How do I add mods to my 7 Days to Die server?

Upload each mod’s folder into your server’s Mods folder with your Game Panel’s file manager, then restart. 7 Days to Die mods don’t come from the Steam Workshop, so you add them by hand. Small XML modlets reach players by themselves. Anything with code or new models has to be installed in every player’s game as well.

Install a mod

1. Download a backup from your Game Panel first.
2. Stop your server from the Game Panel.
3. Download the mod to your PC and unzip it. Find the folder that has ModInfo.xml directly inside it.
4. In your Game Panel’s file manager, open the Mods folder in your server’s install folder. It already holds the game’s own 0_TFP_Harmony.
5. Upload the mod’s whole folder into Mods. Copy the folder itself, not just what’s inside it, so you end up with this:

Mods/
  0_TFP_Harmony/
  SomeModName/
    ModInfo.xml
    Config/

6. Start your server and watch the live console. Each mod the game loads gets a line beginning [MODS]. A mod folder without a ModInfo.xml at its top level is skipped.

Mods load in alphabetical order by folder name. When two mods change the same thing, the one that sorts later wins. That’s why framework mods have names starting 0-, so they load first.

Which mods players need too

Look inside the mod’s folder to tell.

• Only a Config folder of XML files: the server sends those changes to players as they join, so nobody installs anything.
• A Resources folder, item icons, or .dll files: none of these travel from the server. Every player needs the same mod, at the same version, in their own game.

Overhauls such as Darkness Falls come with files for players as well as the server, so the whole group installs them.

Easy Anti-Cheat and crossplay

• Mods with .dll files (custom code) only load with Easy Anti-Cheat off. Set EACEnabled to false in serverconfig.xml, and players will need EAC off in their own game too. XML and asset mods run fine with EAC on.
• PS5 and Xbox Series players can’t join a dedicated server that runs mods, and crossplay needs EAC on anyway. Adding any mod, even one XML modlet, makes yours a PC-only server.

Overhauls and game versions

Big overhauls are built for one game version at a time, and they often trail behind the newest one. The Darkness Falls build for Alpha 20, for example, works on Alpha 20 only. Before you install one:

1. Check which game version the mod says it’s built for.
2. Compare it with the version your server runs. The server and every player must be on the same build.
3. If the overhaul isn’t ready for your version yet, wait for its update. Check again before your server next updates, too.

Overhauls add new zombies, items and systems, so they can ask more of your server. See How much RAM does my game server need? before you pick one, and My server is lagging. What can I check? if things slow down afterwards.