How much RAM does a DayZ server need?
DayZ has the lowest per-player cost of any survival game here, because the map is a fixed size and is loaded whether anyone is on it or not.
Recommendation
You need a server with at least
8GB
- Engine / Base OS:
- 6 GB
- Player Overhead:
- +2.0 GB
- Estimated Raw Usage:
- 8 GB
- Suggested cores:
- 4
- Disk to allow:
- 20 GB+
The central economy loop runs continuously regardless of player count.
View 8GB PlansWhat actually drives DayZ memory use
The entire terrain is authored rather than generated, so it costs what it costs from the moment the server starts. What varies is the loot economy — the central economy system tracks every spawned item on the map and continuously respawns to targets — and the persistence of player-built structures. Adding a hundred players raises usage far less than switching to a modded map or an expansion pack does.
The mistake to avoid
Assuming a high slot count means a big server. A hundred-slot vanilla Chernarus server is cheaper to run than a forty-slot one with heavy expansion mods, so choose the map and mod set first and size for that.