Playing Project Zomboid with friends in Build 42

Build 42 launched in December 2024 without online play. Multiplayer came back in 42.13 on the unstable branch on December 11, 2025, as a stress test, and reached everyone when 42.20 moved to the stable branch on July 29, 2026. You no longer need a beta branch to play with friends. Older guides that call Build 42 single player only are out of date. See version history and patch notes.

Still limited: saves do not always survive big version jumps (42.19 worlds did not load in 42.20), Build 41 mods need a Build 42 version, and cars driven close together can still desync (one source).

For a small group, pick Host on the main menu, set a password and player limit, start the world, then press Esc and choose Invite Friends. A friend must be on the main menu to accept an invite. Direct connections use UDP ports 16261 and 16262, and the Use Steam Relay option helps when the host cannot forward them. Full setup is in the multiplayer guide and hosting a server.

Split screen. Steam lists it, the 42.20 patch notes gave each split-screen player a separate trade window, and one guide says it works with controllers. One wiki says it is not supported. Test it before you plan an evening around it. Steam Remote Play Together only streams one PC's split-screen session to a friend (one source), so it depends on split screen working.

How many players. The hard ceiling is 254. One guide reports a warning above 32 (one source). Opinion On a hosted game, stay at two to four.

Skills are per character, so a group gains nothing when four people all start as the same fighter. Agree on jobs before anyone builds a character. Point costs match our character builds page, and the full list is on traits and occupations.

Opinion Two players: Lumberjack plus Carpenter, and both learn mechanics from books. Three: add a Mechanic or Burglar. Four: add a Farmer or Rancher, because four mouths empty a town's kitchens quickly.

You do not need a claim to share a house. On a private game with friends a claim adds little. Pick a building in the first in-game week from base locations and label the storage by type so nobody hunts for nails.

A safehouse claim matters on servers with strangers, or when you want to come back at home after a death. The server options are PlayerSafehouse, which lets ordinary players claim, and SafehouseAllowRespawn. One player claims the building and adds the others through the safehouse window. Each member then ticks the respawn box next to their own name. An accepted faction war suspends the protection for the groups involved (one source). We could not confirm the Build 42 claim requirements, such as days survived or building type, so check them on your server.

Opinion Keep food communal and give each car one owner who holds the key.

Sleep. Two server options control it. SleepAllowed lets players use beds. SleepNeeded makes characters grow tired and need rest, and it does nothing unless SleepAllowed is on. One hosting guide lists both as off by default (one source). With sleep on, time only speeds up when every online player is asleep. One person sorting loot holds the night at normal speed for everyone, so agree on a bedtime. From 42.22 the Bad Smell moodle blocks sleep until you wash, change clothes or clear nearby bodies (one source). See sleep.

Time. PauseEmpty stops the clock when no one is online, so food does not rot while everyone is at work.

Death. The character is gone, the account is not. You make a new survivor with new skills, and the old body stays in the world with its gear. By default you choose a normal spawn point and travel back. PlayerRespawnWithSelf and SafehouseAllowRespawn, both off by default, let you return at the death spot or in the safehouse. More detail is on the death page.

Rejoining. Characters are stored with the world on the host or server. Log in with the same account name and you continue where you left off. If the world is wiped, the characters go with it.

Opinion For a first shared world keep zombie population at low or normal and loot at normal, then tighten it for the second run. See sandbox settings. Start without mods, confirm everyone can join, then add them in small batches.

Chat. The game has text chat and built-in voice chat. In-game voice has a limited range (one source), so you stop hearing a friend who drives off. Many groups use Discord for that reason. If you use in-game voice, set push to talk in the options. We could not confirm the default chat and voice keys for Build 42, so check the key bindings.

• Connection lost or version mismatch. Someone is on a different Steam branch or patch. Everyone, and the server, must match. A Build 41 client cannot join a Build 42 host.
• File does not match the one on the server. A mod differs. Everyone needs the same Workshop items, fully downloaded. Test with no mods first.
• Connection failed or P2P error. Toggle Use Steam Relay, then check the host's firewall and UDP ports 16261 and 16262.
• Unknown account or wrong password. The account name and password belong to that server, not to Steam.
• Lag when the group is together. Lower the zombie count and restart the host after long sessions. See performance.
• World broken after a patch. Back up the save before every game update.