How to Connect to Your DayZ Server (Direct Connect, Favourites and the DZSA Launcher)
Join a GameGrid DayZ server with the official launcher's Direct Connect, Steam Favourites or the DZSA Launcher, and know which port each one needs.
The Two Numbers Players Need
Open your server's Overview tab. The Connect card shows the address: the host IP and the game port, for example 203.0.113.50:28000.
The card does not show the Steam query port. Work it out by adding 4 to the game port:
| Port | Used by | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Game port | Direct Connect in the DayZ Launcher, and the game itself | 28000 |
| Steam query port = game port + 4 | Steam Favourites, the DZSA Launcher's server check, server list sites | 28004 |
On a server you host yourself these are usually 2302 and 27016. On GameGrid every server has its own 100-port block, so the numbers are different for each server and are always the ones shown for yours.
The Official DayZ Launcher
Direct Connect (fastest)
1. Start the DayZ Launcher from Steam.
2. Open Servers, then Direct Connect.
3. Enter the host IP and the game port from the Connect card.
4. Press Connect. Enter the server password if it asks for one.
The server browser
1. In the launcher open Servers, then the Community tab.
2. Search for your server name. Clear filters such as "Show full", "Password protected" or a map filter if it does not appear.
A server can take several minutes to appear in the browser after it starts, and the list is cached. Direct Connect does not depend on the list.
Steam Favourites
Favourites are handy for a group that plays on one server every night.
1. In Steam, open View, then Game Servers.
2. On the Favorites tab press Add a Server (the plus button).
3. Enter the host IP and the Steam query port (your game port + 4), for example 203.0.113.50:28004.
4. The server now shows in the DayZ Launcher's Favourites tab.
Favourites need the query port, not the game port. Using the game port is the most common reason a favourite shows as "not responding".
The DZSA Launcher
Many DayZ players use the community DZSA Launcher. It lists servers with and without mods. If your server runs Client & server mods, DZSA Launcher subscribes players to them automatically when they join through it. A server without mods needs nothing extra.
1. Download the DZSA Launcher from dayzsalauncher.com. Only use that site: look-alike download sites exist.
2. Search for your server by name, or add it by IP and query port.
3. Press Play.
Getting a new server listed
DZSA picks servers up from Steam's master server. To speed it up, open the launcher site's Server Check page and enter your host IP and query port. Its results are cached, so after a change allow a few minutes before checking again.
Passwords, Game Versions and Maps
- Password: set with the password setting (
passwordinserverDZ.cfg) on the Settings tab. DayZ reads it when the server starts, so restart after changing it. The server still appears in the browser, with a lock icon. - Game version: DayZ servers normally only accept players on exactly the same game build (
forceSameBuild). On patch day, players who have updated cannot join until the server has updated too. See DayZ Version Mismatch and Server Updates. - Maps: Chernarus and Livonia are free for every DayZ owner. Only a server running Sakhal needs a DLC: players must own Frostline to join it.
Console and Microsoft Store Players
Only Steam PC players can join a GameGrid DayZ server. Xbox and PlayStation players, and PC players using the Microsoft Store / Xbox app version of DayZ, play on a separate pool of servers that Steam-hosted servers cannot reach. There is no setting that changes this.
If It Does Not Work
1. Check the status bar says Online, not Starting.
2. Try Direct Connect with the game port. If that works, the server is fine and the problem is the browser or the port used for a favourite.
3. For "wrong version" or signature kicks, see Kicked from a DayZ Server.
4. If the server never shows in any list, see DayZ Server Not Showing.