A private 7 Days to Die server gives your group one world to keep building in together, without tying each session to one friend’s PC. This guide is for friends who want a simple setup they can return to on their own schedule.
It covers:
- what hosting the server for your group looks like
- what it costs, from 0.25 €/h
- where to check the price list for every game
- where to find 7 Days to Die on EphemeralHost for its price and join steps
The focus here is the practical side for a small group, not game-specific technical detail.
Why a Private Server Makes 7 Days to Die Easier for a Group
A private server gives your group one shared world to return to, instead of tying your progress to one person’s schedule or their computer. That matters for friends who want to keep a run going over time without needing the same player to be available every time the group wants to play.
The main benefit is simple: everyone is building toward the same place. You can plan around one world, keep your progress together, and spend less time sorting out who is hosting tonight. That removes a lot of the small coordination problems that can make casual group sessions harder to organize than they need to be.
That setup fits 7 Days to Die well because most groups are not looking for a one-off session. They usually want to build up a base, gather supplies, improve their position, and continue the same survival run across multiple evenings. A private server makes that feel more like an ongoing group project than a session that has to be recreated from scratch each time.
It also helps that everyone can use the same server address when it is time to play. Instead of re-making a session over and over, your group already knows where to meet. For friends, that kind of routine is often what keeps game night feeling easy.
If you also like comparing how this works in other co-op or multiplayer games, you can browse guides for Palworld, Enshrouded, Satisfactory, Factorio, Vintage Story, MORDHAU, Holdfast, and TF2.
How to Get Your Server Running on EphemeralHost
For a friend group, the setup is mostly about getting one shared server ready without turning game night into a project.
Here is the basic order:
- Create your 7 Days to Die server in the browser
- Choose how many slots your group needs
- Start the server when your session is about to begin
- Copy the address shown in the panel and send it to your friends
You do not need a long handoff between players. One person can set up the server, start it, and post the address in the group chat once it is ready. That keeps the process easy to repeat the next time everyone wants to play.
There are two ways to start the server. You can use the panel in the browser, or, if your group organizes in Discord, use /start there instead. That works well for groups that already decide their sessions in a shared Discord server and want the start step in the same place as the conversation.
After the server is online, the panel is where you grab the address your friends need. Once they have it, everyone is joining the same world rather than waiting on one person to host from their own game session.
For this guide, the main point is to keep the scope on 7 Days to Die itself. It runs on the Casual tier, and pricing starts from 0.25 €/h. That is the setup this article is talking about, without drifting into details for other games or other server types.
So the practical routine is simple: make the server, pick the slots, start it right before play, and share the address with the group.
What Happens When Nobody Is Online
When your group logs off, the server does not need to keep running just to hold onto your world. If nobody is online, it pauses by itself, and the world stays saved.
By default, EphemeralHost pauses servers after 20 minutes with nobody online. That pause timer can also be adjusted per server to 1 hour, 3 hours, or never. For a friends-only group, that gives you a simple middle ground: the world is there for your shared sessions, but the server does not have to keep running through the rest of the day when nobody is using it.
That fits the way many groups actually play 7 Days to Die. You might have a planned evening together, then leave the world alone until the next session. A pause-based setup lets your group keep one persistent place to return to without paying for idle time when nobody is playing.
There is also backup coverage built into that pattern. Games with a world are backed up at every pause, and the last 3 backups are kept for free. That means the pause behavior is not just about stopping runtime when the server is empty; it is also part of how saved worlds are handled over time.
If you want more frequent backup points, Backup-Plus is available as an optional add-on. It backs up hourly and keeps 30 days for +€0.05/h, billed only while the server runs. As with the standard backups, this is part of the service design, without treating any individual backup as something to rely on without checking.
What It Costs and How Payment Works
For 7 Days to Die, pricing starts from 0.25 €/h.
The key thing to understand is that billing is per minute. In practice, that means you are paying for the time the server is actually running, instead of signing up for a flat monthly subscription that keeps charging whether your group plays or not.
That model makes sense for friend groups that do not play on a fixed schedule. Some weeks you might play several nights in a row. Other times, the world might sit untouched until everyone is free again. With prepaid credit, there is no subscription, and the credit does not expire, so you can use it when your group is ready.
There is also a small starting boost for some new users: Discord accounts that are at least 30 days old can receive €2 starter credit.
It also helps to think about add-ons in the same way as the base server time. They are billed only while the server runs, so the usage-based approach is not limited to the server itself.
A simple way to look at the payment model is this:
- pricing starts from 0.25 €/h
- billing is per minute
- prepaid credit has no subscription
- prepaid credit does not expire
- add-ons are billed only while the server runs
For a group of friends, that usually means the cost lines up more closely with actual play sessions, rather than with calendar time. If you want to compare the public price list and see the per-minute pricing details, those are listed on the pricing page.
How to Share It With Friends and Keep Sessions Simple
For most groups, it helps if one person acts as the organizer. That person can create the server, choose the slots, and share the address shown in the panel with everyone else. Keeping that part in one pair of hands usually makes game night easier to coordinate.
A simple routine is often enough:
- start the server right before the session
- post the address in your group chat or Discord
- have everyone join from there
- let the server pause again after the session ends
That approach works well for a small friend group because it cuts down on back-and-forth. You do not need a complicated process, and you do not need to keep re-explaining where to meet each time. One person handles the basic setup, the rest of the group joins, and the shared world is ready for the evening.
If you like comparing how this kind of setup works in other games too, one related example is the Palworld guide.
Common Questions About Hosting a 7 Days to Die Server
Who handles the server for a friend group?
Usually one person sets it up and starts it for the session. That person can make the server in the browser, choose the slots, and share the address from the panel with everyone else.
That keeps the group on one shared world without needing each player to set up their own session.
Can we start it from Discord instead of opening the panel?
Yes. If your group already plans sessions in Discord, you can use /start there instead of opening the browser first.
The panel still shows the address your friends need to join.
Is 7 Days to Die on the same setup as the Performance tier?
No. In this guide, 7 Days to Die runs on the Casual tier.
That is the setup this article is referring to, with pricing from 0.25 €/h.
Do we need a subscription for a shared server?
No. Payment uses prepaid credit, with no subscription.
The credit does not expire, which can suit groups that play on and off instead of on a fixed schedule.
Is there any starter credit?
There can be. Discord accounts that are at least 30 days old can receive €2 starter credit.
For a new group, that can help with the first session or two.
Are add-ons charged all the time?
No. Add-ons are billed only while the server runs.
That matters if your group wants optional extras but does not keep the server active between sessions.
What is Backup-Plus?
Backup-Plus is an optional add-on for games with a world. It backs up hourly and keeps 30 days for +€0.05/h.
The standard setup keeps the last 3 backups for free at each pause, while Backup-Plus adds more frequent backup points.
Wrapping Up
For a group of friends, the main draw is having one place to pick back up next time. You do not need to rebuild the setup for each session or depend on one person hosting from their own game.
The basic flow is:
- make the server in your browser
- pick the slots you need
- turn it on from the panel or with
/startin Discord - send the server address from the panel to everyone joining
7 Days to Die starts from 0.25 €/h. If the server empties out, it can pause on its own and keep the world saved for the next night your group is free.