7 Days to Die serverconfig.xml Settings Explained (V3.x)
In 7 Days to Die V3.x, serverconfig.xml only holds server-level settings: name, ports, world, player limit and EasyAntiCheat. Gameplay rules such as difficulty, day length, blood moon frequency and loot are no longer separate properties. Since V3.0 they are packed into one encoded SandboxCode value.
This guide was checked against the current stable build, V3.4.0 (released October 26, 2026). If your server is still on V2.6 or older, the per-property gameplay settings in the legacy section below still apply to you.
- V3.0 removed roughly 30 gameplay properties (GameDifficulty, DayNightLength, DayLightLength, BloodMoonFrequency, BloodMoonRange, LootAbundance, zombie speeds and more) and replaced them with a single
SandboxCode. - Old gameplay lines left in the file are ignored without an error, so a migrated-looking config can silently run default Adventurer rules.
- Build a code in the in-game Sandbox Options menu, copy it, paste it into
SandboxCode, restart, and confirm in game. - Settings that still live in the XML: ServerName, ServerPort (26900), ServerVisibility, ServerMaxPlayerCount (8), GameWorld, GameName, WorldGenSeed, WorldGenSize, EACEnabled, MaxSpawnedZombies.
- Always edit with the server stopped and keep a copy of your edited file, because game updates can replace it.
On this page
What changed in serverconfig.xml in V3.x
The official V3.0 release notes say some legacy options "moved to a new SandboxCode XML property" and list GameDifficulty, DropOnDeath, DeathPenalty, LootAbundance, StormFreq, AirDropFrequency and BloodMoonFrequency among the removed properties. Community references list about 30 in total, including every BloodMoon* key, DayNightLength, DayLightLength, XPMultiplier, the Zombie*Move family and EnemySpawnMode.
The stock file ships with a default code that matches the old Adventurer difficulty:
<property name="SandboxCode" value="AAAJABJACJADJARFBNC"/>Server identity and access settings
These are the settings you will touch on almost every server. Defaults below are from the stock V3.x file as documented by community references; your own file is the final authority because each property carries its own comment.
| Property | What it does | Stock default |
|---|---|---|
ServerName | Name shown in the server browser. | My Game Host |
ServerPassword | Join password. Leave empty for an open server. | empty |
ServerPort | Main game port, used for TCP and UDP. | 26900 |
ServerVisibility | 2 = public, 1 = friends only, 0 = not listed. Friends-only only works after a player has connected by IP first. | 2 |
ServerMaxPlayerCount | Maximum concurrent players. | 8 |
Region | Listing region, such as NorthAmericaEast, NorthAmericaWest, Europe, Asia or Oceania. | NorthAmericaEast |
EACEnabled | Turns EasyAntiCheat on or off. | true |
Eight players is the stock value and also the ceiling for crossplay servers. Older documentation warned of save-data problems at much higher counts, so raise the number gradually and watch performance rather than jumping straight to a large figure.
The game port is 26900. The server also uses the UDP ports directly above it; community guides list 26901 to 26902 or 26903, so if you ever firewall a machine yourself, open the range starting at 26900. If you change ServerPort, move the neighbouring ports with it.
World settings
| Property | What it does |
|---|---|
GameWorld | Navezgane for the hand-made map, RWG to generate a random world, or the exact name of a pre-generated or custom world. |
GameName | Name of the save. Also seeds decoration placement such as trees. It does not change an RWG layout. Allowed characters: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore, hyphen, period and space. |
WorldGenSeed | Seed used when GameWorld is RWG. If a world with the resulting name already exists, it loads that world. |
WorldGenSize | Width and height of a generated world. Supported values are 6144, 8192 and 10240 (multiples of 2048 between 6144 and 10240). |
These only take effect when a new save is created. Changing them on a running world does nothing, so plan for a new world and back up the old one.
How to set difficulty, blood moons and loot with SandboxCode
V3.0 added about 150 sandbox options in eight categories (Player, Entity, World, Resource, Crafting, Traders, Tasks and Miscellaneous), plus presets you can name and share. Instead of typing values into XML, you build the ruleset in the game and paste the result.
- Build the ruleset in game
Open the Sandbox Options screen when starting a new game, pick a preset and adjust the options you care about: blood moon frequency, day length, loot, zombie behaviour, death penalty and so on.
- Copy the code
Use the copy-code button on that screen. The code is an opaque string, so write down in plain text what you intended to set.
- Paste it into the server config
Stop the server, open serverconfig.xml, and replace the value of the
SandboxCodeproperty.<property name="SandboxCode" value="YOUR_CODE_HERE"/> - Restart and verify
Start the server, join it, and check a few rules in game, such as day length and the blood moon schedule.
Legacy gameplay properties (V2.6 and older)
These keys were removed in V3.0, but they are what most older guides and hosting docs describe, and they still apply on V2.6 and earlier. Defaults here are the ones the stock files and community references agree on.
| Property | Meaning | Default |
|---|---|---|
GameDifficulty | 0 (easiest) to 5 (hardest). | 2 |
DayNightLength | Real-time minutes per in-game day. | 60 |
DayLightLength | In-game hours of daylight per day. | 18 |
BloodMoonFrequency | Days between blood moons. 0 disables them. | 7 |
BloodMoonRange | Random variation in days around the frequency. 0 keeps it exact. | 0 |
BloodMoonWarning | In-game hour the red day number appears on a blood moon day. -1 means never. | 8 |
BloodMoonEnemyCount | Zombies allowed alive per player during a horde. | 8 |
LootAbundance | Percentage scaling of loot amounts. It scales stack sizes rather than the chance of an item appearing, and its default varies by version. | varies |
ZombieMove, ZombieMoveNight, ZombieFeralMove, ZombieBMMove | Zombie speed: 0 walk, 1 jog, 2 run, 3 sprint, 4 nightmare. Covers day, night, feral and blood moon zombies respectively. | 0, 3, 3, 3 |
Performance, remote access and anti-cheat
- MaxSpawnedZombies (default 64) caps zombies across the whole map and has a large effect on performance. If a busy server stutters, lowering it is the first lever to try.
- TelnetEnabled / TelnetPort / TelnetPassword: telnet defaults to enabled on port 8081. With no password it only listens on the local machine; set a password before exposing it.
- WebDashboardEnabled / WebDashboardPort: the built-in web dashboard defaults to off, on port 8080.
- EACEnabled: leave it on unless you run mods that change game code (see the mods guide). Crossplay needs it on.
- ServerAllowCrossplay defaults to false. Host documentation lists the requirements as EAC on, EOS sanctions not ignored, 8 players or fewer,
WorldGenSizeof 8192 or less, and no mods.
Hosting with ChicagoServers? The 7 Days to Die server hosting page lists what is included, such as a one-click mod installer, free server backups and SFTP file access. Whichever route you use, stop the server before saving and keep a copy of your edited file outside the game folder.
Frequently asked questions
Why does changing GameDifficulty or BloodMoonFrequency do nothing?
On V3.0 and later those properties were removed from serverconfig.xml and the server ignores them. Set the equivalent options in the Sandbox Options menu, copy the code, and paste it into SandboxCode.
What port does a 7 Days to Die server use?
The default ServerPort is 26900 (TCP and UDP), and the server also uses the UDP ports just above it. Telnet defaults to 8081 and the web dashboard to 8080, both only if enabled.
How many players can a 7 Days to Die server hold?
The stock ServerMaxPlayerCount is 8, which is also the limit for crossplay. Higher values work technically but are beyond what the stock settings target, so increase gradually and watch tick performance.
Can I turn EasyAntiCheat off?
Yes, set EACEnabled to false in serverconfig.xml. You need to do this for mods that change game code, but it also rules out crossplay, and players may need to launch the game without EAC to join.