Best Project Zomboid server hosting: how to choose

Three ways to run a Project Zomboid server

Before you compare hosts, it’s worth knowing you might not need one. Here is how the three ways to play Project Zomboid with friends compare.

What to look for in a Project Zomboid host

These are the things that matter for Project Zomboid in particular. Each one says why, links the guide with the details, and says honestly what Wilderack does about it.

1. RAM for your mod list

   About 8 GB suits a few friends with no mods, 10 GB mods or up to 10 players, and 12 to 16 GB bigger groups or long mod lists. Build 42 needs about a third more than Build 41. Project Zomboid server performance tips

   YesOn Wilderack: We recommend Grove 10 GB and sell Project Zomboid from Grove 8 GB. Java’s memory limit is set from your plan for you.

2. Build 41 or 42, your choice

   Build 42 is the current stable version. Many Build 41 mods don’t work on it, and worlds can’t move between the two builds. How to make a Project Zomboid server

   YesOn Wilderack: Pick either build for your server, and keep a world on each, switching between them in Games.

3. Workshop mods that just work

   Project Zomboid mods come from the Steam Workshop, and the game downloads them for each player when they join. How to add mods to a Project Zomboid server

   YesOn Wilderack: Add Workshop items in the Mods tab. They update themselves every time the server starts, and the tab writes Build 42’s mod IDs correctly.

4. Backups that hold everything

   On a server, characters, accounts and the world are all stored on the server, so one backup holds everyone’s progress. Project Zomboid server backups and moving your world

   YesOn Wilderack: A safe copy every time the server sleeps and every 10 minutes while it runs. Restore any of them yourself.

5. Listed when you want strangers

   The server only shows in the public list when Public is on and it is awake. How to connect to your Project Zomboid server

   With a catchOn Wilderack: Joining by address always works and wakes a sleeping server. A public server should stay awake to stay listed.

What a cheap Project Zomboid server costs

A cheap server is one with enough memory for your group, not the lowest price on a page. These are the plans we sell for Project Zomboid, with the group size each one suits.

Monthly plans renew at the price shown, and you can cancel any time. A 3-day pass is a one-time payment that doesn’t renew. Prices in US dollars + applicable taxes.

Plans start at Grove 8 GB because Project Zomboid needs about 8 GB for a few friends without mods. Driving and players spread across the map load more of it at once, so size up for a bigger group.

Part of why the price is low: your server naps when nobody is playing, so you don’t pay for hours of an empty world. Your world and settings stay exactly as you left them.

Where Wilderack falls short

No host is right for every group. These are the reasons we might not be the one for yours.

• We aren’t open yet. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you the day orders open.
• A sleeping server drops out of the public list. Strangers can only find it while it is awake, so a public server should stay awake.
• Two regions so far: Europe and US East. Groups in Asia, Oceania or South America will have higher ping than with a host nearby.
• We are new, so we can’t show you years of uptime yet. A 3-day pass is the cheap way to try us first.

How we checked

The facts about Project Zomboid come from our own Project Zomboid guides, which our team checks against The Indie Stone’s documentation and patch notes, listed under Sources below. The facts about Wilderack come from our plans and the panel. Prices are read from our price list when this page is built, so they match the plans page. If something here is out of date, email support@wilderack.com and we will fix it.