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Project Zomboid Sandbox Settings Generator

Project Zomboid hides its difficulty behind a wall of sandbox options, and getting one wrong can quietly break a server. Pick what you want below and copy the exact values your SandboxVars.lua needs. This targets the stable Build 41 format.

Zombie population

How many walkers roam the map.

Where zombies cluster.

Zombie behaviour

Loot rarity

World & progression

Real time per in game day.

1.0 is vanilla. Higher levels skills faster.

Top-level SandboxVars
Zombies = 4,
Distribution = 1,
DayLength = 3,
StartMonth = 7,
XpMultiplier = 1.0,
FoodLoot = 2,
WeaponLoot = 2,
OtherLoot = 2,
Inside ZombieLore = { }
Speed = 2,
Strength = 2,
Toughness = 2,
Sight = 2,
Hearing = 2,

Only the settings shown change. Everything else in your SandboxVars.lua keeps its current value, so you can drop these in without touching the rest of the file.

How to apply these

  1. 1Open your server SandboxVars.lua (next to servertest.ini in the Zomboid Server folder).
  2. 2Find each top-level key above and set it to the value shown.
  3. 3Inside the existing ZombieLore = { } block, set those keys to the values in the second box.
  4. 4Save, then restart the server so the new settings load.

Good to know

  • Sandbox settings only apply to a world when it is first created. Changing them later affects new areas and some live values, but will not regenerate loot or zombies already spawned.
  • This tool targets Build 41, the current stable release. Build 42 uses a different sandbox format.
  • On a Zeros Host server these are fields in the panel, so you can set them without editing the file by hand.

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