How to Set Up a 7 Days To Die Dedicated Server (2026)

Honest, unromantic walkthrough of every step. Plus the part most tutorials skip: the time cost, and when it's cheaper to just pay $9.99/mo.

Last reviewed: 2026-05-01 · Updated for 7DTD 2.x · Linux + Windows covered

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3-minute provision, no port-forwarding, no Linux. From $5.99/mo, mods one-click.

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What this page covers (read time ~12 min, full setup ~6h):
  1. Hardware you need (the actual numbers)
  2. Step-by-step on Linux (Ubuntu 22.04)
  3. Step-by-step on Windows
  4. Port forwarding, NAT, dynamic DNS
  5. Installing mods (Darkness Falls, Undead Legacy)
  6. Ongoing operations (the part the tutorials don't tell you)
  7. Real total cost — and when paid is cheaper
  8. FAQ

1. Hardware you actually need

The official Steam page understates this. Real-world minimums for a stable multiplayer dedicated server:

Player countCPURAM dedicated to gameDiskUpload bandwidth
1–4 players, vanilla4 cores, 3 GHz+6 GB30 GB SSD5 Mbps stable
5–8 players, vanilla4 cores, 3.5 GHz+8 GB40 GB SSD10 Mbps stable
5–16 players, modded (Darkness Falls)6 cores, 4 GHz+12–16 GB60 GB SSD15 Mbps stable
16–32 players, heavy overhauls8 cores, 4 GHz+20–32 GB100 GB SSD25 Mbps stable
The fine print: The CPU clock matters more than core count for 7DTD — the world simulation runs largely on a single thread. A 4-core 4.5 GHz chip beats an 8-core 2.8 GHz chip for this workload. If your home PC is older than 2020, expect rubber-banding under load.

2. Linux (Ubuntu 22.04 / Debian 12)

Step 2a: Install dependencies ~15 min

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y lib32gcc-s1 libsdl2-2.0-0:i386 \
    screen wget curl tmux unzip
sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash sdtd
sudo -iu sdtd

Step 2b: Install SteamCMD ~5 min

cd ~
mkdir -p ~/steamcmd && cd ~/steamcmd
wget https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
tar -xvzf steamcmd_linux.tar.gz

Step 2c: Download the dedicated server (App ID 294420) ~30 min, ~12 GB

./steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir ../sdtd \
    +login anonymous \
    +app_update 294420 validate \
    +quit

Patience. SteamCMD is single-threaded, the assets are large, your home internet is the bottleneck.

Step 2d: Configure serverconfig.xml ~30 min

Copy the default config and edit:

cd ~/sdtd
cp serverconfig.xml my-server.xml
nano my-server.xml

Critical fields to change: ServerName, ServerPassword, ServerAdminPassword, GameWorld, WorldGenSeed, ServerMaxPlayerCount. Each field has 2–5 settings under it; the file is 200+ lines.

Step 2e: Start the server (in screen / tmux / systemd) ~10 min config + ongoing

screen -S sdtd
cd ~/sdtd
./startserver.sh -configfile=my-server.xml

This works for the first session, but a screen session dies on reboot. For real persistence write a systemd unit:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/sdtd.service

...with proper User=, WorkingDirectory=, Restart=on-failure, log destination, and a graceful shutdown handler. Get any of those wrong and you'll discover it after a power outage.

3. Windows

Windows is faster to install (Steam client does most of the work via the Tools section) but slower to operate — no native screen/tmux, harder to write proper services, more locale and AV-software friction. The five-minute version:

  1. Open Steam → Library → Tools → install "7 Days to Die Dedicated Server"
  2. Find the install dir (typically C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\7 Days to Die Dedicated Server)
  3. Edit serverconfig.xml as above
  4. Run startdedicated.bat
  5. Configure Windows Firewall to allow ports 26900–26903 (UDP+TCP)

The downside: your gaming PC is now a 24/7 dedicated server. Sleep, Windows Update, locale switches all break it. Most groups end up wanting Linux on a separate box within a month.

4. Networking — the part that breaks for 60% of self-hosters

The dedicated server runs on three ports by default: 26900 (TCP, server-list query), 26900–26902 (UDP, gameplay), 8080 (TCP, web admin, optional).

The CGNAT problem. If your home ISP gave you a shared IPv4 (Carrier-Grade NAT), you cannot port-forward. Period. Run curl ifconfig.me from your home PC and compare it to the WAN IP shown in your router. If they differ, you're behind CGNAT — self-hosting is impossible without IPv6 or a VPS jumpbox. Ask your ISP for a public IPv4 (often $5/mo extra) or rent.

Assuming you have a public IPv4:

  1. Set your dedicated-server PC to a static internal IP (e.g., 192.168.1.50)
  2. In your router's port-forwarding section, forward 26900–26902 (UDP) and 26900 (TCP) to that internal IP
  3. If your router supports it, also forward 8080 (TCP) for the web panel
  4. Test connectivity from outside your network — ask a friend to add your public IP:26900 in the 7DTD client and try to connect

If your IP changes (most home connections do), you also need dynamic DNS — sign up for a free DDNS provider (DuckDNS, No-IP) and configure your router or a daemon to update the DNS record when your IP rotates.

5. Installing mods

For modlets (small mods compatible with vanilla):

cd ~/sdtd/Mods
git clone https://github.com/MOD_AUTHOR/MOD_NAME .

For overhauls (Darkness Falls, Undead Legacy, Wasteland, War3zuk, Ravenhearst):

  • Darkness Falls — the Mod Launcher tool is mandatory. The launcher is Windows-first; Linux requires manual extraction of the mod archive into ~/sdtd/Mods/ with version-matched 7DTD core files. Wiki guide.
  • Undead Legacy — similar pattern. Pin to the matching 7DTD version — the latest UL release lags vanilla by 2–6 weeks.
  • Wasteland — ships as a single archive; extract to ~/sdtd/Mods/ and configure the recommended map size (16K).
Version mismatches are the #1 self-host problem. 7DTD auto-updates via SteamCMD; mod packages don't. The pattern: 7DTD ships an update Tuesday, your auto-update Wednesday, your modded server breaks Wednesday night. The mod author releases a compatible version 3 weeks later. You're offline for that window. This is what you pay $9.99/mo for somebody else to handle.

6. Ongoing operations — what tutorials skip

Setup is a one-time cost. Ongoing ops are forever. Realistic monthly time:

TaskFrequencyTime per occurrence
Game updates — verify, restart, validate save loads~weekly20–60 min
OS security patchesmonthly30 min
Mod compatibility breaks (when 7DTD ships major update)~monthly2–8 hours
ISP issues — CGNAT changes, IP rotation, packet loss~quarterly1–4 hours
Backup verification (you ARE backing up, right?)weekly10 min
Crash recovery, save corruption recovery~quarterly1–6 hours
Player support — "I can't connect", "my base is gone"continuousvaries

Realistic ongoing: 3–6 hours per month for a moderately-sized modded server. More during 7DTD update cycles.

7. The real total cost

The honest comparison most "free server" tutorials don't run:

Setup pathCashFirst-month timeOngoing time / moWhat breaks at 3 AM
Self-host on home PC$0–$5/mo (electricity)~6h setup + ~10h debugging~4hYour problem, your group is down
Self-host on Linux VPS (Hetzner/DO)$10–$20/mo~8h setup + ~6h debugging~4hYour problem, you have the cloud panel
7d2d.net Plan M$9.99/mo3 minutes~0Our problem

At any reasonable opportunity-cost rate ($15–$30/hr), self-hosting costs $100–$400/mo of your time after counting first-month setup. Paid hosting becomes cheaper than free hosting at hour ~5.

This is honest. If you like sysadmin work as a hobby, self-host — you'll learn things and the time isn't a cost. If you just want to play 7DTD with friends and don't want to administer infrastructure, paid wins by month 2.

What renters say after they stopped self-hosting

★★★★★
“Got the server up and running very fast with the mod pack I wanted. Had one problem and they responded fast and fixed it.”
— Jacob Russell, US · Apr 2025
★★★★★
“Was quick and easy to set up, didn’t have to worry about it after the initial setup. The one time it crashed, it was very simple to just turn it back on.”
— WolffeTGX, AU · Jan 2025
★★★★★
“Excellent, honest service. Modpack-related problems — they went above and beyond to help. Their support exceeded my expectations.”
— Kyler Burt, CA · Feb 2025

FAQ

Can I run a 7DTD dedicated server on a Raspberry Pi?
No. The dedicated server is x86_64 and the world simulation is CPU-bound at performance levels well beyond what a Pi delivers. Even on a Pi 5 expect severe stutter at 3+ players.
Is self-hosting actually free?
Cash-wise on a home PC, almost — just electricity ($3–$8/mo for 24/7 idle-to-light load). Time-wise, ~10h first month + 3–6h ongoing. At $20/hr opportunity cost that's $250–$500/mo of your time. The "free" math only works if your time isn't worth anything.
Do I need a static IP to self-host?
Strictly no — you can get away with dynamic DNS. Practically yes, because every IP rotation breaks player bookmarks, mods that hardcode the IP, and any external services pointing at your server.
Can I use a Linux VPS like Hetzner or DigitalOcean?
Yes. It solves the home-network problems (CGNAT, dynamic IP, ISP unreliability) but adds Linux admin work and costs $10–$20/mo cash. At that price, dedicated game-host services (us at $9.99/mo) become the cheaper option.
What's the easiest way to install Darkness Falls?
On a self-hosted server: the official Mod Launcher (Windows). On a paid host that supports it (Plan M and up here): one click in the panel. Wiki guide here.
Should I just rent instead?
If your group plays more than once a month with people in different time zones, yes — the 7DTD rent-vs-self-host evaluation guide goes through the math. The break-even is the second weekend.

Or skip all of this

3-minute provision, no Linux, no port forwarding, mods one-click. From $5.99/mo. 2-day money-back.

See plans →