Enable build anywhere on a DayZ PC server

By Niko Catarino

Updated 3 October 2026

To relax vanilla building restrictions, enable cfggameplay.json in the server configuration, then change the relevant flags under BaseBuildingData. Placement and construction use separate checks: a green fence-kit preview does not prove you can finish the fence.

This guide covers a DayZ Standalone PC server you administer. Start with a working server and a backup. A base-building mod can impose additional rules.

Find the active mission and gameplay file

1. Read the startup -config argument and open that configuration file.
2. Find the mission template under class Missions. For vanilla Chernarus, the mission directory is commonly mpmissions/dayzOffline.chernarusplus/; use your server’s selected mission.
3. Stop the server and download its cfggameplay.json and active server configuration. Save untouched copies outside the live mission.
4. If the mission has no gameplay file, obtain the default for the matching map and game build. Keep the complete file, including its version and unrelated settings.

Bohemia’s gameplay settings reference requires this setting in the active server configuration:

enableCfgGameplayFile = 1;

Enabling this file also activates its other gameplay settings. Before activation, check GeneralData.disableBaseDamage, GeneralData.disableContainerDamage, PlayerData.disablePersonalLight and WorldsData.lightingConfig against your intended raid and lighting rules. The JSON loading rules let those values replace the corresponding native server settings; importing an untouched default file can change those rules along with building.

On managed hosting, use the provider’s supported configuration control and mission-file access. A checkbox in a panel does not confirm that you edited the mission the server starts.

Change the checks you need

Within the existing BaseBuildingData.HologramData, set these fields to true:

"disableIsCollidingBBoxCheck": true,
"disableIsClippingRoofCheck": true,
"disableIsBaseViableCheck": true,
"disableIsInTerrainCheck": true

Within the existing BaseBuildingData.ConstructionData, set:

"disablePerformRoofCheck": true,
"disableIsCollidingCheck": true

These are field edits inside existing objects, not complete JSON files. Preserve the comma rules for each field’s position. Do not add another BaseBuildingData object or replace the entire gameplay file with these fragments.

This starting configuration relaxes collision, roof, base and terrain restrictions. Keep the other checks at their current values, then adjust a specific restriction if your test exposes it. Bohemia also documents angle, height, player-collision and underwater checks; disabling every check can permit placements your server rules would reject. The official Chernarus mission example shows how the two objects fit into the complete file. Use the defaults for your own map and build.

Do not clear underground restrictions, disable player-distance checks or change garden-plot rules as an incidental part of a fence-placement fix. Make those separate decisions and test them with the relevant objects.

Validate and test placement plus construction

Parse the complete edited file before uploading it. In PowerShell, from the folder containing your downloaded copy:

Get-Content -LiteralPath './cfggameplay.json' -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json | Out-Null

A parse error means the file needs repair. Successful parsing checks JSON syntax; it does not prove that the game accepts each field or loads this file.

Upload the file while the server is stopped. Start it, inspect startup logs for gameplay-file errors, then join and perform this test:

1. Place a vanilla fence kit on ordinary open ground as a baseline.
2. Try the previously blocked position, such as a fence close to an existing wall.
3. Add materials and construct the fence sections. Check the gate opens and players can pass through the intended route.
4. Reconnect after another restart and repeat the placement test. Keep a record of the position and result.

Use a disposable test location. A placed object that clips scenery can leave doors, ladders or passages unusable.

If the edit has no effect

Symptom	Check
No placement behavior changes	Confirm enableCfgGameplayFile, the selected mission and the live file’s saved contents.
Kit places, but construction is blocked	Check ConstructionData and any construction rules owned by a mod.
One object remains blocked	Identify its specific placement restriction; vanilla fence behavior does not prove modded-object behavior.
A restart restores the old values	Check whether the hosting panel or deployment process regenerates the file. Edit its supported source.

Scroll to see all columns →

Restore both original files to undo the change, then restart and test a fresh placement. You do not need a persistence wipe to change these checks. Restoring restrictions will not relocate objects already built.

For raid protection, use the PvE guide. For clock settings, follow the day and night tutorial.