How to Configure the Day/Night Cycle on Your DayZ Server
Control time acceleration, night length, and server clock behavior in serverDZ.cfg — including ready-made configs for daytime-heavy, realistic, and fast-cycle playstyles.
Overview
DayZ's time system gives you fine-grained control over how fast time passes and how the server clock resets. The key settings are all in serverDZ.cfg. Get these right and you'll avoid the single biggest player complaint on DayZ servers: spending real hours stuck in darkness.
The Key Settings
| Setting | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
serverTime |
string | Starting world time, format: "YYYY/MM/DD/HH/MM" |
serverTimePersistent |
int | 0 = reset to serverTime on restart, 1 = persist real time |
timeAcceleration |
float | How fast time moves (1.0 = real time, 12.0 = 12× speed) |
nightTimeAcceleration |
float | Additional multiplier applied only during nighttime hours |
Understanding timeAcceleration
timeAcceleration scales the speed of the entire day/night cycle. At 12.0, a full 24-hour in-game day takes 2 real-world hours. At 1.0, a full day takes 24 real hours — basically unplayable for most casual communities.
timeAcceleration = 12.0; // 24-hour in-game day = 2 real hours
Understanding nightTimeAcceleration
This is a multiplier on top of timeAcceleration that only applies during nighttime. A value of 4.0 means night passes 4× faster than the base rate. This is how you shorten nights without compressing the full day.
timeAcceleration = 12.0;
nightTimeAcceleration = 4.0;
The Night Problem
DayZ's nights are pitch black without NVGs or a torch. Real players on a 1.0 server can spend 8–12 real-world hours in darkness — which is why servers hemorrhage players overnight. Even a modest nightTimeAcceleration of 4 or 8 makes a big difference in retention. If you're running a vanilla-adjacent server and want to keep nights threatening but not punishing, 4.0–6.0 is the sweet spot.
serverTimePersistent
0— every time the server restarts, the clock resets toserverTime. Predictable, consistent.1— the server clock continues where it left off (based on real elapsed time). More immersive, but means your players may log in to darkness depending on when the restart happens.
For most community servers, 0 with a daytime serverTime is the friendlier choice.
Example Configurations
Daytime-Heavy (Recommended for Casual Communities)
Server starts at noon, fast cycle, nights are short.
serverTime = "2023/1/1/12/00";
serverTimePersistent = 0;
timeAcceleration = 12.0;
nightTimeAcceleration = 8.0;
A full day takes ~2 real hours. Nights last about 12 minutes.
Realistic / Hardcore
Slower days, actual night pressure.
serverTime = "2023/1/1/08/00";
serverTimePersistent = 1;
timeAcceleration = 3.0;
nightTimeAcceleration = 1.5;
Days run at 3× speed (~8 real hours for a full cycle). Night is only slightly accelerated — bring a torch.
Fast Cycle (High Pop / 24/7 Action)
Maximum day density, nights blink past.
serverTime = "2023/1/1/10/00";
serverTimePersistent = 0;
timeAcceleration = 24.0;
nightTimeAcceleration = 12.0;
A full cycle takes 1 real hour. Nights last about 5 minutes.