A Project Zomboid server for your group
To get a Project Zomboid server, choose a plan, pay at the GamezServers checkout, and we build and install the server for you on Build 42, or on Build 41 if you pick the legacy type. Starter gives you 6 GB of memory and 8 slots for $14.99 a month, Standard gives 8 GB and 16 slots for $19.99, and Pro gives 12 GB and 32 slots for $29.99. Your first month of a subscription is half price if you are new to us, and a 3 day rental costs a quarter of the monthly price. Send the IP and port to your friends and they join from the Join button on the main menu.
Standard, 8 GB
- 16 player slots
- Vanilla or a few mods, up to 12 players
Or try one for 3 days from $3.75, with no subscription.
How much memory does a Project Zomboid server need?
It depends on how many people play and how many mods you load. Build 42 asks more of a server than Build 41 did, for memory and for processor time, and every Workshop mod or extra map adds to that. Here is how our three plans line up:
- Starter, 6 GB: vanilla Build 42 for up to 6 players.
- Standard, 8 GB: vanilla or a light mod list for up to 12 players.
- Pro, 12 GB: a long mod list or extra maps, for 12 to 32 players.
The server runs on Java. If its memory limit is set higher than the machine allows, it gets killed, and if it is set too low the game stutters. We set that limit to match your plan every time the server starts, so you never edit a launch line. If you are unsure, start on Standard: it covers most groups and you can move up later.
Can I run Steam Workshop mods?
Yes. Each mod has a Workshop ID, which tells the server what to download, and one or more Mod IDs, which tell it what to switch on. Both are printed at the bottom of the mod's Workshop page. In the panel you paste them into two settings:
- Workshop IDs for the download list.
- Mod IDs for the mods you want active. Build 42 wants a backslash before every Mod ID, and we add it for you.
Map mods also need their folder name in the Map setting, ahead of Muldraugh, KY. Restart and the server pulls everything from Steam. Your players do not subscribe to anything first: the game downloads the same mods when they connect. Our Workshop mods guide walks through it with load order.
Should my server run Build 42 or Build 41?
New servers run Build 42. It became the stable branch on 29 July 2026 and is where every fix and new feature lands. Build 41 is still offered as a separate server type for groups with a world they have not finished, or a mod they cannot play without that never got a Build 42 version.
The two builds do not mix. A player on one build cannot join a server on the other, and a Build 41 world will not open on Build 42. If you want both, keep the old world on the Build 41 type and start fresh on Build 42 under a new save name. We wrote up how to choose between them.
How do I keep the server to my friends only?
Three settings in the panel cover it. Set a join password, turn on Whitelist only, and leave Show in the public server list off so strangers never see it in the browser. With the whitelist on, only accounts that exist on the server can get in. You add them with the Add whitelisted account button, giving each friend a username and password.
An admin account is created on the first start. Its username and password sit in your server settings. Log in with it, or press Make admin to give your usual character admin rights instead.
What happens to the world when nobody is online?
The server stays online, so friends in other time zones can log in and loot without waiting for whoever used to host. By default the game also pauses its clock while the server is empty, which means food does not rot and the power shutoff does not creep closer while everyone is asleep. If you would rather the world kept moving, stop the server and set PauseEmpty=false in its .ini file in .cache/Server.
If nobody joins for 4 days, the server saves the world and goes to sleep so it is not running for an empty map. Anyone with access to the server can start it again from the dashboard in one click, and the world is where you left it. Each start also checks Steam for a newer version of the game, so a restart after a patch brings the server up to date.
Can friends help pay for the server?
Yes. You can split the bill with up to 10 people. Each person pays an even part of the plan price plus $1 for their share, on their own card. It works with every billing length.
You can cancel at any time from the bottom of the server's control panel. The server runs until the end of the time already paid for. If you are new to GamezServers and it is not for you, email support within the first 10% of the period you paid for, which is 72 hours on a monthly plan, for a full refund of that first payment. The plans page lists every length and price.
Guides
Questions
Who runs this site?
GamezServers runs it. When you order, you pay at the GamezServers checkout and manage the server from the GamezServers dashboard.
Does every player need to own Project Zomboid?
Yes. Each person needs their own copy on Steam, and it has to be on the same build as the server.
Which build does a new server run?
Build 42, the stable branch since 29 July 2026. Choose the Build 41 (legacy) server type if your group is still playing a Build 41 world.
Can I carry a Build 41 world over to Build 42?
No. Build 41 saves do not load on Build 42. Keep that world on the Build 41 type, or begin a new one on Build 42.