How to host a 7 Days to Die server (2026)

Short answer. You can host a 7 Days to Die server yourself for free: download the "7 Days to Die Dedicated Server", Steam app 294420, with SteamCMD, edit serverconfig.xml and open port 26900 (TCP) and 26900 to 26903 (UDP). Or rent a 7 Days to Die server and skip the install and the port forwarding.

Players do not need an address if you list the server publicly: they open Join a Game and search for its name. Otherwise they choose Connect to IP and type your IP and port.

Checked on 5 November 2026 against V3.4.0, the newest stable build The Fun Pimps had announced on Steam (the b9 hotfix of 26 October 2026).

This guide uses three sources: the developer's announcements on Steam, the port list from the Valve Developer Community page on the dedicated server (which our own ports page cites), and what we run on every 7 Days to Die server we host. To skip to the rental route, go to Option 2.

What you need

• The server software: "7 Days to Die Dedicated Server", Steam app 294420. It is separate from the game itself (app 251570) and downloads with an anonymous Steam login, which is how our install does it.
• A machine that stays on: a spare PC, a home server or a cloud virtual machine. This guide uses 64-bit Linux, which is what we run. We have not tested a Windows server, so we do not give Windows steps.
• Disk space and RAM: the server is a large download, and the developer's Steam page warns that future releases may need more drive space, so leave room to spare. The requirements on that page are for the game, not the server, apart from one note: running the server and the game on the same computer doubles the RAM needed. Our own sizing notes are in How much RAM does a 7 Days to Die server need?
• Network: TCP 26900 and UDP 26900 to 26903, reachable from the internet. Telnet (8081) and the web dashboard (8080) are for admin tools only.
• Game version: every player and the server must be on the same build. If you want the experimental build, players choose latest_experimental in the game's Game Versions & Betas tab on Steam, and the server must run the same branch.

Option 1: host it yourself

These steps are for Debian or Ubuntu. The download command and the SteamCMD setup are based on the ones our servers use.

Install the server

1. Install the libraries SteamCMD needs.

   sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install curl tar lib32gcc-s1 ca-certificates -y

2. Create a user for the server and switch to it.

   sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash -U sdtd
   sudo su - sdtd

3. Install SteamCMD and let it update itself once.

   mkdir -p ~/steamcmd ~/server
   cd ~/steamcmd
   curl -sSL -o steamcmd.tar.gz https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
   tar -xzf steamcmd.tar.gz
   ./steamcmd.sh +quit

4. Download the server.

   ~/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir /home/sdtd/server +login anonymous +app_update 294420 validate +quit

   We have seen SteamCMD answer "Missing configuration", carry on to "success" and leave no game files, so do not trust the exit code. Check that steamapps/appmanifest_294420.acf exists in the server folder, and run the command again if it does not. Our install does exactly this check, three tries, and it also runs steamcmd.sh +quit once first so the self-update does not collide with the download. Our install also avoids creating an empty steamapps folder beforehand, because we found that this can trigger the same error.
5. Copy the Steam client libraries where the server looks for them:

   mkdir -p ~/.steam/sdk32 ~/.steam/sdk64
   cp ~/steamcmd/linux32/steamclient.so ~/.steam/sdk32/
   cp ~/steamcmd/linux64/steamclient.so ~/.steam/sdk64/

Write the settings

1. Edit serverconfig.xml in the server folder while the server is stopped; the server reads it when it starts. It holds the server name, password, world and port.
2. Or pass the main options on the command line. This is how our servers start:

   cd ~/server
   mkdir -p logs
   export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=.
   ./7DaysToDieServer.x86_64 -configfile=serverconfig.xml -quit -batchmode -nographics -dedicated \
     -ServerPort=26900 -ServerMaxPlayerCount=8 -GameDifficulty=2 -EACEnabled=true \
     -ServerName="My 7 Days to Die Server" -ServerPassword="" -ServerVisibility=2 \
     -GameWorld=Navezgane -GameName="MyGame" -TelnetEnabled=true -TelnetPort=8081 -logfile logs/latest.log

   GameWorld is Navezgane (the hand-made map) or RWG for a random world, which also takes -WorldGenSeed and -WorldGenSize. Our panel offers the sizes 6144, 8192 and 10240, plus two pre-generated 6k and two 8k maps. ServerVisibility=2 is the value we default to for a public server.
3. Admin access: once you have joined the server, open its telnet console from the same machine (telnet 127.0.0.1 8081; install it with sudo apt install telnet) and type admin add YourName 0. Level 0 is full admin.

Open the ports

• Game: forward TCP 26900 and UDP 26900 to 26903 on your router, and allow them on the machine's firewall (for example sudo ufw allow 26900/tcp and sudo ufw allow 26900:26903/udp).
• Telnet (8081) and web dashboard (8080): only if you manage the server with outside tools. The notes in serverconfig.xml say that without a telnet password the server listens on the local loopback interface only. Keep these closed otherwise.
• If you change ServerPort, forward the new port and the UDP range that goes with it.

Start it and join

1. Start the server with the command above. With a random world (RWG), the first start generates the map and can take a while. Run it under a service manager such as systemd so it restarts after a crash.
2. Join it. In 7 Days to Die choose Join a Game and search for the server name, or choose Connect to IP and type your IP and port in their own boxes.
3. Update by stopping the server and running the download command from step 4 again. When The Fun Pimps ship a new build, players update through Steam and the server must match, or they cannot join.

Option 2: host it on PlayNHost

Renting removes the install, the ports and the update routine. You still choose a name, a world and your rules.

1. Pick a plan. Open the 7 Days to Die server hosting page and compare the plans: IRON PICKAXE (8 players), STEEL PICKAXE (15) and AUGER (30) at the time of writing. Press Create Server (Customize Plan on AUGER) and finish the order. Prices change, so check them on that page.
2. Wait for the install. The server appears in the panel. Press Start at the top of the server page; the Console tab prints Connected with 7DTD server when the game is up.
3. Set it up. On the Settings tab, open Game Settings and set the Server Name, a Server Password for a private server, Server Listing, the World (Navezgane or a random world with its Random World Seed and Random World Size) and the Save Name. Then restart. See How to set up your 7 Days to Die server: key settings.
4. Make yourself admin. Join once, then type admin add YourName 0 in the panel's Console. See How to become admin on your 7 Days to Die server and use admin commands.
5. Invite your players. The Play with friends card on Overview shows the IP and port. In the game, players choose Join a Game, then Connect to IP, and type them in. See How to join your 7 Days to Die server.

What the panel does for you:

• Your port is assigned and open from the start, and the server starts with the options you set in Game Settings passed on the command line, so you do not have to edit serverconfig.xml for them.
• With Auto Update on (the default), the server checks Steam for the newest build each time it starts, so a restart is an update. Auto Update and Beta Branch are under Show advanced in Game Settings; Beta Branch points the server at a test build such as latest_experimental, and switching needs a reinstall. See How to update your 7 Days to Die server.
• Oxide (uMod) is a switch on the Modding tab, off by default. If you turn it on, it is fetched again at every start, because Oxide replaces a game file (Assembly-CSharp.dll) and a game update puts the original back without a warning. It needs EasyAntiCheat off. Most 7 Days to Die add-ons are not Oxide plugins and do not need it.

Self-hosting or renting: an honest comparison

• Cost: the server software is free. Self-hosting costs power, hardware and bandwidth, or a cloud machine. Renting is a monthly fee set by the plan.
• Uptime: a home server is only up while your PC, power and internet are. A rented server runs on the host's hardware.
• Exposure: at home, players connect to your public IP address and you look after the firewall and router. A rented server keeps your home IP out of it.
• Setup: self-hosting needs the command line, a large download, TCP 26900 and UDP 26900 to 26903 forwarded, and the SteamCMD "Missing configuration" check. Renting needs a name, a world and your admin name.
• Control: self-hosting gives you every file. On our servers you change the main options in the panel and still have the Files tab for mods and worlds.

Ready to skip the setup? See the 7 Days to Die server plans. Already have a server? Start with How to set up your 7 Days to Die server: key settings.