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The Problem
On Project Zomboid Build 42 (B42), dedicated servers may fail to start with a Java Memory Error during startup. This is not caused by corruption or mods. It happens because the default Java heap allocation is too aggressive for the server resources available.
Who Is Affected
- Project Zomboid Build 42 servers
- Servers with 8 GB RAM or less
B42 has significantly higher memory requirements than B41 due to expanded world generation and new game systems. Servers with less than 6 GB RAM may struggle even with optimized settings.
How to Fix - Edit Configuration File
- Go to the Files tab in your panel
- Open
ProjectZomboid64.jsonin your server root folder - Find the line
"-Xmx8g" - Change it to a lower value (see table below)
- Go to Startup Tab and disable the auto update. The update will overwrite the changes. Make sure it's disabled
- Save and restart the server
Recommended Memory Values
| Server RAM | Recommended -Xmx |
|---|---|
| 8 GB | -Xmx6g |
| 6 GB | -Xmx4g |
| 4 GB | -Xmx3g |
The value should always be lower than your total server RAM to leave room for the operating system and other processes.
Still Crashing?
- If the server starts but crashes after running for a while, your server may need more RAM for your world size and mod count
- Remove unnecessary mods to reduce memory usage
- If you have optimized settings and are still hitting limits, consider upgrading your plan