DayZ server RAM: how much do you need?
Among the survival games here, DayZ has the smallest cost per player — its map is a fixed size and is loaded in full whether or not anyone is playing.
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.
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What uses the memory in DayZ
The terrain is hand-built rather than generated, so its cost is set the moment the server starts. What moves is the loot economy, where the central economy system tracks every item spawned on the map and keeps respawning towards its targets, along with whatever players have built. A hundred extra players add far less than moving to a modded map or an expansion.
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Where people get it wrong
Equating a big slot count with a big server. Vanilla Chernarus with a hundred slots is cheaper to run than a forty-slot server loaded with expansion mods, so settle the map and mods first and size from there.