How to Host a DayZ Server (Step by Step, 2026)

To host a DayZ server with GamezServers, pick a plan, pay, and your PC DayZ server is live in about 60 seconds with its own address. You skip the SteamCMD login, the port forwarding and copying mod keys by hand. This guide covers every step, from choosing a plan to editing serverDZ.cfg, adding Workshop mods, tuning loot in types.xml and keeping backups.

Step 1: Pick the right DayZ plan

DayZ is heavy on memory, especially with mods and big maps. Plans are sized by RAM at 2.50 USD per GB a month.

A vanilla friend server is happy on Starter. As soon as you add a mod stack built on Community Framework and DayZ Expansion, take Standard. Pro is for 60 players, big mod lists or the huge Nasdara map from the Badlands expansion. New customers get 50% off the first month, so Standard is about 15 USD to start. See choosing a plan if you are unsure.

Step 2: Split the bill with your group (optional)

At checkout choose Split with friends and pick 2 to 10 people.

• You pay your share and the server starts straight away.
• Each friend gets their own payment link and pays by card when they are ready. Every share that comes in keeps the server running longer.
• Each share includes a 1 USD fee. Standard split four ways is roughly 8.50 USD each.
• If you are a new customer, your friends also get 50% off their first month.
• If someone leaves, the remaining shares go up (never above the full price), and everyone is emailed before any change.

Friends who create an account with the email they paid with see the server in their own dashboard and can use the console, actions and files.

Step 3: 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 through Stripe. Your dashboard shows the server as Setting up for about a minute, then Online. Open it and copy the address at the top of the control panel, for example 203.0.113.10:2302.

Step 4: How players join

1. Open the DayZ Launcher from Steam and go to the Servers tab.
2. Search for your server name, or use Direct Connect and paste the server ip:port.
3. If the server runs mods, let the launcher subscribe to and download them.
4. Click Play. Friends can use the same address or add the server to their favourites.

Always join modded servers through the launcher, not the in game browser, so the mods load. If the server does not appear in search yet, Direct Connect works straight away, and DayZ server not showing in the launcher covers the rest.

Step 5: Set up serverDZ.cfg

Open the Files tab and edit serverDZ.cfg. 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 to keep the server private, or leave it empty.
• 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: keeps the time of day across restarts.

Leave verifySignatures = 2; as it is. Every line ends with a semicolon, and a missing one is the top reason a server will not start. Restart from the panel to apply changes.

The map is the template line in the class Missions block at the bottom: dayzOffline.chernarusplus for Chernarus, dayzOffline.enoch for Livonia and dayzOffline.sakhal for Sakhal. Players need the matching DLC to join a DLC map.

Step 6: Add Workshop mods

On GamezServers, add a Workshop mod in the panel and we download it, load it with the right -mod parameter and copy its .bikey into the keys folder, so signature checks pass. Restart, and players get the same mods through the DayZ Launcher when they join.

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. How to install mods on a DayZ server explains load order, server side mods and mod updates. If players get kicked with "Signature check timed out", read the signature kick fix.

Step 7: Tune loot with types.xml

Loot lives in your mission folder, for example mpmissions/dayzOffline.chernarusplus/db/types.xml. 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.

Press Backup before editing, because one broken XML tag can stop the server from starting. The full walkthrough is in how to edit loot on a DayZ server. Gameplay rules like stamina and base building live in cfggameplay.json in the same mission folder.

Step 8: Admin and moderation

The panel console gives you the everyday admin tools, with buttons for Broadcast, List players and Kick player. Set a strong passwordAdmin in serverDZ.cfg either way. For in game tools such as teleport, spawning items and a map with player positions, most owners add an admin mod from the Workshop, for example VPPAdminTools or Community Online Tools, and add their own Steam ID to its config.

Step 9: Restarts, backups, Sleep when empty and upgrades

• Restarts: DayZ servers stay healthier with a restart every few hours. Use Restart whenever the server has been up for a long session.
• Backups: you keep 3. Take one before editing mission files or adding mods.
• Sleep when empty: the server stops after 90 minutes with nobody online, and anyone with access starts it again in one click. Great for a small friend server. 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.

Self hosting vs GamezServers

Want to do it yourself? Our DayZ self hosting guide covers the full setup.

FAQ

How much does it cost to host a DayZ server?

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.

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 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, from its release on 15 October 2026. Players need the Badlands expansion to join that map, and the Pro plan gives the most headroom for its size.

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.