How to make a private DayZ server on PC

By Niko Catarino

Updated 3 October 2026

To make a private DayZ server on PC, start with a working community server and set its join password in the configuration loaded at startup. Restart, then test a new connection with the correct password and another with the wrong one. Friends outside your home also need a reachable server address and game port.

This guide covers DayZ Standalone on PC. It builds on the vanilla server installation guide. You can use a home machine, a self-managed host or managed game hosting; the admission settings are separate from where the server runs.

Choose how your friends will connect

Your group	What to prepare
You are playing on the server machine	Start the server and use its local connection path. Test before adding mods.
Everyone is on the same home network	Use the server machine’s LAN address and configured game port. Check the host firewall.
Friends are in other homes	Provide a reachable public endpoint. A home server also needs the required router and firewall setup.
You rent managed hosting	Use the game address and port assigned by the provider. Change access through the supported configuration controls.

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Running the server at home does not limit it to players in your house. Network access determines who can reach it; the join password determines who can enter. A password-protected server can still be discoverable in a browser.

If you want a rented service, review DayZ hosting and the cost guide before ordering. Check the current total and file-access options for the configuration you choose.

Start with a vanilla server you can join

Install and join an unmodded server before changing admission. Keep the same map, mission and persistence while testing privacy.

1. Complete the installation and first-join procedure, or start the service supplied by your host.
2. Record the server address, configured game port, active mission and game build.
3. Save a copy of the current configuration. On an existing community, also verify backup inclusions.
4. Stop the server through its supported shutdown control before editing the file.

Do not replace the whole configuration with the short examples below. They show the fields to change in your working file.

Add a join password

On a self-managed server, check the -config startup argument. It selects the file DayZ reads; serverDZ.cfg is a common filename, but another file may be active. This is documented in Bohemia’s server configuration reference.

Edit the existing fields:

hostname = "Friends DayZ Server";
password = "REPLACE_WITH_A_PRIVATE_JOIN_PASSWORD";

Replace the password placeholder with your own value. Preserve the double quotes and trailing semicolons. For a first configuration, use letters and digits so quoting or escaping cannot complicate the test. Share the value with invited players through a private channel.

passwordAdmin authenticates server administration. It is separate from the join password and is not the password to give your friends. Keep administrator, panel and RCON credentials separate.

On VYKIX, use the Config access fields to set Server password. Follow the save procedure, then restart through Console. Use the grouped field for this change; the panel’s raw JSON editor has a different format from a native .cfg file.

Keep your existing signature and build checks. A private group still needs matching game and mod files.

Restart and test admission

Start the server and inspect its current RPT or startup log. Confirm that it loads the intended mission before testing access.

Use fresh connections for both checks:

1. Join with the correct password. Confirm you reach the world.
2. Disconnect, then try an incorrect password. Confirm that the server rejects admission.

If the launcher remembers a password, update or clear the saved connection details before the rejection check. A player who was already connected before a password change does not prove that new joins require it.

If both attempts succeed, check the startup-selected file, saved value and restart. If neither succeeds, distinguish an admission rejection from an unreachable server or a game/mod version error. Bohemia lists 0x00020001 as WRONG_PASSWORD in its connection error reference.

If only one friend receives a missing-PBO or data-verification error, check that client’s loaded mod list and compare it with the server’s requirements. A logged incoming connection followed by content rejection points to a different check than an unreachable endpoint. Keep signature checks enabled while comparing the files.

Let friends connect from another network

Give invited players the game address and game port, plus the join password. For VYKIX services, Network lists the assigned endpoints. The Steam query port serves browser discovery and should not be substituted for the game port in an invitation.

On a home server:

1. Identify the ports in the actual launch settings and configuration. Follow the firewall and forwarding procedure.
2. Forward the required game traffic to the server machine’s LAN address and allow it through the host firewall.
3. Ask a friend on another network to try the public game endpoint.
4. Check direct joining and browser discovery as separate results.

A successful local join does not establish that the router or ISP permits incoming connections. If external joining fails, check public addressing, carrier-grade NAT, forwarding targets and the host firewall before editing passwords. Use the server visibility troubleshooting guide to narrow the failure.

Keep the host machine and server process running while your friends play. If you are also running the client on that machine, test the combined workload with your intended map and mods.

Add a whitelist when you need individual approval

A join password works for a small invited group, but anyone who receives it can share it. A whitelist lets you approve individual player identities. Bohemia documents the admission switch as:

enableWhitelist = 1;

Prepare the whitelist before enabling that switch:

1. Locate your instance’s native whitelist.txt, or its provider’s PC whitelist controls. The Steam server package includes this file beside DayZServer_x64.exe; read its shipped instructions and confirm which file your host uses. The administration log’s profiles path does not establish the whitelist’s path.
2. Keep the server password-protected and whitelisting disabled while approved players connect to establish their identities.
3. On a self-managed server, enable -adminLog in the launch arguments and restart before collecting those connections. Bohemia’s administration log reference shows id=DAYZGUID in connection records. Find the .ADM log in the folder selected by -profiles.
4. Copy each approved player’s exact 44-character ID from that log into whitelist.txt, one ID per line. The shipped file documents this format and supports // comments. Remove its example entry. Preserve the ID’s case and punctuation; do not paste a display name or the Steam64 ID used by VPP Admin Tools. If a provider accepts another identifier, follow that provider’s documented conversion.
5. Stop the server, enable the whitelist in the active configuration and start it again.
6. Test an approved account and an unlisted account, both with the correct join password. Record the actual rejection and recheck the active file if an unlisted account gets in. Keep panel or OS access available so you can undo the change if your own game account is rejected.

An unlisted-player rejection is different from a wrong password. Bohemia identifies 0x0004000C as NOT_WHITELISTED in its error-code reference.

Private access does not enforce PvE

A password or whitelist controls admission. It does not prevent invited players from damaging each other or their bases. If your group wants enforced PvE, follow the PvE setup guide and test the damage rules you need.

Add mods after the vanilla access checks pass. Make one change at a time so a failed join has a clear starting point for diagnosis.

Troubleshoot and undo access changes

Symptom	Next check
The new password is ignored	Check the file selected by -config, duplicate fields, save confirmation and restart.
Correct password still fails	Check the entered value, whitelist status, game build and required client mods.
You can join but a remote friend cannot	Test the public game endpoint and network path; your LAN result is insufficient.
Server is absent from the browser	Test direct joining, then investigate the query endpoint and discovery path.
Everyone is rejected after enabling a whitelist	Compare the required player IDs, file format and file location. Restore the prior access configuration through panel or OS access.
Invited players can still attack each other	Configure and test PvE enforcement; admission settings do not set damage rules.

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To undo a failed change, stop the server, restore the saved admission settings and any changed whitelist file, then restart and repeat a fresh join. A privacy change does not require deleting world persistence.

Completion check: an invited player on another network joins, an incorrect password is rejected, and an unlisted account is rejected if whitelisting is enabled.