A 7 Days to Die server that won't show is usually ports, the visibility setting, or EAC. Here's the fix — and the direct-connect that always works.
Quick answer
A 7 Days to Die server that does not show usually has closed ports, the wrong visibility setting or an EAC mismatch. Open TCP 26900 and UDP 26900–26903, set ServerVisibility to public (2) in serverconfig.xml, and keep EAC the same on server and clients. Direct connect to ip:26900 always works.
Open the ports
7DTD needs a small range. Open/forward these to the server:
26900/tcp server
26900-26903/udp game trafficSet server visibility
In serverconfig.xml, make sure visibility is public so it lists:
<property name="ServerVisibility" value="2"/>
<!-- 2 = public, 1 = friends only, 0 = hidden -->EAC and modded servers
If your server is modded, EasyAntiCheat will block players. Disable EAC on both the server config and have players launch without EAC, or they'll be kicked.
Connect directly
The browser is slow and filtered. Skip it: in 7DTD → Join a Game → Connect to IP, and enter server-ip:26900.
The in-game browser hides servers by ping/region and max results. If it "isn't there", widen the filters or just connect by IP.
Open 26900 (tcp+udp range), set ServerVisibility=2, mind EAC, and connect by IP. That gets everyone in.
Other reasons a 7 Days to Die server isn't showing
- The Steam server browser can take several minutes to refresh — this is normal right after a restart.
- A firewall on the server OS blocking the UDP range even though visibility is set to public.
- Players filtering by "no password" or "not full" can hide a server that has either set.
- Running a game version different from the client's — mismatched builds can hide or block the entry entirely.
How to prevent 7 Days to Die connection problems
After every update, restart the server before testing visibility — a stale process can keep the old build's port bindings. Keep serverconfig.xml backed up so a bad edit is a quick revert, not a rebuild.
Related 7 Days to Die and hosting guides
For a full setup walkthrough, see how to make a 7 Days to Die server, then balance zombies and performance with our best 7 Days to Die server settings. For general SteamCMD install issues, see common SteamCMD errors. If ports look right but players still can't connect, revisit how to port forward a game server. See our 7 Days to Die hosting for a setup that opens these ports for you.
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