteamCMD update first so the dayzOffline.nasdara mission folder appears. More in DayZ Badlands and update 1.30.

Step 4: Launch the server

On Linux:

./DayZServer -config=serverDZ.cfg -port=2302 -profiles=profiles -BEpath=battleye -doLogs -adminLog -freezeCheck

On Windows, use DayZServer_x64.exe with the same parameters, usually in a .bat file. -profiles sets where logs and admin data go, -doLogs and -adminLog turn on logging, and -freezeCheck restarts a hung server. When the log shows the mission has loaded, the server is ready.

DayZ servers are meant to restart every few hours. Most owners schedule a restart every 3 to 4 hours so the world and memory stay healthy.

Step 5: Open the ports

DayZ uses UDP only. Forward these to the server's local IP and allow them through the firewall:

If you run a second server, move its game port up by 100 or so, for example 2402, and give it its own query port. Our port forwarding guide walks through the router side. If forwarded ports never reach you, your provider may use CGNAT: see how to tell if you are behind CGNAT.

Step 6: Add mods and keys

Most community servers run Steam Workshop mods such as Community Framework and DayZ Expansion. For each mod:

1. Download it through SteamCMD with the same account, using +workshop_download_item 221100 <mod id>, or copy it from a DayZ client that is subscribed to it.
2. Copy the @ModName folder into the server folder.
3. Copy the .bikey file from the mod's keys folder into the server's keys folder. Without it, players get kicked for signature errors.
4. Add the mod to the launch command.

./DayZServer -config=serverDZ.cfg -port=2302 "-mod=@CF;@DayZ-Expansion-Bundle" -profiles=profiles

Separate mods with semicolons. On Linux, wrap the whole -mod= argument in quotes so the shell does not treat the semicolons as new commands, and keep mod folder names in consistent case, because Linux paths are case sensitive. Mods that only run on the server, such as admin tools, go in -serverMod= so players do not need them.

Step 7: Let friends connect

Friends open the DayZ Launcher, go to Servers and search for your hostname, or use Direct Connect with your public IP and game port, for example 203.0.113.10:2302. The launcher downloads any mods, then they press Play.

What are the catches with hosting it yourself?

• The PC has to stay on and be looked after around the clock, with a restart every few hours.
• A Steam login that owns DayZ is needed for every server and mod download.
• Five UDP ports to forward, and your home IP is shared with every player. See is hosting a game server at home safe.
• Every mod needs its key copied by hand, and every update means SteamCMD again before anyone can join.

How do you change loot and gameplay rules?

Both live in the mission folder, for example mpmissions/dayzOffline.chernarusplus/, on your own PC or in the Files tab of our panel.

• db/types.xml controls what loot spawns, how much and where. Each item has a nominal (how many the map aims for), a min (when to spawn more), a lifetime and a restock time. Raising nominal and min together gives more of an item. Full walkthrough: how to edit loot on a DayZ server.
• db/globals.xml holds global values like cleanup timers.
• cfggameplay.json covers stamina, base building and other gameplay rules. See DayZ cfggameplay.json explained.

Back up before you edit, because one broken XML tag can stop the server from starting. Restart to apply. On our servers, settings that have a panel field, such as the map, passwords and day speed, are set in the panel, which writes them into serverDZ.cfg on every start. See how to change DayZ server settings without them resetting.

How do mods work on a DayZ server?

Load order matters: frameworks like Community Framework come first, and mods built on them after. Many mods also ship their own loot files that need adding to your mission. Players get the same mods through the DayZ Launcher when they join. How to install mods on a DayZ server explains load order, server side mods and mod updates, and best DayZ server mods has ideas. If players get kicked with "Signature check timed out", read the signature kick fix.

Backups, updates and upgrades

• Backups: on our servers, press Backup before editing mission files or adding mods. Each server keeps 3. At home, copy the mission folder.
• Updates: our servers check DayZ and every Workshop mod for updates on each restart. At home, run the SteamCMD command again after every patch.
• Restarts: DayZ stays healthier with a restart every few hours. Use Restart in the panel after a long session.
• Sleep when empty: our servers stop after 4 days with nobody online, and anyone with access starts them again in one click. Turn it off in Settings for a public server, since a sleeping server is not in the launcher list.
• Upgrading: adding a big mod pack or Nasdara? Move to a bigger plan in Settings. It is prorated and the new RAM applies after a restart.

Common problems

• Server not in the list: at home, the query port is not forwarded or does not match steamQueryPort. On ours, look on the Community tab, clear every filter and search the exact name, or use Direct Connect. Give a new server a few minutes too.
• Kicked for a missing mod: open the server in the DayZ Launcher, let it download every mod and press Play there.
• Kicked for signature or key errors: a mod's .bikey is missing from keys, or the player has a different mod version.
• Version mismatch: the server or the player is out of date. Update DayZ in Steam, and at home run the SteamCMD update. See DayZ bad version fix.
• Server closes on start: a syntax error in serverDZ.cfg or a broken XML file. Check the latest log in the profiles folder.
• Rubber banding with a full server: not enough RAM or CPU, especially with big mod packs.

FAQ

How much does it cost to host a DayZ server?

With us, from 19.99 USD a month for 8 GB, with 50% off the first month for new customers. Split the bill with up to 9 friends and everyone pays a share plus a 1 USD fee. Self hosting is free software, plus your hardware and electricity.

Is the DayZ dedicated server free?

Yes, but it downloads through SteamCMD as app 223350 with a Steam account that owns DayZ, not an anonymous login.

Can Xbox or PlayStation players join?

No. These are PC servers. Console players use separate console servers.

How many players can join my DayZ server?

Up to 60 on PC. On our plans the cap is 20 on Starter, 40 on Standard and 60 on Pro. Modded servers want 12 GB or more.

Can I run the Badlands map Nasdara?

Yes, since its release on 15 October 2026. Pick Nasdara in the Map setting, or set the template to dayzOffline.nasdara at home. Only players who own Badlands can join that map. A server set up before Nasdara came out needs Update game pressed once in our panel, or a SteamCMD update at home.

Does switching maps lose my world?

No. Each map keeps its own world, so switching back later picks up where you left off.

Do players need to download mods?

Yes, but the DayZ Launcher does it for them. They join through the launcher, accept the mod download and press Play. Server side mods need nothing from players.

See DayZ server hosting to pick a plan and get your survivors on your own map.