Project Zomboid Server Admin Commands

Project Zomboid has over 50 admin commands. Most of them you will never touch. This is the curated list of the ones that come up week after week when you are running a server: player management, world control, spawning items, and keeping things running smoothly.

Commands are organized by what you are actually trying to do, not alphabetically.

How to Run Admin Commands

There are three ways to run commands on your Project Zomboid server, and the only difference is how you access them.

In-game chat: Prefix commands with /. You need admin access on your account first.

/kick PlayerName Reason goes here

Server console: No / prefix. This is the console tab in your control panel. Commands run with full server authority.

kick PlayerName Reason goes here

RCON: If you have configured RCONPort and RCONPassword in your server INI, connect with any RCON client. No / prefix needed here either.

If you are using WinterNode’s Project Zomboid hosting, RCON comes pre-configured in the control panel with no manual INI edits needed.

Player Management Commands

These are the commands you will use most often on an active server.

setaccesslevel

Grants or revokes a player’s role on the server. B42 restructured the hierarchy. The levels from highest to lowest are: admin, moderator, overseer, gm, observer.

/setaccesslevel PlayerName admin
/setaccesslevel PlayerName moderator
/setaccesslevel PlayerName none

Use none to remove all elevated access. You cannot set someone to a level above your own.

• admin: Full server control, no restrictions
• moderator: Player management (kick, ban), world commands
• overseer: Can kick and ban, limited world control
• gm: Can spawn items and use teleport
• observer: Spectator mode, invisible to other players

kick

Removes a player from the server. They can reconnect immediately unless you follow up with a ban.

/kick PlayerName
/kick PlayerName Griefing in the starting town

The reason is optional but useful. It shows in the disconnect message and appears in your server log.

banid and banuser

banid bans by Steam ID. banuser bans by in-game username. Steam ID bans are harder to get around, so prefer them when you can get the ID.

/banid 76561198012345678 true
/banuser PlayerName true

The true parameter at the end saves the ban to the banlist file. Without it, the ban clears on the next server restart. Almost always use true.

To find a player’s Steam ID: check your server log, which records Steam IDs alongside usernames at connection time.

unbanid and unbanuser

Lifts an existing ban by Steam ID or username.

/unbanid 76561198012345678
/unbanuser PlayerName

If the ban was saved to the banlist file, you also need to remove the entry from the banlist manually, or it will reapply on the next restart.

teleport

Moves a player to another player’s location. The most common admin use: getting a stranded player unstuck, or moving someone to the group.

/teleport PlayerToMove PlayerDestination

Example: /teleport NewPlayer AdminName moves NewPlayer to wherever AdminName is standing.

teleportto

Moves a player to specific map coordinates. Press F11 in-game (with admin) to see your current coordinates in the top-left corner.

/teleportto PlayerName x,y,z

Example: /teleportto PlayerName 10780,8680,0 where z is the floor level (0 is ground floor).

World and Environment Commands

save

Forces an immediate world save. PZ autosaves on a schedule, but if you are about to restart the server or think something went wrong, run this first.

/save

No arguments. You will see a confirmation message in the console when the save completes.

checkfire

Toggles fire spread. When off, fire does not propagate from tile to tile. Ignited tiles still burn, but the fire stops spreading to neighboring buildings.

/checkfire

Running it toggles the current state. Most PvE servers turn this off at the start. One campfire in the wrong spot can take out half a city block if fire spread is on. In B42, the sandbox Fire Spread setting controls this at world creation, but /checkfire lets you toggle it on a live server without a restart.

startrain and stoprain

Controls weather on demand.

/startrain
/stoprain

startrain triggers a rain event immediately. stoprain ends active rain. Useful for crop irrigation timing, helping players with thirst, or stopping rain that has been going for three in-game days.

chopper

Triggers the helicopter event for a random player immediately, regardless of the configured event schedule.

/chopper

No arguments. The helicopter draws a large zombie horde toward the targeted player. Use intentionally for events or testing. Not something to run accidentally.

alarm

Triggers a zombie alarm near a random player, spawning a group of zombies in the target area.

/alarm

Good for testing horde mechanics or adding pressure during a server event.

Spawning Items and Vehicles

additem

Adds an item directly to a player’s inventory. Uses the Module.ItemName format.

/additem PlayerName Module.ItemName
/additem PlayerName Base.Axe
/additem PlayerName Base.Axe 3

The optional number at the end sets quantity. Without it, the default is 1.

Common items and their IDs:

To find an item’s exact ID, check the item ID list on the Project Zomboid wiki, or use debug mode in a local game and browse the item spawner.

addvehicle

Spawns a vehicle near a player. Uses the same module pattern as additem.

/addvehicle PlayerName Base.VehicleStepVan
/addvehicle PlayerName Base.VehiclePickUpTruck

The vehicle spawns at the player’s location. Make sure they are outside with enough open space, or the vehicle can clip into terrain.

addxp

Adds XP to a specific skill for a player. Useful for fixing progression loss after a server problem or rollback.

/addxp PlayerName Perks.SkillName Amount
/addxp PlayerName Perks.Carpentry 5000
/addxp PlayerName Perks.Fitness 2000

The amount is raw XP, not skill levels. How much XP each level requires varies by skill and current level. Test on yourself first to calibrate before adjusting other players.

Common skill names: Carpentry, Cooking, Farming, Fitness, Mechanics, Strength, Tailoring, Woodwork, Aiming, Reloading, Sprinting, Nimble, Sneaking, Lightfoot.

Server Messages and Admin Tools

servermsg

Broadcasts a message to all connected players. Appears in chat for everyone on the server.

/servermsg "Server restarting in 10 minutes for updates"

Quote the message if it contains spaces. Standard use is restart warnings. Give players at least 5 to 10 minutes of notice so they can find a safe spot.

godmode

Toggles damage immunity for a player. They take no damage from zombies, falls, or environmental hazards.

/godmode PlayerName

Runs as a toggle: call it once to enable, once again to disable. Godmode does not make a player invisible to zombies. They can still be detected; they just cannot be hurt. For full ghost mode, combine with invisible.

invisible

Toggles zombie detection immunity for a player. Zombies cannot hear or see the player while this is active.

/invisible PlayerName

Same toggle pattern as godmode. Useful for admins who need to move around the map without attracting attention while helping players.

What Changed in B42

If you are coming from Build 41 or using older command references, here is what changed.

Access level hierarchy. The old system used fewer, less granular levels. B42 expanded this to five tiers: admin, moderator, overseer, gm, and observer. If you have scripts or saved notes that set access levels, check that the level names match the new hierarchy before using them.

F1 admin panel. B42 added an in-game admin panel accessible with the F1 key for players with admin or moderator access. It covers player management, teleporting, weather control, and sandbox option changes without typing commands. The text commands still work exactly the same, but the panel is faster for most routine tasks.

Item IDs for crafting components. B42 added a substantial new crafting system with stone-age tools, metalworking, and animal products. The item IDs for these new items follow the same Module.ItemName pattern, but the specific module paths are new and not in any pre-B42 reference. Check the Project Zomboid wiki for current B42 item IDs before using additem with crafting materials.

Command consistency. B42 cleaned up inconsistencies in how commands behaved between the console, in-game chat, and RCON. Most edge cases from Build 41 were resolved. Commands now behave the same across all three access methods, aside from the / prefix requirement for in-game chat.

WinterNode’s Project Zomboid hosting includes full console access and RCON out of the box at $1.99/GB, with no CPU limits. If you are setting up admin access for the first time, the quick start guide in the help center covers whitelisting, admin credentials, and connecting your first players.

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