How to Set Up a 7 Days to Die Crossplay Server

The rule: stay inside the crossplay budget

PC can join almost anything; consoles only join a server that stays inside a strict crossplay budget.

Check the budget as a whole before touching anything else.

• ServerAllowCrossplay must be true.
• ServerMaxPlayerCount must be 8 or lower.
• EACEnabled must be true.
• IgnoreEOSSanctions must be false.
• The server must not be marked as modded by changed XML files or active config modlets.
• Gameplay settings must stay inside the console-compatible ranges.
• Every player and the server must be on the same game version.

The reason mixed groups lose time here is simple: the PC side is permissive. A server can be wrong in several console-only ways and still accept PC joins, chat, building and world progress as if nothing is broken. Current-generation console crossplay means PS5 and Xbox Series X|S alongside PC. Old-generation consoles are outside this pool, so PS4 and Xbox One cannot be brought in by changing server settings.

The 8-slot cap is not a host’s plan size or a suggestion. The number 8 is written into the dedicated server itself: if ServerMaxPlayerCount is higher, the server refuses to advertise crossplay for that session. So the question for a mixed group is never “how many slots can we afford?” but “are we happy with eight?”

Edit serverconfig.xml for crossplay first

Start with the core file values, then restart the server fully. In V3, crossplay compatibility begins here, and ServerAllowCrossplay is false by default, so a fresh dedicated server is not crossplay-ready until you change it.

<property name="ServerAllowCrossplay" value="true"/>
<property name="ServerMaxPlayerCount" value="8"/>
<property name="EACEnabled" value="true"/>
<property name="IgnoreEOSSanctions" value="false"/>
<property name="ServerVisibility" value="2"/>
<property name="ServerPassword" value="yourpassword"/>
<property name="Region" value="Europe"/>
<property name="ServerPort" value="26900"/>

Ports to allow

For a self-hosted box or any panel that expects manual network rules, keep the official port set open. The game comment for ServerPort also notes that LAN discovery expects it to stay inside 26900-26905 or 27015-27020.

26900 TCP/UDP
26901-26903 UDP

If your host panel exposes separate toggles instead of raw XML, the same values still need to be applied underneath. Save the changes, restart the dedicated server fully, then move on to the log check before inviting the console side.

The silent failure that catches mixed-platform groups

Two bad values are special because the server can downgrade itself at startup and keep running: player count above 8, or EOS sanctions being ignored.

When that happens, the dedicated server still comes online, accepts PC players, and may look completely normal in a quick test. What changed is the session flag it advertises. From the console side, the server is no longer a valid crossplay destination for that session.

What to search for in the log

CROSSPLAY INCOMPATIBLE VALUE: PLAYER COUNT GREATER THAN MAX OF 8
CROSSPLAY INCOMPATIBLE VALUE: EOS SANCTIONS IGNORED
CROSSPLAY DISABLED FOR SESSION, CORRECT VALUES TO BE CROSSPLAY COMPATIBLE

On a rented server, open the panel’s console or log viewer straight after a restart and search for CROSSPLAY. On your own machine, search the newest server log file:

grep -i "CROSSPLAY" your-server-log.txt        (Linux)
findstr /I "CROSSPLAY" your-server-log.txt     (Windows)

No matching lines is the result you want: the server only prints them when something is wrong.

If you see the final line, the fix is not subtle: correct the value in serverconfig.xml, restart the server, and check the new startup log again. Do not trust a panel that only says the service is online. Online can still mean “PC-only for this session”.

This is why a quick PC smoke test is not enough. A PC client does not prove the crossplay budget is valid; it only proves the dedicated server is reachable. For mixed groups, the startup log is part of the normal setup routine.

Keep gameplay settings inside the console ranges

In V3, these gameplay values are no longer loose top-level properties. They are set through the Sandbox Options and the SandboxCode string in serverconfig.xml. If you need help finding the right editor in your panel, use our V3 server settings guide.

For crossplay, the console clients enforce a compatibility envelope. If a value sits outside it, the player is refused with the exact message Server game setting {0} (value: {1}) must be {2} to join on this platform.

To check what the running world actually uses, type getsandboxoptions (short form gso) in the server console. It prints the current SandboxCode and every option that differs from the default; gso true lists all of them. Compare those values with the table before you blame anything else.

These ranges exist because the console client does not just trust the listing. It validates the server rules before allowing the join. That means you can have a perfectly healthy dedicated server from a performance point of view and still be console-incompatible because a single sandbox value is outside the allowed range.

The setting with the clearest server-load effect is BloodMoonEnemyCount: more active enemies mean more AI, more pathing work on the main thread, and more entity state to send to connected players. The others are mainly about rule compatibility, so stay inside them for joinability first and balance second. If you want a very custom ruleset, that is a good sign you should keep it on a separate PC-only server.

Mods and XML changes: the console cut-off point

For crossplay, “mods” is broader than many admins expect. The V3 server marks itself as modded config when any XML game file differs from stock or when any config modlet in the Mods folder is active. That includes server-side-only XML modlets that do not ask PC players to download anything.

PC clients are allowed to join modded-config servers by default. Console clients are not. The browser hides modded-config and requires-mod servers from consoles, and if a console client does reach one, it is disconnected with Remote data validation failed. Modified files detected.

• Safe for a crossplay server: admin and permission files such as serveradmin.xml.
• Not safe for a crossplay server: any changed XML game data, any config modlet, and any server package that alters those files for you.

If you want a deeper breakdown of what counts as a mod on the dedicated side, see how 7 Days to Die server mods work.

The clean pattern for groups with mixed needs is two servers: one vanilla 8-slot crossplay server for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S together, and one PC-only server for mods, overhauls or more than 8 players. That avoids constant file swapping, keeps the console world predictable, and lets the PC side use the wider rule set without breaking the shared server.

How everyone should join the same world first time

Once the server is configured correctly, the actual join process is straightforward. The main thing is to make the console side use the browser path the game expects, while the PC side avoids “it works for me” assumptions.

1. Restart the server after every settings change. Crossplay flags, sandbox values and modded status are read and advertised at startup.
2. Console players should use the in-game dedicated server browser. Search by the server name, clear extra filters if it does not appear, and enter the password if you set one.
3. PC players can use the browser or connect by IP. A direct IP join on PC is useful for admin checks, but it does not prove the console side will see the listing.
4. Every player must enable the client option called “Crossplay in Multiplayer”. It sits in the General options. If this is off, the client can block itself from joining even when the server is correct.
5. Check account-level crossplay restrictions on console. If a player gets Crossplay disabled for host's account., fix the platform privacy or parental setting first.

For a dedicated server, use the normal server browser, not the Peer2Peer tab. That tab is for a friend’s non-dedicated hosted session. If a server still does not appear at all, disable any VPN in use before chasing more obscure causes.

If players get the confirmation This server has Crossplay enabled and may contain players from other platforms when they join, the server is advertising crossplay correctly. From there, the remaining join failures are usually EAC, version, sandbox ranges, or modded data.

Updates: match the version the console players actually have

Version matching is non-negotiable. The current stable line is V3.4.0 Stable, released 26 Oct 2026, followed by a hotfix, but console builds can trail PC by a short time after a patch. For a mixed-platform group, the server should stay on the version the console players actually have, which you can check from the version text in their main menu.

• Do not move the dedicated server to an experimental branch for a crossplay group.
• After any stable patch or hotfix, check the console version before updating the server.
• If you hit Game Version Mismatch: you have '{0}' and server has '{1}', stop changing unrelated settings until the versions line up.

The only trade-off is patience: you may wait a short while before taking the newest build. In return, you avoid a hard join failure that no amount of port forwarding, browser refreshing or config tweaking will solve.

Choosing a host or plan for crossplay

When renting, confirm that you can edit serverconfig.xml and the V3 sandbox settings, and that the service supports console/crossplay setups rather than only PC use. Our 7 Days to Die server hosting comparison is a good place to narrow that down. If a provider sells by player slot, do not pay for more than 8 on a crossplay server, because the console limit is hard. On resource-based plans, put the budget into CPU and RAM rather than extra slot count.

Troubleshooting: read the exact message, then follow the shortest path

Use the flow below when a console player cannot find or join the server. It is faster than changing several settings at once and guessing which one worked.

1. If the console cannot find the server at all, check ServerVisibility, clear browser filters, confirm the same game version, then search the startup log for CROSSPLAY and remove any modded XML or modlets.
2. If the console can see the server but cannot join, use the exact error text to choose the fix.
3. After each fix, restart the server fully and test again. Many of these flags are decided at startup.

7 Days to Die server FAQ

Can PS5 and Xbox players join a PC 7 Days to Die server?

Yes, if that PC-hosted dedicated server meets the crossplay rules: crossplay on, 8 slots or fewer, EAC enabled, sanctions not ignored, stock XML, console-safe gameplay settings, and the same game version. On a dedicated server, the active character lives with the server world anyway, so the main server concern is compatibility, not account progress sharing.

How many players can a 7 Days to Die crossplay server have?

A dedicated crossplay server must be set to 8 players or fewer. If you set a higher limit, the server can still boot, but it disables crossplay for that session and the console side is locked out.

Can a 7 Days to Die crossplay server use mods?

Not if those mods change XML game data or use config modlets. Any modified XML or active config modlet marks the server as modded, which makes the console browser hide it or disconnects console clients with a validation error. Admin files such as serveradmin.xml are fine.

Why can’t console players find my 7 Days to Die server?

The usual causes are the silent crossplay disable at startup, a modded-config flag, a version mismatch, browser filters hiding the listing, or the client-side crossplay option being off. Start with the log search for CROSSPLAY, then check that the server is public, vanilla, and on the same version as the consoles.

Do PS4 and Xbox One support 7 Days to Die crossplay?

No. The current crossplay pool is PC with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. No server-side setting can bring PS4 or Xbox One into that pool, so plan around separate player groups if those older consoles are involved.

More 7 Days to Die server help

Set up the rest of your server, or compare hosts that support console crossplay.