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Most 7 Days to Die server options are controlled by a single XML file, serverconfig.xml. Stop the server, back up that file, change only the text inside each setting’s value= attribute, save it as valid XML, and restart. The exact options, defaults, and even the meaning of some values vary between game versions, so use the stock file shipped with your installation as the authority.

What serverconfig.xml controls

A dedicated server reads its configuration when it starts. The file controls who can join, which world loads, difficulty, loot, blood-moon hordes, zombie limits, remote administration and several network behaviors. It is plain text, but it is still structured XML: a missing quote, deleted closing character or altered tag can prevent a setting from loading.

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The Valve Developer Community wiki page commonly used for this file describes an old v1.3 b9 configuration and explicitly warns that its description is outdated. Hosting guides published for newer releases report different defaults and additional elements. Treat every number in this article as a reported example, not a guaranteed current default. Open your own unmodified serverconfig.xml and read the comments beside each element before changing it.

Prepare the server before editing

Find the active configuration file

Locate the serverconfig.xml used by the dedicated-server installation or host control panel. If the launch command names another file, that named file is the one being read. A common arrangement is to copy the stock file to a custom name such as myserver.xml and start the server with a -configfile argument. Search summaries and hosting guides describe that method, but it is not confirmed by an official launch-script reference; verify the syntax for your installation before relying on it.

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Make a rollback copy

  1. Stop the dedicated server cleanly and wait until its process has exited.
  2. Copy the current XML to a dated backup, for example serverconfig-2026-10-14.xml.
  3. Keep a second copy of the untouched stock file. It helps you identify new or removed options after an update.
  4. Edit with a plain-text or code editor. Do not use a word processor that inserts rich-text formatting or curly quotation marks.

Change values without changing the XML structure

Each option normally appears as an element with a name and a value. Change only the data in the value= portion of the line. Do not rename the element, remove quotation marks, alter the tag, or paste an entire replacement line from a different game version. The Valve wiki’s guidance is especially important here: changing anything other than the value can make the setting ineffective.

Save, validate and restart

  1. Save the file in the same encoding and location used by the server.
  2. Check that every edited value uses the type shown in the file’s comment: a number, Boolean such as true/false, or text.
  3. Start the server and watch its console or log for XML parsing errors.
  4. Join and verify the result in game. A restart is required; editing while the server is running does not reliably apply changes.

Identity, access and network settings

Setting What it controls Reported values or defaults Important qualification
ServerName The label displayed in the server browser. Use any text accepted by your file. The visible name does not itself make a server public or private.
ServerPassword Password required to join. A blank value is reported as open access. Set a non-empty value for a private server and distribute it only to intended players.
ServerVisibility Whether and how the server is listed. The majority interpretation is 0 not listed, 1 friends only and 2 public. A 7d2d.net reference instead maps 1 to listed and 2 to listed with password. The comment in your own file wins.
ServerPort Main game network port. Hosting guides commonly report UDP 26900. Adjacent ports may also be used. The 26900 default was not confirmed against an official current file, so open and forward the ports your server log identifies.
ServerReservedSlots Slots held back for reserved users. 0 in an Alpha 17 reference. That reference is version-specific; confirm the current comment and permission system.
ServerMaxPlayerCount Maximum simultaneous players. 8 is reported by one guide. Not checked against a primary current source; set it according to the capacity of your host and the value shown in your file.

For a private co-op session, combine a password with the visibility mode described by your file’s comments. For a public server, test listing from a second account or network instead of assuming that a numeric value has the same meaning after an update.

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Gameplay settings

GameDifficulty

GameDifficulty is reported on a scale from 0 (easiest) through 5 (hardest). The scale is a setting value, not a promise that every enemy, loot roll or world-generation rule changes in a simple linear progression. Change it before creating a new session or test it on a backup world, because your release may apply difficulty differently to an existing save.

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GameWorld

GameWorld selects the world source. Navezgane loads the authored Navezgane map. A randomly generated world requires RWG; leaving the value at Navezgane while expecting random generation will load Navezgane instead. World-generation changes can create a different map and should be treated as a new-world decision, not a cosmetic toggle.

LootAbundance

The reported default for LootAbundance is 100. The 2026 Winternode guide suggests a range of 100–150 for casual play and 75 for a harsher experience. Those are play-style recommendations, not measured balance guarantees. Increasing abundance can reduce the pressure to explore and manage supplies; lowering it makes every container and trip more consequential.

BloodMoonEnemyCount

BloodMoonEnemyCount controls how many zombies are spawned per player during the seventh-night blood-moon horde. It is therefore both a difficulty and a capacity decision. Raise it only after confirming that CPU, memory and network performance remain stable with the intended number of players. A value that feels manageable for one player can multiply quickly when several players are online.

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Performance and save handling

MaxSpawnedZombies

MaxSpawnedZombies is the server-wide cap on simultaneously spawned zombies and is described by the Winternode guide as the most important broad performance control. That guide reports a default of 64 and warns that values above about 80 can cause frame-rate and lag problems. These figures are guide-reported, not a current official benchmark. Increase the cap in small steps, test during a blood moon with a normal player load, and watch both server tick performance and players’ latency.

Lowering the cap is usually the first mitigation when a low-spec host becomes overloaded. It may reduce the density of encounters, so explain the trade-off to players rather than silently changing the game’s intended pressure.

SaveGameFolder

SaveGameFolder can point the save data to another drive. The Winternode guide recommends a secondary, faster drive when the original storage is a bottleneck. Move or copy the existing save safely, grant the server process access to the destination, then change the path and verify that the expected world appears before deleting the old copy. A faster path cannot compensate for an incorrect directory or inadequate permissions.

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Remote administration and security

TelnetPassword and TelnetPort

These settings control the Telnet administration console. One unnamed search result reported Telnet as enabled with no password by default, but that default is unverified. Do not expose an administrative port until you have inspected the current file, set a strong TelnetPassword or disabled Telnet where your version permits it, and restricted access at the host firewall. Record the chosen TelnetPort and avoid reusing a port already assigned to another service.

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Web dashboard

Hosting documentation reports that the web dashboard is off by default and uses port 8080 when enabled. This is not confirmed against a primary current source. If you enable it, require authentication, bind it only as broadly as necessary, restrict the port at the firewall and check the server log for the actual listening address and port. Never assume that a blank password is safe because the dashboard is not advertised in the game browser.

Exposure checklist

  • Remove or replace any blank administrative credential before port-forwarding.
  • Permit only the game and administration ports you actually use.
  • Keep the configuration backup offline or outside the web-served directory.
  • Review the file again after a game update; updates can add new network or authentication options.

Mods, anti-cheat and crossplay

Mod requirements are not interchangeable

Sources conflict about EACEnabled. One says overhaul mods require false; another says DLL mods require it to be false. Neither requirement was verified against an official source, and a mod’s own documentation should take precedence. Disabling anti-cheat can change who may join and can make a setup unsuitable for an otherwise vanilla public server. Create a separate configuration and save for mod experiments so you can return to a known-good vanilla profile.

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Reported crossplay conditions

One guide reports the following conditions for Xbox/PS5 crossplay: EACEnabled=true, ServerVisibility=2, no mods, and a ServerDisabledNetworkProtocols value that does not contain LiteNetLib. The same guide reports XPMultiplier values from 25 to 300 in increments of 25. These rules are unverified and may be sensitive to game version, platform and the anti-cheat/mod conflict. Treat them as a checklist to test, not a universal compatibility guarantee.

When crossplay fails, first return to an unmodded configuration, enable the required anti-cheat state, inspect visibility and protocol values, restart, and test with one client from each platform. Add mods only after the cross-platform connection works.

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Practical profiles for common servers

Goal Settings to review Reasoning
Private friends-only world ServerPassword, ServerVisibility, ServerMaxPlayerCount Use a non-empty password, confirm the visibility code in the local file, and cap players at a level your host can sustain.
Public vanilla server ServerVisibility, ServerPassword, EACEnabled, MaxSpawnedZombies Verify listing and anti-cheat behavior, then choose a zombie cap based on measured load rather than the largest available number.
Casual survival GameDifficulty, LootAbundance, BloodMoonEnemyCount The guide-reported casual loot range is 100–150; adjust horde size and difficulty separately so one change does not hide the effect of another.
Hardcore survival GameDifficulty, LootAbundance, BloodMoonEnemyCount A reported hardcore loot suggestion is 75. Test blood-moon counts carefully because player count multiplies spawned enemies.
Low-spec host MaxSpawnedZombies, SaveGameFolder, ServerMaxPlayerCount Start below the reported 64 default if necessary, move saves to faster storage, and limit simultaneous players.
Modded server EACEnabled, mod documentation, separate backup Requirements conflict between mod types; follow the exact mod instructions and preserve a vanilla rollback file.

Troubleshooting changes that do not take effect

The server starts with old values

  • Confirm the process is stopped before editing and restarted afterward.
  • Check the launch command for a -configfile argument pointing to a different XML file.
  • Verify that the edited element name exactly matches the one in the active stock file.
  • Look for duplicate elements; remove neither until you know which one your version reads.

The server fails to start

  • Restore the last known-good backup.
  • Compare quotation marks, angle brackets and closing tags with the stock file.
  • Undo the most recent edit, then reapply one change at a time.
  • Read the console log for the line number of the XML parse error.

Players cannot see or join the server

  • Recheck ServerVisibility against the comments in your version; published mappings conflict.
  • Confirm the password is blank only when you intend an open server.
  • Verify the configured UDP port and any adjacent ports identified by the server log are forwarded and allowed through the firewall.
  • For crossplay, return to the reported unmodded requirements before testing mods or protocol exclusions.

The server lags during a blood moon

  • Lower MaxSpawnedZombies first and retest with the normal player count.
  • Reduce BloodMoonEnemyCount if the spike occurs only during the horde.
  • Check whether the save path is on a slow or nearly full drive; move it only after making a verified backup.
  • Do not infer that a higher zombie cap is safe merely because ordinary daytime play is smooth.

Version-update checklist

Before adopting a configuration from an older server, compare it line by line with the new stock file. A GameServerKings page mentions a “V3.0” and a SandboxCode element, while another guide says the SaveData tag was removed in Alpha 21. Neither claim was verified against an official source, so do not add, remove or rename either element solely on that basis. Copy values into the new file’s existing elements, preserve unfamiliar options until you understand them, and test the server before inviting players.

Keep a short change log with the game version, date, setting changed and observed result. This makes it possible to identify whether a failure came from an XML edit, a game update, a mod or a network change.

Key rules to remember

  • serverconfig.xml is the central configuration file, but the active file may be a custom path named by the launch command.
  • Edit only the value portion of an existing line and preserve valid XML.
  • Defaults and numeric meanings are version-dependent; the comments in your installed stock file take priority over old guides.
  • Review Telnet and dashboard exposure before opening the server to the internet.
  • MaxSpawnedZombies is the principal server-wide performance lever, while blood-moon counts multiply pressure per player.
  • Crossplay and mod requirements can contradict each other, so test the exact platform, version and mod combination you intend to run.

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