Project Zomboid Server Config Generator
Build a working servertest.ini and servertest_SandboxVars.lua for your Project Zomboid dedicated server without hand-editing Lua tables or chasing inverted zombie-population numbers. Dropdowns with the real in-game labels, toggles for the server switches, and sliders for every multiplier. Works for Build 41 (the stable build most servers still run) and Build 42 — flip the build toggle and the settings, enums, and file version follow. Paste an existing config to edit it, and where a setting's exact patch-current behaviour is less certain, we flag it rather than drop it.
Switching builds resets build-specific settings (e.g. loot rarity tiers) to that build's defaults. Both builds share an identical servertest.ini — the real differences (loot scale, the VERSION header, and build-only settings) all show up in the servertest_SandboxVars.lua tab.
Server Identity & Network
Name, password, ports, and visibility — all in servertest.ini, the file that controls the server box rather than the game world.
The name shown in the in-game public server browser. Default "My PZ Server" — change it or you're one of a thousand identical entries.
Required to join. Empty by default = open server. Set one to make it private (players still connect via the browser or direct connect with the password).
UDP port players connect on. Default 16261. Forward it on your router and open it on the firewall.
Secondary/direct-connect UDP port, default 16262 (one above the game port). Forward it too.
Player slot cap. Default 16. Each player adds simulation load — set it to what your box can actually run, not the max you'd like.
On by default — anyone with the password can join. Turn off to require accounts be whitelisted before they can connect.
Off by default. Turn on to advertise the server in the in-game public browser. Leave off for a friends-only server reached by direct connect.
On by default — players can damage each other. Turn off for a pure PvE/co-op server.
On by default — in-game time pauses when no one is online, so the world doesn't decay while nobody's playing.
RCON, Admin & Mods
Remote console, the map, and the mod/Workshop load lists — all servertest.ini.
TCP port for the remote console most management tools and restart scripts use. Default 27015. Forward it separately from the game ports.
Empty by default. Set one before enabling any tool that connects over RCON — an empty password effectively means no remote access.
Map load order, semicolon-separated. Default "Muldraugh, KY". Map mods usually want their map name added here, before the base map.
Mod load IDs, semicolon-separated. Empty by default. These are the mod IDs (not the Workshop file IDs) — both lists must line up for mods to actually load.
Steam Workshop file IDs to download, semicolon-separated. Empty by default. Each maps to one or more mod IDs in the Mods line above.
Chat & Display
Chat channels, name display, and the welcome message — all servertest.ini. Defaults verified against the full server-settings reference.
The /all channel — talk to everyone regardless of distance. On by default. Turn off for an immersive, proximity-only server.
Which chat channels exist, comma-separated. Default s,r,a,w,y,sh,f,all (say, radio, admin, whisper, yell, safehouse, faction, all). Remove a letter to disable that channel.
First message a player sees on connect. Leave blank to use the game's built-in default. Use <LINE> for a line break and <RGB:1,0,0> for colour.
Show usernames above players' heads. On by default. Turn off (with the name-in-chat tie-in) for a more anonymous server.
Show each survivor's in-character first & last name above their head. Off by default.
Require hovering a player to see their display name. On by default.
Show Steam names & avatars in the player list. Default visible to everyone; "Admins only" hides them from regular players.
Players, Whitelist & Connection
Account creation, ping limits, and connection rules, from servertest.ini.
On an Open server, auto-add new usernames to the whitelist on first join (they set their own password). Off by default — otherwise you create accounts manually.
Remove a player's account from the whitelist when their character dies — stops respawning on a closed (whitelist) server. Off by default.
How many separate accounts one Steam user may create. Default 0 = unlimited.
Ping (ms) above which a player is kicked. Default 400. Set to 100 to effectively disable.
Kick clients whose game/mod files don't match the server. On by default — turning it off is a common (if blunt) fix for mod-mismatch kicks.
Check connecting players for VAC bans. On by default.
Permit Cyrillic and other non-ASCII characters in usernames. Off by default.
Whether other players show on the in-game map. Default 1 = Hidden.
Safehouses
Who can claim a safehouse and how protected it is, from servertest.ini. By default the whole safehouse system is off — turn on Player Safehouses to use it.
Let players claim safehouses. Off by default — this is the master switch for the whole section.
Let admins claim safehouses. Off by default.
Let non-members enter a safehouse uninvited. On by default — turn off to lock outsiders out entirely.
Let fire damage safehouses. On by default.
Let non-members take items from a safehouse. On by default.
Let players respawn in a safehouse they belonged to before dying. Off by default.
Allow claiming non-residential buildings (shops, warehouses) as safehouses. Off by default.
Make a safehouse behave like a normal house while any member is connected (so it's only protected when everyone's offline). Off by default.
In-game days a player must survive before claiming a safehouse. Default 0 (claim immediately).
Real-world hours of not visiting before a player is dropped from a safehouse. Default 144 (6 days).
Factions & Trade
Group play and the trade UI, from servertest.ini.
Let players create and join factions. On by default.
In-game days a player must survive before creating a faction. Default 0.
Members needed before the faction owner can create a group tag. Default 1.
Let players trade directly via the trade window. On by default.
PvP & Safety
The PvP safety toggle system and damage modifiers, from servertest.ini. (The master PvP switch is up in Server Identity.)
Players individually toggle PvP on/off; you can only hurt someone if at least one of you is in PvP mode. On by default. Turn off for free-for-all (anyone can hurt anyone while PvP is enabled).
Show a skull icon over players who have PvP mode on. On by default.
Seconds it takes to switch PvP mode on or off. Default 2.
Seconds before you can toggle PvP mode again. Default 3.
Damage multiplier for player-vs-player melee. Default 30 (PvP melee is heavily reduced from PvE).
Damage multiplier for player-vs-player ranged attacks. Default 50.
Allow a player to keep hitting while staggered by another player's blow. Off by default.
Whether running into another player knocks them over. Off by default.
Loot Respawn
Whether and when world containers refill, from servertest.ini. Note: this is separate from the sandbox loot-rarity dials — this controls respawning over time on a running server.
In-game hours before looted containers refill. Default 0 = never respawn (the usual long-term-server choice). A container must have been looted once to be eligible.
Containers holding more than this many items won't respawn loot. Default 4. Only matters when respawn hours is above 0.
Stop loot respawning in buildings players have built in or barricaded. On by default — protects player bases from random loot reappearing.
World, Sleep & Save
Server-side world rules, sleep, and the save schedule, from servertest.ini (distinct from the sandbox world settings).
Off by default = fire works normally. Turn ON to disable all fire except campfires — a blunt fix if fire spread is wrecking your map or lagging the server.
Broadcast a global message whenever any player dies. Off by default.
In-game minutes to read one page of a book. Default 1.0. Lower it to make skill books less of a time sink.
Real-world minutes between forced world saves of loaded areas. Default 0 = only saves when players leave an area.
Let players sleep (off by default on MP — sleeping fast-forwards time, which is awkward with others online).
Make players get tired and need sleep. Off by default. Ignored unless Sleep Allowed is on.
Let players demolish world objects with a sledgehammer. On by default.
Restrict sledgehammer demolition to a player's own safehouse. Off by default. Requires sledgehammer destruction to be on.
Kick players moving faster than should be possible (anti-speedhack). Off by default — the game's own docs warn it's buggy, so use with caution.
Max items in any one container. Default 0 = no limit. Counts individual small items (50 = only 50 nails), so use carefully.
Days before old blood splatters clear (on chunk load). Default 365. Set 0 to keep them forever.
When the corpse-removal timer fires, also remove player corpses (not just zombies). Off by default.
Backups
The server's automatic world-backup schedule, from servertest.ini.
How many backups to keep before the oldest is overwritten. Default 5.
Take a backup every time the server starts. On by default.
Take a backup when the game version changes (e.g. after an update). On by default — strongly recommended given B42's churn.
Minutes between periodic backups. Default 0 = no timed backups (only start/version-change ones).
Population & Zombies
How many zombies, and how they behave. These live in servertest_SandboxVars.lua. Heads-up: the population scale is inverted — 1 is the most zombies (Insane), not the fewest.
Inverted scale: 1 = Insane (most zombies), 5 = None. Vanilla ships at 4. Note: in modern Project Zomboid the real population dial is Population Multiplier (in Zombie Respawn & Rally below) — this coarse field is kept mostly for back-compat, so set the multiplier for precise control.
Where zombies cluster. Default 1 = Urban Focused (denser in towns). Uniform spreads them evenly across the map.
How fast zombies move. Default 2 = Fast Shamblers. 1 = Sprinters (the hard one), 3 = Shamblers (classic slow).
How decomposition affects zombies over time. Build 41 only — removed in Build 42, so this control hides when you switch to B42.
Build 42 addition: when on, stops zombies from convincingly "playing dead" among corpses. Off by default. Only shows on the B42 build.
Fine multiplier on the overall population, 0–4. Default 1.0. Nests under ZombieConfig. Use this for tuning between the coarse Population steps.
Loot & Character
Loot scarcity and character progression, from servertest_SandboxVars.lua. The loot rarity scale differs between builds (Build 41 has 5 tiers; Build 42 adds "Insanely rare" for 6) — the dropdown options follow the build toggle. ⚠ defaults provisional
How much food spawns. Default 4 = Normal. This 6-tier rarity scale is shared by every loot category below.
How much canned/long-life food spawns. Default 4 = Normal.
Books, magazines, and skill recipes. Default 4 = Normal. Lower this for a server where skill books are a real find.
Bags, tools, lighters, camping gear. Default 3 = Rare (survival gear is deliberately scarcer than general loot).
Bandages, pills, disinfectant. Default 4 = Normal. Drop this for a server where injuries are dangerous to treat.
Melee and firearms. Default 3 = Rare. The classic dial for how combat-heavy a server feels.
Firearm skill magazines (Aiming/Reloading). Default 2 = Extremely rare — these are meant to be a prize.
Bullets and shells. Default 4 = Normal. Pair a low value with common weapons for a "guns but no ammo" feel.
Car parts and mechanic tools. Default 3 = Rare. Affects how easily players keep vehicles running.
Everything not in a category above. Default 4 = Normal.
Global skill XP rate. Default 1.0 (vanilla). Bump to 2.0–5.0 for a faster-progression server.
Whether the XP multiplier also applies to passive skills (Fitness, Strength). New in Build 42 — off by default.
Where maggots spawn on corpses. New in Build 42. Exact option meanings still being verified against a generated file.
World & Time
Day length, the start date, and the utility shut-off timers, from servertest_SandboxVars.lua. ⚠ verify defaults
Real-world time per in-game day. Default 3 = 1 Hour. Lower values make days fly by; longer ones suit slower, more deliberate servers.
Year offset the game starts at. Default 1. Mostly cosmetic (affects the in-game date display).
Month the game starts in (1–12). Default 7 (July). Drives the starting season — and therefore early temperature and farming.
Day of the month the game starts on (1–31). Default 9 (the canonical July 9 start).
Time of day characters spawn at. Default 9am (verified vanilla). Spawning at night is a brutal way to start.
When the mains water cuts out. B41 default 2 = 0–30 days (randomised). After this, you're on rain collectors and stored water. On Build 42 this is a raw day count — use the exact-day field below.
Exact day the water cuts out, when you want a fixed day rather than a range. Default 14. Works alongside the Water Shut-Off setting above.
When the electrical grid cuts out. B41 default 2 = 0–30 days (randomised). After this you need generators. On Build 42 this is a raw day count — use the exact-day field below.
Exact day the power cuts out, when you want a fixed day rather than a range. Default 14. Works alongside the Power Shut-Off setting above.
Weather & Nature
Climate, erosion, farming, and the world's background events, from servertest_SandboxVars.lua. Labels verified against the game's translation file; defaults match the community reference.
Overall climate. Default 3 = Normal. Colder settings make winter survival much harder.
How often it rains. Default 3 = Normal. More rain means easier water collection but worse visibility and mood.
How fast nature reclaims the world. Default 3 = Normal (100 days). Faster erosion overgrows roads and buildings sooner.
How fast crops grow. Default 3 = Normal. Faster farming makes self-sufficiency easier on long-running servers.
How much foraging, fishing, and trapping yields. Default 3 = Normal. Higher makes living off the land viable.
How often looted houses trigger an alarm (and a zombie magnet). Default 4 = Sometimes.
How many buildings start locked. Default 6 = Very Often. Lower it to make exploration less about smashing windows.
How fast fresh food rots. Default 3 = Normal. Faster spoilage raises the stakes on power loss and refrigeration.
How much fridges slow spoilage. Default 3 = Normal. Becomes moot once the power grid shuts off.
Zombie Lore — Advanced
The deep zombie ruleset — strength, infection, senses — nested under ZombieLore in servertest_SandboxVars.lua. Labels are the long-stable in-game lore options; ⚠ defaults provisional
How hard zombies hit and how easily they pull you down. Default 2 = Normal.
How much punishment a zombie takes before it drops. Default 2 = Normal.
How the Knox infection spreads. Default 1 = Blood + Saliva. "Everyone's Infected" gives every character the latent infection (turn on death regardless of bites).
How long after a bite until you die. Default (Apocalypse) = 2–3 Days. "Never" effectively disables the death-from-bite mechanic.
How long after death a corpse rises as a zombie. Faster reanimation makes clearing bodies urgent.
How smart zombies are. Default 3 = Basic Navigation (the classic Romero shambler). Higher cognition lets them use doors and navigate deliberately.
How long zombies remember and pursue something they noticed. Default 2 = Normal.
How well zombies see you. Default 2 = Normal.
How well zombies hear noise. Default 2 = Normal. Pinpoint hearing makes guns extremely dangerous.
How well zombies smell you. Default 2 = Normal. (Verified vanilla — a key I'd missed.)
Whether wandering zombies can set off house alarms. Off by default.
Whether groups of zombies can pull a standing player to the ground. On by default — turning it off makes hordes far less lethal.
Whether zombies can lunge over low fences at you. On by default.
Whether zombies bang on doors/windows even when not actively chasing a player. Off by default.
Whether zombies attack player-built walls and barricades. On by default — turning it off makes bases far safer.
Map
Map and minimap availability, nested under Map in servertest_SandboxVars.lua. ⚠ defaults provisional
Whether players get the on-screen minimap. Off by default in vanilla — many servers leave it off for immersion.
Whether players can open the full world map. On by default.
Whether the world map starts fully explored. Off by default — normally you only see areas you've visited.
Vehicles
The confident, non-ambiguous vehicle settings, from servertest_SandboxVars.lua. The rarity-style vehicle enums (spawn rate, fuel, condition) await confirmation against a generated vanilla file before we add them with the correct in-game labels — we won't guess those.
Master switch for cars. On by default. Turn off for a no-vehicles server.
Whether the world generates clustered abandoned-car traffic jams on roads. On by default.
Whether crashing a vehicle injures the driver. On by default.
Multiplier on how fast cars burn fuel. Default 1.0. Higher values make fuel a tighter constraint.
How many in-game hours a crashed-car siren keeps blaring (drawing zombies) before it stops. Higher = longer zombie magnet.
Character
Player progression and survival rates, from servertest_SandboxVars.lua. ⚠ defaults provisional
Whether calories and nutrition affect fitness and weight. On by default.
Whether characters can break bones. On by default.
Whether new characters spawn with a small kit of starting gear. Off by default.
Bonus trait points every character gets at creation. Default 0. Raise it for a more forgiving server.
How fast hunger, thirst, and fatigue build up. Default 3 = Normal.
How fast stamina recovers. Default 3 = Normal.
How damaging injuries are. Default 2 = Normal. Higher makes a single bad fight far more dangerous.
World Rules — Advanced
The on/off and raw-number world rules, from servertest_SandboxVars.lua. Every value here is verified against Indie Stone's shipped Apocalypse preset (identical in Build 41 and Build 42 unless noted).
Whether fire spreads between tiles and objects. On by default. Turning it off prevents whole towns burning down from one molotov.
Whether one melee swing can hit several zombies at once. Off by default in Apocalypse — turning it on makes crowds far easier to handle.
Whether swinging a weapon roots you in place for the swing. On by default — part of what makes combat committal.
Whether snow accumulates visually in winter. On by default.
Whether generators can power outdoor/exterior tiles. On by default.
Whether every clothing item is available from character creation. Off by default.
Whether vehicles skip some of the realism (e.g. key/hotwire requirements). Off by default.
Multiplier on how strongly noise (gunshots, engines, alarms) draws zombies. Default 1.0.
Fixed number of days for full erosion, overriding the Erosion Speed tier when set. Default 0 = use the tier instead.
In-game hours before zombie corpses despawn. Default 216 (9 days). Lower it to ease the performance and morale hit of corpse piles.
Days before rotten food auto-despawns. Default −1 = never (it stays until removed). Set a positive number to keep fridges from filling with rot.
Multiplier on how fast generators burn fuel. Default 1.0.
Build 42 addition: multiplier on how long light bulbs last before burning out. Default 0.0 (effectively disabled / bulbs don't degrade). Only shows on B42.
Build 42: controls food/foraging poisoning behaviour. Default value 1. Only shows on B42. (Exact option labels still being confirmed.)
Zombie Respawn & Rally — Advanced
The fine respawn, population-curve, and rally-group numbers, nested under ZombieConfig. All verified against the shipped Apocalypse preset (identical in B41 and B42). These are raw numbers, not tiers — the deep dials most servers leave alone.
Population multiplier on day 1, before the peak ramps in. Default 1.0.
Population multiplier at the peak. Default 1.5 — the world gets 50% denser than the start by the peak day.
Day the population reaches its peak multiplier. Default 28.
In-game hours before zombies respawn in a cell. Default 72. Set to 0 to disable respawning entirely (popular on long-haul servers).
How many hours an area must go unseen by players before zombies can respawn there. Default 16.
Fraction of the original population that respawns each cycle. Default 0.1 (10%).
Hours before zombies wander to even out density across a cell. Default 12.
How far (tiles) a zombie will travel toward a sound. Default 100.
Maximum size of a wandering zombie "herd" group. Default 20.
How far zombies travel to form a herd group. Default 20.
Spacing kept between separate herd groups. Default 15.
How tightly a herd clusters. Default 3.
How Project Zomboid server config works
A Project Zomboid dedicated server reads two files for a world named servertest: servertest.ini (the server itself — name, ports, password, PvP, RCON, mods) and servertest_SandboxVars.lua (the game world — zombie population and lore, loot rarity, XP, weather, vehicles). This generator writes both, for whichever build you're on. The full settings reference lives in the official PZwiki dedicated server guide.
Build 41 vs Build 42
Build 41 is the long-stable build the majority of multiplayer servers still run. Build 42 — multiplayer released to the Unstable branch in December 2025 — is the current direction, with more sandbox settings (animal husbandry, a few new toggles) and a reworked loot-rarity scale. The two files are about 95% the same; the toggle at the top of this tool handles the differences (it switches the loot-rarity options, shows or hides build-exclusive settings, and writes the correct VERSION header). Set the toggle to the build your server actually runs.
Where the files go
Self-hosted: in your user folder under Zomboid/Server/ (e.g. servertest.ini and servertest_SandboxVars.lua). Most managed hosts expose the same two files in their config-file editor. Stop the server before swapping them in — PZ reads them on boot and can overwrite edits made while it's running.
A note on accuracy
Setting names and the dropdown option orders here are checked against Project Zomboid's own in-game translation file, so the labels match what the game means. A handful of stock default values, and Build 42's newest settings, carry a ⚠ verify badge — we flag what we're less than certain of rather than hide it, and we'll firm those up against a freshly-generated server file.