--- title: "7 Days to Die Configuration guide" description: "Learn to navigate your first server boot and connect seamlessly using your dedicated IP and port configuration." url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/7d2d-new-user-guide/" category: "7 Days to Die" category_url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/" published: "2026-03-21T16:56:36.272Z" updated: "2026-08-19T04:22:14.578Z" source_format: "markdown" site: "GameServerKings" --- # 7 Days to Die Configuration guide 7 Days to Die is a survival horde shooter with deep crafting and world destruction. This guide gets you online and connected. The gameplay levers, admin setup, and mods each have their own guide, indexed in the [7 Days to Die guide list](/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/). ## Initial Boot 1. Log into your server panel and open [your managed 7 Days to Die server](/games/7-days-to-die-server-hosting/). 2. From the Console tab, click **Start**. 3. First boot downloads the dedicated server files from SteamCMD. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for a fresh install. 4. When you see `GameServer: starting...` followed by `Server started`, the server is live. ## How to Connect From the 7 Days to Die client, go to **Connect to Server** in the main menu and paste your IP and port (shown in the **Address** at the top left of your panel). ## Connecting and ports Your server listens on the port set by `ServerPort` in `serverconfig.xml`, which defaults to `26900`. It does not use that one port alone — it also uses **the two ports immediately above it**, over UDP. A server on `26900` needs `26900`, `26901` and `26902`. The official wiki adds one constraint on the value itself: 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. On a managed server none of that is your job. The port is allocated with the server and opened for you, and the **Address** at the top left of your panel is the finished `IP:port` to hand out. Do not change `ServerPort` to a value that was not allocated to you: the server will start, log nothing wrong, and be unreachable. ### Joining by IP versus the server browser There are two ways in, and knowing the difference saves the usual "it doesn't show up" argument: - **Direct connect always works.** The server browser screen has two boxes at the bottom for an IP and a port. Put your Address into them and connect. Nothing about the browser's listings, filters or indexing is involved, so this works the moment the server is up. - **The server browser only lists you if `ServerVisibility` allows it.** `2` is public, `1` is friends only, `0` is not listed. The wiki's own note on `1` is worth reading before you pick it: "As you are never friend of a dedicated server setting this to '1' will only work when the first player connects manually by IP." A server that is running but missing from the browser is nearly always a visibility setting, not a broken server. Test it by direct connect first — if that works, the server is fine and the problem is listing, not networking. > [!TIP] Send the Address, not the server name > Asking players to search a public browser for a brand-new server is the slowest way to get them in. Copy the **Address** from your panel into your Discord and they can connect immediately. ### Console players on Xbox and PS5 Console players can join a PC dedicated server, and there is no separate console build to line up: V3.1.0 went stable "on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox" as one release. What it does need is a server configured for crossplay. The Fun Pimps' requirements are specific — `ServerMaxPlayerCount` of **8 at most**, `ServerAllowCrossplay` set to `true`, EAC left **on**, `IgnoreEOSSanctions` left `false`, and no mods installed: "PS5 and Xbox Series clients cannot join dedicated servers with mods." The failure mode here is quiet too. A console client that finds the server's settings incompatible simply does not list it in its browser, with no error and no kick message. If a console friend cannot see a server your PC players are already on, that is the first thing to check. The [serverconfig.xml reference](/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/serverconfig-xml/) carries the full requirement list, including nine more settings whose crossplay ranges now live inside your `SandboxCode`. ## Server Settings Server settings live in `serverconfig.xml` at the root of your server volume, which you open through the File Manager on your panel. Save the file and restart the server before any change takes effect. One thing catches nearly everyone out: **as of V3.0, most gameplay settings are no longer in that file.** Difficulty, loot, XP, zombie speed and blood moon were removed and folded into a single encoded `SandboxCode` value, which you generate in-game under Sandbox Options and paste in. Setting the old properties directly does nothing — the server boots cleanly, logs no error, and ignores them. What you still set in `serverconfig.xml`: | Setting | Default | What it controls | |---|---|---| | `ServerName` | — | The name shown in the server browser | | `ServerPassword` | empty | Password required to join | | `ServerMaxPlayerCount` | `8` | Player slots, capped by your plan | | `GameWorld` | `Navezgane` | `Navezgane`, `RWG`, or a custom map name | | `WorldGenSeed` | `asdf` | World layout seed, used when `GameWorld` is `RWG` | | `MaxSpawnedZombies` | `64` | Server-wide zombie cap — the biggest performance lever | | `PlayerKillingMode` | `3` | `0` none, `1` allies only, `2` strangers only, `3` everyone | | `EACEnabled` | `true` | Easy Anti-Cheat. Overhaul mods need this set to `false` | The [serverconfig.xml reference](/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/serverconfig-xml/) covers every remaining property, the full list of what V3.0 moved, and how to generate a `SandboxCode`. ## What to Read Next - [serverconfig.xml Reference](/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/serverconfig-xml/) for the full property list, what V3.0 moved into `SandboxCode`, the console crossplay requirements, plus map selection and wipes - [How to Add Administrators](/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/how-to-add-admins-and-whitelist-players/) to make yourself an admin, plus the [console command reference](/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/7-days-to-die-console-commands/) for what to run once you are - [How to Install Modlets and Overhaul Mods](/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/how-to-install-modlets-and-overhaul-mods/) to install mods like Darkness Falls and Undead Legacy - [Managing your 7 Days to Die server](/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/7d2d-maintenance/) for scheduled restarts, backups, and troubleshooting --- Made with 💜 by GameServerKings