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How long should gas last in Project Zomboid - Gas station.
Screenshot by Gamer Journalist

How Long Should Gas Last in Project Zomboid

Is gas really finite?

Worrying about how long should gas last in Project Zomboid is a point of stress for many. After the water and power get turned off, gas is the only source of consistent fuel left. With so many survivors relying on it, its finite nature tends to be cause for concern.

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It shouldn’t be, though. Running out of gas in Project Zomboid, while possible, is practically unlikely even for the most hardcore player.

Still, I’m going to run through how long should gas last for its typical use cases like in cars and generators, as well as talk about how petrol stations run out of fuel. If you’re concerned that your Zomboid game will be sent back to the stone age soon, don’t be – and let me tell you why.

How Long Should Gas Last in Project Zomboid

Car Tank

Project Zomboid car UI.
Screenshot by Gamer Journalist

It’s impossible to tell you how long a full tank of gas should last in Project Zomboid. Different cars have different capacity tanks, and different engine models, parts, and conditions all of which play a part in how fast the car uses gas up. Hell, even the speed of your driving will affect petrol consumption.

There are far too many variables to put a single figure on how long your tank of gas should last. However, it should last you a good while in-game, provided you’re not going on road trips every second day.

Generator

How long should gas last in Project Zomboid - Generator.
Screenshot by Gamer Journalist

Given that you can hook up all sorts of gadgets to a generator, it’s impossible to tell you how much gas your own one will consume. However, a generator that’s not powering anything should last around eight days with a full tank if it’s left idle.

If you’ve got a fridge and some lights plugged into it, you can expect that number to slash in half at around four days. That decreases even further if you have a second fridge or a freezer setup. In some extreme cases, you may only get a day’s use out of a full generator.

You can see how much fuel you’re using per item in the generator menu, so you can do some micromanaging and optimize that as you see fit.

Petrol Station

Project Zomboid gas station.
Screenshot by Gamer Journalist

When people worry about how long should gas last in Project Zomboid, it’s typically in reference to the gas stations. Power and water both go out fairly early into your Zomboid playthrough, meaning gas is your only power alternative. The threat of that also being finite is a source of concern for many, but it shouldn’t be.

With default settings, it’s true that gas in Project Zomboid is finite. However, it’s finite in theory rather than practicality. Each petrol station does have a limit, so it’s possible to drain one completely dry. That limit, though, is so high that it would take you several in-game decades per station at a regular rate of fuel consumption.

Project Zomboid character holding gas cannister.
Screenshot by Gamer Journalist

Now, on a large multiplayer server, those decades may be condensed into a few short years. For anyone playing with a few friends, or by themselves, though, you’ll almost never have to worry about running out of fuel in petrol stations – and if you do, you can just move on to the next one.

Related: How to Sneak in Project Zomboid

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