Project Zomboid Stuck on “Getting Server Info”: Fixes That Work

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If Project Zomboid stays on Getting Server Info, the browser has usually found the server but the join handshake has not completed. The message is a connection-stage symptom, not a diagnosis. Work out whether the failure affects one server, one player, or every server, then test the client, Steam path, network, and host in that order. The sequence below starts with reversible checks and leaves file deletion and server AppID changes until you have evidence they are necessary.

What “Getting Server Info” actually tells you

Project Zomboid can list or favorite a server before the game has proved that a player can complete the connection handshake. Therefore, seeing a server in the browser does not prove that its ports, Steam session, mods, or authentication path are working. The same screen has been reported with public servers, a friend’s server, modded and vanilla sessions, co-op games, and a Build 42.20 dedicated server.

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The useful question is not “What single fix clears this message?” It is “Which part of the path fails?” The client must load compatible files, Steam must establish a session or relay route, the network must pass the required traffic, and the server must accept a matching build and mod set. A failure in any one of those stages can look identical on screen.

No authoritative source establishes a universal success rate for any remedy. A download-region change helps some players and does nothing for others; clearing client data can identify stale or conflicting mods but is not a guaranteed cure; and the steam_appid.txt change described below is an individual, version-sensitive workaround rather than an official fix.

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Choose the least destructive test first

Before changing anything: record the scope

• Write down the date and exact time of a failed join, the server name or address, and whether it is public, private, modded, vanilla, co-op, or dedicated.
• Record the client and server build numbers. Build 42.20 reports are especially useful because they show that this symptom can persist even when the server is visible.
• Note the enabled mods, whether Steam Relay is on or off, and whether the affected player is the host or a remote client.
• Do not delete the Zomboid folder until your saves are copied somewhere safe.

Step 1: determine whether the problem is one server, one player, or every server

Test another public server

Join a known public server with a small or zero-mod setup. You are not looking for a particular server recommendation; you are creating a control test. If the second server loads, the original host should inspect its build, mods, ports, and server files. If every server hangs for one player, concentrate on that player’s client, Steam session, and network.

Have another player try the same server

Ask a friend to join the affected server, or have the affected player try a different machine or account only if that is practical. A server-wide failure points toward host configuration. A failure limited to one player points toward local state, Steam routing, firewall policy, or the player’s ISP.

Interpret a successful control correctly

Joining another server does not prove that your original server is healthy, and failing to join two servers does not prove that the game installation is damaged. It only narrows the boundary. Keep the result with the timestamp for the log comparison in the next step.

Step 2: capture logs before guessing

Find the client archive

Open the Zomboid user-data folder and locate logs.zip. On Windows the folder is normally %UserProfile%Zomboid, such as C:UsersAliceZomboid. A Project Zomboid support moderator specifically requested this archive when investigating a stuck join.

Preserve useful context

• Make a copy of logs.zip before attempting further resets.
• Write the exact failed-join time beside the archive name.
• Include the game build, server build, mod list, Steam Relay setting, and whether another server worked.
• If you administer the server, save the matching server-console segment for the same minute.

In one Build 42.20 discussion, the client repeatedly reported GettingServerInfo and RakNet initialization while the server recorded only asynchronous socket creation and destruction. That pattern matters: server discovery and socket activity alone do not demonstrate that the full join handshake completed. Comparing both sides is more informative than repeatedly reinstalling the client.

Step 3: isolate mods and stale client state without losing saves

Back up the save data

Copy the entire Saves folder to a separate location, such as an external drive or a clearly named desktop backup. If you use several worlds, confirm that each expected save is present before removing anything. A clean test is not worth risking an established world.

Temporarily move, rather than permanently destroy, the user folder

Close Project Zomboid and Steam. In %UserProfile%Zomboid, move every item except Saves into a backup folder outside Zomboid. The support reply that describes this test uses the path C:Users%UserProfile%Zomboid; on a normal Windows installation, %UserProfile% already expands to your user directory, so use the actual folder Windows opens for your account.

Do not delete workshop or configuration data irreversibly at this stage. Moving it lets you restore one item at a time if the test is inconclusive. Start the game, connect to a clean, unmodded server, and observe the result.

Read the result

• Clean client connects: stale configuration, cached data, or a mod conflict is implicated. Reintroduce mods in small groups, testing after each group, until the offending set is identified.
• Clean client still hangs: the reset did not identify the cause. Restore only the files you need, keep the log archive, and continue with Steam and network tests.
• Only one modded server fails: compare its workshop versions and load order with the host; do not assume that a successful vanilla test makes the modded server compatible.

Step 4: verify the installation and align server files

Verify the client

1. Open Steam and go to Library.
2. Right-click Project Zomboid and choose Properties.
3. Open Installed Files.
4. Select Verify integrity of game files and wait for Steam to finish.
5. Restart Steam and Project Zomboid before repeating the join test.

Verification addresses missing or altered client files. It does not repair a blocked UDP path, an incompatible server mod, or a host that is listening only on a local address.

For dedicated-server hosts, use a clean, matching installation

Install the dedicated server files cleanly when the host has been upgraded repeatedly, copied between builds, or accumulated old workshop content. Match the client’s build and the server’s build exactly, then confirm that every required workshop item is available at the server and that the server’s configuration names the same content. A client can reach the discovery stage and still stop at Getting Server Info when the final files or protocol do not match.

Step 5: try a different Steam Download Region

Make the reversible change

1. In Steam, open Steam > Settings.
2. Select Downloads.
3. Change Download Region to a European region or another geographically different region.
4. Restart Steam, then retry the same join.

A Project Zomboid support moderator suggested this test to a player in the United States. It is a routing experiment, not a guaranteed repair: another player reported that changing regions did not help. If there is no improvement, restore your preferred region rather than leaving Steam on an arbitrary location.

A positive result means the original Steam route may have been problematic at that moment. It does not prove that the game files, server ports, or mods are correct, so keep the server-side checks if the problem returns.

Step 6: separate Steam Relay, ISP, and firewall problems

Toggle Steam Relay deliberately

Use the Steam Relay option available in your Project Zomboid join or server configuration and test both states, restarting the session between attempts. Record which state was used. Relay can change the network path, but a toggle is diagnostic only; it cannot make an incompatible build or missing mod load correctly.

Test a different network

Connect the affected computer through a mobile-phone hotspot or another trusted network and repeat the same server test. A temporary VPN can serve the same purpose as a path test, but turn it off after the comparison if it adds latency or blocks game traffic.

• Works on the hotspot or VPN, fails on the normal connection: investigate ISP routing, carrier-grade NAT, router policy, DNS behavior, or firewall filtering. Reinstalling the game will not correct those conditions.
• Fails on both networks: return to client state, Steam session, build, and server compatibility rather than treating the ISP as proven.
• Only Relay-on or Relay-off works: leave the working state documented for that server and have the host review its Steam and port configuration.

Check local security software without weakening it permanently

Temporarily test with the Windows firewall or security suite configured to allow Project Zomboid and its dedicated-server executable, using the product’s documented allow-list method. Do not leave protection disabled. If the test changes the result, create a narrow application rule and remove any broad, temporary exception.

Step 7: host-side checks when the server is visible but the join fails

Confirm the build and content

• Compare the exact client and server build numbers.
• For modded servers, compare workshop item IDs, versions, load order, and map dependencies.
• Retest with a clean server containing no mods. If the clean server works, add content back in controlled groups.

Check the address and UDP forwarding

Forward the UDP ports configured by the server to the host’s current private LAN address. Use the port values in the server configuration rather than guessing a default, and reserve the host’s local address in the router so the forwarding rule does not silently point to another machine. A public listing can still be produced while the actual join packets cannot reach the host.

Review UPnP and firewall behavior

UPnP can create or remove mappings unpredictably when a router has stale leases or multiple hosts. Test with a documented manual forwarding rule or, if your router is reliable, with UPnP enabled consistently—not both competing at once. Permit the game and server executables through the host firewall on the correct network profile, and inspect the router’s event log for blocked or expired mappings.

Distinguish public from local addressing

Players outside the host’s home network need the public address and a working inbound route; players inside may need the local address or a router that supports hairpin NAT. Test from an external network so that a successful connection from the host’s own LAN is not mistaken for proof that remote players can join.

Check Steam versus -nosteam mode

Use the same mode on both sides. A server launched with Steam integration and a client expecting a non-Steam path are not equivalent configurations. Change one variable at a time, restart the server after each change, and record the command or launch option used.

Step 8: the reported steam_appid.txt workaround

One player reported in January 2025 that a dedicated Steam server began working after creating a file named steam_appid.txt containing exactly 108600, marking that file read-only, and launching with StartServer64.bat. Treat this as a case-specific workaround, not an official universal fix.

1. Stop the dedicated server and make a backup of its folder and launch scripts.
2. Create steam_appid.txt in the location used by that server’s launch process.
3. Put only 108600 in the file, with no quotation marks or extra text.
4. Use the file properties to mark it Read-only.
5. Launch the server with StartServer64.bat and test from an external client.

If this changes nothing, remove the file or restore the backup and continue with the supported build, port, and Steam checks. Because the report is tied to a particular setup and date, a future game or server update may make the change ineffective or inappropriate.

How to read common failure patterns

When to stop changing the client

Stop reinstalling or deleting files once a clean client has been tested and the logs show the problem occurs only with one server or one network. At that point, give the host the client timestamp, build, mod list, Relay state, and the relevant server-console interval. Those details let the host test ports, address binding, UPnP, firewall rules, and Steam mode instead of guessing.

Conversely, if the same player cannot join any server from multiple networks and a clean client still hangs, the remaining evidence favors a local Steam session, security policy, or installation issue. Keep the original Zomboid backup and logs so that a support request can compare before-and-after behavior.

Practical order of operations

1. Try another public server and ask whether another player can join the original.
2. Save logs.zip, the exact timestamp, build numbers, mod list, and Relay state.
3. Back up Saves, move the other Zomboid data aside, and test a clean unmodded server.
4. Verify client files; hosts should also test a clean dedicated-server installation with matching content.
5. Change Steam’s Download Region as a reversible experiment, then restore it if it has no effect.
6. Toggle Steam Relay and test a mobile hotspot or temporary VPN.
7. Have the host verify UDP forwarding, firewall rules, UPnP, public versus local addressing, and Steam or -nosteam mode.
8. Only for a Steam dedicated server that still matches the reported circumstances, test the backed-up steam_appid.txt workaround.

This order turns an ambiguous loading screen into a set of evidence-backed branches. It also minimizes the chance of losing saves or masking the original cause before you have captured the information needed to fix it.

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