DayZ Console Server Settings

There are a number of settings available for your DayZ console server to help you manage your server, including security, gameplay, and how the server performs. In this Nitrado guide we’ll take a look at the console server settings for DayZ, covering Xbox, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Where to Find Your DayZ Console Server Settings

Every setting your console server exposes sits in one place.

1. Log into your Nitrado Web Interface.
2. From the dashboard, open Settings > General.

Stop Your Server Before You Change Anything

⚠️ Before making changes to your DayZ server, we recommend making a backup.

Your server should be stopped before you edit its settings. We recommend stopping it 3–5 minutes before you make changes, so everything writes cleanly. When you’re done, save your changes, then start the server again.

Important: settings do not apply until that restart happens.

Setting

Hostname

The name players see in the community server list. Be sure change it to something your friends can search for.

Restart after saving. The old name will remain live until you do.

Password

Empty by default, which leaves your server open to anyone who finds it in the list. Enter a password to make it private, then share it only with the people you want on the server.

Server Time Multiplier

This controls how fast in-game time runs, on a scale of 0 to 24.

A value of 1 runs in-game time at real-world speed, so a full cycle takes 24 real hours. Raise the number and time speeds up. This is the setting to change when you want players to see more daylight in a single session.

Server Time Multiplier (Night)

This controls how fast night runs, from 0.1 to 64.

It multiplies on top of your Server Time Multiplier, so the night speed is the two values working together. Raise it to cut long nights short without shortening your days as well.

Pro Tip: change this one before you touch the main multiplier. Most complaints about DayZ nights are about their length, not the length of the day.

Use Systemtime

Starts the server on the local time of the machine it runs on.

Leave it on and your server clock follows the host. Switch it off when you want every start to begin at a time you pick, which is what the next setting handles.

Custom Servertime

Sets the exact time your server starts at, written in the format YYYY/MM/DD/HH/MM.

It only takes effect when Use Systemtime is switched off. Use it to open every session at dawn rather than whenever the host machine happens to be.

Persistent Server Time

Saves the server clock when the server stops, then picks up from that same time on the next start.

Turn it off and the clock resets to your start time on every restart. Turn it on and time carries across reboots, which matters if you reboot several times a day.

Deactivate 3rd Person

Turns off the third-person camera and forces every player into first person.

In third person, players can see over walls and around corners while staying behind cover. Switch this on and that goes away, levelling the playing field for all users.

Deactivate Crosshair

Removes the on-screen crosshair.

Players then aim down the sights or fire from the hip without a guide. It raises the difficulty of every gunfight on the server.

Reduce Log Output

Trims what the server writes to its logs, which may improve performance.

Leave it on for normal play. Switch it off when you are chasing a problem and need the full record.

Saving, Exporting and Resetting

Four controls sit at the bottom of the settings page.

• Save changes: writes your edits. Nothing takes effect until the server restarts.
• Export: downloads your current settings.
• Import: loads a settings file back in, so you can restore a setup you know worked.
• Default Settings: resets the page to Nitrado’s defaults. It clears your customization, so export first.

Why Your New Server Name Does Not Show Up

This is the most common reason a console server seems to vanish.

The name only changes after a restart. If you skip that step then the old name stays live. Once the server is back up, it appears under its new name in the COMMUNITY tab of the in-game server browser.

If it still does not show up straight after a restart, wait about 5 minutes and search again.

What You Cannot Change on a Console Server

• Mods: DayZ console servers cannot run mods. Restrictions from Sony and Microsoft make it impossible, so no option in the Web Interface will turn them on.
• In-game admin: the console versions of DayZ have no way to make a specific player an admin in game. Bans and whitelisting are handled from your Web Interface instead.

Keeping Your Server Stable

DayZ servers can get slower the longer they run without a break. The developers recommend rebooting 4 to 6 times a day.

You set that schedule once from the Tools menu, and it repeats on its own until you change it. If you turned Persistent Server Time on, the clock survives each of those reboots.

Back Into Chernarus

Your server now runs on your clock, with nights as short as you want them, a name players can find, and a password if you wanted one. Save your changes, restart once more, then check the community list. Your friends can stop asking for the server name and start worrying about the infected.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How Do I Make Nights Shorter on My DayZ Server?

Raise Server Time Multiplier (Night), which accepts values from 0.1 to 64. It multiplies on top of your Server Time Multiplier, so nights speed up while your days stay the length you set.

Save the change, then restart the server before you test it.

Why Do My Settings Not Apply?

Settings apply on restart, not on save. Stop the server, make your changes, save them, then start the server again.

If a change still has not taken effect, give the server about 5 minutes and check once more.

Can I Run Mods on a DayZ Console Server?

No. Restrictions from Sony and Microsoft prevent mods on DayZ console servers. No setting in the Web Interface will enable them, on either PS4 or Xbox.

How Do I Ban a Player on a Console Server?

Console DayZ has no in-game admin option, so you cannot ban anyone from inside the game. Bans and whitelisting are handled from your Nitrado Web Interface.

How Do I Undo a Settings Change That Broke Something?

Use Import to load a settings file you exported earlier. If you have no export, Default Settings resets the page to Nitrado’s defaults and you can build back up from there.