Before you start
This guide starts with a PC dedicated server. Console crossplay depends on the installed game's compatible server settings and has not been tested for this guide.
Match the client and dedicated-server versions and agree on the world you want to use. The Fun Pimps' release notes document crossplay configuration restrictions, so do not assume a custom PC setup will also accept console clients.
Use a Windows 10 or 11 x64 PC. Keep it on, awake, and connected while friends play, with enough memory left for Windows and your own game.
New to Tavern? Apply for the alpha. If you already have a server, keep a separate backup before linking or importing it.
Set up with Tavern
Choose server and world identity
Choose 7 Days to Die and Install a new server. Set a recognizable server name, the world/game name, player limit, and player password. A new server's native configuration is prepared from the installed package.
Review the map and sandbox rules
Review the map choice before starting. If Tavern shows a Sandbox code field, choose your rules in the game's Sandbox Options screen and paste its code there. Available settings depend on your installed server version.
Give first-world preparation time
Finish setup and read the startup progress while the world is prepared. Repeated starts do not make map generation faster. Keep the map and save names unchanged when returning to an existing save.
Finish the review and choose Create server. When setup is complete, start it and follow any instructions Tavern shows. Join yourself, then ask a friend to try the connection your group will use.
Bring your friends
Join by address
In 7 Days to Die, choose Join a Game > Connect to IP and use the address shown by Tavern. Use the LAN address at home or a verified direct route outside your network.
Forward the full connection set
Tavern uses TCP and UDP game traffic plus additional UDP ports for server discovery and game updates. Follow Tavern's network checklist for the complete assigned set. Opening only one entry can leave a server running but unreachable. This guide does not advertise Playit for this adapter.
Changing local ports
For custom ports, stop the selected server and open Networking > Ports. Edit its local ports, save, update any router or tunnel mappings, then start the server and use the updated address. Tavern keeps game-required adjacent ports together and checks for conflicts. These controls require a Tavern build with the Ports section.
Share the connection details from the right server in Tavern. For friends outside your home, test with someone on another network; joining from the host PC alone is not enough.
Make it your world
Server settings
Use Settings > Game Config for the settings and access controls supported by your installed server. If you manage files yourself, serverconfig.xml is in the installation folder; the active world data can be stored elsewhere.
Crossplay needs its own check
Publisher release notes describe incompatible configuration being rejected when crossplay is enabled. Review the current game version's restrictions before inviting console players, and confirm a real join from each platform in your group.
Protect your progress
Protect the selected server's complete data, including generated-world material and the active save. Keep an original copy before linking or importing. Changing map or map or save names can select a different world; it is not a safe way to recover a missing one.
In Backups, choose Create backup for this server. Wait for Activity to report completion and check that the backup appears in the list. Do this before updates, imports, or major changes.
Restoring replaces the current world data, so keep a copy of your latest progress first. Use Tavern's stop control and wait for shutdown before turning the PC off.
If something gets stuck
The server runs but players time out
Check the client version, join address, and all TCP/UDP ports listed by Tavern. Confirm router forwarding and Windows firewall entries for the selected route. A visible browser entry is not proof that replication traffic can reach the server.
The wrong save loads
Stop through Tavern, then review world identity and the selected data directory. Preserve both existing save trees while investigating rather than generating a replacement over one of them.
Do I need to leave my game open?
The dedicated server runs separately from your game client. The host PC, server, and selected connection route need to remain available while friends play.
Sources & testing status
Checked against Tavern's app source and the publisher resources below. Game support is in beta; your installed alpha may differ. This review did not include a new gameplay, restore, or outside-network join test.
The game's documentation may include features Tavern does not yet offer. Use the options available in your version of the app.