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How to find out why your Project Zomboid server stopped

Project ZomboidUpdated Oct 23, 20265 min read

When your Project Zomboid server stops by itself, or hangs on Starting, the panel reads the game's own logs and explains why. Look at the card Why your server stopped on the Overview page, or the same notice above the output on the Console tab. While a start hangs it is called Why your server is not starting. Each finding names the cause, shows the log line it comes from, and has a button to the page that fixes it.

Where it shows

  1. Open your server in the panel.
  2. On the Overview page, the card Why your server stopped appears when the server is stopped and the panel found a cause in the last start.
  3. On the Console tab, the same notice sits above the output.
  4. While the server says Starting and the game has hit a problem that stops any start, the title is Why your server is not starting. The panel looks again every 30 seconds while it is starting.

If the server stopped and there is no card, the panel found nothing it knows in the logs. Read the last lines of the Console: Your Project Zomboid server will not start.

What it can find

FindingWhat to doButton
This world was saved by a newer version of the game.Set Beta Branch back to the branch that last ran the world, or restore a backup from before the change: Your Project Zomboid server could not load its worldOpen startup parameters, Open backups
This world is from a much older version of the game.Restore a newer backup, or start a new worldOpen backups, Open Wipe
The sandbox settings file has an error.The card names the line of _SandboxVars.lua the game could not read. Fix it or restore the fileOpen settings, Open in Files
The server could not open its game port.Stop it, wait a minute, start it again. If it happens again, check the portsOpen network
The server ran out of memory.Remove heavy mods, or move to a bigger plan. When the game is held below what your plan can give it, the card says a bigger plan would not help: contact support instead. Your Project Zomboid server ran out of memoryOpen Workshop, See plans
The server ran out of disk space.Delete files you do not need, then start againOpen in Files
The game files are damaged or incomplete.Use Update now on Game Settings so Steam repairs the game filesOpen startup parameters
Workshop item N did not download.The item was removed, made private, or the number has a typo: fix it on the Workshop tabOpen Workshop
The mod X did not load. / The mod X has an error in its code.Check the mod on the Workshop tab: How to check your downloaded modsOpen Workshop
Some mods have a newer version on Steam.Start the server: it downloads mod updates when it startsOpen Workshop
A part of the world could not be loaded.Reset that small area on the Live map, after a backup: How to reset an area of the mapShow on the Live map
Steam did not start on the server.Usually passes with a restart. If it happens again, use Update nowOpen startup parameters

The card also warns when Workshop items download but no mod is enabled, or mods are enabled with nothing downloaded for them.

Good to know

  • The card shows the line of the log it read, after "From the console:" or the file name. Copy it into a ticket if you need help.
  • It reads only the game's own lines. Chat and anything a player can type are left out, so a player cannot fake a finding.
  • Findings older than a day are not shown.
  • For join problems while the server runs, use the join check instead: How to check that friends can join your Project Zomboid server.
  • Still stuck: open a ticket with the card's text and the last 100 lines of the Console.

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