How to Join a Friend’s Server in Project Zomboid

In the event of a zombie apocalypse, most major towns and communities would probably be more or less cut off completely. Chances are good that you’re going to be stuck where you are for a pretty long time, so I sincerely hope you’ve got some friends within walking distance. Some good friends, especially ones you trust to keep one round in the chamber, can make the whole process a little more bearable. Here’s how to join a friend’s server in Project Zomboid.

Last month, The Indie Stone released Build 41 of Project Zomboid, which among other things, finally reintroduced online multiplayer to the game. Even when Build 41 was in beta, the multiplayer was its most popular aspect, so now that it’s finally available in the main version, everyone’s teaming up to weather the undead hordes together. Before you can do that, though, there are a few things both you and your friend need to set up to get the server survival-ready.

How to Join a Friend’s Server in Project Zomboid

To join a friend’s server in Project Zomboid

1. The server host needs to send an invitation to you to add you to the whitelist
2. Go to the server browser from the main menu and use the filter bar to find your friend’s server by name
3. Enter the password to join

First of all, your friend, the server host, needs to actually launch the server. From the main menu, they need to click the host button to set up a server, including naming it and setting the RAM to allocate it to. Remember, hosting a server is a bit more demanding of your computer than just playing on one.

Assuming you don’t want randos joining (and if you’ve watched enough zombie movies, you definitely don’t), your friend will need to set a password on the server in the Details menu. Your friend can also tweak a few other things, such as whether Workshop mods are enabled, how many players are allowed in, whether PvP is enabled, and whether the text chat is enabled. With all that squared away, they can launch the server.

Once the server is up and running, they’ll need to send you an invite. Private servers have whitelists managed by the server owner, which prevents random people from getting in even if they know the password. If the server host sends you an invite through the Steam overlay, you’ll automatically be added to the whitelist.

Once you’re invited, boot up the game and open the server list from the main menu. Click on the Internet tab and you’ll get a list of every server currently running. At the bottom of the window is a filter bar where you can type the name of your friend’s server to find it. Once you’ve got the right server, enter your account name and the server password on the right-hand side, and click join to get in. 

Voila, you’re in! Enjoy surviving the zombie apocalypse together! Remember, if you get bitten, don’t wait until everyone is crammed into a small room to bring it up.