How to Set Up a 7 Days to Die Server

Overview

7 Days to Die is an open-world zombie survival game with base building and crafting. A dedicated server supports up to 8 or more players.

Requirements

• A Breeze with at least 4 GB RAM
• 12 GB disk space
• 2 CPU cores

Step 1: Install SteamCMD and Server

sudo useradd -r -m -d /opt/7dtd sdtd
sudo -u sdtd steamcmd +force_install_dir /opt/7dtd/server \
  +login anonymous \
  +app_update 294420 validate \
  +quit

Step 2: Configure the Server

sudo -u sdtd nano /opt/7dtd/server/serverconfig.xml

Key settings to adjust:

<property name="ServerName" value="My 7DTD Server"/>
<property name="ServerPassword" value="changeme"/>
<property name="ServerPort" value="26900"/>
<property name="ServerMaxPlayerCount" value="8"/>
<property name="GameDifficulty" value="2"/>
<property name="DayNightLength" value="60"/>
<property name="LootAbundance" value="100"/>

Step 3: Create a Systemd Service

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/7dtd.service <<EOF
[Unit]
Description=7 Days to Die Server
After=network.target

[Service]
User=sdtd
WorkingDirectory=/opt/7dtd/server
ExecStart=/opt/7dtd/server/7DaysToDieServer.x86_64 -configfile=serverconfig.xml -logfile /opt/7dtd/server/output_log.txt -quit -batchmode -nographics -dedicated
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now 7dtd

Step 4: Open Firewall Ports

sudo ufw allow 26900:26902/tcp
sudo ufw allow 26900:26902/udp

Connecting

In the game, go to Join a Game and enter your server's IP address with port 26900.