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Reset or wipe a Project Zomboid server

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Sooner or later every Project Zomboid server needs a fresh start: a new map mod, a Build 42 move, or a world that has simply been looted bare. The Indie Stone's own documentation describes two kinds of reset, and only one of them works on a dedicated server today. This guide covers both, where the files live, and what your players have to do on their side.

Updated 20 October 2026

Soft reset versus full wipe

The server's ini file carries two values that exist for soft resets. The PZwiki's server settings page describes them like this:

  • ResetID: "Reset ID determines if the server has undergone a soft-reset. If this number does match the client, the client must create a new character. Used in conjunction with PlayerServerID. It is strongly advised that you backup these IDs somewhere".
  • ServerPlayerID: "ServerPlayerID determines if a character is from another server, or single player. This value may be changed by soft resets. If this number does match the client, the client must create a new character."

So a soft reset is the mechanism that tells every returning client that the world was reset and a new character is needed. The catch is how you trigger it. The documented switch is a Java argument, and the PZwiki's startup parameters page, written against 42.20.4, says of -Dsoftreset: "Forces the game to perform a soft reset. This does not work as of" the current stable build, adding that "The issue was reported and could be fixed in" future versions. Until that changes, a dedicated server is reset by replacing its world data. The rest of this page is that procedure.

1. Stop the server and back everything up

The admin command list gives you a clean stop: quit is "Save and quit the server", and save on its own is "Save the current world". The PZwiki's reset answer adds the one rule that matters: "Make sure to do this when the server is off (or the server program is not running) and restart the server."

Then copy the whole Zomboid folder somewhere safe. The server keeps nothing worth saving beside its own program files. On Windows the folder is C:\Users\YourUsername\Zomboid, on Linux ~/Zomboid, and inside it two places matter:

  • Zomboid/Server holds the settings: servertest.ini, servertest_SandboxVars.lua, servertest_spawnpoints.lua and servertest_spawnregions.lua, with servertest replaced by your server's name.
  • Zomboid/Saves/Multiplayer/servertest is the world. The PZwiki describes it as the folder that "contains the generated/saved world data of the server".

The server has built-in backups too, set in the ini: BackupsCount (default 5, allowed 1 to 300), BackupsOnStart, BackupsOnVersionChange and BackupsPeriod (0 to 1500). They are a safety net for crashes and updates, not a substitute for your own copy before a deliberate wipe.

2. Full wipe: delete the world folder, keep the settings

With the server stopped, delete the world folder, Zomboid/Saves/Multiplayer/<servername>, and nothing else. Leave Zomboid/Server alone: the ini and the three lua files are your settings, mod list and spawn points, and the server reads them again on the next start. When it finds no world data under that name it generates a new world with the settings it has. If you want default settings as well, delete the four files in Zomboid/Server too, and the server recreates them on start, which is the same thing the PZwiki describes for a first run.

Player accounts are not part of the world folder: the PZwiki's dedicated server page places the account database under Zomboid\db, so logins survive a wipe while the world does not. There is no partial option documented by The Indie Stone short of the soft reset above.

3. The cleaner alternative: a new server name

A dedicated server does not have to be called servertest. The startup parameter -servername "Sets the internal servername to use. It affects the name of the save files that are loaded/saved." The PZwiki's multiplayer FAQ puts the useful consequence plainly: "If you put in a name which doesn't exist, it will create a new server for you", and warns that "You will have to do this every time you run it as well." Add it to the server's start script, after the %1 %2 text on Windows:

-servername Season2

The server then reads Season2.ini and its lua files from Zomboid/Server, creating them if they are missing, and saves the world under Zomboid/Saves/Multiplayer/Season2. The old world stays on disk, untouched, which is why the PZwiki recommends a custom name "to be able to switch to a new world without having to move a bunch of files on both server and client side to preserve that world". Copy your old ini to the new name first if you want the same settings and mods. One fix from 42.20.0 is worth knowing when you pick the name: it "Fixed an issue where special characters in server names could cause errors or prevent proper server file creation", so keep to letters and numbers.

4. What your players have to do

Clients remember a server by its address and port, not by its world. The PZwiki is specific: "player map data is stored locally client side under your IP address and port. If you don't want map information bleedover, you may need to change the port in your server settings." Each client keeps that data in a folder under C:\Users\YourUsername\Zomboid\Saves named after the server, something like 123.45.0.12_16261_a589371111b0ccerf81acc30e918f8c9, in the PZwiki's example. After a wipe on the same address and port, a returning player may see map knowledge from the old world. The PZwiki's two options are to never reuse that port for another world, or to have players move or rename that folder.

Two troubleshooting entries, one on the dedicated server page and one in the multiplayer FAQ, describe what a stale client save looks like. If a player is "stuck in void after joining", the fix is to create a new profile by changing the account name in the Add Server panel, for example from player to player_1, saving it, and connecting again. And for a server that "was working fine but then we restarted and we started having problems", the FAQ's first suggestion is "try deleting the save associated with the server, in the event that's causing a conflict".

5. Resets forced by a build change

Some resets are not optional. The Indie Stone's Build 42 stable announcement of 2026-07-24 says "Build 41 savegames clearly will not be compatible with Build 42", and that "existing saves on Unstable 42.19 will not be compatible with 42.20". Operators who want to stay on the old build have a branch: under Steam's "Game Versions & Betas", "select 'legacy41'", and a 42.19 beta exists for unstable worlds. Within a stable series the picture is calmer: the 42.20.4 hotfix notes say "this update should not break saves".

If a Build 42 server refuses to start on a machine that ran Build 41 with "Assertion Failed: Illegal termination of worker thread", the PZwiki's fix is two steps: check that steam_appid.txt contains only 108600, and then, "Only AFTER backing up any .ini, .lua, and save file settings you want to keep from your earlier server", remove the Zomboid folder so the newer server recreates it.

6. After the wipe

Start the server and wait for the SERVER STARTED line (42.20.0 fixed it "not printing properly"). Run showoptions as admin to confirm the settings the server is using, and reloadoptions after any ini edit while it runs. Players join through the Favorites tab with the address and port as before. If you changed the port to avoid map bleed-over, remember that the PZwiki's server settings page says the port "will need to be open on your router and firewall", and that UDPPort (default 16262) is a separate value that has to be open as well.

Where ForgeWorld Gaming fits

On a ForgeWorld Gaming Project Zomboid server the Startup tab's Server Name is the -servername value, letters and numbers only, so the reset in section 3 is one edit: change Server Name, restart, and the server creates <name>.ini, <name>_SandboxVars.lua and a new world under that name, leaving the old ones in place. The server's Zomboid folder is the .cache folder on the Files tab: settings in .cache/Server, worlds in .cache/Saves/Multiplayer, and the built-in backups in .cache/backups. For a full wipe, stop the server, delete .cache/Saves/Multiplayer/<Server Name> there, and start it again. The address and port do not change across a wipe, so the client-side map data in section 4 applies to your players. Two Startup variables matter after a Build 42 patch: Steam Auto Update is on by default, so a restart installs the new build (if yours shows 0, set it to 1 and restart), and while it is on each start also passes the Steam Beta Branch field to that update, so set that field only when every player is on that branch. A test server we started on 2026-10-20 reported version 42.21.0. Last checked 2026-10-20.

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Common questions

How do I reset the world on a Project Zomboid dedicated server?

Stop the server with the quit command, back up the whole Zomboid folder, then delete Zomboid/Saves/Multiplayer/<servername>, the folder the PZwiki describes as the generated and saved world data. Keep Zomboid/Server, which holds the ini and lua settings files. On the next start the server generates a new world with your settings.

Does the -Dsoftreset argument work on a Project Zomboid server?

Not at the moment. The PZwiki's startup parameters page, written against 42.20.4, says the argument forces a soft reset but does not work as of the current stable build, and that the issue was reported for a future fix. Reset by replacing the world data or by starting a new server name instead.

Can I start a new Project Zomboid world without deleting the old one?

Yes. Start the server with -servername NewName. The PZwiki says the parameter sets the internal server name used for the save files, and that a name that does not exist creates a new server. The old world stays under Zomboid/Saves/Multiplayer/<oldname>. Copy your old ini to the new name first to keep the same settings and mods.

Why do my players still see the old map after I wiped the server?

Because client map data is stored on each player's PC under the server's IP address and port. The PZwiki calls this map information bleedover and offers two fixes: never reuse that port for another world, or have players move or rename the folder named after your address and port in their Zomboid\Saves folder.

What do ResetID and ServerPlayerID do in the server ini?

They tell clients that the server has undergone a soft reset and that a new character is needed. The PZwiki says ResetID determines whether a soft reset happened and ServerPlayerID whether a character is from another server or single player, and it strongly advises backing both numbers up somewhere.

Do I have to wipe my Project Zomboid server for Build 42?

Yes if the world was made in Build 41. The Indie Stone's stable announcement says Build 41 savegames will not be compatible with Build 42, and that 42.19 unstable saves are not compatible with 42.20. A legacy41 branch under Steam's Game Versions and Betas lets a server stay on the old build.

Sources

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