Docs · Project Zomboid

How to connect to your server

Your Forgehold server runs standard Project Zomboid multiplayer. Once it’s online you join it the same way you’d join any dedicated server — with an IP address and a port. Here’s the whole path, start to finish.

Before you start

Open your Forgehold dashboard and pick your server. On the Status tab, check the status badge reads RUNNING. A freshly-created server first shows PROVISIONINGwhile Project Zomboid downloads and boots (3–5 minutes the first time) — you can only connect once it flips to RUNNING.

1. Find your IP and port

   On the server’s Status tab, the Connect card appears once the server is running. It shows a single line like 203.0.113.10:16261 — that’s IP address : port. Click it to select, then copy.

   The port is your server’s game port. Project Zomboid’s default is 16261; use whatever the Connect card shows — it’s the value that actually works for your server.

2. Open the Join menu in Project Zomboid

   Launch the game. From the main menu choose Join. You land on the server browser.

3. Add your server

   Switch to Favorites and click Add server to favorites (on some versions it’s an Add button). Fill in the connection details:

   • IP — the address part before the colon (e.g. 203.0.113.10).
   • Port — the number after the colon (e.g. 16261).
   • Account username & password — your own in-game character login. On a server with new accounts enabled, you pick these on first join; they identify your character on every reconnect.
   • Server password — only if the server owner set one. Leave it blank if the server is open. If you set a server password in your Forgehold config, share it with your players out-of-band.

4. Connect

   Save the favorite, select it, and click Join Server. The first connection downloads any Workshop mods the server runs, so give it a moment. Once mods sync you drop into the world.