7 Days to Die Dedicated Server: How to Host One (Self-Hosted or Rented, Crossplay Rules)

Yes, you can run a 7 Days to Die dedicated server, and the server software is free. It's a separate tool you install through SteamCMD on your own PC or on a rented machine, and it keeps your group's world running without anyone having to host from their own game. As of October 2026 the current stable build is V3.3.0, and one change in V3.0 broke a lot of older setup guides. I'll get to that below.

Three ways to host a 7 Days to Die server

Hosting from the game is fine for a one-off night. If you want a persistent world your whole group can drop into whenever, you want one of the other two. Everyone who plays still needs the game, which runs about $45 on Steam as of October 2026. The server tool itself costs nothing, and it logs in anonymously.

How to create a 7 Days to Die dedicated server with SteamCMD

The dedicated server tool has its own Steam app ID: 294420. Valve's developer wiki documents the install, and this is the Windows version of it:

1. Install SteamCMD and the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2022 on the server machine.
2. Run this, with your own folder path: steamcmd +force_install_dir "C:\GameServers\7DTD" +login anonymous +app_update 294420 -validate +quit
3. If Steam misbehaves, add -beta public to the update command.
4. Make a copy of serverconfig.xml under a different name, edit that, and point the launch at it with -configfile=.
5. Start the server with startdedicated.bat. It launches the game with -quit -batchmode -nographics -configfile=serverconfig.xml -dedicated, so swap in your own config name there.

Want the experimental branch? -beta latest_experimental does it. Just keep the server and every player on the same version, because a client on a different build can't join.

On Linux the app ID is the same and the game lists Linux support on Steam. The walkthrough above is the Windows route.

serverconfig.xml: the settings that matter

Stop the server before you edit. These are the keys most groups touch:

Valve's wiki says to keep MaxSpawnedZombies under 90 on recommended hardware and under 128 even on high-end hardware. ServerMaxAllowedViewDistance (default 12, range 6 to 12) hits memory and performance hard too, so drop it first if a small box is struggling. Past about 20 players the wiki warns of saving problems, so I'd stay at the supported 8 and treat anything above as an experiment.

Blood moon, difficulty and XP: the SandboxCode change

This is where older guides go wrong. Before V3.0 (stable on June 29, 2026), blood moon frequency, enemy count, XP multiplier, day length and difficulty were separate keys in serverconfig.xml. The Fun Pimps removed 30 of them and moved the lot into Sandbox Options. If a guide tells you to set BloodMoonFrequency, XPMultiplier or GameDifficulty in the file, it's describing an old build.

Here's how it works now. The game has 150 sandbox options, including Blood Moon Frequency, Range, Count and Warning, Air Drops, Daylight Length, XP Multiplier and Loot Abundance. You set them in the in-game Sandbox Options menu on the new-game screen, copy the code it gives you, and paste it into the SandboxCode property in your config. The default code is the standard Adventurer difficulty. There are official presets too, like Undead Matinee, Bite Club and Almost Creative Mode, if you'd rather start from one.

Moving a V2.6 world over? You'll have to rebuild your old settings in the Sandbox Options menu and paste the new code. If you rent, your host may have its own way to set it.

Ports and port forwarding

• TCP 26900 (the ServerPort)
• UDP 26900-26903
• TCP 8080-8081 only if you administer the server remotely and haven't changed those ports

On a home router, forward 26900 TCP and 26900-26903 UDP to the server machine, and allow them through its firewall. Avoid 27000-27099 for a custom port, since Steam traffic is heavy there. Friends outside your network join with your external IP. On your own network use the internal IP, and on the same PC use 127.0.0.1. Never opened a router port before? My Terraria server hosting guide walks through port forwarding and CGNAT, and it all carries over with different numbers.

For remote admin, the config has a web dashboard (off by default, port 8080) and telnet (on by default, port 8081). With no TelnetPassword set, telnet only listens on the machine itself. Set a password before you open it to anyone else.

Crossplay server rules

If console players are in your group, four settings in the config have to line up: ServerMaxPlayerCount at 8 or less, ServerAllowCrossplay set to True, EACEnabled set to True and IgnoreEOSSanctions set to False. PC players can join whatever your settings are. Consoles can't. Crossplay also means no mods. There are limits on the gameplay settings as well, and the official crossplay server requirements page lists them, though it still uses the old key names. Match them against the Sandbox equivalents. My 7 Days to Die crossplay guide covers the player side.

Admins, mods and backups

Admin permissions live in a separate file, serveradmin.xml, which the AdminFileName key points at. Mods and crossplay don't mix, so decide which one your group wants before you build the world. For backups, stop the server and copy your saves folder and your config somewhere else, and do it before every update.

7 Days to Die server requirements

Go by Steam's requirements for the game itself: a 64-bit, 2.8 GHz quad core, 8 GB of RAM and 15 GB of storage as the minimum, and 3.2 GHz or faster with 12 GB of RAM recommended. Steam also notes that running the server and a client on the same PC doubles the RAM you need. Given that, I'd give a server its own machine if you can.

Renting a 7 Days to Die server: which host?

A rented server is up around the clock and sits in a datacenter with a much better network than a home connection. Valve's wiki warns that some cheap plans aren't powerful enough, so check the specs before you pay. As for price, it depends on slots and RAM, so look at the hosts directly. My Minecraft server cost breakdown shows how to think about it for any game.

I can't tell you one best host. The Fun Pimps' official servers page lists these partners today: PingPerfect, Bluefang Solutions, Frag, HiScore Hosting, XRealm, PlugPayPlay and GameServers.com. Whoever you pick, ask whether they support the V3.0 SandboxCode and crossplay if you need it.

My rule: rent if your group is mixed PC and console or nobody has a spare machine. Self-host if you've got a box and don't mind the router. If you end up wanting other co-op survival picks while you wait for the world to generate, I have games like 7 Days to Die, and the same hosting questions come up for Valheim and Enshrouded.