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Freedom251 › Blog › DayZ

DayZ Server Not Showing Up in the Server List: A Complete Fix Guide

By Freedom251 Team · · 10 min read

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If your DayZ server accepts a direct-IP connection but does not appear in the in-game browser, the server process is usually running and the failure is in query publication, filtering, indexing, or network reachability. If every server has disappeared, start with the client, Steam service, platform tab, and scheduled maintenance. Work through the checks below in order; each branch tells you whether the fault is on the player side or the server side.

First identify what is actually missing

“My server is not showing” can describe several different problems. A completely empty browser has a different cause from one community server missing from an otherwise populated list. Before editing configuration files or forwarding ports, establish the scope.

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When no servers appear at all

Check the platform first: PC, Xbox, and PlayStation do not use the same server lists. Confirm that you are in the intended region and on the correct Official or Community tab. A community-hosted server will not appear in Official, and a LAN server should be tested from another device on the same local network using the LAN tab.

On Wednesday, an entirely empty browser may be normal service disruption rather than a fault in your installation. Bohemia Interactive’s support FAQ says that Wednesday maintenance scheduled for 08:00 (GMT +1) is the likely explanation when no servers are visible. Wait through that maintenance window before changing server files. If the browser remains empty afterward, continue with the client and service checks and contact support with the details listed later.

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When one server is missing

If other servers are listed, your client is reaching the service and the investigation should concentrate on filters, the server’s advertised query port, firewall or router rules, and third-party indexing. Record whether the missing server is Official, Community, passworded, modded, first-person or third-person, and whether a direct-IP connection works.

Reset filters and the DayZ/Steam client state

A filter can hide a healthy server without showing an obvious error. Open the in-game server-browser filters and temporarily remove every restriction: search text, player-count limits, map, password status, first-person/third-person mode, BattlEye requirement, and ping limit. Apply the changes and run a fresh search.

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Check the BattlEye requirement explicitly

Bohemia’s official support guidance calls out the Battleye required filter. If you are looking for a server that does not use BattlEye protection, change this control from Default to No. Leaving it at Default can exclude the server even when its name and region are correct.

Restart after changing filters

Fully exit DayZ rather than returning only to the title screen. Exit Steam as well, verify that it is no longer running, then start Steam and DayZ again. A clean restart forces the browser to request a new list instead of reusing a stale session. Search the Community tab with no text filter, then add your normal filters one at a time. The filter that makes the server disappear identifies the client-side cause.

Use the right browser for the server

  • Use Community for a privately administered or modded server.
  • Use Official only for Bohemia-operated official servers.
  • Use LAN when the server and client are on the same local network; test from a second device to distinguish a local broadcast issue from a server failure.

Keep a simple observation: do other servers appear after the restart? “None appear” points toward maintenance, Steam, platform, or service availability. “Everything except this one appears” points toward that server’s publication or network path.

Confirm the dedicated server is using the intended configuration

For an administered server, stop the server before editing serverDZ.cfg. Make sure the startup command points to the file you are changing through its -config argument. Editing a second copy of the file has no effect and is a common reason a seemingly correct setting does not change behavior.

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Validate syntax before testing visibility

DayZ configuration statements require their terminating semicolons and correctly formed values. A missing semicolon or malformed line can prevent the intended configuration from loading. After saving, start the server and inspect the startup log for parse errors, warnings, or a message showing which configuration file was loaded. Do not diagnose browser visibility until the process starts cleanly with the expected file.

Set a dedicated Steam query port

The steamQueryPort value controls the Steam query endpoint that browsers use to discover the instance. Bohemia Interactive’s documented example is:

steamQueryPort = 2305;

The same configuration guidance describes this setting as one that “should fix the issue with server not being visible in client server browser.” Add it to the active serverDZ.cfg, ensure the number is unique to that server instance, save the file, and restart the process.

Keep ports unique on multi-server hosts

Running several DayZ instances on one machine requires separate game and query ports. A second server must not advertise the same query endpoint as the first. The port shown in steamQueryPort must be the port that the host firewall allows and the router forwards. Community administrators have reported that a mismatched query port can make a server invisible, but those reports are anecdotal rather than an official guarantee; treat the match between configuration, forwarding, and the actual listening socket as the testable requirement.

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Restart and read the log

Configuration changes do not become active in a running process. Stop the instance, start it again, and inspect the new startup section of the log. Look for the expected game port, query port, configuration path, and any bind or permission error. If the query port is already occupied, assign an unused port and update every corresponding firewall and NAT rule.

Open the game and query traffic through the firewall and router

A server can run normally on the host yet remain absent from public discovery when UDP traffic is blocked. Allow DayZServer_x64.exe through the operating-system firewall, then create explicit UDP forwarding rules on the router from the public interface to the server’s current private IP address.

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Default port roles

The following values are the defaults documented in a community DayZ troubleshooting reference. They are examples, not universal constants: if the startup command changes the base port with -port=, calculate the corresponding block from that new base.

Traffic Protocol Default port
Main game traffic UDP 2302
Steam networking UDP 2303–2304
Steam query UDP 2305

Forward the ports actually used by the instance, not merely the defaults shown above. If -port= is different, shift the game, Steam-networking, and query rules to the matching range. The router’s destination must be the server’s private address, and that address should be reserved in DHCP or otherwise kept static so a reboot does not silently send traffic to another device.

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Use explicit rules instead of a DMZ

Do not put the server in the router’s DMZ as a first-line fix. A DMZ exposes services that do not need to be public and makes it harder to know which rule solved the problem. Create narrowly scoped UDP rules for the required ports, confirm that the host firewall allows the executable, and remove temporary broad rules after testing.

Test from outside the home network

Testing from the same LAN can produce a false success because local routing and public NAT behave differently. Ask a friend to search or connect from another Internet connection, or use a phone hotspot that is not connected to your home Wi-Fi. A server that appears locally but cannot be reached externally still has a NAT, firewall, carrier-grade NAT, or public-address problem.

Use direct IP to separate connection failure from listing failure

Direct-IP testing is the most useful branch in the diagnosis. Use the server’s public IP and game port, not its private LAN address, when testing from an external network.

Direct IP works, browser does not

This proves that the game process can accept a connection and that at least the game traffic path is open. The remaining fault is usually the query endpoint, a filter, browser indexing, or propagation delay. Recheck that steamQueryPort is present in the active configuration, unique, forwarded as UDP, and allowed through the firewall. Then search the correct Official or Community tab with all filters cleared.

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If the official browser remains empty for this one server, try the third-party DZSA Launcher as a diagnostic. A 2025 Steam Community report described restoring DZSA visibility after correcting the configured query port. That is an anecdotal report, not a promise that DZSA will list every correctly configured server, so use it to identify an indexing-specific problem rather than as proof of a universal fix.

Direct IP also fails

Return to the server process, startup log, port binding, firewall, and NAT checks. A failed direct connection means the problem is not limited to browser publication. Confirm that the server is still running, that the public IP has not changed, that the router forwards to the current private address, and that the chosen game port matches the -port= argument.

Check network topology and common port mistakes

Private address changed

Home routers commonly assign private addresses dynamically. If the server machine moved from one address to another, the forwarding rule may still point at the old device. Compare the router’s destination address with the address currently assigned to the server and reserve the correct address before retesting.

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Two servers share a port

Each instance needs its own game and query endpoints. Duplicate ports can prevent one process from binding, or can send browser queries to the wrong instance. Assign a distinct block to every server, update each serverDZ.cfg, startup command, firewall rule, and router rule, then restart all affected instances.

Base port was changed but the forwarding block was not

The default table applies only when the base port remains at its default. When -port= changes, the related Steam-networking and query ports move with that base. A configuration that advertises one query port while the router forwards another will often allow neither reliable discovery nor consistent third-party indexing.

Local testing hides a public problem

Some routers do not support NAT loopback consistently. A successful connection from inside the home network is therefore not evidence that an Internet player can connect. Always include an external test before declaring the server publicly reachable.

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Official browser versus DZSA Launcher

These are different discovery systems. The in-game browser depends on DayZ’s client service and the server’s Steam query publication. DZSA Launcher maintains its own third-party indexing path. A server can be visible in one and absent in the other without the game process changing.

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  • If the server is absent from both browsers and direct IP fails, investigate process and network reachability first.
  • If direct IP works and the official browser is missing the server, check query-port configuration, forwarding, filters, and propagation.
  • If the official browser lists it but DZSA does not, treat that as a third-party indexing issue and verify that the advertised query port is correct before changing unrelated server settings.

Do not infer that a server is offline solely because one launcher cannot find it. Record which browser was tested, from which network, and with which filters.

A decision path you can follow in order

  1. Establish scope: note platform, region, Official or Community tab, and whether the list is entirely empty or only missing one server.
  2. Wait out scheduled maintenance: if the complete list is empty on Wednesday, allow for the 08:00 (GMT +1) maintenance window before modifying the server.
  3. Clear filters: remove search, map, player-count, password, perspective, ping, and BattlEye restrictions; for a non-BattlEye server set “Battleye required” to “No,” not “Default.”
  4. Restart client services: fully exit DayZ and Steam, relaunch both, and search the correct tab.
  5. Test direct IP externally: record whether the game port accepts a connection from a different Internet connection.
  6. Check the active configuration: stop the server, verify the -config path, validate syntax, and confirm a unique steamQueryPort.
  7. Align the network path: match the configured game and query ports to the host firewall and router’s UDP forwarding rules; account for any -port= change.
  8. Restart and inspect logs: confirm the process binds the intended ports without errors.
  9. Compare browsers: check the official browser and DZSA separately, treating third-party reports as diagnostics rather than guarantees.
  10. Escalate with evidence: if an entirely empty browser persists beyond maintenance and filter checks, contact Bohemia support with the information below.

What to send to support or an administrator

A precise report is more useful than “the server is missing.” Include:

  • Platform: PC, Xbox, or PlayStation.
  • Region and the tab used: Official, Community, or LAN.
  • Server name, public IP, game port, and Steam query port. Do not publish passwords, administrative credentials, or private keys.
  • Exact filters, including the value selected for “Battleye required.”
  • Whether other servers appear.
  • Whether a direct-IP connection succeeds from an external network.
  • When the problem started and whether it coincided with the Wednesday maintenance window.
  • Relevant startup-log errors, especially configuration parsing, port-binding, or firewall failures.

Bohemia’s FAQ directs players to support when an empty browser persists after the scheduled-maintenance explanation no longer applies. Supplying the scope, timing, filters, connection result, and logs lets support distinguish a service-wide browser problem from a single server’s query or network configuration.

Why each symptom points to a different remedy

Observed symptom Most useful next check
No servers on any tab Platform, Steam restart, filters, and Wednesday maintenance status
Other servers visible; one server missing Correct tab, cleared filters, steamQueryPort, and query-port forwarding
Direct IP works; official browser missing Query publication, firewall/NAT for the query port, and browser propagation
Direct IP fails too Server process, startup log, game port, firewall, NAT, and public IP
Official browser lists it; DZSA does not Third-party indexing and the advertised query-port value
LAN works; Internet test fails Router forwarding, changing private IP, carrier-grade NAT, or external firewall

Bottom line

Start with scope and filters, not server-file edits. An empty list on Wednesday may be scheduled maintenance; a non-BattlEye server may require “Battleye required: No.” For administrators, the decisive configuration check is a unique steamQueryPort in the active serverDZ.cfg, followed by matching UDP firewall and router rules. Use an external direct-IP test to separate a running but unlisted server from a server that cannot be reached at all. Only after those checks should you treat a missing result as a browser-indexing issue or escalate to Bohemia support.

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