Create and launch a DayZ PC community server

By Niko Catarino

Updated 3 October 2026

A DayZ PC community server needs a working game instance, a defined playstyle, tested player access and an owner who can maintain it. Install or rent the server, test the vanilla mission, then add the rules and content your community will use.

A community can accept everyone or require member approval. This procedure covers launch preparation and includes an open-admission configuration. For an invited group or approved members, use the private-server procedure for passwords and whitelist tests.

Define the experience before installing content

Write a short launch brief with the map, region, camera mode, PvP or PvE rules, intended mods and how players contact an admin. Decide which rules are enforced by the game and which need staff review.

Start with content you can explain and maintain. A written “no PvP” rule does not disable player damage. If damage prevention is part of the advertised experience, configure and test the PvE enforcement method. Record any exceptions for zones, vehicles, bases or raid periods.

Keep an owner and recovery note for each custom system. If another person builds the mission, obtain the working files, mod list, dependencies and instructions needed to update it. Confirm what work they will maintain after handover.

Accept a custom build only after you have:

• The editable mission and configuration files, startup settings and Workshop IDs with their dependencies.
• A list of the profiles and mod databases included in backups, plus a tested restore procedure.
• Access through accounts you control, with separate staff access where the service supports it.
• A named person responsible for game and mod updates, and a record of which changes they will maintain.

Run the delivered server from those files in your test environment. A demonstration on the builder’s machine does not prove you can restore or maintain your copy.

Start with a vanilla server

Choose managed rental or install DayZ on Windows or Linux. Get a player into the supplied mission before adding a custom map or mod pack.

For that baseline:

1. Record the game build, active mission, startup-selected configuration and assigned endpoints.
2. Keep the server password-protected while preparing it.
3. Start the vanilla mission and inspect the current startup output and RPT.
4. Join with a matching PC client and ask a tester outside the host network to repeat the connection.
5. Confirm browser discovery as a separate test.
6. Save the working files and take a recoverable backup before changing the world.

If direct joining succeeds but browser discovery fails, investigate the query and listing path. Password or loot changes will not fix an unreachable endpoint.

Add the launch content in controlled changes

Use the mod installation guide to check dependencies, package scope, signing keys and load order. Add one feature or a small related batch, restart, inspect logs and test a player join before continuing.

Install the matching terrain and mission files when changing the map. For modded items, confirm that the author’s economy files are registered as well as the package loaded. A spawned admin item proves a different path from a natural loot spawn.

Choose the settings needed for your launch brief:

Community feature	Procedure and acceptance check
First-person play	Edit the active server configuration and test camera access as an ordinary player.
Loot balance	Change selected economy targets and observe eligible natural spawns.
Infected population	Edit the relevant territory or event zone and test the zone under your intended workload.
Day and night length	Calculate the time multipliers and check elapsed game time after restarting.
Building rules	Configure build-anywhere checks and test placement and completed construction.
Fresh-character equipment	Register starter gear and test a new character.

Scroll to see all columns →

Retain the previous files and a record of each change. Do not copy a tutorial’s entire economy or persistence folder over your working mission.

Prepare administration and recovery

Keep join credentials separate from administrator, panel and RCON credentials. Give each staff member only the access needed for their role using the controls your chosen system supports.

Keep the hosting account under the owner’s control. Where individual staff accounts are available, use them so you can remove one person’s access without replacing everyone’s login. Review both panel access and in-game permissions when staff leave.

Enable the logs needed for rule review. On a self-managed server, Bohemia’s administration-log reference documents -adminLog and the profile location. Review the event settings you need rather than assuming every action is logged. Store reports with a timestamp and the relevant player identity; a display name can be ambiguous.

VPP Admin Tools is an optional administration choice. If installed, test an approved administrator and an ordinary player so that joining the community does not grant admin access.

Set a restart and update plan, then rehearse a backup restore to a test copy. Preserve mission files, persistence, profiles and mod-owned data. Tell players how you will announce downtime and whether a planned update includes a wipe.

Test launch readiness with ordinary players

Ask testers to use the documented join instructions and client mods. Include a player who has not helped configure the server. Check:

• The game address, required content and intended mission match your instructions.
• An ordinary account has the intended gameplay rules and no administrator privileges.
• Characters and a small saved-state test survive the supported restart procedure.
• Advertised features work in the world, including natural loot and any damage restrictions.
• Your tested player activity stays within an acceptable resource and connection baseline.
• The backup restores into the test copy with the state you intended to preserve.

Use the lag diagnosis procedure if the load test fails. Keep capacity claims tied to the population, map and mods you tested.

Open admission when the server is ready

For an open community, stop the server through its supported shutdown control and edit the existing admission fields in the active configuration:

password = "";
enableWhitelist = 0;

Keep your administrator password and signature/build checks. The join-password field can be empty while administration still requires separate credentials. Save, start the server and test a new connection from an account without a cached password. Verify that the client can discover and enter the intended world.

If you want approved members, keep the admission method from the private-server guide instead. Choosing open admission does not change the mission, enable PvE or make a server appear in the browser.

Give players usable join information

Publish the name, PC platform, host region, map, game address and port, required mods, playstyle and rules. Include the restart timezone and a contact route. State a wipe policy before players invest in bases or progress.

Keep the first announcement factual. Use the information required by the destination’s current posting rules. A listed capacity, populated screenshot or paid advertisement does not guarantee a player population.

Check the map and mod author rules before offering paid perks or queue access. A hosting subscription does not grant permission to monetise the content running on it.

Completion check: an ordinary external player follows your instructions, discovers and joins the server, experiences the advertised rules, retains expected state after a restart, and can reach the staff contact. You have tested recovery and assigned maintenance responsibility.

Related documentation: Bohemia’s configuration reference.