Getting Started with Your DayZ Server
Set up a DayZ server on GameGrid: what you get, the first settings to change before anyone joins, how to start it and share the address, and which files matter.
What You Get
Your server runs Bohemia Interactive's official DayZ dedicated server (Steam app 223350) on Windows, installed by GameGrid, with game updates applied from the Game Updates card on the Admin tab. You do not need SteamCMD, batch files or port forwarding: the server, its ports and its firewall rules are set up for you.
Every GameGrid DayZ server has its own copy of the mission files, its own BattlEye folder and its own save data, so nothing you change is shared with another server on the same machine.
Your server starts as the base DayZ game. Steam Workshop mods are installed from the Mods tab. See Mods on Your DayZ Server.
DayZ servers on GameGrid are Steam PC servers. Xbox and PlayStation players cannot join them: console community servers are only available from Bohemia's console partner, and the Microsoft Store / Xbox app version of DayZ on PC plays on the console server pool, not the Steam one. Every player needs DayZ on Steam.
Before Anyone Joins: The First Five Settings
Open the Settings tab. The settings are written into serverDZ.cfg, the server's main configuration file. DayZ reads that file only when it starts, so every change needs a restart to take effect.
| Setting | Key in serverDZ.cfg | Why set it now |
|---|---|---|
| Server name | hostname | What players see in the server browser and the DZSA Launcher. Put the important part first: long names are cut off in the browser |
| Password | password | Leave empty for a public server. Set it for a private group |
| Admin password | passwordAdmin | Stored as a secret. Optional: the Console tab does not need it |
| Max players | maxPlayers | Vanilla is 60. Most community servers run 40 to 60 |
| Map | template in the Missions block | The setting that selects the map: Chernarus, Livonia or Sakhal. Choose it before your players start building |
Pick the map first. Each map keeps its own save folder, so characters and bases do not move across if you switch later. See Changing Your DayZ Map.
The full list of settings, with safe values and tips, is in the DayZ Settings Reference.
Starting the Server
Start, Stop and Restart are in the status bar at the top of every server page.
1. Press Start.
2. The status moves to Starting while DayZ loads the map, the loot economy and your saved world. A first start on a fresh world takes longer than later ones, because the economy has to spawn the map's loot.
3. When the status shows Online, the server is answering Steam's server queries and players can connect.
Always stop the server with Stop rather than letting it be killed: a clean stop gives DayZ the chance to save characters, bases and vehicles.
Sharing the Address
Your server's address is on the Overview tab, on the Connect card: the host IP and the game port.
- Players on the official DayZ Launcher can use Direct Connect with that IP and port.
- Players adding the server to Steam Favourites need the Steam query port instead, which on GameGrid is always your game port + 4.
- Players who use the community DZSA Launcher can find the server there with the host IP and the query port.
Step-by-step instructions for all three are in How to Connect to Your DayZ Server.
The Files That Matter
Everything is reachable from the Files tab, or over FTP/SFTP with the details on the Overview tab's File Access card.
| File or folder | What it holds |
|---|---|
serverDZ.cfg | Server name, passwords, player slots, time, map. Edited by the Settings tab |
mpmissions/<map>/db/types.xml | The loot economy: what spawns, how much, how long it lasts |
mpmissions/<map>/db/events.xml | Vehicles, heli crashes and other dynamic events |
mpmissions/<map>/db/globals.xml | Zombie and animal counts, cleanup timers, base decay |
mpmissions/<map>/cfggameplay.json | Stamina, base building rules, spawn gear |
mpmissions/<map>/storage_1/ | Your saved world: characters, bases, vehicles |
profiles/ | Server logs (.RPT) and admin logs (.ADM) |
whitelist.txt, priority.txt, ban.txt | Player lists |
<map> is the mission folder of the map you chose, for example dayzOffline.chernarusplus for Chernarus.
Take a manual backup from the Backups tab before editing any of the mission files. One broken XML tag can stop loot from spawning.
First Boot Checklist
1. Set the server name, password (if any), player slots and map in Settings.
2. Start the server and wait for Online.
3. Join from your own DayZ client using Direct Connect and the address from the Connect card.
4. Open the Console tab and run players to check the console answers. See How to Become Admin.
5. Take a manual backup once the server is how you want it.
6. Tell your players how to join.