Project Zomboid Co-op: Survival Buddies Guide (No Zombie Left Behind)

✅ Use Build 41 for Multiplayer: Ensure your game is on the stable Build 41 branch (the default). Build 42 is an opt-in beta with no online MP as of now. If you switched to B42, opt out via Steam > Properties > Betas > select "None" (B41).

✅ Host a Game: From the main menu, click Host. Create or select your server settings (just a name and password is fine for now). Start the server – the game will load into your world.

✅ Invite Your Friend: Once in-game, press ESC and choose Invite Friends. Select your friend from the Steam overlay and invite them. (Alternatively, have them join via Steam's "Join Game" on you.)

✅ Meet Up (Spawn Together): For now, pick the same spawn town when creating characters. Communication is key: use in-game chat (Enter to type) to share where you spawned. If one of you is host admin, you can open the Players panel (ESC > Players) and teleport your friend to you for an instant meetup.

☑️ (Optional) Voice Chat: Enable in-game VOIP (check microphone icon) or hop on Discord. Coordinating by voice makes surviving and rendezvousing much easier.

☑️ (Optional) Safehouse Respawn: Once you find a base, claim it as a Safehouse (right-click on a house and select Claim Safehouse if server settings allow). Invite your friend to the safehouse, and they can enable "Respawn in Safehouse". Now, if anyone dies, they'll respawn together at that base.

💡 Tip: Whichever you choose, the gameplay experience is the same. The difference is in convenience and control. Many players start on a hosted co-op and later migrate to a dedicated server if their group grows.

1. From Main Menu, Click "Host": This opens the host game setup. If it's your first time, you'll be prompted to create server settings. Give your server a name (anything is fine, e.g. "MyApocalypse") and a password if you want (friends will need this to join). You can tweak things like player limit, PvP on/off, etc., but for now the defaults are okay.
2. Manage Settings (Optional): If you want to adjust sandbox options or mods, click Manage Settings. This is where you'd set things like zombie count, loot rarity, etc., similar to single-player sandbox. You can always leave this as default "Survival" preset to start quickly.
3. Start the Server: Hit Start after selecting/creating your settings. The game might take a minute to load – you'll see a console window as the server initializes, then it will drop you into the world as a character.
4. Invite Friends: Once you're in-game (you can move your character around), press ESC and choose Invite Friends. This brings up your Steam friends list. Click your friend's name and "Invite to Game." They should get a Steam notification to join. (They must be running Project Zomboid, on the main menu, for the invite to work.) You can also invite via Steam overlay (Shift+Tab) by right-clicking your friend and Invite to Lobby.

Friend Can't Connect

• Double-check that you gave them the correct server password (if any)
• The host may need to enable UPnP in router or manually forward ports 16261 (UDP) and 8766 (UDP)
• Ensure both of you are on the same game version (Build 41.x)
• Try having your friend join through Steam by right-clicking your name and selecting "Join Game"
• Verify both players have identical mods or no mods
• For detailed server hosting guidance, see our server hosting optimization guide

Desync or Lag

• Lower graphics settings on the host computer
• Reduce zombie population in server settings
• Avoid driving cars at high speed in convoy (notorious for desync)
• Consider a dedicated server if the host's PC is struggling
• Restart the server occasionally to clear memory issues after long sessions

Methods to Find Friends – Pros & Cons

Method 1: Same Spawn Point Selection

Easiest trick: when everyone is creating their character, make sure you all pick the same town as your starting location. Project Zomboid offers a choice (Rosewood, Riverside, Muldraugh, West Point by default in Survivor mode).

If you all choose "West Point", you'll still spawn in different houses, but at least you're in the same city, which drastically cuts travel time. Coordinate over voice chat: "Everyone spawn in Rosewood, ok?" For detailed spawn location strategies, check our Rosewood survival guide.

Method 3: Safehouse Respawn

This kicks in after the game has started but is super useful. Here's how it works:

1. Once you manage to meet up and secure a house or building, claim it as a Safehouse (right-click your character's home or use the Safehouse panel)
2. Invite your friend to the safehouse (there's an Add Player option in the safehouse UI)
3. Each player should enable "Respawn in Safehouse" in that safehouse's menu
4. Now, if anyone dies, they'll respawn right in the safehouse instead of across the map!

Option B: Use Admin Teleport

If one of you is an admin (on a hosted game, the host is automatically admin), you can teleport players. There are two ways:

Using teleport might feel like cheating – and it is a meta power. Many co-op players won't mind using it just to meet up at the start, then play normally afterward.

Option C: Enable Player Tracking on Map

By default, you cannot see other players on your in-game map. But the server admin can change a setting to allow it. The setting is called MapRemotePlayerVisibility. It has three levels:

• 1 = No one is visible on the map (default)
• 2 = Friends or safehouse members are visible on each other's map
• 3 = Everyone is visible on the map

On a hosted server, you can find this under Host > Manage Settings > Players tab. Scroll to the bottom and set "Map Remote Player Visibility" to 2 (Friends) or 3 (Everyone). Save and start the server.

This feature is super useful for co-op, essentially giving you a built-in GPS locator for teammates. The only reason it's not on by default is some players find it immersion-breaking.

Why Multiplayer is Disabled in B42 (For Now)

The devs at The Indie Stone made a tough call: they launched Build 42's public test without multiplayer active. Why? Essentially, they have a lot of new stuff to stabilize first. Here are the reasons:

"Some key features, primarily multiplayer, are initially disabled – they will be re-enabled later" — Official Build 42 launch notes

What about enabling it via mods or file hacks?

Warning: Some players have tried creating "B42 Multiplayer Enabler" mods or editing the lua files. These attempts are largely futile - you might get the MP menu to appear, but the game will crash if you try to use it. The devs have integrated changes that require more than just UI toggles. There's no magic line of code to uncomment to enable MP - the underlying code in B42 is incomplete.

When things go south (and they will – this is Project Zomboid), how well you communicate can mean life or death:

Unless you're on a PvP-focused server, you probably want to avoid hurting each other. By default, a hosted game has PvP off (you can't damage each other). If that's not the case:

• Toggle PvP off: There's a little axe icon in the UI that shows if you're in PvP mode. Make sure it's off for co-op sessions. Or easier, join the same Faction – faction members cannot hurt each other even if PvP is on.
• Be careful with firearms: Friendly fire is possible. Shotguns don't discriminate – if a friend runs in front of you at the wrong time, oops. Coordinate firing lines: maybe only one person uses guns at a time or you stand apart.
• Melee spacing: Give each other room when swinging melee weapons. Collisions aren't a thing, but if PvP is enabled, a swing can hit a friend. It's comedic to bonk your friend with a frying pan, but not if it causes bleeding.

Multiplayer gaming always has to deal with the tech side – ping, latency, etc. In PZ, the notorious issue is desync: the server and client get out of sync about where things (like a car or zombie) are. Here's how to mitigate these issues:

• Choose the Right Host: If one friend has significantly better internet or is more centrally located to all players, let them host. If someone in Europe tries to host for friends in the US, it might be rough.
• Limit Player Count: More players = more network load. PZ can handle many players (some servers have 32 or more), but the host needs good upload bandwidth for that. If it's just 2-4 friends, you're usually fine.
• Stay Updated and Mod-Matched: Ensure everyone's game version matches the host's, including mods. If one person's mods are out of date or different, it can cause weird sync issues.
• Avoid High-Risk Desync Actions: Through community experience, we know a few triggers for desync in B41 MP: driving cars at high speed in convoy and huge hordes being burned or exploded at once. If you notice zombies teleporting or cars rubberbanding, slow down – literally.