Project Zomboid Dedicated Server Hosting Tutorial

steps

1. Open a browser and search for "SteamCMD download."
2. Download SteamCMD from the developer community website.
3. Navigate to your C drive and create a new folder named "SteamCMD."
4. Move the downloaded SteamCMD files into the newly created folder and extract them.
5. Double-click SteamCMD.exe to initialize it, which will generate the necessary files.

steps

1. Launch SteamCMD.exe from the folder it is installed in.
2. Log in anonymously: Use the command login anonymous.
3. Set the installation directory: Run the command force_install_dir C:\PZServer-Stable42.
4. Update the server files to the latest stable version: Execute app_update 380870 validate.
5. Wait for the download to complete, then exit the SteamCMD application using the exit command.

steps

1. Navigate to the PZServer-Stable42 folder you created earlier.
2. Locate the start-server64.bat file and right-click to edit it in a text editor such as Notepad.
3. Review the memory allocation line to ensure it aligns appropriately with your system's specifications and available RAM.
4. Save changes after editing and close the editor.

steps

1. Navigate to your C:\Users\<Your Username>\Zomboid\Server folder.
2. Locate the servertest.ini file and create a backup for safe keeping.
3. Open the servertest.ini file in a text editor like Notepad.
4. Modify key settings:
   • Change Public to true to make the server publicly accessible.
   • Set PublicName to define the server name.
   • Change Password to set a password for players to join your server.
   • Adjust other settings as needed, including the description and administrator password.
5. Save the file after making changes.

steps

1. Open Windows PowerShell with administrator privileges.
2. Create inbound rules for UDP ports 16261 and 16262. You can use a pre-written PowerShell script for this.
3. Ensure that the status shows as "enabled" and "OK" for the ports.

steps

1. Double-click the start-server64.bat file to start the server.
2. On your gaming machine, open the Project Zomboid client. Verify that both the game version and server version are compatible (e.g., Build 42.20.0 for stable servers).
3. Navigate to the Multiplayer tab and filter the server list for password-protected servers.
4. Locate your server name, enter the password, and connect.
5. If you experience setup issues, refer to the server logs located in C:\Users\<Your Username>\Zomboid\console.txt for troubleshooting information.
6. Once connected, ensure that everything is functioning as intended.