7 Days to Die Updated April 27, 2026

How to Configure Your 7 Days to Die Server (serverconfig.xml)

A practical breakdown of every important serverconfig.xml setting — identity, access, world generation, game rules, networking, and Telnet — organized so you can find what you need fast.

7 Days to DieConfigurationserverconfig.xmlSettingsAdmin

Where to Find the File

serverconfig.xml lives in the root of your server install — same folder as the server binary and StartDedicatedServer.bat. If it doesn't exist yet, run the server once and it generates with defaults.

Always stop the server before editing this file. Changes don't take effect until restart, and editing while the server is running risks file corruption or your changes getting overwritten on shutdown.

Identity Settings

<property name="ServerName"        value="My 7DTD Server" />
<property name="ServerDescription" value="A great place to survive." />
<property name="ServerWebsiteURL"  value="https://dustbowl.games" />

ServerName is what shows in the server browser. Keep it under 64 characters — longer names get cut off in the list.

Access Settings

<property name="ServerPassword"         value="" />
<property name="ServerMaxPlayerCount"   value="8" />
<property name="ServerIsPublic"         value="true" />
<property name="ServerVisibility"       value="2" />
<property name="ServerAllowCrossplay"   value="false" />
<property name="EACEnabled"             value="true" />
  • ServerPassword — leave blank for no password. Players see a lock icon in the browser if set.
  • ServerMaxPlayerCount — caps concurrent connections. Default 8. Raise carefully — more players = more server load.
  • ServerIsPublic + ServerVisibility — both control browser listing. Set ServerIsPublic=true AND ServerVisibility=2 for public. Setting either to false/0 hides the server from the browser.
  • ServerAllowCrossplay — enables Epic Online Services so Xbox/non-Steam players can join. Requires some extra port considerations.
  • EACEnabled — must be false when running most mods. EAC blocks modded clients.

World Settings

<property name="GameWorld"    value="RWG" />
<property name="WorldGenSeed" value="dustbowl" />
<property name="WorldGenSize" value="8192" />
<property name="GameName"     value="MySurvival" />
  • GameWorld — Navezgane for the fixed handcrafted map, RWG for procedurally generated.
  • WorldGenSeed — any string. Same seed + same size = identical world every time.
  • WorldGenSize — must be one of the supported values: 4096, 6144, 8192, 10240, 12288, 16384. Non-supported values cause errors.
  • GameName — this becomes your save folder name under UserData/Saves/. Changing it starts a brand new save even on the same world.

Game Rules

<property name="GameMode"         value="GameModeSurvival" />
<property name="GameDifficulty"   value="2" />
<property name="DayNightLength"   value="60" />
<property name="DayCount"         value="1" />
  • GameDifficulty — 0 (Scavenger/easiest) to 5 (Insane). Affects loot quality, zombie health, and damage.
  • DayNightLength — minutes of real time per in-game day. 60 means one in-game hour = 1 real minute, so a full game day takes 24 minutes. Lower values = faster days.
  • DayCount — which in-game day to start on. Set to 1 for a fresh start. Set higher if you want a world that already has some days on it.

Networking Settings

<property name="ServerPort"  value="26900" />

Default is 26900 UDP. If you run multiple servers on the same machine, increment by 4 for each additional server (26900, 26904, 26908...).

Telnet Settings

<property name="TelnetEnabled"  value="false" />
<property name="TelnetPort"     value="8081" />
<property name="TelnetPassword" value="" />

Enable Telnet if you want remote console access. Always set a strong password — Telnet is unencrypted.

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