How to Set Up a 7 Days to Die Dedicated Server on Linux (V3.4)
Anonymous SteamCMD install of app 294420, a settings file updates cannot replace, the day-one serverconfig properties, ports and SteamNetworking, SandboxCode, and keeping the server on the players’ branch — from TFP’s notes and our own V3.4 install.
November 5, 20268 min read
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7 Days to Die's current stable version is V3.4.0, and the dedicated server that goes with it is a free, anonymous SteamCMD download: app 294420, one Linux binary, one XML settings file and one game port. This guide covers a Linux setup from start to finish. It then covers the three traps that catch most new servers: settings V3 no longer reads, a settings file that an update can replace, and a server on a different branch from its players.
Everything below comes from The Fun Pimps' own release notes and Steam's app data, from the comments inside the server's config file, and from our own test install of V3.4.0 on 4 November 2026. Where a detail comes from a single community source, we say so.
What you need before you start
A 64-bit Linux machine. The Linux binary is 7DaysToDieServer.x86_64.
About 17–18 GB of disk for the game files alone. Steam's public manifest for the Linux depot lists 17.8 GB on disk. Our own install measured 17.4 GB and took about six and a half minutes. Saves, generated worlds and backups come on top of that.
Memory. The Fun Pimps publish requirements for the game, not for the server. On Steam the Linux minimum is "8 GB RAM" with 12 GB recommended, and the store page adds that "Running the Dedicated Server and Client on the same computer will double ram requirements." No server-only figure exists. Our own idle server on the Navezgane map sat at about 2 GB with nobody connected. More in how much RAM a 7 Days to Die server needs.
SteamCMD. No Steam account is needed. The server installs anonymously.
About to spend an evening on this? It is already done here.
The same dedicated server from Steam, already installed: one port, crossplay on, every setting on a Server Settings tab, and a version picker for overhaul mods. Backups, file manager and SFTP on every plan.
That installs the public branch, which is the current stable version. To install another version, add -beta <branch> after the app id. More on branches in Step 5.
When it finishes, /opt/7dtd holds the binary, the game data and a serverconfig.xml with the game's defaults.
Step 2: make your own copy of the settings file
Don't edit serverconfig.xml in place. It is a file that ships with the game, so any update that ships a changed copy writes over it, along with your edits. Copy it once and run the server on the copy:
cd /opt/7dtd
cp serverconfig.xml serverconfig.mine.xml
Open serverconfig.mine.xml. Every setting is a line like this:
<propertyname="ServerName"value="Horde Night Club"/>
These are the ones to set first. The defaults are from the V3 file as the community wiki at wiki.7d2d.net quotes it:
Property
Default
What it does
ServerName
My Game Host
The name in the server browser
ServerPassword
empty
Players must enter it to join
ServerPort
26900
The game port
ServerVisibility
2
2 public, 1 friends only, 0 not listed
ServerMaxPlayerCount
8
The player cap. The Fun Pimps support 8, and crossplay requires 8 or fewer
GameWorld
Navezgane
The hand-made map, RWG for a generated world, or a pregenerated map
WorldGenSeed / WorldGenSize
MyGame / 6144
Used only for RWG
GameName
MyGame
The save name. A new name starts a new game
ServerAllowCrossplay
false
Lets PS5 and Xbox Series players join
EACEnabled
true
EasyAntiCheat
SandboxCode
AAAJABJACJADJARFBNC
Difficulty, blood moons, day length, loot and more, all in one code
The world-size comment in the community copy of the file reads: "Officially supported sizes are between 6144 and 10240 and must be a multiple of 2048." Of the visibility setting, the file says that "As you are never friend of a dedicated server setting this to '1' will only work when the first player connects manually by IP."
Where difficulty went
If you have run a server before V3, you will look for GameDifficulty, BloodMoonFrequency, DayNightLength, LootAbundance or XPMultiplier and not find them. The Fun Pimps' V3.0 release notes moved them, with about twenty-five others, into the single SandboxCode property. You build the code in the game's Sandbox Options menu and paste it into the file. SandboxCode explained covers the whole change. The default code above is, in TFP's words, "an equivalent setup of the legacy default GameDifficulty setting of 'Adventurer' or 1."
Step 4: ports and networking
ServerPort defaults to 26900. The file's comment on it: "Keep it in the ranges 26900 to 26905 or 27015 to 27020 if you want PCs on the same LAN to find it as a LAN server."
The setting people overlook is ServerDisabledNetworkProtocols, which defaults to SteamNetworking. Its comment reads: "Networking protocols that should not be used. Separated by comma. Possible values: LiteNetLib, SteamNetworking. Dedicated servers should disable SteamNetworking if there is no NAT router in between your users and the server or when port-forwarding is set up correctly."
The ports above 26900 are less clear. The Fun Pimps publish no official port list. Host guides disagree: some say 26900 to 26902 is enough, and some add 26903 for crossplay. Open ServerPort for TCP and UDP. If you are behind a home router, forward it. If players still can't connect, check the next few ports.
Telnet is on by default on port 8081. The file says: "If no password is set the server will only listen on the local loopback interface." Leave TelnetPassword empty and telnet is only reachable from the machine itself, which is what you want.
Any setting can also be passed on the command line as -SettingName=value. The game's own changelog added "overriding serverconfig settings via command line". A command-line value beats the file.
On our V3.4.0 test, the server logged StartGame done about 70 seconds after starting on Navezgane. A generated (RWG) world adds generation time on the first start. Nobody has published reliable figures for how long that takes, so allow for it and watch the log.
Step 6: keep the server on the players' branch
A PC client can only join a server on the same version. When V3.1.0 went stable, The Fun Pimps told players: "If you're playing on a dedicated server and can't connect yet, you will need to select the correct branch, Default Public Version which is the v3.1.0 stable, available now!"
Steam keeps older versions available as branches of app 294420. As of November 2026 they include v3.4.0, v3.3.0, v3.2.0, v2.6, v1.4 and alpha21.2, among others. There is no v3.0 or v3.1 branch. Install one with -beta v2.6 (for example), and have every PC player pick the same branch for the game in Steam. Overhaul mods are the usual reason to do this: see running Darkness Falls or Undead Legacy on a dedicated server.
To update the server, stop it and re-run the Step 1 command. Your settings are safe because they live in your own copy. Back up your saves first.
Step 7: console players
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S players have been able to join PC dedicated servers since V2.0 (June 2025). It takes ServerAllowCrossplay set to true, EasyAntiCheat on, and eight player slots or fewer. Host guides add no mods and IgnoreEOSSanctions left off. Console players are always on the latest version, so a server pinned to an older branch is PC-only. The details, including the warning the server logs when it switches crossplay off, are in 7 Days to Die crossplay servers for PS5 and Xbox.
Or let us run it
If that is more evenings than you wanted, 7 Days to Die server hosting at Connect runs the same server with all of this done. The settings live in serverconfig.connect.xml, a file Steam never touches. The settings players change, Sandbox Code included, are on a Server Settings tab. A game-version picker offers Latest, V3.3.0, V2.6, V1.4 and Alpha 21.2, and each version keeps its own world and settings. A crossplay card tells you whether the game actually allowed console players at its last start. Backups, a file manager and SFTP come with every plan. Getting started with your 7 Days to Die server picks up from here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to own 7 Days to Die to run a dedicated server?
No. The dedicated server is Steam app 294420 and installs with an anonymous SteamCMD login. You need the game itself only to play on the server.
What port does a 7 Days to Die server use?
ServerPort, which defaults to 26900. The Fun Pimps publish no list for the ports above it, and host guides disagree about them.
How much disk space does the server need?
About 17–18 GB for the game files: Steam's Linux depot lists 17.8 GB, and our install measured 17.4 GB. Saves and backups come on top.
Why did my difficulty setting do nothing?
Since V3.0, GameDifficulty and about thirty other gameplay settings are no longer in serverconfig.xml. They are part of SandboxCode, which you build in the game's Sandbox Options menu.
How many players can join?
The default and the supported count is 8, and crossplay requires 8 or fewer. Treat any higher number as unsupported.
You've just read the manual. We already did the setup.
The same dedicated server from Steam, already installed: one port, crossplay on, every setting on a Server Settings tab, and a version picker for overhaul mods. Backups, file manager and SFTP on every plan.