How to create a DayZ server

Running your own DayZ server lets you:

• Set your own rules: PvP, PvE, roleplay, night length, third-person view or not.
• Tune the server economy: loot quantity and rarity, vehicles, events and zombies.
• Add Steam Workshop mods: bases, traders, new weapons, new maps.
• Build a stable community around a persistent world, with your own admins.

Official servers offer the same vanilla experience for everyone. Community servers are what make DayZ so rich: each one has its own atmosphere, rules and loyal players. Creating yours means choosing the survival experience you want to offer.

A vanilla DayZ server stays reasonable on resources, but mods and player count quickly push the bill up. Make sure your machine meets these requirements:

• ✔ RAM : 8 GB recommended for a vanilla server, 12 to 16 GB for a busy modded server
• ✔ CPU : High clock speed matters more than core count: the DayZ server mostly relies on one main core
• ✔ System : Windows 64-bit (the most common) or Linux, both supported by the official server
• ✔ Connection : Stable upload and low latency; the server communicates over UDP on port 2302
• ✔ Hosting : Local PC for testing, dedicated server or specialized host for a server open 24/7

PC server

On PC, you install the official dedicated server yourself, on your own machine or with the host of your choice. You get access to every configuration file and to Steam Workshop mods. This is the main focus of this guide.

PlayStation or Xbox server

On console, you cannot host a server yourself: private PS5 and Xbox servers must go through Nitrado, Bohemia Interactive's official partner. You then manage the server from the host's web panel, with access to the economy files (types.xml, cfggameplay.json), but without mods.

The DayZ dedicated server (Steam app 223350) is installed with SteamCMD, Steam's command-line tool:

1. Install SteamCMD (download it from Valve's website)
2. Log in with a Steam account that owns DayZ, then run the download command below

steamcmd +force_install_dir C:\dayz-server +login your_steam_account +app_update 223350 validate +quit

The server starts with the DayZServer_x64.exe executable and a few parameters. The easiest way is to create a start.bat file in the server folder:

@echo off
start "DayZ Server" /min DayZServer_x64.exe -config=serverDZ.cfg -port=2302 -profiles=profiles -dologs -adminlog -netlog -freezecheck

Parameters to know

• -config=serverDZ.cfg - The server configuration file
• -port=2302 - The UDP game port (2302 by default)
• -profiles=profiles - The folder for the server logs and profile files
• -dologs -adminlog -netlog - Enables detailed logs, essential for troubleshooting

The main configuration lives in serverDZ.cfg, at the root of the server folder. Here are the settings to adjust first:

• hostname - Server name shown in the server browser
• password - Join password (leave empty for a public server)
• passwordAdmin - Admin password
• maxPlayers - Maximum number of players (60 in the default configuration)
• disable3rdPerson - Disables third-person view (1) for a more hardcore server
• serverTimeAcceleration - In-game time acceleration during the day, and serverNightTimeAcceleration to shorten nights

hostname = "MyDayZServer";
password = "";
passwordAdmin = "AdminPassword";
maxPlayers = 60;
verifySignatures = 2;
forceSameBuild = 1;
disable3rdPerson = 0;
serverTimeAcceleration = 6;
serverNightTimeAcceleration = 4;
enableCfgGameplayFile = 1;
steamQueryPort = 27016;

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

The map being played is set by the mission loaded in serverDZ.cfg (class Missions, template line). Three official maps are available:

• dayzOffline.chernarusplus - Chernarus, the original map
• dayzOffline.enoch - Livonia, more compact and wooded
• dayzOffline.sakhal - Sakhal, the volcanic, snow-covered map from the Frostline expansion (your players must own it)

The economy files

Each mission has its own folder in mpmissions. That is where all of the server's gameplay is tuned:

mpmissions\dayzOffline.chernarusplus\db\types.xml

• db/types.xml - Quantity, lifetime and spawn areas of every item in the game. Raise an item's "nominal" value to make it more common
• db/events.xml - Spawning of vehicles, helicopter crashes and zombie hordes
• db/globals.xml - Global settings: total number of zombies and animals, time before bodies despawn
• cfggameplay.json - Stamina, base building, fall damage; you must set enableCfgGameplayFile = 1 in serverDZ.cfg for it to be applied

On PC, DayZ mods come from the Steam Workshop. On the server side, installation takes three steps:

"-mod=@CF;@Community-Online-Tools"

Server-side-only mods (no download for players) are loaded with -serverMod. On the player side, the DayZ Launcher automatically downloads the required mods before connecting.

DayZ communicates over UDP. For your server to be reachable from the Internet and visible in the server browser, these ports must be open:

Ports to open

• UDP 2302-2305 for the game (2302 by default, plus the following ports used by the server)
• UDP 27016 for the Steam query (steamQueryPort), which makes the server appear in the list
• Optional port: the RCon port set in BEServer_x64.cfg, only if you manage the server remotely

Example firewall rules

Windows Defender:

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "DayZ Server" -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 2302-2305,27016 -Action Allow

Linux UFW:

sudo ufw allow 2302:2305/udp
sudo ufw allow 27016/udp

To manage the server remotely (messages, kicks, bans), enable BattlEye RCon in the BEServer_x64.cfg file in the battleye folder:

RConPassword RConPassword
RConPort 2310
RestrictRCon 0

Then connect with a BattlEye-compatible RCon tool. To manage the server from inside the game (teleporting, spawning items, weather), the most popular mods are Community Online Tools and VPPAdminTools.

• ✔ Backups: the world persistence (bases, vehicles, items on the ground) is stored in the mission's storage_1 folder. Copy it off the machine regularly, along with the profile folder and your configuration files.
• ✔ Updates: stop the server, then run the SteamCMD installation command again. The server must be on the same version as the game, otherwise players can no longer connect.
• ✔ Restarts: a DayZ server restarts several times a day. The mission's messages.xml file lets you announce restarts to players and trigger them automatically.

The play style defines your rules, your settings and the players you will attract. Look at what successful servers offer before you start:

• PvP: the original DayZ, where every player you meet is a threat. Rarer loot, maximum tension. See the DayZ PvP servers.
• PvE: survival against the environment and zombies, with player combat banned or limited to certain zones. See the DayZ PvE servers.
• Roleplay: every player plays a character, with factions, a storyline and an events team. See the DayZ RP servers.

• ✔ Keep an eye on the number of mods: each one adds load to the server and lengthens players' connection time. Only keep the ones that really serve your gameplay.
• ✔ Limit buildings and persistent items: huge bases and tents full of loot are the leading cause of performance drops.
• ✔ Schedule regular restarts, every 3 to 6 hours on a busy server, to free up memory and reset the loot.
• ✔ Host on SSD/NVMe with a high-clock CPU: persistence saves and zombie processing depend on it directly.