Project Zomboid has customizable **startup parameters** , as either JVM
arguments or game arguments. This can be used to override "vmArgs" in the
.json file. JVM arguments must end with a `--`, even if there are no game
arguments.

Create shortcut

  1. Navigate to the game folder
With Microsoft Windows 10, found in Program Files (x86):
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam\games

  2. Create a shortcut of the executable file (ProjectZomboid32.exe/ProjectZomboid64.exe)
  3. Add the appropriate JVM arguments in the "Target:" line
Example: `C:\ProjectZomboid64.exe -Xmx1024m -Xms1024m -- -nosteam`

Steam application

  1. Right-click the game in the Library
  2. Select "Properties..."
  3. Add desired options under "LAUNCH OPTIONS"

StartServer64.bat Parameters

  1. Open the StartServer64.bat file with a text editor
  2. Add any appropriate JVM arguments after the -Xmx line in the .bat contents
  3. Add any appropriate Game Parameters after the %1 %2 text inside the .bat contents, which is at the end of the file before PAUSE.

Examples:

`-Xmx16g -Duser.home=C:\Zomboid`

`%1 %2 -nosteam -servername MySecondServer -adminpassword YourPasswdXYZ`

## Game arguments

### Client & server

Arguments  | Description  | Example
---|---|---
`-nosteam` | Disables Steam integration on client/server.  |
`-cachedir=<path>` | Sets the path for the game data cache dir.  | `-cachedir="C:\Zomboid`"
`-modfolders` | Option to control where mods are loaded from. Any of the 3 keywords may be left out and may appear in any order.  | `-modfolders workshop,steam,mods`
`-debug` | Launches the game in the debug mode.  |

### Client

Arguments  | Description  | Example
---|---|---
`+connect <ip:port>` | Server address to connect, when joining a server using Steam.  | `+connect 127.0.0.1:16261`
`+password <password>` | Server password to connect, when joining a server using Steam.  | `+password ServersPassword`
`-debugtranslation` | Writes possible translation issues to homedir "/Zomboid/translationProblems.txt"  |
`-safemode` | Launches the game with reduced resolution and disables some graphical effects to reduce strain on lower-end graphics cards.  |
`-nosound` | Disables the game audio  |

### Server

Arguments  | Description  | Example
---|---|---
`-adminpassword` | Option to bypasses the enter-a-password prompt when creating a server.  | `-adminpassword YourPasswdXYZ`
`-servername` | You can choose a different servername by using this option when starting the server.  | `-servername MySecondServer`
`-ip <ip>` | Option to handle multiple network cards. Example:  | `-ip 127.0.0.1`
`-port <port>` | Option which overrides the .ini option "DefaultPort".  | `-port 16261`
`-udpport <port>` | Option which overrides the .ini option "UDPPort".  | `-port 16262`
`-steamvac <true/false>` | Option to enable/disable VAC on Steam servers. On the server command-line use -steamvac true/false. In the server's INI file, use SteamVAC=true/false.  |
`-steamport1 <port>`
`-steamport2 <port>` | Steam servers require two additional ports to function (I'm guessing they are both UDP ports, but you may need TCP as well). These are in addition to the DefaultPort= setting. These can be specified in two ways: In the server's INI file as SteamPort1= and SteamPort2=. Using command-line options -steamport1 and -steamport2.  |

## JVM arguments

### Client & server

Arguments  | Description  | Example
---|---|---
`-Xmx` | Maximum amount of Memory.
(1024m=1Gig, 2048m=2Gig, 4096m=4Gig)  | `-Xmx1024m`
`-Xms` | Initial/Minimum Memory allocation.
(1024m=1Gig, 2048m=2Gig, 4096m=4Gig)  | `-Xms1024m`
`-Dzomboid.steam=<boolean>` | Disables/enables Steam integration on client/server.
(0=disabled, 1=enabled)  | `-Dzomboid.steam=1`
`-Duser.home=<path>` | overwrites the "/Zomboid" homedir to whatever path you want.  | `-Duser.home=C:\Zomboid`
`-Dsoftreset` | option to perform a soft reset (this does not work as of 41.78.16, the issue was reported and most likely be fixed in future versions[1] |
`-Ddebug` | enables debugging  |

### Server

Arguments  | Description  | Example
---|---|---
`-Dorg.sqlite.lib.path=<path>` | **Windows users:** When the Server starts, a temporary sqlite file will be created in "TEMP", however it will not be deleted after stopping the Server. A way to avoid this is by adding a JVM option `-Dorg.sqlite.lib.path=natives` and put a copy of the .dll called sqlitejdbc.dll in the server's natives/ directory. It will then use that one instead of extracting the .dll from the .jar file every time.  | `-Dorg.sqlite.lib.path=natives`

## References

  1. ↑ Dedicated Server Soft Reset :: Project Zomboid General Discussions

ModdingShow / Hide

General

Debug mode • Installing mods • Mod problems solution • Startup parameters •
Translations

Tools

CartoZed • ItemZedOutdated • TileZed • TranslationZedOutdated • WordZed •
WorldEd

Modding

Decompiling game code • File formats • Folders structure • Game time • How to
make a clothing mod • Item tags • Lua • Lua Events • Lua Functions • Lua
Objects • Mod structure • Procedural distributions • Scripts guide • Testing
mods in multiplayer • Using mods

Mapping

Adding new tiles • List of Tiledefs in use by mods • Room definitions and item
spawns • Tile properties • Vehicle zones

Mods

Autotsar Tuning Atelier • Greenfire • Hydrocraft • Silent Hill Mod (Russian)

  *[UI]: User-Interface
  *[AI]: artificial intelligence
  *[RMB]: Right Mouse Button
  *[RPM]: Revolutions per minute
  *[MPH]: Miles per hour
  *[FPS]: frames per second
  *[Grow time]: Average grow time (days)
  *[Condition lower
chance]: 1 in (x + maintenance × 2)

  *[Base durability]: Condition × break chance
  *[?]: Chance of poisonous
  *[(2)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(4)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(3)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(5)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(7)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[RMC]: Right Mouse Clicking
  *[LMC]: Left Mouse Clicking
  *[HUD]: Heads Up Display

Startup parameters


This page has been revised for the current stable version (41.78.16).Help by adding any missing content. [edit]

This article may be in need of improvement.Rework needed. Format similar togas station.Editors are encouraged to add any missing information to the article, while verifying that the article's current content is correct.

Liquor store

General

Type

Liquor store

**Liquor stores** are shops that sell alcohol before the apocalypse. These
businesses include:

  * Beer and Liquor
  * Kegsplosion
  * Liquorty-Split
  * Mead Drink and Bloody Merry

LocationsShow / Hide

BusinessesShow / Hide

Restaurants

American Eats • Bakery • Beef Roundup • Blue Plate Diner • Buffet • Burgers •
Churn R Us • Club Pamplemousse de la Croix • Unnamed bakery (West Point) •
Deep Fried Heaven • Di Marco • Diner • Dotty 4 Donuts • Emma's Eatery •
Expresso Espress • Family Funzone • Forno Della Mamma • Fryer Tooks Fish N
Chips • Genny's Diner • Golden Dragon Buffet • Gusto D'Italia • Happy
Restaurant • Hickory Bakery Box • Ice Ice Tasty • Jenny's Table • Jimmy's •
Jolly Good Fish and Chips • La Vie En Gastronomie • Les Tartes de Mademoiselle
Celine Diner • Maison du Boeuf • Mama McFudgington's • Mendy's Eatery • Milk
Monarchy • O'Briens Kitchen • Pile o' Crepe • Red Brick Restaurant • Riparian
Entertainment • Rosewood Country Buffet • Smokey's Saloon & Restaurant •
Snacks • Sooky's • Supper Delight • Sweet Eats! • Sweet Pea Restaurant • Sweet
Satisfaction • Tastee Foodz • Taco del Pancho • The Blue Fox • The Cosy
Crockpot • The Plump Cornucopia • The Wandering Sashimi • Tim's Bakery • Tita
Maria's Cantina • Unnamed restaurant (Riverside) • Unnamed restaurant
(Muldraugh) • Wok and Rolls • Zlatko's

Cafes

Nat's Cafe • Bloomin' Coffee • Cafe (Valley Station) • Cafe (Muldraugh) • Cafe
d'Eris • Cafe of Wonders • Cafe Ole • Coffee Nirvana • Jaime's Jam Delights •
Seahorse Coffee • Yummmers

Fast food

Dogs A-Flamin' • Pizza Whirled • Jay's Chicken • Spiffo's

Bars

Bar (Riverside) • The Black Saddle • Al's Ale and All • Beever's • Black
Liquorice • Bright Flag Inn • Chief Steakhouse and Bar • Ol' Scratch •
Sanguine Spirits • Shaken and Stirred • The Hardy Har Bar • The Drake • The
Horseshoe • The Orange Anchor • The Rusty Rifle • The Sea Shanty • Tomcat
Tavern • The Slugger • The Straight Shooter • The Wooden Stein • Twiggy's •

Retail

Appliance store (Muldraugh) • Better Bed Than Dead • Better Furnishings •
Electron House • GigaMart • Go Flash • Line by Line Designs • Maps Unlimited •
Mashie Signs & Paintings • Nolan's Used Cars • Noteworthy • Olympia Department
Store • Palette Pop Art Supplies • Purrfect Barkner Pet Supplies • Sammie's •
Scenic Mile Car Dealership • Seat Yourself Furniture • Time 4 Sport • Jimmy's
Pre-owned Cars • Toyz Toyz Toyz • Upscale Mobility Auto Dealership • Unnamed
stores (Riverside) • Window • BBBQ

Industrial

Self storage (Muldraugh) • Secure Storage • Stor-A-Max • U-Store It • Andrei
and Son Hand-Crafted Wallets • Aitor Wire Company • Bow Wow Wow! Dog Nutrition
• Brac Brick Factory • Chugg's • CGE Corp • Egener EX • Finnegan Research
Group • Fossoil Refinery • Ivanov Factory & Showroom • Junk Baron • Kitten
Knives • BoxPop Brewery • Knox Distillery • Knox Pack Kitchens • L&B
Warehousing • Lectromax Manufacturing • Louisville Bruiser • Logging camp
(Rosewood) • Mass-Genfac Co. • McCoy Logging Co. • Newton Freight Warehouse •
Outskirts factories (Muldraugh) • Perfick Potato Company • Produce warehouses
(Rosewood) • Rely Manufacturing Company • Scarlet Oak Distillery • Steely
Revolve Metal Working • T.I.S. Construction • ValuTech

Weapon & hunting stores

A.A.Ron Hunting Supply • Army surplus store • Bait & Tackle • Farming & Rural
Supply • Jamieton Army Surplus • Morris' Bait Shop • Pawn $$$hop • Phil's Fine
and Fair Pawn Shop • Ready Prep Army Issue Surplus • Stars & Stripes • Thumbs
of Green • Unnamed gun store (Louisville) • Unnamed gun store 2 (Louisville) •
West Point Gun Range and Hunting Center

Tool stores

E.P. Tools • Nails & Nuts Tool Store • Zac's Hardware

Grocery & liquor stores

5 Bux or Less • Beer and Liquor • CandyTown USA • Conven-U-Mart • Farmer's
market (Rosewood) • Food Market • GigaMart • Go 2 Bread • General Store •
General store (Riverside) • Greene's Grocery • Grocery store (Rosewood) • Have
a Butcher's • Kegsplosion • Liquorty-Split • Mead Drink and Bloody Merry •
Milk N More • My Sunday Market • Nourish Food Mart • Sucrafruit Circus •
Unnamed grocery store (Riverside) • Zippee Market

Gyms

Body Chisel Gym & Fitness • Eden's Oasis • The Real Sweat • Sure Fitness and
Boxing Club

Hotels & motels

Econo Rooms • First Train Inn • Guns-a-BlazInn • Red Owl Inn • Riverside
Suites • Sleep Eazzze Inn • Sunstar Motel • The Havisham Hotel Suites • Waites
Motel

Utilities

A-1 Laundry • Brighted Whites • Coin Op Laundromat • Knox Telecommunications •
Laundr-o-max • Louisville Terminal Substation • Louisville industrial
substation • Martin's Essentials and Laundry • Superklean

Gas stations

24 Hour Essentials • Fossoil • Gas • Gas 2 Go • Gas N More • Ruby Gas •
Thunder Gas

Offices

A&S Trading Co. • Alliance Data Entry • Back To The Nurture Chiropractic
Services • Bail Bonds • Sky Blue Banking • Canto Records • Carton & Sydney Law
Services • Commander Publishing Inc • Discount Account • Evan Philips Tax and
Accounting • HomeWard Real Estate • Keep Afloat Debt Consolidation • Knox Bank
• KPK Consulting Business Investments • KY Transit • Legal Services • Markson
& Co. • Marple & Christie Legal Services • Mind Peace Insurance • Palm Travel
• Raney & Daye Investment Firm • Slimtax Accounting • Speedy Legal • Temp
Agency • United Shipping Logistics • ValuInsurance • Walter & Perry Legal Firm

Hair & beauty

Barber and Styling • Barber of Yorke • Be Beauty Nail Salon • Groovy Chic •
Hair O Genesis • Haircuts n' More • Ink R Alley • Neon Flower Salon • Silken
Belles • Sweet Sugar Beauty • Tattoo 42

Clothing

Awl Work and Sew Play • Barg-N-Clothes • Cally's Gifts • Clothing store
(Muldraugh) • Dressed to the 90s • Family Fashion • FashionaBelle • Filigree
Fashions • Genteel-y Used • Hugo Plush • Laces • Lola Limon • Optima Eyes •
Posh Box • Purple and Black • Saucy • Sasha Sashay • Sheba Jewellers • Shoed
for the Stars • Spitfire Fashion • The Exquisite Pearl • The Top Hanger •
Unnamed clothing store (Riverside) • Your Closet • Yuri Design

Malls

Crossroads Mall • The Grand Ohio Mall • South Louisville mall

Entertainment

Art Gallery of Louisville • Chapelmount Downs • Drag Racing • Eluee Arena •
Fossoil Field • Eden's Oasis • Fun Xtreme • Juke Box Bowling • Knob Creek
Hunting Lodge • Louisville Boat Club • Nite Glo • Pony Roam-O • Onyx Drive-In
Theater • Riverwood Boat Club • Romero Center for the Performing Arts • Roxy's
Roller Rink • Star-E-Plex • The Velvet Tassel • Wellington Heights Golf Club

Books & video

Bernard's Book Emporium • Book Naked • Book store (Muldraugh) • Brooks Public
Library of Louisville • Enigma Books • From the Dugout • Hit Vids! • LSU
Library • The Good Book • Worm of Books

TV & Radio

LBMW - Kentucky Radio • LBMW Network • KnoxTalk Radio • The Kentucky Herald •
Triple-N • TURBO

Mechanics

Al's Autoshop • American Tire • Auto Repair Shop (Muldraugh) • Auto shop
(Rosewood) • Car Fix-Ation • Jim's Autoshop • Lenny's Car Repair

Points of interestShow / Hide

Parks & camps

Ben's Cabin • Camp Busy Beaver • Corn maze • Louisville Central Park •
Outreach Center • Romuald Dron Memorial Park

Farms

Residential

Acorn Plaza • AmeriGlobe Communications • Army barracks (Rosewood) • Bateman
Office Building • Cardinal Plaza • Du Case Apartments • E Wrayburn Building •
Greenwood Office Building • High Street Apartments • Knox Military Apartments
• Leafhill Heights Offices • Lowry Court • Millhauser Office Building • Oak
Park Apartments • Offices • Office complex (Muldraugh) • Orio Office Place •
R. Johnson Office Building • Red Oak Apartments • Reed Office Building •
Sandstone Apartments • The Waterfront • Topcrown Plaza • Trapper's house

ServicesShow / Hide

Fire departments

Rosewood Fire Department • Louisville Fire Department

Medical

Cortman Medical • Dentistry • Family Dentistry • Family Medical Center •
Louisville General Hospital • Louisville Animal Hospital • Louisville Animal
Shelter • Louisville General Hospital • Medical Center • Med U Well • Pet
Health Pawmise • Pharmahug • Rosewood Medical • St. Peregrin Hospital

Police departments

Kentucky State Prison • Louisville Police Department and Detention Services

Military installments

Louisville border camp • Military Research Facility

Religious buildings

Bible Spirit Baptist Church • Church of the Risen Christ • Eternal Light
Chapel • First Baptist Chapel • Holy Grace Church • Holy Light Baptist Church
• Rosewood Christian Church • Sacred Flame Church • St. Michaels Cathederal •
St. Vincent De Paul Church • Holy Haven Cemetary • Sunset Pines Funeral Home

Education

ABCDriving School • Adult Education Center • Bluegrass State High School •
Elementary school (Rosewood) • Evergreen Public School • Fun-2-3 Childcare •
J. Tinsley Elementary School • Leafhill Heights Elementary School • Louisville
State University • LSU Athletic Center • LSU Attenborough Sciences Building •
LSU Library • LSU Rogers Humanities Building • LSU South Dorm • LSU Student
Union • LSU West Dorm • March Ridge School • Muldraugh Elementary • School
(Riverside) • South Louisville Elementary • Daycare (West Point) • West Point
School

Other services

Central Louisville Community Center • City Hall • County Clerk and Records •
County Offices • Courthouse • Deerhead Lake Park Ranger • Evergreen Hill
Community Center • Goodman Legal Services • H. Smith Attorney • Kentucky Court
of Justice • Kentucky Rail • Louisville Train Station • Louisville Expo Center
• March Ridge Community Center • Mounted Police Training • Railyard
(Muldraugh) • Shady Oaks Nursing Home • West Maple Country Club • U.S. Mail
Service • West Point Town Hall

  *[UI]: User-Interface
  *[AI]: artificial intelligence
  *[RMB]: Right Mouse Button
  *[RPM]: Revolutions per minute
  *[MPH]: Miles per hour
  *[FPS]: frames per second
  *[Grow time]: Average grow time (days)
  *[Condition lower
chance]: 1 in (x + maintenance × 2)

  *[Base durability]: Condition × break chance
  *[?]: Chance of poisonous
  *[(2)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(4)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(3)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(5)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(7)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[RMC]: Right Mouse Clicking
  *[LMC]: Left Mouse Clicking
  *[HUD]: Heads Up Display

Liquor store


This page was last updated for an older version (41.66).The current stable version is41.78.16, released2022-12-12, so information on this page may be inaccurate. Help get this page updated by adding any missing content. [edit]Please update the version after updating the page.

This article may be outdated.Editors are encouraged to update this article with new information.

    ![PlushSpiffo.png](/w/images/7/7e/PlushSpiffo.png)_This article is about the Fishingskill. For category of items, see Tools._

**Fishing** is a survivalist skill, and an activity that allows characters to
use a fishing rod combined with bait to catch various types of fish.
Increasing the fishing level increases the quality of fish, chance to catch
something, and reduces the chance to break the line, lose bait, and lose
baited fish.

This ability is a great way to feed a player living near a body of water, as a
single fish could satiate the player for a whole day. Fishing is a useful
skill to choose in West Point or Riverside, as West Point and Riverside are
much closer to a body of water than Muldraugh.

## Usage

To begin fishing, a fishing rod and some bait are required in the main
inventory (i.e. not bags). Right-click on a body of water and select the
_Fishing_ contextual option. While fishing, the rod will occupy the primary
hand, and the bait will occupy the secondary, therefore it may be ideal to
leave any bags back at home (if not equipped on the back). It is also
suggested to ensure the fishing area is free from zombies.

The animation and accompanying splash generates noise that can attract zombies
within 20 tile radius. Therefore, for long-term fishing it's suggested to
construct a large enclosure around the fishing spot, ensuring it's large
enough so zombies cannot hear, otherwise they will thump on any walls in their
path.

Significant experience is only gained when something is caught. The experience
gained is based on the weight of the prize – 7 for big, 5 for medium, 3 for
small, affected by XP modifiers such as the fishing skill books. On a failed
fishing attempt, or if a trash item such as shoes or socks is fished up, the
player will be granted 1 XP.

While fishing, the rate of fishing attempts will be generated based on the
fishing equipment. A Crafted Spear is the fastest, making an attempt once
every 5-10 in-game minutes. Live bait on a fishing rod makes an attempt
roughly every 8-11 in-game minutes (500-800 seconds). Fishing tackle makes an
attempt roughly every 12-15 in-game minutes (700-1000 seconds). These times
are reduced by 5 in-game seconds per fishing level, so a player with level 10
fishing will typically catch fish just shy of one minute faster than a player
with level 0 fishing skill.

The default chance of catching fish on normal abundance is 20% for fishing
with a rod and live bait (Little Bait Fish, Worm, Cricket, Grasshopper,
Cockroach, Maggots), and increases by 1.5% per fishing level. This is 10% and
2.5% respectively for fishing rods with Fishing Tackle, and 10% and 1.5% for
fishing with a Crafted Spear.

The success rate of catching fish at dawn and dusk (04:00-06:59 and
18:00-20:59) is increased by 10%.

### Seasonal Changes

The last month of Autumn and all of Winter, so from November to February, the
success rate of catching fish is reduced by 20%. _Verified as of version
41.78.16_

**Example 1** : Fishing with a Crafted Spear in November to February during
times that are NOT dawn or dusk will have a 0% success rate through Fishing
levels 0-6, and have a 0.5% chance to succeed at Fishing level 7.

**Example 2** : Fishing with a Fishing Rod during dusk (18:00-20:00), with
live bait, during March-October, at skill level 10, will have a 45% chance to
succeed.

### Fishing Chance Modifiers

Additionally, the Nature's Abundance settings increase/reduce fishing chance
by modifying the above ratios by differing percentages. Very Abundant gives a
66% increase, Abundant gives a 25% increase, Poor gives a 16% decrease, and
Very Poor gives a 28.5% decrease. so in the Above **Example 1** Very Abundant
does not increase the chance of success for Fishing Levels 0-6. While Very
Abundant would give **Example 2** a 75% Chance to succeed, and Very Poor would
give a 32% chance to succeed.

Upon a successful fishing attempt, there is a chance of catching a trash item
instead of a fish, such as Shoes and Socks. At Fishing level 0, the chance is
40%. At Fishing level 10, the chance is 15.86%. The trash rate goes down in a
non-linear fashion, i.e. Fishing 1 reduces the trash rate by 7.5%, and Fishing
2 reduces the trash rate by 5.25%.

Live bait is always lost when something is caught. Plastic fishing tackle is
only lost when the fishing line breaks, which only occurs on successful
fishing attempts. When the spear or fishing line breaks, the fish will be
lost. The base chance for losing a fishing line is based on the size of the
catch: Small (8%), Medium (12%), Large (22%). Each level of fishing skill
reduces this chance by 1%. Fishing Line, as opposed to Twine, has a 2% reduced
chance to break the line. A Fishing Rod (crafted) has a 3% increased chance to
break. A Crafted Spear has a 5% increased chance to break.

**Example 1** : Catching a Medium Trout (12%) with a Fishing Rod, using
Fishing Line (-2%) and a fishing level of 10 (-10%). There is a 0% chance for
the line to break and lose the fish.

**Example 2** : Catching a Small Trout (8%) with a Crafted Fishing Rod (+3%),
using Fishing Line (-2%) and a fishing level of 4 (-4%). There is a 5% chance
for the line to break and to lose the fish.

**Example 3** : Catching a Large Pike (22%) with a Crafted Spear (+5%) and a
fishing level of 7 (-7%). There is a 20% chance for the spear to break and
lose the fish.

### Spearfishing

Level  | 0  | 1  | 2  | 3  | 4  | 5  | 6  | 7  | 8  | 9  | 10
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---
Catch Chance Modifier  | +10%  | +11.5%  | +13%  | +14.5%  | +16%  | +17.5%  | +19%  | +20.5%  | +22%  | +23.5%  | +25%
Break Chance Modifier  | +5%  | +4%  | +3%  | +2%  | +1%  | +0%  | -1%  | -2%  | -3%  | -4%  | -5%

### Fishing Rod

Level  | 0  | 1  | 2  | 3  | 4  | 5  | 6  | 7  | 8  | 9  | 10
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---
Catch Chance Modifier w/ Bait  | +20%  | +21.5%  | +23%  | +24.5%  | +26%  | +27.5%  | +29%  | +30.5%  | +32%  | +33.5%  | +35%
Catch Chance modifier w/ Lure  | +10%  | +12.5%  | +15%  | +17.5%  | +20%  | +22.5%  | +25%  | +27.5%  | +30%  | +32.5%  | +35%
Break Chance Modifier  | -2%  | -3%  | -4%  | -5%  | -6%  | -7%  | -8%  | -9%  | -10%  | -11%  | -12%
Break Chance Modifier w/ Twine  | -0%  | -1%  | -2%  | -3%  | -4%  | -5%  | -6%  | -7%  | -8%  | -9%  | -10%

### Crafted Fishing Rod

Level  | 0  | 1  | 2  | 3  | 4  | 5  | 6  | 7  | 8  | 9  | 10
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---
Catch Chance Modifier w/ Bait  | +20%  | +21.5%  | +23%  | +24.5%  | +26%  | +27.5%  | +29%  | +30.5%  | +32%  | +33.5%  | +35%
Catch Chance Modifier w/ Lure  | +10%  | +12.5%  | +15%  | +17.5%  | +20%  | +22.5%  | +25%  | +27.5%  | +30%  | +32.5%  | +35%
Break Chance Modifier  | +1%  | +0%  | -1%  | -2%  | -3%  | -4%  | -5%  | -6%  | -7%  | -8%  | -9%
Break Chance Modifier w/ Twine  | +3%  | +2%  | +1%  | +0%  | -1%  | -2%  | -3%  | -4%  | -5%  | -6%  | -7%

## Repairs

Quite often, a rod will lose its line while fishing. Relining a rod requires
an item from each of the following categories:

  1. Nail or Paperclip
  2. Twine or Fishing Line

When used in the repair, a Nail or Paperclip is consumed, while the Twine or
Fishing line consumes some of its contents (units). A fishing rod doesn't lose
durability when used for fishing.

## Occupations & Traits

### Occupations

Name  | Starting Points  | Major Skills  | Description
---|---|---|---
![Profession fisher2.png](/w/images/7/7b/Profession_fisher2.png) Fisherman | -2  | +3 Fishing
+1 Foraging  | N/A

### Traits

Name  | Cost  | Description  | Notes
---|---|---|---
![Angler](/w/images/a/ab/Trait_fishing.png) Angler | -4  | +1 Fishing  | Can be taken with Fisherman occupation.

## Items

### Rods

The main tool in fishing, along with Bait. If the player is in a pinch, they
can also craft makeshift fishing rods or a crafted spear to spearfish.

Item  | Description  | Encumbrance  | break the line  | Classname
---|---|---|---|---
![Fishing Rod](/w/images/2/2f/FishingRod.png)
Fishing Rod |  | 0.4  | ![Fishing Rod without Line](/w/images/f/fe/FishingRodBreak.png) | Base.FishingRod
![Fishing Rod](/w/images/2/2f/FishingRod.png)
Fishing Rod
with Twine Line |  | 0.4  | ![Fishing Rod without Line](/w/images/f/fe/FishingRodBreak.png) | Base.FishingRodTwineLine
![Crafted Fishing Rod](/w/images/6/63/FishingRod_crafted.png)
Fishing Rod (crafted) |  | 0.4  | ![Sturdy Stick](/w/images/c/ca/TZ_WoodenStick.png) | Base.CraftedFishingRod
![Crafted Fishing Rod](/w/images/6/63/FishingRod_crafted.png)
Crafted Fishing Rod
with Twine Line |  | 0.4  | ![Sturdy Stick](/w/images/c/ca/TZ_WoodenStick.png) | Base.CraftedFishingRodTwineLine
![Wooden Lance](/w/images/c/cb/StickSharpened.png)
Crafted Spear | Use to spearfish.  | 0.4  | \-  | Base.WoodenLance

### Fishing Net

A net used to catch fishes, and catches bait fish instead.

Item  | Description  | Encumbrance  | Classname
---|---|---|---
![Fishing Net Trap](/w/images/2/26/FishTrap.png)
Fishing Net Trap |  | 0.5  | Base.FishingNet
![Broken Fishing Net Trap](/w/images/6/6e/FishTrapBroken.png)
Broken Fishing Net Trap |  | 0.4  | Base.BrokenFishingNet

### Materials

The various materials used to craft with fishing.

Item  | Description  | Encumbrance  | Classname
---|---|---|---
![FishingLine.png](/w/images/7/74/FishingLine.png)
Fishing Line | Used to repair and used to craft a crafted fishing rod.  | 0.1  | Base.FishingLine
![Fishing Rod without Line](/w/images/f/fe/FishingRodBreak.png)
Fishing Rod without Line |  | 0.4  | Base.FishingRodBreak
![Nails.png](/w/images/5/50/Nails.png)
Nails | Used to repair and used to craft a crafted fishing rod.  | 0.01  | Base.Nails
![Paperclip.png](/w/images/3/35/Paperclip.png)
Paperclip | Used to repair and used to craft a crafted fishing rod.  | 0.01  | Base.Paperclip
![TZ WoodenStick.png](/w/images/c/ca/TZ_WoodenStick.png)
Sturdy Stick | Used to craft a crafted fishing rod.  | 0.1  | Base.WoodenStick
![Branch.png](/w/images/e/ea/Branch.png)
Tree Branch | Used to craft a crafted spear.  | 0.2  | Base.Treebranch
![Twine.png](/w/images/5/50/Twine.png)
Twine | Used to repair and used to craft a fishing net trap.  | 0.1  | Base.Twine

### Bait

There are three types of bait that can be used for fishing: Insect
(disambiguation), Fishing Tackle, and Little Bait Fish. Insects include worm,
cockroach, cricket, and grasshopper.

Worms are the most common bait to find. They can be found uncommonly while
scavenging around the town, or frequently while digging with a Trowel or
removing grass. So long as it's the selected bait, a worm will be consumed
every time the player fishes, even if they catch trash items like socks.

Fishing Tackle is found while scavenging, and has a higher chance of catching
fish instead of trash. They have a durability, unlike both insects and bait
fish, therefore they can be used more than once, reducing the encumbrance for
the bait that needs to be carried. It is recommended to conserve any available
fishing tackle, unless the player's fishing skill level is mid range or
higher.

Bait fish are fish that have a chance of being obtained while fishing or using
a fishing net trap. Bait fish can only catch pike, have a 50% chance to catch
more junk, and are consumed when used as bait.

Item  | Description  | Encumbrance  | Classname
---|---|---|---
![Bait Fish](/w/images/1/11/FishMinnow.png)
Little Bait Fish | \-  | 0.1  | Base.BaitFish
![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/8/8d/FishingTackle.png)![Fishing
Tackle](/w/images/4/4e/FishingTackle2.png)
Fishing Tackle | \-  | 0.1  | Base.FishingTackle
![Worm](/w/images/5/52/Worm.png)
Worm | \-  | 0.1  | Base.Worm
![Cricket](/w/images/3/3d/Cricket.png)
Cricket | \-  | 0.1  | Base.Cricket
![Grasshopper.png](/w/images/f/fc/Grasshopper.png)
Grasshopper | \-  | 0.1  | Base.Grasshopper
![Cockroach.png](/w/images/d/d9/Cockroach.png)
Cockroach | \-  | 0.1  | Base.Cockroach

### Fish

There are 3 types of size per fish: little, medium and big. Each type of fish
has a minimum size and a maximum size. A number is chosen at random between
the minimum size and the maximum size to get the fish size. Each fish has a
weight modifier, for example trout has 60, meaning a trout of 30cm / weight
modifier (60) = 0.5 kg. Then the hunger reduction is based on the weight of
the fish: weight * 10 (ex: 2kg * 10 = 20 hunger reduction).[1]

With live bait, the distribution of sizes is: 50% small, 30% medium, 20% big.
This is 60% small, 25% medium, 15% big for Fishing Tackle.

The various types of fish that can be caught from common Bass, to large Pike.
**NOTE** : Numbers in green are weight modifiers.

Item  | Description  | Little  | Medium  | Big  | Base weight  | Bait  | Classname
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---
![Bass](/w/images/7/7b/FishBass.png)
Bass | \-  | 25cm \- 35cm

* * *

30 | 35cm \- 55cm

* * *

40 | 55cm \- 75cm

* * *

30 | 1.1  | ![Worm.png](/w/images/5/52/Worm.png)![Cricket.png](/w/images/3/3d/Cricket.png)![Grasshopper.png](/w/images/f/fc/Grasshopper.png)
![Cockroach.png](/w/images/d/d9/Cockroach.png)![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/8/8d/FishingTackle.png)![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/4/4e/FishingTackle2.png) | Base.Bass
![Catfish](/w/images/1/1a/FishCatfish.png)
Catfish | \-  | 15cm \- 25cm

* * *

50 | 25cm \- 35cm

* * *

40 | 35cm \- 55cm

* * *

30 | 0.4  | ![Worm.png](/w/images/5/52/Worm.png)![Cricket.png](/w/images/3/3d/Cricket.png)![Grasshopper.png](/w/images/f/fc/Grasshopper.png)
![Cockroach.png](/w/images/d/d9/Cockroach.png)![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/8/8d/FishingTackle.png)![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/4/4e/FishingTackle2.png) | Base.Catfish
![Crappie](/w/images/c/cf/FishCrappie.png)
Crappie | \-  | 15cm \- 20cm

* * *

50 | 20cm \- 25cm

* * *

40 | 25cm \- 35cm

* * *

30 | 0.4  | ![Worm.png](/w/images/5/52/Worm.png)![Cricket.png](/w/images/3/3d/Cricket.png)![Grasshopper.png](/w/images/f/fc/Grasshopper.png)
![Cockroach.png](/w/images/d/d9/Cockroach.png)![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/8/8d/FishingTackle.png)![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/4/4e/FishingTackle2.png) | Base.Crappie
![Perch](/w/images/a/a7/FishPerch.png)
Perch | \-  | 20cm \- 30cm

* * *

20 | 30cm \- 40cm

* * *

16 | 40cm \- 60cm

* * *

12 | 0.4  | ![Worm.png](/w/images/5/52/Worm.png)![Cricket.png](/w/images/3/3d/Cricket.png)![Grasshopper.png](/w/images/f/fc/Grasshopper.png)
![Cockroach.png](/w/images/d/d9/Cockroach.png)![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/8/8d/FishingTackle.png)![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/4/4e/FishingTackle2.png) | Base.Perch
![Pike](/w/images/a/a2/FishPike.png)
Pike | \-  | 50cm \- 65cm

* * *

23 | 65cm \- 90cm

* * *

18 | 90cm \- 120cm

* * *

8 | 0.4  | ![Worm](/w/images/5/52/Worm.png)![Bait Fish](/w/images/1/11/FishMinnow.png) | Base.Pike
![Sunfish](/w/images/0/0e/FishPanfish.png)
Sunfish | \-  | 15cm \- 20cm

* * *

40 | 20cm \- 25cm

* * *

35 | 25cm \- 35cm

* * *

30 | 0.4  | ![Worm.png](/w/images/5/52/Worm.png)![Cricket.png](/w/images/3/3d/Cricket.png)![Grasshopper.png](/w/images/f/fc/Grasshopper.png)
![Cockroach.png](/w/images/d/d9/Cockroach.png)![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/8/8d/FishingTackle.png)![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/4/4e/FishingTackle2.png) | Base.Panfish
![Trout](/w/images/6/6e/FishTrout.png)
Trout | \-  | 30cm \- 40cm

* * *

60 | 40cm \- 50cm

* * *

45 | 50cm \- 70cm

* * *

30 | 0.4  | ![Worm.png](/w/images/5/52/Worm.png)![Cricket.png](/w/images/3/3d/Cricket.png)![Grasshopper.png](/w/images/f/fc/Grasshopper.png)
![Cockroach.png](/w/images/d/d9/Cockroach.png)![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/8/8d/FishingTackle.png)![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/4/4e/FishingTackle2.png) | Base.Trout

### Trash

Occasionally, the player can catch trash items.

Item  | Description  | Encumbrance  | Bait  | Classname
---|---|---|---|---
![Socks](/w/images/5/57/Socks1.png)
Socks | \-  | 0.01  | ![Worm.png](/w/images/5/52/Worm.png)
![Cricket.png](/w/images/3/3d/Cricket.png)![Grasshopper.png](/w/images/f/fc/Grasshopper.png)![Cockroach.png](/w/images/d/d9/Cockroach.png)
![Bait Fish](/w/images/1/11/FishMinnow.png)![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/8/8d/FishingTackle.png)![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/4/4e/FishingTackle2.png) | Base.Socks
![Shoes](/w/images/8/82/Shoes.png)
Shoes (disambiguation) | \-  | 1  | ![Worm.png](/w/images/5/52/Worm.png)
![Cricket.png](/w/images/3/3d/Cricket.png)![Grasshopper.png](/w/images/f/fc/Grasshopper.png)![Cockroach.png](/w/images/d/d9/Cockroach.png)
![Bait Fish](/w/images/1/11/FishMinnow.png)![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/8/8d/FishingTackle.png)![Fishing Tackle](/w/images/4/4e/FishingTackle2.png) | Base.Shoes

## Recipes

Product  | Ingredients  | Tools  | Requirements  | Workstation  | XP
---|---|---|---|---|---
![FishingRod crafted.png](/w/images/6/63/FishingRod_crafted.png)
Fishing Rod | One of:
![HuntingKnife.png](/w/images/thumb/0/04/HuntingKnife.png/16px-
HuntingKnife.png) Hunting Knife ×1
![KnifeChopping.png](/w/images/thumb/9/9e/KnifeChopping.png/16px-
KnifeChopping.png) Kitchen Knife ×1
![Machete.png](/w/images/thumb/0/0c/Machete.png/16px-Machete.png) Machete ×1
![Cleaver.png](/w/images/thumb/d/df/Cleaver.png/16px-Cleaver.png) Meat Cleaver
×1
![KnifeFlint.png](/w/images/thumb/d/da/KnifeFlint.png/16px-KnifeFlint.png)
Stone Knife ×1
Each of:
![TZ WoodenStick.png](/w/images/c/ca/TZ_WoodenStick.png) Sturdy Stick ×1 | _none_ |
![MagazineFish.png](/w/images/1/1c/MagazineFish.png)
Angler USA Magazine Vol.1 | _none_ | _none_

![FishingRod crafted.png](/w/images/6/63/FishingRod_crafted.png)
Fishing Rod | One of:
![HuntingKnife.png](/w/images/thumb/0/04/HuntingKnife.png/16px-
HuntingKnife.png) Hunting Knife ×1
![KnifeChopping.png](/w/images/thumb/9/9e/KnifeChopping.png/16px-
KnifeChopping.png) Kitchen Knife ×1
![Machete.png](/w/images/thumb/0/0c/Machete.png/16px-Machete.png) Machete ×1
![Cleaver.png](/w/images/thumb/d/df/Cleaver.png/16px-Cleaver.png) Meat Cleaver
×1
![KnifeFlint.png](/w/images/thumb/d/da/KnifeFlint.png/16px-KnifeFlint.png)
Stone Knife ×1
One of:
![Fishing Line.png](/w/images/thumb/2/23/Fishing_Line.png/16px-
Fishing_Line.png) Fishing Line ×1
![Twine.png](/w/images/thumb/5/50/Twine.png/16px-Twine.png) Twine ×2 unit(s)
One of:
![Nails.png](/w/images/thumb/5/50/Nails.png/16px-Nails.png) Nails ×1
![Paperclip.png](/w/images/thumb/3/35/Paperclip.png/16px-Paperclip.png)
Paperclip ×1
Each of:
![TZ WoodenStick.png](/w/images/c/ca/TZ_WoodenStick.png) Sturdy Stick ×1 | _none_ |
![MagazineFish.png](/w/images/1/1c/MagazineFish.png)
Angler USA Magazine Vol.1 | _none_ | _none_

![FishTrap.png](/w/images/2/26/FishTrap.png)
Fishing Net Trap | ![Twine.png](/w/images/5/50/Twine.png) Twine ×10 unit(s)
![Wire.png](/w/images/7/77/Wire.png) Wire ×5 unit(s) | _none_ |
![MagazineFish2.png](/w/images/7/78/MagazineFish2.png)
Angler USA Magazine Vol.2 | _none_ | _none_

![Wire.png](/w/images/7/77/Wire.png)
Wire | ![FishTrapBroken.png](/w/images/6/6e/FishTrapBroken.png) Broken Fishing Net Trap ×1 | _none_ |
![MagazineFish2.png](/w/images/7/78/MagazineFish2.png)
Angler USA Magazine Vol.2 | _none_ | _none_

![SpearStick.png](/w/images/e/ea/SpearStick.png)
Crafted Spear | One of:
![Branch.png](/w/images/thumb/e/ea/Branch.png/16px-Branch.png) Tree Branch ×1
![Plank.png](/w/images/thumb/0/0d/Plank.png/16px-Plank.png) Plank ×1
One of:
![KnifeChopping.png](/w/images/thumb/9/9e/KnifeChopping.png/16px-
KnifeChopping.png) Kitchen Knife ×1
![Machete.png](/w/images/thumb/0/0c/Machete.png/16px-Machete.png) Machete ×1
![Cleaver.png](/w/images/thumb/d/df/Cleaver.png/16px-Cleaver.png) Meat Cleaver
×1
![KnifeFlint.png](/w/images/thumb/d/da/KnifeFlint.png/16px-KnifeFlint.png) Stone Knife ×1 | _none_ | _none_ | _none_ | 1.25 Carpentry

![FishFillet.png](/w/images/c/c9/FishFillet.png)
Fish Fillet ×2 | One of:
![KnifeChopping.png](/w/images/thumb/9/9e/KnifeChopping.png/16px-
KnifeChopping.png) Kitchen Knife ×1
![HuntingKnife.png](/w/images/thumb/0/04/HuntingKnife.png/16px-
HuntingKnife.png) Hunting Knife ×1
![Cleaver.png](/w/images/thumb/d/df/Cleaver.png/16px-Cleaver.png) Meat Cleaver
×1
![KnifeFlint.png](/w/images/thumb/d/da/KnifeFlint.png/16px-KnifeFlint.png)
Stone Knife ×1
![Machete.png](/w/images/thumb/0/0c/Machete.png/16px-Machete.png) Machete ×1
![FishPanfish.png](/w/images/thumb/0/0e/FishPanfish.png/16px-FishPanfish.png)
Sunfish ×1
![FishTrout.png](/w/images/thumb/6/6e/FishTrout.png/16px-FishTrout.png) Trout ×1 | _none_ | _none_ | _none_ | 10 Cooking

## References

  1. ↑ Reference developer comment in file "projectzomboid\media\lua\shared\Fishing\fishing_properties.lua"

SkillsShow / Hide

Passive

Fitness • Strength

Agility

Sprinting • Lightfooted • Nimble • Sneaking

Combat

Axe • Long Blunt • Short Blunt • Long Blade • Short Blade • Spear •
Maintenance

Crafting

BlacksmithFuture • Carpentry • Cooking • Farming • First Aid • Electrical •
Metalworking • Mechanics • Tailoring

Firearm

Aiming • Reloading

Survivalist

Fishing • Trapping • Foraging

  *[UI]: User-Interface
  *[AI]: artificial intelligence
  *[RMB]: Right Mouse Button
  *[RPM]: Revolutions per minute
  *[MPH]: Miles per hour
  *[FPS]: frames per second
  *[Grow time]: Average grow time (days)
  *[Condition lower
chance]: 1 in (x + maintenance × 2)

  *[Base durability]: Condition × break chance
  *[?]: Chance of poisonous
  *[(2)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(4)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(3)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(5)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(7)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[RMC]: Right Mouse Clicking
  *[LMC]: Left Mouse Clicking
  *[HUD]: Heads Up Display

Fishing


This article may be in need of improvement.Mac paths needs to be added and technical FAQ needs taking a look whether all questions are still relevant. Minor cleanups could still be welcome as well.Editors are encouraged to add any missing information to the article, while verifying that the article's current content is correct.

    ![PlushSpiffo.png](/w/images/7/7e/PlushSpiffo.png)_This article is about a general frequently asked questions. For frequently asked question about multiplayer, seemultiplayer FAQ._

_Last updated 17 March 2024_

Welcome to the ultimate FAQ for Project Zomboid.

On this page we have compiled as many FAQs as we could on every variety of
topic for Project Zomboid. Hopefully your questions will get answered. If not,
head over to the forums and see if they can give you a hand.

## General Project Zomboid FAQ

### What is Project Zomboid?

Project Zomboid is an open world zombie survival RPG set in a post-
apocalyptic, obviously zombie-infested world where you are challenged to
survive as long as you can until you inevitably die.

This is the story of your death, not how you overcame the apocalypse against
all odds.

### Who are The Indie Stone?

We are people. We also have faces and you can see them here.

### Which platforms will be supported?

Project Zomboid will be available for Windows, Linux and Mac.

There are no plans for other platforms at this point in time, including
mobile, although the game can be streamed to any device.

### You've been in development and Early Access for a while. When will you
release the game or consider it 1.0?

Some major features are yet to be implemented into the game, which are
currently in full-time development each with dedicated full-time developer
support. These are:

  * **NPCs** \- A far reaching and in-depth NPC system with character relationships, personalities, and an emergent story engine that allows for diverse and emergent character based zombie survival story unique to every playthrough. This also includes the tutorial, a return of Kate and Bob "Baldspot" Smith who starred in the early alphas of the game.
  * **Map completion** \- We still have an army base, more wilderness, and several small towns to implement to the game map.
  * **UI rewrite** \- The UI isn't perfect by any stretch. We would like to get a more intuitive and ergonomic UI system implemented.
  * **Stealth / Combat** \- New animations to allow for stealth mechanics (looking round corners, crouching behind walls, cover etc.) as well as a rewrite of the combat system to leverage new animations to make combat more involved, intuitive and fluid.

We tend to avoid ETAs generally because Early Access development in particular
is often filled with unknowns and we want to ensure we get these highly
anticipated features right.

In the meantime however we will continue to update the game and provide new
features for our community to play with. One of our developers full time
responsibility is providing frequent and new items, crafting recipes, skills
and survival gameplay elements to fill out any holes in gameplay, and provide
frequent feature rich game updates in line with community feedback, while the
other developers focus on finishing these specific remaining major features.

### What about after 1.0?

At this point, once we feel we have fulfilled every promise we gave when the
Project Zomboid site first launched (except the last one, ahem, ignore that.
Absolutely no one wanted that, it turned out), as well as the extra things
detailed above, and the game is sufficiently polished and bug free, we will
launch the game as 1.0 and leave Early Access.

What happens at this point depends entirely on whether the game is making
money or not, but given the past solid performance of the game we see no
reason why it shouldn't be. Several developers within the team will likely
start exploring our second project at this point, however we have dedicated
and passionate developers who were brought into the company via the Project
Zomboid modding community, emotionally invested in the game, who are already a
big part of the development and communicating with the community. As long as
Project Zomboid is making enough to support their continued development of the
game, and they are happy to continue working on it (which seems likely), we
will continue making Project Zomboid indefinitely as long as there is
interest.

That all said, we can't make any solid promises beyond the 1.0 mark, however
there are countless things we would love to do that go way beyond 1.0 and
sales make us confident that we'll get the opportunity to explore them. Truth
be told, given that it was Zomboid that put the money in the bank in the first
place, as long as our company is secure and we can fund any other project's
development comfortably, it's very probable we'd be willing to put some money
back into the game beyond the point it's sustaining itself if there are any
features in particular we can't bear to leave out of the game.

Words are wind though, and all we can do is guess where we'll all be by then.
We really want to keep this train going as long as we can though, as long as
it continues to the benefit of the game. At which point the modders will
hopefully take the mantle with almost unlimited access to the game's core.”

### Do you guys need any help with music, artwork, translation or some other
creative endeavour?

We're fine right now; we've got a full complement of developers and helpers,
but feel free to send over whatever you'd like. The current job offers are
listed on the Jobs page on the official website. If you'd like to help out
then the best way would be through our modding community. The translations are
hosted on GitHub, and there's also Discord channel to talk about the
translations or modding. You can always help editing the official wiki, too!

### How much does/will it cost?

The game is currently available for on Steam, GOG.com and Humble Store.
Currently the non-discounted price on Steam is 16.75 GBP / 19.50 EUR / 19.99
USD and a bit lower on sales.

It will likely be £5, $8 more expensive once we hit 1.0. Due to our commitment
to making sure early adopters get the cheapest price in appreciation of their
early support PZ will never appear in sales that take it below the original
but never lower than the original alpha price of £5/$8 until we are a long
time post 1.0. This commitment also means that, until 1.0 and the price
increase, we will never be willing to go beyond a 40% sale.

It can also be bought in a 4-pack on Steam.

### What age rating is Project Zomboid?

We currently have no fixed age rating, but would underline that this is a
mature game dealing with adult subjects. Parental discretion is certainly
advised.

### When I buy Project Zomboid, what benefits do I get?

Project Zomboid is a game that's still in development. When you purchase a
license you gain access to every build we release, up to and including its
completion.

### Will there be a demo?

No. The demo has been removed permanently as it was from a time before Steam
had the refund policy in place. The best option is to buy the game through
Steam, try it for 2 hours or less, and refund if you wish.

### How can I follow the game's progress?

You can follow us on X @theindiestone and check-in on our forums.

We also blog about our progress monthly, until the release of build 42.

### I found a bug! Where can I report it?

The best place with the highest probability of it being noticed is our bug
reports forums

### So where can I download the current build?

The latest stable builds will auto-update on Steam and GOG.com (if you have
that option selected).

If you'd like to test the buggier, but sometimes more current, beta-builds
read how to access them here.

There are sometimes community tests other than IWBUMS, but these are announced
separately when needed.

Please keep in mind, we're always looking for feedback about our "IWBUMS" beta
branch.

### Help! I'm having some sort of trouble with my PZ access!

First of all check out our Support section on the forum, if your answer
doesn't lurk there then fire off a mail to accounts@projectzomboid.com, but be
sure to include your receipt of purchase.

### Help! I'm having some sort of trouble getting PZ working!

In 99% of cases our Support pages will be able to help you, but if the issue
persists then post up in the Support section of the forum or Discord.

### Is there multiplayer?

Yes! You can host, join, or set up a dedicated server, see the multiplayer
page and multiplayer FAQ for more info!

### Where are the achievements

We'll most likely add those down the line. Expect them at some point in the
future.

### I have a suggestion for a really cool feature that could go in PZ! Who
should I contact?

Go to the Suggestions part of our forum, search to find out whether anyone
else has ever dreamt it up – and, if not, then dazzle us with a post about
your zombie survival know-how.

### Can I monetize YouTube videos, "Let's Play" commentaries etc?

Yes! YouTube is the lifeblood of our game. Go crazy!

Post this up in the video description to be on the safe side.

### Can I modify the game? Are there terms and conditions?

You're very welcome to modify PZ! We got terms and conditions covered here.

### Can I install mods?

Yes! Please check the installing mods and mods pages for further information.

### Is Project Zomboid on Steam?

Yes! We officially launched on Steam Early Access on the 8th of November 2013!
If you bought the game on Desura or Google Checkout/PayPal, see this page.

The game has since been available on GOG.

### Will you add Steam Workshop support?

Steam workshop has already been implemented with a thriving community!

### Will you support Steam Big Picture mode?

We plan to do so! Controller support is currently in and we'll work on the UI
to fit Big Picture mode. The game is also Verified for Steam Deck.

### Will NPCs be friendly or hostile?

Neither and both. We don't want to make it that simple. NPCs may gain your
trust and then back-stab you horribly. We're trying to make this as dynamic
and most importantly non-predictable as possible. Crusader Kings 2 is a pretty
inspiring game ;)

### What is this “metagame”?

It's essentially what keeps the world around you on being interesting by
“living”.

Think of it as an abstract level of simulation for NPCs and zombie population,
from where they're plucked and made concrete when you enter the area. This
abstracted simulation accesses various metadata about the world (rooms,
building definitions and their locations) and is the underlying system
coordinating the actions and events in the world that happen without you being
in the immediate area.

You might want to think of it as a complex puppet theater where the puppets
are playing behind the curtain. When you open it, the game looks at the state
of the actors and spawns them into the world as concrete characters in their
corresponding states.

They will still be driven by the puppet master (the metagame) so their
(inter)actions and interests play out in the same way, but now with the
curtains wide open for you to see them playing out.

### Can I build my own fort? Can I also grow my own food?

Yes and yes! We also have plans for other methods of obtaining food, like
hunting or improved farming in build 42.

### I'm not sure what I'm doing in Project Zomboid. Is there a manual?

First off make sure you play our tutorial, which covers the basics. We also
have a Survival Guide on this wiki.

Check out this wiki and our forums which will definitely help. You can also
communicate on the official Project Zomboid discord.

### What is Sandbox mode?

Sandbox mode lets you customize the lore to your fitting. You love the “28
Days Later”-kind of sprinting zombies or just want a harder challenge? There
are too many/too few zombies and you want less/more? You want to set the speed
of the ingame-time to real-time?

Sandbox mode lets you edit these settings and more to your liking. The zombie
lore is completely customizable to the point, where you can edit the kind of
transmission, the reanimation time after death as well as the infection
mortality. You can also edit zombies' abilities to hear, see and smell as well
as abilities such as memory and cognition.

### How big is the map?

The game takes place in the partially fictional Knox Country KY, and includes
recreations of Louisville, Muldraugh, March Ridge, and many more real and
fictional locations. We're going for “huge” rather than big, so you'll have to
actually prepare for longer trips. Also, our lovely modding community will be
able to provide a lot of interesting (additional) maps!

A good overview of the map can be found on the official map project (thanks to
the awesomemest blindcoder!)

### Is the map procedurally generated?

No. We have a clear story in mind and have plans on where the story will take
you. Random map generation does not work very well with generating cities or
towns that are supposed to actually feel different. However, it does work well
for creating natural terrain, so we might end up using random generation to
provide an infinite map size beyond the borders of the hand-crafted map. This
would require a fair amount of work, though, so it is fairly low on our
priority list.

We're sure that some modders will take up the challenge at some point. :)

### Can I play this with a controller?

Yes! You can play the game with any controller, including the Steam Deck.

## Gameplay questions

#### Why do zombies notice and follow me wherever I am?

You are probably making too much noise while moving. If you're within close
proximity to a zombie, crouch, or hold `ctrl` to go into sneak/combat mode
which will result in the least amount of noise while moving. Once you're a
safe distance away, you can probably safely walk as normal. You should never
run unless you need to get out of a desperate situation quickly. Line of sight
is also incredibly important. If you can see zombies through a window, then
they can see you. This will most likely cause them to come a knockin' and
won't stop until dealt with.

#### How do I break into houses without smashing windows?

Stand beside the window while facing it and press the `e` key. It may take
some time, but the window often can be forced open. After the window is open,
hold the `e` key to climb though. The window can be closed by facing it and
pressing the `e` key again.

#### What is the loud alarm noise?

You have triggered a burglar alarm while entering a house or vehicle. It will
attract zombies from far and wide. Run!

#### Are there other survivors in the game?

Not in single player, but NPCs will eventually be implemented.

#### What are the gunshot/helicopter sounds?

Until NPCs are implemented, these event sounds have been employed to
facilitate the migration of zombie hordes, so beware.

#### Hey! That zombie was dead, but it got back up!

Just because a zombie is down on the ground doesn't mean it's dead.
Technically it's already dead after all. Always make sure to approach a zombie
and crush it's skull in, otherwise it's just going to get back up and come
after you.

#### Is there a cure for zombification?

No, and there will never be a cure. Prevention is your only friend.

## Development/future updates

#### What happened to NPCs?

These features were present in early demo versions of the game, but have been
temporarily removed. We are aware that the delay has been huge but we're
simply not implementing them until we are happy with them.

While frustrating, the delay is also a good thing for you. Every member of The
Indie Stone is working on the game full time in order to provide you with
content in the meantime.

We can't go 1.0 until NPCs are in. If that took a gazillion years that means a
gazillion years of updates and support for PZ. If you think of all the many
many great features that have been added into the game in the past couple of
years since NPCs were removed. A lot of them would have made it in anyway, of
course, but many of them may not have been.

## Technical problems

    Make sure that your OS is up to date. Some graphical glitches might be related to old or outdated video drivers. Make sure they are up to date, too.

### Update your video drivers

    Note: Some manufacturers (Alienware, Toshiba, Dell, HP etc.) release their own drivers. While convient, these are are not the same as implementations provided by AMD, Intel, and nVidia. Please grab your drivers directly from them
    Note: Do not trust Windows or Steam with updating your drivers.

**ATI/AMD**

    For downloading ATI/AMD drivers, head over to AMD Drivers and Support page.
    Your Catalyst Control Center or AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition is also able to tell you if your driver is out of date and update it.

**Nvidia**

    The drivers for your Nvidia GPU can be downloaded here: Official Drivers | NVIDIA.
    Your Nvidia Control Panel should also able to tell you if your driver is out of date and update it.

**Intel**

    To download the drivers for Intel graphics chipsets, head over to Download Intel Drivers and Software
    You can also check the following link to let them look for updates automatically: Intel® Driver & Support Assistant

Note, some computers may require working around the manufacturer of that
system or antiquated hardware to install a new, up-to-date driver. This is
typically a _generic_ driver if none of the above providers support your card.
This is an advanced process and requires research on your part.

### Disable the Steam overlay

Right click Project Zomboid in your game library and select "Properties..." On
the first page (the "General" tab), unselect the option near the "Enable the
Steam Overlay while in-game".

### Run the 32-bit version (Windows/Linux)

Go to the installation directory of the game, on Steam this can be done by
right clicking on Project Zomboid and selecting "Properties..." in the Steam
game library then pressing "Installed Files" tab and clicking on "Browse..."
button.

Find the ProjectZomboid32.bat (Windows) or ProjectZomboid32 (Linux) file
(typically blue gears for an icon, not a red and black egg) and double click
it.

**If you've tried everything above, but the game will still not load** , go to
`%username%\Zomboid` (Windows) or `$HOME/Zomboid/` (Linux) and delete its
contents. Be sure to backup these files, as they contain your saves.

### Submitting a support request

To effectively assist you, the more data you can provide the better: operating
system name and version, CPU name and code, graphics processing unit name, in
particular.

To get any error codes generated by the game, go to the installation directory
of the game. On Steam you can do that by right clicking on Project Zomboid in
your Steam library and selecting "Properties..." in the Steam game library
then pressing "Installed Files" tab and clicking on "Browse..." button.

Find the `ProjectZomboid32.bat` (Windows) or `ProjectZomboid32` (Linux) file
(typically blue gears for an icon, not a red and black egg) and double click
it. If the game crashes, take a screenshot of the console and upload in on a
site like imgur.com and post it either on the Steam Discussions Hub or the
support forum or in the #pz_techsupport channel on Discord. You can also take
a look at the log files generated by game and attach them.

### My FPS seems low

First, verify that your FPS is low by using an external program, such as
Fraps, Steam overlay, or by pressing the `F` key (note: the in-game frame
counter is only an approximation of FPS, but shouldn't be too far off).

If your FPS is legitimately low, in options

  * Set your resolution to the minimum supported
  * Lock the game to 30 FPS
  * Lower lighting quality to low or very low (note: very low may result in some unpleasant looking visuals)

### My PC specs are good enough to have a stable 30 or 60 FPS but I am getting
really low FPS!

![](/w/images/thumb/6/6c/Steam_low_framerate_small_mode_view.png/200px-
Steam_low_framerate_small_mode_view.png)

Enabling small mode on Steam.

We have plans to improve the framerate dramatically in build 42, so
performance might indeed vary from what you would expect.

In the meantime, please consider lowering all in-game settings to low (texture
compression, low lighting, low lighting updates), disabling blood decals,
disabling the 3D models, using 1x textures and/or playing the game in a lower
resolution (1280x720, lower if necessary) to increase the framerate. Please
also try locking the game to 30 (or 45/60) FPS. See options for more details.

If you are using Game Booster or an equivalent application, please turn it
off, as testing has shown that it drastically reduced performance in many
cases.

For Steam, you can disable the overlay and enable the small mode, see How To
Turn On And Enable Small Mode on Steam PC - YouTube.

### Game doesn't run, error message starts with "org.lwjgl.LWJGLException:
Pixel format not accelerated"

This message indicates outdated video driver, please see Update your video
drivers section above.

### I just downloaded the game on Steam and the game simply crashed on launch!

Please reinstall the game. On Steam, you can right click the game, choose
"Properties...", select "Installed Files" and click "Verify integrity of game
files" which will verify and download the files as needed, or you can do
right-click the game in your Steam library and select "Manage"→"Uninstall" –
once that's done, download the game again.

If you've installed a mod prior to update, it may be necessary to manually
delete the local contents - on Steam you can do that by right clicking on
Project Zomboid in your Steam library and selecting "Properties..." in the
Steam game library then pressing "Installed Files" tab and clicking on
"Browse..." button. Delete everything within the Project Zomboid folder. In
newer versions of the game, some mods install to `%username%\zomboid\mods`
(Windows) or `$HOME/Zomboid/mods` (Linux). Delete its contents, as well.

Finally, if you haven't disabled the Steam overlay, see Disable the Steam
overlay above.

### On Linux, character sprites are replaced by single-color blocks.

Support for S3 texture compression (also known as DXTn or DXTC) is missing or
disabled on your system. You may have a package available for your distro to
remedy this. Try searching for keywords such as dxtn, s2tc, s3tc, or texture
compression in your package management system. For some versions of Debian and
Ubuntu the package name is libtxc-dxtn-s2tc0.

### I see a dark flash, maybe some text, and nothing happens!

Most of the time (on Linux), this is the “The system cannot find the path
specified” means your Java installation cannot be located.

Otherwise, on Windows, this can happen when you run the ProjectZomboid file as
an adminstirator. This forces it to start in System32 instead of the game's
installation directory. Please don't run the game as an administrator.

### The game does not start and I get the following error in the cmd window:
“org.lwjgl.LWJGLException: Failed to set display mode (-2)”!

Resolve this by deleting the content of the following directory:
`%username%\Zomboid\Options.ini` (Windows) or `$HOME/Zomboid/` (Linux).

If this error persists, it is due to the inability of the game to create a
rendering context for the resolution selected. Open `options.ini` file and set
the resolution to something else. Forcing the game to run in windowed mode
(with the same file) may also help.

### I made my resolution too high and now I can't access the options to change
it (because the menu button is off screen)?

Delete your `options.ini` file in `%username%\Zomboid\` (Windows) or
`$HOME/Zomboid/` (Linux) folder, or manually edit it and change the resolution
to smaller.

### I can't seem to change any of the zombie options in sandbox!

Be sure to uncheck "Proper Zombies" to enable customized zombies.

### Where are my save files located?

Save files are located in `%username%\Zomboid\Saves` (Windows) or
`$HOME/Zomboid/Saves` (Linux)

### I'm having a hard time to orientate. Sometimes I end up in a large empty
area. Is there a map available?

User Blindcoder has created a fully zoomable and panable map, which you can
find here.

You can also use the in-game Map by pressing M, or by reading Maps found in
the world.

### I am having X problem using a controller and/or splitscreen multiplayer!

Controller and splitscreen multiplayer support is currently just experimental
and will be revamped in the future.

### My save doesn't seem to load and nothing in this FAQ helped alleviate the
problem

Please follow the instructions in this thread

### How do I use a controller with the game?

Ensure the controller is hooked to the computer prior to starting Project
Zomboid. Ignore any prompts by the game after starting it. Start a new game /
character without using your controller. Once the world loads and you can see
your character, press `ESC` then go into Options. Scroll down until you see
the Controllers section. Select your controller form this list, then press
save.

### No buttons appear in the start menu

Delete the contents of your `Steam\Common\ProjectZomboid` directory and the
contents of `%username%\Zomboid` (Windows) or `$HOME/Zomboid` (Linux). (Note:
the `Saves` directory contain your saves. Back it up if you value them.)

If the above doesn't alleviate your problem, check the console for any errors
and report them on the forum.

### The only thing that happens when I try to launch Project Zomboid is the
command prompt appears, or a blank window

Please see above about getting console output from the game.

### "Error: Cold not create the Java Virtual Machine" and "Error: A fatal
exception has occured. Program will exit"

Most likely the game is unable to get enough RAM from the operating system to
run the game. This is most often caused by a Minecraft install, as Minecraft
uses the same launcher as ProjectZomboid.

This can be caused by incorrect environment variables interfering with the
game, on Windows:

  1. In the Start menu, type Edit the System Environment Variables.
  2. See if you have a `_JAVA_OPTIONS`, `JAVA_OPTS`, or `JAVA_HOME` variable.
  3. If you do, delete it (though you might want to keep a note of whatever it says).

Or by having less than 1 GB of RAM available when launching PZ. For all other
instances, please create a post in Support with your specs and any messages
received.

### A balloon appears in the Notification area with "... Display driver
stopped responding and has recovered" while playing Project Zomboid

This is most commonly caused by drivers sourced from Windows Update rather
than directly through the manufacturer of the graphics card. Get the most
recent driver from Intel, AMD .etc Note: If an automatic driver checking-thing
on a website is telling you that you have the newest version of the driver, be
sure to verify this yourself.

### I get to the menu, but the game crashes shortly after

Distable the Steam overlay: Right click on Project Zomboid in the Steam
Library and select Properties. On the first page, you'll see the options to
"Enable Steam Community In-Game." Deselect it.

### After 'This is how you died,' the screen remains black, without the HUD

Most likely there's a problem with your saved game. See My save doesn't seem
to load and nothing in this FAQ helped alleviate the problem above.

If this is on multiplayer, check the console output as mentioned earlier in
this FAQ. Most likely. you'll have to disable `map_meta.bin` (prior to build
28) to get the save to work.

This can also happen if you are playing with a large amount of mods active,
waiting a few minutes before clicking to start can work.

### After 'This is how you died,' the screen remains black - but the HUD
(inventory, time, .etc) appear

Disable zoom in options.

### How do I get an error log if I'm on a Mac?

Follow Rathlord's video here

### The UI is out of alignment and overlaps - it makes it difficult or
impossible to do anything

It's possible you've recently changed the resolution without restarting the
game. Though, in most cases, the game with adjust the UI to the resolution,
sometimes this doesn't work - restarting the game can force it's update.

If restarting the game doesn't work, go to `%username%\Zomboid` (Windows) or
`$HOME/Zomboid` (Linux) and delete the `options.ini` and `layout.ini` files.

### How do I backup my saves?

Go to `%username%\Zomboid` (Windows) or `$HOME/Zomboid` (Linux) and copy
`Saves` directory.

This is the only sure-fire method of backing up saved games and should be done
any time you reach a critical stage in your game to prevent losing the file
due to corruption.

### I'm getting the following error: "AL lib: alc_cleanup: 1 device not
closed". What do?

This isn't an error, but something the game does normally. If you are having
problems, post the full `error.log` file contents, not just the last line.

### Nothing helped?

If you haven't found the answer to your technical issue, you can check in on
the following links for additional help:

  * Project Zomboid Support Forum
  * Project Zomboid Subreddit
  * Project Zomboid Discord (at #pz_techsupport)

  *[UI]: User-Interface
  *[AI]: artificial intelligence
  *[RMB]: Right Mouse Button
  *[RPM]: Revolutions per minute
  *[MPH]: Miles per hour
  *[FPS]: frames per second
  *[Grow time]: Average grow time (days)
  *[Condition lower
chance]: 1 in (x + maintenance × 2)

  *[Base durability]: Condition × break chance
  *[?]: Chance of poisonous
  *[(2)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(4)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(3)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(5)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(7)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[RMC]: Right Mouse Clicking
  *[LMC]: Left Mouse Clicking
  *[HUD]: Heads Up Display

Frequently Asked Questions


    ![PlushSpiffo.png](/w/images/7/7e/PlushSpiffo.png)_This article is about the general controls of Project Zomboid. For customizing controls/key-bindings, seeOptions._

![](/w/images/thumb/f/fc/Controls.png/300px-Controls.png)

Screenshot of the in-game key bindings section of the game options.

The default **controls** are displayed below; most (not all) _key bindings_
can be customized in the game options along with gamepad/controller
configuration. In order to customize a key binding, the desired key change
must be _left-clicked_ , followed by the desired keystroke. If done correctly,
the desired key will be displayed within the box.

## General

Key  | Function  | Description
---|---|---
**RMB** | Contextual Menu  | Pressing will display the contextual menu, which will contain all available interactions with that object.
**LMB** | Select  | This is context specific and will vary depending on what it interacts with, such as picking up items, opening and closing of doors, windows curtains and light switches.
`=` / **MSW** | Zoom-in  | Zooms the camera in closer to the player, decreasing the field of view.
`-` / **MSW** | Zoom-out  | Zooms the camera out farther from the player, increasing the field of view.
`ESC` | Main Menu  |

  * Pauses a single-player game.
  * Displays the pause menu, allowing the player to adjust options, exit game, etc.
  * Re-enables HUD (if hidden).

## Player Control

Key  | Function  | Description
---|---|---
`W` | Move Forward  |

  * The basic directional movement of the player. Holding both a horizontal and vertical movement key will cause the player to move diagonally.
  * Pressing the **RMB** and selecting _move here_ , will cause the player to move to that location.

`S` | Move Backward
`A` | Move Left
`D` | Move Right
`⇧ Shift` | Run/Sprint  | *Press and hold (depending on the toggle run option) to increase movement speed, at the cost of generating more noise and exertion.

  * Double tapping will cause the player to sprint.

`L. ALT` | Sprint  | Press and hold (depending on the toggle sprint option) to vastly increase movement speed, at the cost of generating significant amount of noise and high exertion.

  * Sprinting into a solid object will result in falling over backwards.
  * Sprinting through trees and over fences increases chance of tripping, causing damage and dropping equipped items.

`E` | Interact  |

  * Pressing once will perform the first action on the contextual menu, without displaying it. (e.g. Opening a door, window...)
  * Holding will perform the _follow up_ action on the contextual menu (e.g. Going through a window after opening).
  * Tapping rapidly will make an _urgent action_ , causing the player to take drastic measures (e.g. Smashing a window with their arm).

`⇧ Shift` \+ `E` | Special Interact  |  Most of the time this does nothing. Some objects have special interactions:

  * Pressing this near a window will open/close the curtains.
  * This list is not comprehensive; please add to it if more are discovered.

`ESC` | Cancel Action  | Cancels any Action the player is currently performing.

## Combat

Key  | Function  | Description
---|---|---
`C` | Sneak (Crouch)  |

  * Generates less noise.
  * Reduces visibility. Crouching behind objects reduces visibility further (e.g. fences).
  * Toggle: pressing will perform the action until pressed again.

`L. CTRL` / **RMB** | Aim  |

  * Holding causes the player to face in the direction of the _mouse cursor_.
  * Moving while held causes the player to generate less noise.
  * The longer it's held down, the more accurate the attack will be.

**LMB** | Fire/Attack  | Pressing will cause the player to fire or attack in the direction the player is facing.
`SPACE` | Melee  | Causes the player to perform an unarmed melee _shove_ , or _stomp_ in the direction the player is facing.
`X` | Rack Firearm  | Racks a round into the chamber of a firearm, making it ready to fire. A round will be removed from the firearm if there is already a round in the chamber.
`R` | Reload Weapon  |

  * Press: inserts/removes a magazine.
    * Swaps current magazine with a full magazine (if available)
    * Removes current magazine and fills (if available and not full)
    * Removes magazine (if full)
  * Hold: opens radial menu.
    * Only options that are available will appear: "Rack", "Eject Magazine", "Load Bullets into spare Magazine"

`1` | Hotbar 1 (Back)  |

  * Equips/Unequips the desired weapon type into the primary weapon slot, thus making it the active weapon/tool.

`2` | Hotbar 2 (Belt Left)
`3` | Hotbar 3 (Belt Right)
`4` | Hotbar 4 (Holster Left)
`5` | Hotbar 5 (Holster Right)
`F` | Activate/Deactivate Light  |

  * Equips a light source as the secondary item if there is one available in the player's main inventory and activates it.
  * Activates/deactivates an already equipped light source.

`L. ALT` | Manual Floor Attack  | Forces targetting prone enemies instead of standing enemies.

## Inventory

Key  | Function  | Description
---|---|---
`I` | Toggle Inventory  | Toggles between the inventory windows being displayed and hidden.
**RMB** | Display Contextual Menu  | Can be used on any item in the player's or a container's inventory to display their uses - whether they can be eaten, drunk, equipped or used in crafting recipes.
**LMB** | Highlighting  |

  * This will highlight the selected item.
  * Holding and dragging will select all items within the selection box.
  * After selecting an item, `Ctrl` \+ LMB can be used when selecting a second item, highlighting the second item while keeping the initial one highlighted.
  * Alternatively, `⇧ Shift` \+ LMB can be used when selecting the second item, also highlighting all items between the two selections.

## NPC Interaction

Key  | Function  | Description
---|---|---
`Q` | Shout  | Causes the player to shout, drawing nearby zombies. Crouching will result in a quieter shout, reducing the noise radius and intensity.
`Q` | Emotes Wheel  | Long press to enable the radial emotes menu.

## Multiplayer

Key  | Function  | Description
---|---|---
`G` | Toggle Safety  | Toggles the ability to hurt or be hurt by other players.
`T` | Toggle Chat  | Opens the chat window to type.
`RETURN` | Alt Toggle Chat  | Opens the chat windows to type.
`Tab ↹` | Switch Chat Stream  | Switches between chat modes, e.g., world chat and admin chat.
`L. ALT` | Push-to-talk Key  | Allows the player to talk in game if voice chat is enabled.

## Debug

All of these options require the player to be in debug mode, which can be
enabled by adding the `-debug` launch option.

Key  | Function  | Description
---|---|---
`F11` | Toggle Lua Debugger  | toggles the Lua debugger window, which can be used by modders.
`"` | Toggle Lua Console  | Toggles the Lua Command Console.
`N` | Toggle God Mode and Invisible  | Toggles God Mode and Invisible.
`F3` | Toggle Models Enabled  | Toggles 3D models. I.e. Characters and vehicles. Does not affect world items.
`F6` | Toggle Animation Text  | Toggles text about the character properties.

## Vehicle

### General Vehicle Operation

Key  | Function  | Description
---|---|---
`W` | Accelerate/Forward  |
`S` | Brake/Reverse  |
`A` | Turn left  |
`D` | Turn right  |
`Spacebar` | Hand brake  |
`SHIFT + W` | Increase Cruise Control Speed  |

  * If cruise control is off, this will turn it back on at the previous cruise control speed, or the current speed if none exists.
  * When cruise control is enabled, pressing this will increase the cruise control speed by 5 MPH.

`SHIFT + S` | Decrease Cruise Control Speed  |

  * If cruise control is off, this will turn it back on at the previous cruise control speed, or the current speed if none exists.
  * When cruise control is enabled, pressing this will decrease the cruise control speed by 5 MPH.

### Vehicle Radial Menu

Key  | Function  | Description
---|---|---
`V` | Vehicle Radial Menu  |

  * Displays the vehicle radial menu, which can be used to perform all the vehicle's available actions.

![VehicleRadialMenu.png](/w/images/a/a6/VehicleRadialMenu.png)
`F` | Toggle Headlights  | Toggles the headlights between an _on_ and _off_ state.
`N` or `W` | Start Engine  | Attempts to start the engine, either by key or hot-wiring.
`O` | Heater  | Toggles the heater panel which can be used to adjust the vehicle's heating and cooling.
`U` | Info  | Displays the vehicle mechanics/info, which can take a few seconds - the player must be outside the vehicle, otherwise they'll be removed from the vehicle before opening the panel.
`E` | Enter/Exit Vehicle  | The vehicle can be entered when standing next to a door (displaying a green square) or through the radial menu. The player exits the vehicle from the side based on their current seat.
`Z` | Switch Seat  | Displays the vehicle's seats, showing the player's and any occupied seats. The player can move seats by either clicking the desired seat, or by pressing the designated numbered hotkey shown on the seat. The player may also choose which seat to exit the vehicle from this menu.
`Q` | Horn  | Sounds the vehicle's horn until the key is released, or if using the radial menu, it will sound for 2 seconds. Attracts any zombies towards the vehicle.

    **Device Options:**

    Displays the panel of the installed radio.
    **Open Window:**

    Opens the player's seat window, making the inside temperature the same as the outside temperature. Will also allow zombies to attack the player.
    **Sleep:**

    Allows the player to sleep in the vehicle.

### Vehicle Dashboard

_Note: This**section** has been updated to version 40.43, and may not match
the whole page's last updated version._

    Displays the current status of the vehicle. Some icons can be activated by clicking with the **LMB**.
    ![Dashboard 4043.png](/w/images/e/ed/Dashboard_4043.png)
    _Numbers in**red** are status icons and those in **green** are accessories and other interactables._

#### Status Icons

_Displayed in**red**_

#### 1\. Engine Status

  1. ![Dashboard Engine Off.png](/w/images/1/17/Dashboard_Engine_Off.png): The engine is off(not ignited).
  2. ![Dashboard Engine Igniting.png](/w/images/e/e7/Dashboard_Engine_Igniting.png): The engine is currently in the process of ignition.
  3. ![Dashboard Engine Ignited.png](/w/images/2/23/Dashboard_Engine_Ignited.png): The engine is on(ignited).
  4. ![Dashboard Engine Broken.png](/w/images/6/6d/Dashboard_Engine_Broken.png): The engine is broken or not present in the car.

#### 2\. Battery

  1. ![Dashboard Battery Off.png](/w/images/6/66/Dashboard_Battery_Off.png): The car key is not inserted into the key slot, no info is given.
  2. ![Dashboard Battery On.png](/w/images/4/4b/Dashboard_Battery_On.png): The battery is charged and functional.
  3. ![Dashboard Battery NoCharge.png](/w/images/9/9e/Dashboard_Battery_NoCharge.png): The battery is discharged or not present in the car.

#### 3\. Door Lock

This icon does not need the car key to be inserted into the key slot to
display the current state.

  1. ![Dashboard Door Unlocked.png](/w/images/6/63/Dashboard_Door_Unlocked.png): The car doors are unlocked and can be opened without car keys.
  2. ![Dashboard Door Locked.png](/w/images/6/63/Dashboard_Door_Locked.png): The car doors are locked and can only be opened using car keys.

#### 4\. Gearshift Position

  * Displays the current gear the vehicle is in.

#### 5\. Tachometer

  * Gauge that measures the rotation speed of the engine's crankshaft, displayed in **RPM**.

#### 6\. Speedometer

  * Gauge that measures the vehicle's current speed, displayed in **MPH**.

#### 7\. Fuel Gauge

  * Gauge that measures the current amount of fuel in the fuel tank, displayed in **Litres (L)**.

#### 8\. Cruise Control Speed (not pictured)

  * At the time of writing this, no screen shot of this exists.
  * The Cruise Control Speed indicator may be found below the Gearshift Position (#4) and to the left of the Tachometer (#5).
  * When cruise control is off, the indicator will be dark gray in color. When it is enabled, the indicator will display in a green color.
  * The number displayed on the Cruise Control Speed indicator represents the current cruise control speed that the vehicle is set to.

#### Interactables

_Displayed in**green**_

#### 1\. Headlights

This icon does not need the car key to be inserted into the key slot to
display the current state.

  1. ![Dashboard Headlights Off.png](/w/images/b/b0/Dashboard_Headlights_Off.png): The headlights are off.
  2. ![Dashboard Headlights On.png](/w/images/f/fa/Dashboard_Headlights_On.png): The headlights are on.
  3. ![Dashboard Headlights Broken.png](/w/images/4/43/Dashboard_Headlights_Broken.png): The headlights are broken, damaged or not present in the car.

#### 2\. Heater

This icon does not need the car key to be inserted into the key slot to
display the current state.

  1. ![Dashboard Heater Off.png](/w/images/a/a2/Dashboard_Heater_Off.png): The heater is off.
  2. ![Dashboard Heater On.png](/w/images/d/d0/Dashboard_Heater_On.png): The heater is on.

#### 3\. Trunk Lock

This icon does not need the car key to be inserted into the key slot to
display the current state.

  1. ![Dashboard Trunk Unlocked.png](/w/images/d/df/Dashboard_Trunk_Unlocked.png): The trunk is unlocked and can be opened without car keys.
  2. ![Dashboard Trunk Locked.png](/w/images/e/e8/Dashboard_Trunk_Locked.png): The trunk is locked and can only be opened using car keys.

#### 4\. Key Slot

  1. ![Dashboard Key Empty.png](/w/images/0/0f/Dashboard_Key_Empty.png): The car key is not inserted into the key slot, therefore the engine is not ignited and is off.
  2. ![Dashboard Key NotIgnited.png](/w/images/b/b0/Dashboard_Key_NotIgnited.png): The car key is inserted into the key slot, but is not turned, therefore the engine is not ignited and is off.
  3. ![Dashboard Key Ignited.png](/w/images/b/bd/Dashboard_Key_Ignited.png): The car key is inserted into the key slot and turned, therefore the engine is ignited and is on.
  4. ![Dashboard Key Hotwire.png](/w/images/4/4b/Dashboard_Key_Hotwire.png) The car key is not present, but the vehicle has been hot-wired. There is no way to tell if the engine is ignited or not by looking at the key slot in this state.

The key can be stored in the key slot with the engine off, draining the
battery if any of the accessories are left on.

## UI

The _user interface_ , or just _UI_ , displays information to the player, some
of which is interactable.

Key  | Function  | Description
---|---|---
`F1` | Toggle Survival Guide  | Toggles the survival guide, which is an brief in-game contextual tutorial describing certain aspects of Project Zomboid.
`V` | Toggle UI  |

  * Toggles the HUD. Ideal for taking uncluttered screenshots.
  * _Note that this will not function when nearby a vehicle, and will instead trigger the vehicle radial menu._

`K` | Display FPS  | Toggles the display of FPS (Frames Per Second) in the top-left corner of the screen.
`F10` | Take screenshot  | *Pressing will take a screenshot and store it in the `\Users\USERNAME\Zomboid\Screenshots` folder.

  * There is no in-game confirmation that a screenshot has been taken, therefore the player should be aware that each keystroke will save a new screenshot.

`J` | Info Panel  | Toggles the info panel. Providing:

  * Portrait view of character
  * Name
  * Weight - displays a chevron indicating whether the player's weight is increasing or decreasing.
  * Occupation
  * Traits
  * Hair - including options to cut hair.
  * Training Materials - list of books, magazines, CDs and VHSes that the played has read, watched and listened to.
  * Zombies killed

`L` | Skill Panel  | Displays all the players skills.
`P` | Protection Panel  | Dispalys the player's protection rating for each body part.

### Time Controls

![TimeDisplay.png](/w/images/b/bc/TimeDisplay.png)

UI  | Key  | Function  | Description
---|---|---|---
![PauseAnim.gif](/w/images/9/9f/PauseAnim.gif) | `F2` | Pause  | Pauses the game. Different to `ESCAPE` as it does not bring up the menu.
![PlayAnim.gif](/w/images/0/0d/PlayAnim.gif) | `F3` | Play  | Changes the game speed back to the default speed. 10 minutes of in-game time corresponds to 25 seconds of real time.
![FFwd1Anim.gif](/w/images/5/5c/FFwd1Anim.gif) | `F4` | Fast-Forward x5  | Increases game speed to 5x the default.
![FFwd2Anim.gif](/w/images/4/4c/FFwd2Anim.gif) | `F5` | Fast-Forward x20  | Increases game speed to 20x the default.
![WaitAnim.gif](/w/images/a/a2/WaitAnim.gif) | `F6` | Fast-Forward x40  | Increases game speed to 40x the default.
![ClockAlarmLarge Anim.png](/w/images/d/d5/ClockAlarmLarge_Anim.png) |  | Alarm  | Toggles the alarm being set. Can also be toggled in the item's contextual menu.

#### Display time

Having either of the below in the player's main inventory will display the in-
game time in the upper-right corner. The time format can be adjusted in the
options menu. Some of these items add extra functionality to the time display,
such as: Date, temperature and ability to set an alarm.

Icon  | Item  | Time  | Date  | Temp. | Alarm
---|---|---|---|---|---
![Classic Wrist Watch](/w/images/2/2f/Watch_Black.png) | Classic Wrist Watch | ![Displays time](/w/images/5/57/UI_Tick.png) | ![No date display](/w/images/b/bb/UI_Cross.png) | ![No temperature display](/w/images/b/bb/UI_Cross.png) | ![No alarm function](/w/images/b/bb/UI_Cross.png)
![Digital Watch](/w/images/2/28/DigitalWatch.png) | Digital Watch | ![Displays time](/w/images/5/57/UI_Tick.png) | ![Displays date](/w/images/5/57/UI_Tick.png) | ![Displays temperature](/w/images/5/57/UI_Tick.png) | ![Has alarm function](/w/images/5/57/UI_Tick.png)
![Alarm Clock](/w/images/5/5a/AlarmClock.png) | Alarm Clock | ![Displays time](/w/images/5/57/UI_Tick.png) | ![No date display](/w/images/b/bb/UI_Cross.png) | ![No temperature display](/w/images/b/bb/UI_Cross.png) | ![Has alarm function](/w/images/5/57/UI_Tick.png)

### Left-side HUD Icons

![Leftsidehud.png](/w/images/1/1f/Leftsidehud.png)

#  | Key  | Function  | Description
---|---|---|---
1  |  | Primary  | Displays the primary equipped item.
2  |  | Secondary  | Displays the secondary equipped item.
3  | `I` | Inventory  | Toggles the inventory when left-clicked.
4  | `H` | Health  | Toggles the player health panel, which can be used to navigate to the _info_ `J` and _skills_ `C` panels.
5  | `B` | Crafting  | Toggles the crafting panel, where the player's known recipes can be found.
6  |  | Move Furniture  | Enables furniture-moving, which may require certain skills and tools depending on the furniture.
7  | `END` | Search Mode  | Toggles the investigate area panel, where search mode can be enabled.
8  | `M` | Map  | Toggles the map overlay.
9  |  | Debug Menu  | Toggles the debug menu. _Only available indebug mode._
10  |  | Server Controls  | Toggles the user panel. _Only available inmultiplayer._
11  | `G` | Safety  | Toggles PVP. _Only available inmultiplayer._

### Moveable Panel

Key  | Function  | Description
---|---|---
`R` | Rotate Building  |

  * Rotate: Rotates the selected object 90° each press.
  * Pick Up/Disassemble: Cycles through objects on tile.
  * Place: Cycles through placeable objects in player's inventory.
  * Place Item: Holding will rotate an item clockwise. Holding `⇧ Shift` will rotate it counter-clockwise

`Tab ↹` | Toggle Mode  |  Cycles through furniture-moving modes.

  * ![Furniture Pickup.png](/w/images/7/78/Furniture_Pickup.png) **Pick-up:** places the object in the player's inventory.
  * ![Furniture Place.png](/w/images/0/08/Furniture_Place.png) **Place** places the object on ground.
  * ![Furniture Rotate.png](/w/images/e/e8/Furniture_Rotate.png) **Rotate:** moving the mouse will rotate the object to face that direction.
  * ![Furniture Disassemble.png](/w/images/6/6b/Furniture_Disassemble.png) **Disassemble** : alternatively the **RMB** can be pressed on the desired object followed by selecting _"dismantle"_ in the context menu.

`ESCAPE` | Cancel Action  | Exits the build/move mode
**LMB** | Place/Rotate  |

  * Pressing will place the object on the highlighted tile.
  * Holding will rotate the object to face the direction of the cursor on the tile that was highlighted when first pressing the key.

## Xbox 360 Controller

    _See alsoProject Zomboid Gamepad Basics: control scheme and quick start guide (Xbox controller)_

It is possible to use a gamepad rather than the standard mouse and keyboard,
which is ideal for local 4 player split-screen co-op. To use a controller, it
must first be connected and installed correctly in the operating system.

Any controller can be tested from the controller tab in the game options, to
ensure all buttons are functioning correctly. The controller sensitivity can
also be adjusted there.

  * Project Zomboid Xbox 360 controller

![360
controller.png](/w/images/thumb/d/d4/360_controller.png/514px-360_controller.png)
_Controls of a standard XBox 360 controller_
---

The controls for a controller are usually context based and can change
depending on the action, however they will usually be displayed on-screen. The
general controls for a controller are displayed below.

Left stick

    Player movement
Left stick (press)

    Toggle between walking and running
Directional Pad

    Navigate contextual menus
Right stick

    Sneak/aim
    Navigate radial menu
![Abutton.png](/w/images/3/3e/Abutton.png) A button

    Primary button to interact with world objects, such as opening doors, windows and turning on/off lights.
    Context specific and will vary depending on what it interacts with
![Bbutton.png](/w/images/7/74/Bbutton.png) B button

    Secondary button to interact with world objects, such as smashing windows and climbing over fences.
    Close/cancel contextual menus and panels (excluding inventory)
    Expand inventory item lists
![Xbutton.png](/w/images/f/fd/Xbutton.png) X button

    Display contextual menu, displaying available interactions
    Quick loot/drop item
![Ybutton.png](/w/images/3/32/Ybutton.png) Y button

    Open/close inventory menu
Left bumper

    Navigate tabs - rotates through player inventory tabs
    Cycle build mode
Right bumper

    Navigate tabs - rotates through container inventory tabs
Left trigger

    Shove/stomp (triggered on release)
Right trigger

    Fire/attack (triggered on release)
Back

    Press and hold to display radial menu

    Usage:

  1. Hold _"Back"_ to display radial menu
  2. Move the _"Left stick"_ to the desired option
  3. Release _"Back"_ before the _"Left stick"_ to select the option.

    Options:

  * Player Info (Info, Skills, Health)
  * Crafting
  * Move Furniture
  * Zoom In
  * Zoom Out
  * Pause/Play
  * Fast-Forward Time

Start

    Tap once to only pause the game, or tap twice to open pause menu
  *[UI]: User-Interface
  *[AI]: artificial intelligence
  *[RMB]: Right Mouse Button
  *[RPM]: Revolutions Per Minute
  *[MPH]: Miles Per Hour
  *[FPS]: frames per second
  *[Grow time]: Average grow time (days)
  *[Condition lower
chance]: 1 in (x + maintenance × 2)

  *[Base durability]: Condition × break chance
  *[?]: Chance of poisonous
  *[(2)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(4)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(3)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(5)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[(7)]: Non-perishable until opened
  *[RMC]: Right Mouse Clicking
  *[LMC]: Left Mouse Clicking
  *[HUD]: Heads-up Display
  *[LMB]: Left Mouse Button
  *[MSW]: Mouse Scroll Wheel
  *[Temp.]: Temperature
  *[PVP]: Player Versus Player

Controls