Project Zomboid Server FAQ

Gameplay Questions

Why Do Zombies Notice and Follow Me Wherever I Am?

You’re probably making too much noise while you move. Press C to toggle sneak mode near zombies, which cuts the noise you make substantially and makes you harder to spot. Press it again to move normally once you’re a safe distance away.

Avoid running or sprinting unless you’re in a genuine emergency, since both are far louder than walking. Line of sight matters too: if you can see a zombie through a window, it can see you, and it will likely head your way until you deal with it or break contact.

Why Are My Attacks Seemingly Ineffective?

You need to aim before you swing. Hold the right mouse button (or Left Ctrl) to aim, then press the attack button to strike. The longer you hold your aim, the more accurate the hit, so steady yourself for a moment instead of swinging wildly.

How Do I Break Into Houses Without Smashing Windows?

Stand next to the window, face it, and press E. It can take a few tries, but most windows will force open without breaking. Don’t hammer the key rapidly, though, since frantic tapping makes your character smash the glass instead. Once it’s open, hold E to climb through, and press E while facing the window to close it behind you.

What Is the Loud Alarm Noise?

You’ve triggered a burglar alarm by entering a house that has one. It draws zombies from the surrounding area, so move to a safer location as soon as you hear it.

Are There Other Survivors in the Game?

Not yet. Human NPCs are planned for a future build, but the current Build 42 doesn’t include them.

What Are the Gunshot and Helicopter Sounds?

These are scripted event sounds that pull zombie hordes toward specific areas, standing in for the NPCs the game doesn’t have yet. Stay alert when you hear one, since it usually means a horde is moving nearby.

That Zombie Was Dead, but It Got Back Up!

A zombie lying on the ground isn’t necessarily dead. Crush its skull to be sure, or it can get back up and come after you again.

Is There a Cure for Zombification?

No, and the developers have said this won’t change. Prevention before the bite is the only defense that matters.

Tech FAQ

Game Doesn’t Run: “Pixel Format Not Accelerated” Error

This message points to an outdated video driver. Update your graphics driver directly from your GPU manufacturer’s website, then relaunch the game.

The Game Crashed After I Downloaded It on Steam

Try uninstalling and reinstalling the game through Steam, which clears out any corrupted files left over from the download.

If you installed a mod before an update, delete the game’s local files manually first. Open the game’s properties in Steam, browse to its installation folder, and delete everything inside before reinstalling. Some mods also install to Zomboid\mods in your user folder, so clear that out too.

If you haven’t already, check that the Steam overlay is disabled under Steam’s Settings > In-Game menu. A conflicting overlay is a common cause of games failing to launch correctly.

The UI Is Out of Alignment and Overlapping

This usually happens after you change your resolution without restarting the game. Restart Project Zomboid first, since that resolves it in most cases.

If the layout is still broken, go to %UserProfile%\Zomboid and delete the options.ini and layout.ini files. The game rebuilds both with default values on your next launch.

I Can’t Download the Latest Update on Steam

Right-click Project Zomboid in your Steam library, choose Properties, then open the Betas tab. Setting Beta Participation to None puts you on the stable branch; selecting Unstable opts into the branch the development team uses to test upcoming builds before they go stable.

If an update seems stuck partway through, use the Verify Integrity of Game Files option under Installed Files in the same Properties window.

How Do I Back Up My Saves?

Go to %UserProfile%\Zomboid and copy the whole Saves folder to a separate location. Inside it you’ll find one folder per game mode, such as Apocalypse, Survivor, Builder, and Sandbox, plus Multiplayer for any servers you’ve joined. These hold your save data.

Copying your saves elsewhere is the most reliable way to back them up. Do it before you reach a critical stage in your game, since a corrupted save can otherwise cost you your progress.

What Does the “AL lib: alc_cleanup” Message Mean?

This isn’t an error. It’s part of the game’s normal shutdown process. If you’re running into an actual problem, share the full contents of your console.txt file (in %UserProfile%\Zomboid) rather than just the last line, since the real cause is often earlier in the log.

Development and Future Updates

What Happened to NPCs?

Human NPCs appeared in early versions of Project Zomboid, then were pulled out while the development team rebuilt the game’s other systems. They’re planned for Build 43, the update that follows the current Build 42.

NPCs will arrive in stages rather than all at once, starting with Build 43, and The Indie Stone’s roadmap keeps Project Zomboid in active development well beyond that release.

Multiplayer FAQ

How Do I Reset or Start a New World?

Stop your server first. Then open File Browser in your Nitrado Web Interface and navigate to zomboid/profile/Zomboid/Saves/Multiplayer/<servername> (the default server name is servertest). Delete that folder, then restart the server. Project Zomboid generates a fresh world in its place, using your current sandbox settings.

⚠️ Deleting this folder removes the current world permanently. Back it up first if you want the option to restore it later.

Can I Change Day Length, Zombie Count, or Loot Respawn?

Yes, through your server’s sandbox settings. In your Web Interface, open File Browser and go to zomboid/profile/Zomboid/Server, where you’ll find servertest_SandboxVars.lua (or <servername>_SandboxVars.lua if you renamed your server). This file controls day length, zombie population, loot respawn, and most other world rules.

Stop the server before editing the file, save your changes, then restart the server to apply them.

How Do Zombies Respawn in Empty Areas?

Zombies return to parts of the map that have gone unseen for a while. Three values in the same <servername>_SandboxVars.lua file control it: RespawnHours, the number of in-game hours between respawn waves; RespawnUnseenHours, how long an area must stay unseen before zombies can return to it; and RespawnMultiplier, the fraction of an area’s target population that comes back with each wave.

Set RespawnHours to 0 to turn zombie respawning off entirely. As with any sandbox change, stop the server before you edit the file, then restart it to apply.

Why Does My Client Version Not Match the Server Version?

This means your game client and your server are running different builds. Steam updates your own game automatically, so if your server hasn’t been updated to match, you’ll see a version mismatch when you try to connect.

Update your server to the latest build to resolve it. If you’re the only one affected while everyone else connects fine, check your Steam Betas setting and switch Beta Participation back to None.