
Project Zomboid is the ultimate in zombie survival. Alone or in MP: you loot, build, craft, fight, farm and fish in a struggle to survive. A hardcore RPG skillset, a vast map, massively customisable sandbox and a cute tutorial raccoon await the unwary. So how will you die? All it takes is a bite..
Here's what you need to run a Project Zomboid dedicated server.
Small server, 1-8 players
Medium server, 8-32 players with mods
Large server, 32-64 players, heavy mods
Start hosting from your own computer
Run a Project Zomboid server on your desktop, laptop, VPS, or dedicated machine ā GameCP automates Docker setup, resource allocation, and Project Zomboid configuration instantly. Automatic port forwarding means your friends can connect without touching your router. Start local, scale to a VPS when you're ready.
Skip the manual SteamCMD installation, port forwarding, and systemd configuration. Install on your own computer and start hosting instantly.
The full manual process to host a Project Zomboid dedicated server on a VPS. Or install GameCP on your own computer and skip all of this.
Set your server settings, then install Docker, SteamCMD, and pull the Project Zomboid container image.
# Update system and install Docker sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y docker.io sudo systemctl enable --now docker # Create game server directory sudo mkdir -p /opt/gameserver # Install SteamCMD sudo mkdir -p /opt/steamcmd curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | sudo tar zxvf - -C /opt/steamcmd # Server configuration export ADMIN_USER="admin" export CONFIG_NAME="servertest" export AUTO_UPDATE="0" # Pull the container image docker pull ghcr.io/ptero-eggs/steamcmd:debian
Download the Project Zomboid dedicated server using Steam App ID 380870.
# Download Project Zomboid server files (App ID: 380870) /opt/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh \ +force_install_dir /opt/gameserver \ +login anonymous \ +app_update 380870 validate \ +quit
Project Zomboid requires 1 port to be open for game traffic and queries.
sudo ufw allow 16261/both
Start the Project Zomboid server using the configuration from Step 1.
Create the startup script
# Create the startup script cat > /opt/gameserver/start.sh << 'EOF' #!/bin/bash # 1. Path & Environment Setup # Move to the container root to ensure relative paths work cd /home/container || exit 1 # Update PATH and Library paths correctly export PATH="./jre64/bin:" export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="./linux64:./natives:.:./jre64/lib/server:" # 2. Fix the LD_PRELOAD Warning # We check if the file exists before preloading to avoid 'cannot open shared object' errors JSIG="./jre64/lib/server/libjsig.so" if [ -f "" ]; then export LD_PRELOAD=":" fi # 3. Memory & Performance for Ryzen 7900 # Zomboid is heavy on RAM; 8GB is standard, but you can bump -Xmx if needed. JAVA_ARGS="-Xmx8g -XX:+UseZGC -Djava.awt.headless=true -Dzomboid.steam=1 -Dzomboid.znetlog=1" # 4. The Launch Command # FIX: Changed -cachedir from '/.cache' to 'Zomboid' to stay inside /home/container # NOTE: -servername uses PZ_CONFIG_NAME (default: servertest) which determines # which .ini and _SandboxVars.lua files PZ reads. This is NOT the public display name. ./ProjectZomboid64 \ -port 16261 \ -udpport \ -cachedir=Zomboid \ -servername "servertest" \ -adminusername "admin" \ -adminpassword "" EOF chmod +x /opt/gameserver/start.sh
Run the container
docker run -d \ --name project-zomboid-server \ -p 16261:16261/both \ -e ADMIN_USER="admin" \ -e CONFIG_NAME="servertest" \ -e AUTO_UPDATE="0" \ -v /opt/gameserver:/opt/gameserver \ -w /opt/gameserver \ ghcr.io/ptero-eggs/steamcmd:debian \ ./start.sh
Alternative startup profiles:
GameCP lets you switch between these profiles with one click.
GameCP automates every step above: Docker, SteamCMD, port forwarding, startup, and config. Install on your own PC and deploy a Project Zomboid server in under 5 minutes.
Deploy with GameCPExplore step-by-step setup guides for other popular games supported by GameCP.
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