DayZ: How To Play Single-Player

Take on DayZ as a solo player with our guide explaining how to play single-player in DayZ.

First Published May 2, 2023, 06:08

While DayZ offers tons of fun when playing with a group of friends, many players have had a massive interest in playing single-player mode. There may be many reasons you'd want to play solo, whether you want a break from the high stakes of multiplayer or just to explore the map undisturbed.

So below, we'll be showing you exactly how to play single-player mode in DayZ. As well as some other details surrounding this mode and its popularity.

How To Play DayZ Single-Player

To play DayZ alone, you don't have to rent a server or join an empty one. There's an unofficial single-player offline mode that you can start using, thanks to the community help and the use of a private server.

DayZ How To Play Single Player Pros and methods — Playing solo can give you tons of freedom and practice, and there are two ways to go about setting it up. (Picture: Bohemia Interactive)

You can also install admin tools and most mods when using this larger mod which gives you more options for fun. However, this mode is only available on PC currently. If you play on PlayStation or Xbox, you can only rent a server and protect it with a password.

With the preamble out of the way, let us look at how to set up DayZ for online play. The first step is to own the base game (naturally).

Then you have two options, the first is to install a private server to play one, and the second is to download an offline mod to play the game; we'll look at both options.

DayZ - Play Solo on a Private Server

Open up Steam, and in your library, click on the settings to change the filter to show "Tools."
You'll then find a program under your DayZ game that reads "DayZ Server." Click and install this.
Right-click the DayZ server and enter the properties menu.

Under Launch Options, enter -config=serverDZ.cfg
Go to the DayZ Server install folder.
Open serverDZ.cfg
Set a server name and adjust any options you desire.
Save the file and close your text editor.

DayZ How To Play Single Player Private server set up — Setting up a private server is the first method to play solo. (Picture: Bohemia Interactive)

After following the steps mentioned earlier, launch the DayZ Server in Steam. Wait for the map to initialize and then start the DayZ client. Now, you can find the server you set up under the LAN tab and connect to it.

This server allows you to play the game in single-player mode but without other players. You can also add mods to it, and it will keep track of your character's location and inventory.

DayZ - Play Solo Using the offline mod

To play DayZ in offline single-player mode, you need to download the DayZ mod. You can find it by searching for "DayZ solo mode" and downloading it from the GitHub link.

After downloading the mod, you need to paste its contents into the DayZ Steam directory. To do this, locate your Steam directory, open Steamapps, then the common folder, and click on DayZ.

DayZ How To Play Single Player Second method mods — The second method uses mods and is a bit trickier to set up but allows for more modifications. (Picture: Bohemia Interactive)

From there, find the missions folder and paste the downloaded files inside. To enable the single-player mode, you need to make a few more tweaks.

Go to the DayZ Steam workshop and enable the additional modes listed below:

Community online tools
Zomberry Admin Tools (optional) DayZ Expansion Licensed
CF (Community Framework)
DayZ expansion.

Once you've enabled the necessary mods, launch DayZ through Steam and go to Mods. Use the search bar at the top right corner to find the subscribed mods, and make sure you select the correct ones.

Next, go to the "All Parameters" section, where you can create your profile name and add the path to the offline folder for the expansion. The path should resemble the following: C:\ProgramFiles(x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\DayZ\Missions\ExpansionCom.ChernarusPlus.

And there you have it, two great ways to play DayZ offline with the bonus of being able to add mods to the game and play it any way you want, whether you need to practice the mechanics of the game, or you just want to explore the maps.

For more DayZ news, be sure to check out our dedicated section or take a look at some of our Guides & Tutorials just below:

MAJOR NEWS -

Latest Patch Notes | Next DayZ Update Leaks & News |

SETTINGS GUIDES -

How Long Does Night Cycle Last in the Game | How Long Does It Take For Loot To Respawn | Does DayZ Support Crossplay? | Is DayZ Good On The Steam Deck?

GAME GUIDES -