How to Change Max Players on Your 7 Days to Die Server

Player count affects performance more than most owners expect. 7 Days to Die loads chunks and entities for everyone online, and blood moons stack zombie AI on top of that.

Change the limit

1. Open the AleForge Panel
2. Stop the server
3. Go to Startup
4. Set Max Players to your desired cap
5. Save and restart

You can also edit ServerMaxPlayerCount in serverconfig.xml if you prefer the file — keep it in sync with Startup.

Crossplay cap

Crossplay only works with 8 players or fewer. Setting max players above 8 disables crossplay even if the toggle is on.

RAM and performance

Rough guidance for vanilla-ish servers:

Players	RAM	Notes
2–4	4–6 GB	Comfortable for small groups
5–8	6–8 GB	Watch usage during blood moons
8+ with mods	8 GB+	World-gen and overhaul mods add a lot

If you upgraded RAM because the server was crashing, also check whether heavy mods or a huge explored map are the real load. More memory helps, but removing a world-gen mod without starting a new world can break the save.

Reserved and admin slots

Permission levels and admin slots are configured separately — see Permission levels.