7 Days to Die Crossplay (2026): Setup, Platforms & Dedicated Servers

Update May 2026: Crossplay for 7 Days to Die dedicated servers has been live since the V1.0 launch in July 2024. PC, PS5, and Xbox Series players can now join the same dedicated server with no special setup. This page covers what changed, how it works in the current V2.6 era, and the small caveats that remain.

What Shipped: V1.0 Crossplay for Dedicated Servers

Pre-1.0 the game had platform-locked multiplayer — PC servers were PC-only, console servers (legacy Telltale port) were stuck on Alpha 15 with no online play at all. The 1.0 release rewrote the multiplayer stack to support cross-platform play at the dedicated-server tier:

• One dedicated server hosts PC, PS5, and Xbox Series players simultaneously.
• Server admin chooses a single game version; clients on different platforms must run the matching version.
• Steam, PSN, and Microsoft account auth all work through the same server.

What You Need to Run a Crossplay Server

Requirement	Why
V1.0 or newer dedicated server	Crossplay is on the new multiplayer stack. Legacy A21 and earlier dedicated servers are PC-only.
Public IPv4 (no CGNAT)	Console clients need direct connection. Datacenter-hosted servers always have this; home-hosted may not.
EAC matched between server and clients	If EAC is on, every connecting client must be EAC-on. Most modded servers run EAC-off.
Same major version on every client	V2.6 server requires V2.6 clients. Console patches lag PC by ~2-6 weeks; plan downtime around major drops.
Crossplay enabled in serverconfig.xml	Set EACEnabled appropriately and verify the CrossplayEnabled flag (default: true on V1.0+ builds).

Local-Host Games Are Still Platform-Locked

One important caveat: local “Host Game” mode (when you click Multiplayer → Host) is still platform-locked. A PS5 host cannot accept PC connections; a PC host cannot accept Xbox connections. Crossplay only works on dedicated servers, not on local-hosted sessions.

For groups spanning platforms, this means you need a dedicated server — either self-hosted or rented. The friction-minimum path remains a managed 7DTD dedicated server: $5.99/mo, public IP included, crossplay configs pre-applied.

What Doesn’t Crossplay (Yet)

• Steam Workshop / scripted mods — PC mods that touch DLLs (DMT, SDX) won’t load on console clients. XML-only mods (Wasteland, Asylum, AOO, IzyGun) work for everyone if uploaded server-side.
• Mod overhauls (Darkness Falls, Undead Legacy, etc.) — PC-only. A dedicated server running these is PC-clients-only.
• Workshop avatar mods — cosmetic mods may not show correctly across platforms; the server-side validation gates this.
• External admin tools (BattleMetrics, ServerTools, Allocs Web Map) — work fine, but features depending on platform-specific player IDs need testing.

How to Set Up Crossplay (Self-Host)

1. Run V1.0+ dedicated server build on Linux or Windows.
2. In serverconfig.xml: EACEnabled="false" if you run any DLL mods (DF, UL, Sorcery, War3zuk). Otherwise leave on.
3. Forward UDP 26900, 26901, 26902 — required for crossplay handshake.
4. Have console players install the game and patch to match the server version.
5. Server name shows in the in-game public/private browser for all platforms.

Bottom Line

Crossplay is no longer a “when will we get it” question for 7DTD — it’s been live for nearly two years. The remaining gap is mod-pack content (PC-only) and local-host mode (platform-locked). For mixed-platform groups, a dedicated server bridges everything.

Want a managed crossplay server? 7 Days to Die hosting from $5.99/mo — PC + PS5 + Xbox Series in the same world, mods supported, snapshots, 5 datacenter regions.