Night of the Dead Server Not Showing in the List? How to Fix It

If your Night of the Dead dedicated server is not in the list under Start Game, Multiplayer, Dedicated Server, the usual cause is the Steam download region: the in-game list follows each player's region, so a friend set to another region does not see your server. After that, check that the server is on the same version as the game, that its query port is open, and that you are searching for its exact name. The fixes are quick once you know which one you are dealing with.

How the Night of the Dead server list works

Players find Night of the Dead dedicated servers through the in-game list, which pulls servers from Steam. That makes the list the main way in for almost every group, so when a server is missing from it, it feels like the server is down even when it is running fine.

Two ports matter for this. The game port (7777 by default, set with -Port) carries gameplay. The query port (27015 by default, set with -QueryPort) is what Steam uses to see the server and show it in lists. Our Night of the Dead hosting guide covers both.

Cause 1: Steam download region

This is the one that confuses groups spread across countries. The Night of the Dead server list follows the player's Steam download region. Your friend in another country, set to their local region, can look at the list for an hour and never see your server.

Fix, on each player's PC that cannot see it:

Open Steam and go to Steam, Settings (on Windows), then Downloads.
Change Download Region to a region near where the server is.
Restart Steam completely, then start Night of the Dead.
Go to Start Game, Multiplayer, Dedicated Server and look again.

Changing the region affects which content servers Steam downloads updates from, so a player far from that region may see slower game downloads. They can switch back after the session, or leave it for server nights.

Night of the Dead, a zombie survival game with base building

Cause 2: version mismatch after a patch

When Jackto Studios patches the game, Steam updates every player's copy right away. A dedicated server that has not updated is now on an older build, and players on the new build will not find it or will fail to join.

Self hosted: run SteamCMD's app_update 1420710 before starting the server, then start it again.
GamezServers: Auto Update is on by default and runs every time the server starts. Restart from the panel after a patch and watch the live console until it is back up.

If one player has opted into a beta branch through the game's Properties, Betas in Steam, they are on a different version from the server. Everyone should be on the default branch, the same as the server.

Cause 3: searching the wrong name

The list shows the server under ServerName from LF/Saved/Config/ServerSettings.ini. On our servers that is the Server Name field in the panel, which is written into the file at every start, so a name you typed into the file by hand gets replaced on the next restart. Change it in the panel, restart, and search for one distinctive word of it.

Also check that you are in the Dedicated Server list, not a list of player hosted games. Those are separate.

Cause 4: the query port is blocked (self hosting)

If nobody at all can see a home hosted server, Steam probably cannot reach the query port.

Forward UDP 27015 and UDP 7777 on your router to the PC running the server. Our port forwarding guide has the router steps.
Allow LFServer through Windows Firewall on public networks.
Check the start line. If you changed -Port or -QueryPort, forward those numbers instead.
If your ISP uses carrier grade NAT, forwarding cannot work. See hosting a game server without port forwarding.

A useful test: if players on your own home network can see the server but nobody outside can, it is almost always the router or the ISP.

On a hosted server the ports are assigned and open for you, so you can skip this cause.

Cause 5: the server has not finished starting

A Night of the Dead server takes a little while to load its world, longer on a big save. Until it has, it is not in the list. Restarts during an update take longer still. Watch the console. When it has finished loading and stops printing startup lines, give the list a minute and refresh.

Night of the Dead gameplay

Cause 6: it shows, but you cannot get in

Sometimes the server appears and the join fails. The common reasons:

What happens	Cause	Fix
Asked for a password, then refused	Password changed and not shared	Check Server Password in the panel, restart after changing it
Server is full	Player cap reached	Raise `MaxPlayers` in ServerSettings.ini, restart
Joins, then disconnects	Version mismatch or a client side problem	Update server, have the player verify game files in Steam
Loads into the wrong world	`SaveName` points at another save	Set Savegame Name to the right save, restart

Night of the Dead uses Easy Anti-Cheat. A player whose anti-cheat service is broken can see the list but fail on join. Verifying the game files in Steam usually repairs it.

Quick checklist for your group

Everyone on the same Steam download region as the server, Steam restarted.
Server restarted after the latest patch.
Search the Dedicated Server list for one word of the server name.
Ports 7777 and 27015 UDP forwarded, if self hosted.
Server finished loading.
Right password.

If the list still does not show it after all of this, restart the server once more and check the console for errors during startup.

Skip the router half of the problem

A Night of the Dead server from GamezServers has its own address with the game and query ports already open, and Auto Update keeps it on the current build whenever it restarts, which removes causes 2, 4 and most of 5 from this list. Server name, password, admin password, difficulty, PvE or PvP, save name and message of the day are panel fields, and one click backups protect the base before a risky night. A crew can split the bill so everyone pays their share. Moving an existing world over? See how to move a Night of the Dead save to a dedicated server.

FAQ

Why can't my friend see my Night of the Dead server?

Most often their Steam download region differs from the server's. Have them switch it in Steam's Downloads settings, restart Steam and look again.

Is there another way to join besides the list?

The Dedicated Server list under Start Game and Multiplayer is the standard way in, which is why the listing problems on this page matter so much.

What ports does a Night of the Dead server need for the list?

UDP 27015 for the Steam query and UDP 7777 for the game, unless you changed them with -QueryPort and -Port.

My server vanished after an update. Why?

The game updated and the server did not. Update the server, or restart it on GamezServers so Auto Update runs.

Does changing the Steam download region affect anything else?

Only where Steam downloads game updates from. Downloads can be slower from a distant region, and you can switch back any time.