The complete guide · 6 min read
The Complete Guide to Dead Matter Server Hosting
An honest guide to running Dead Matter on a dedicated server: where the game stands in Early Access, what the server can do today, how to set up admins and vehicles, the commands worth knowing and how to size your slots. Written for whoever in your group is thinking of renting one.
By Matthew Griffin, Owner, Gaming DeluxePublished · Updated
In this guide
- Where Dead Matter Stands Today
- The Updates That Shaped the Server
- Setting Up Admins in game.ini
- Admin Commands Worth Knowing
- Vehicles, Hardcore Mode and the Map
- Picking Slots and Memory
- Backups, Restarts and Steam Updates
- What to Weigh Before Renting a Dead Matter Server
- Dead Matter Server Glossary
- Dead Matter Server Help and Next Steps
Where Dead Matter Stands Today
Dead Matter is developed and published by QI Games. It launched into Steam Early Access on 15 September 2023 as a survival game with zombies, an open world and action RPG elements, playable alone, in online co-op or in online PvP. It has not reached version 1.0, and at launch the store page estimated around 36 months of Early Access, which was always described as a rough estimate.
Buyers deserve a plain statement: the developer's last update on the Steam news page was in June 2024, with a Spring Wrap-Up on 5 June and Development Stream posts on 15 June. Steam itself now shows that the last developer update is more than two years old. QI Games has not made an official statement about the schedule since then, so we do not know what comes next, and we will not guess.
What that means in practice is simple. A server you rent today runs the current Early Access build of the game. If you and your friends enjoy Dead Matter as it plays now, a dedicated server makes it far more convenient. If you are hoping for the larger map or new systems promised for full release, wait for official news before ordering.
The Updates That Shaped the Server
Several Early Access patches matter directly to anyone hosting. They are worth knowing because they explain how today's server behaves.
| Version | Date | What changed for servers |
|---|---|---|
| 0.11.1 | 27 September 2023 | First patch after the Early Access launch |
| 0.11.2 | 4 October 2023 | Vehicles on dedicated servers need the -EnableVehiclesOnDedicated launch flag |
| 0.12 Foundation Update | 5 March 2024 | Server about 500% faster, plus hardcore mode, cooking and farming |
| 0.12 hotfix | 7 March 2024 | Fixed a crash when connecting to dedicated servers |
| Spring Wrap-Up and streams | 5 and 15 June 2024 | The most recent developer posts on Steam |
Setting Up Admins in game.ini
On our servers, admin rights live in game.ini, which you open through the config file editor in the panel. Our knowledge base article on Dead Matter console commands covers it in detail; the short version is below.
- Stop the server from the panel, so your change is not overwritten.
- Open game.ini in the config file editor.
- Add yourself, and anyone you trust, as admin or superadmin.
- Save the file and start the server again.
- Join, press Y to open chat and try a command such as /god to confirm it works.
Keep superadmin for the owner and one deputy at most. Admin commands can spawn anything and move anyone, so a small, trusted team avoids arguments later, especially on a public PvP server.
Admin Commands Worth Knowing
Admins type commands into chat, starting each with a forward slash. These are the ones our customers use most, taken from our knowledge base.
- /god and /noclip: become invulnerable or fly through walls, useful for inspecting a base or rescuing a stuck player.
- /listitems and /SpawnItem [ItemID] [Quantity]: look up item IDs first, then spawn what you need for an event or a refund.
- /SpawnZombie, /SpawnVehicle and /SpawnAnimal: stage a horde, hand out a car or stock a hunting ground.
- /RemoveZombies: clear the area when a session gets out of hand.
- /teleport "name or steamid": jump to a player to help or check on them.
- /unstuck: free a player trapped in scenery.
- /SetWeather [Preset], /GiveAmmo and /SetGravity [Scale]: set the mood, resupply a squad or have some fun on a quiet night.
Because mods are not supported in Early Access, these commands are the main way to shape your server. Many groups use them to run events, such as a supply drop at a set location followed by a staged horde.
Vehicles, Hardcore Mode and the Map
Vehicles are not on by default on dedicated servers. Since patch 0.11.2 they depend on the -EnableVehiclesOnDedicated launch flag, so open a ticket and our team will help you add it to the server's start-up options. Once set, cars appear after the next restart.
The 0.12 Foundation Update added a hardcore mode alongside cooking and farming. Hardcore suits groups who want every trip into town to feel risky; take a snapshot in Backup Manager before switching, so you can return to the earlier world if the group changes its mind.
The current map measures 6x6 km. QI Games describes a 15x15 km map, up to 128 players and modding support as goals for the full release. They are future plans with no date, and given the current development status we treat them as uncertain.
Picking Slots and Memory
Dead Matter is sold per slot, so you choose any count from 10 to 36 on the order form. QI Games has not published a player cap for the Early Access dedicated server, so 36 is simply the most we offer. Our four cards, at 10, 20, 30 and 36 slots, are starting points rather than fixed bundles.
There is no official memory guidance either. The order form offers 10GB, 20GB, 24GB and 32GB, and marks 20GB as Recommended; that label is our own guidance. A friends-only server with no vehicles is comfortable on 10GB; a regular community with cars and several bases is better on 20GB.
Watch the memory graph during your busiest evening. If it sits near the limit, move up a tier from the client area. Backups and offsite copies of the last 7 days stay in place whatever you change.
Backups, Restarts and Steam Updates
An Early Access game can surprise you, so treat backups as routine. Take a snapshot in Backup Manager before you change game.ini, turn on hardcore mode, enable vehicles or run a large spawning event. If anything goes wrong, restoring takes a few clicks, and offsite copies of the last 7 days sit behind those snapshots as a second safety net.
Scheduled Tasks keep a long-running world healthy without anyone remembering to do it. A restart in the early hours, followed by an automatic backup, is a sensible default for most groups. You can also schedule console commands, for example clearing zombies before a planned event night.
Server and players must run the same build of the game. Steam shows no developer update since June 2024, but if QI Games does release a patch, run Steam Update in the panel and restart before your group tries to reconnect, and check the Steam news page for any notes aimed at server owners.
What to Weigh Before Renting a Dead Matter Server
For a game in Early Access, a few checks matter more than usual.
- The game's own statusRead the latest posts on the Steam news page yourself and decide whether the current build is enough for your group.
- Short billing termsWith development quiet since June 2024, starting on monthly billing keeps your commitment small.
- Admin file accessYou should be able to edit game.ini yourself to set admins without waiting for a ticket.
- Vehicle launch flagCheck that you can run the server with -EnableVehiclesOnDedicated if you want cars on the map.
- Flexible slot countsPaying per slot lets you match the server to your real group size.
Dead Matter Server Glossary
- Early Access
- Steam's label for a game still in development and sold before its full release.
- game.ini
- The server configuration file where admins and superadmins are listed on our panel.
- Superadmin
- The highest admin level, best kept for the server owner.
- -EnableVehiclesOnDedicated
- The launch flag that enables vehicles on a dedicated server.
- Foundation Update
- Patch 0.12 from March 2024, with big server performance gains and hardcore mode.
- Item ID
- The code /SpawnItem needs, listed by /listitems.
- Slot slider
- The order form control used to choose any player count from 10 to 36.
Dead Matter Server Help and Next Steps
Links for checking the game's status and running your server.
About this guide: based on QI Games' Steam store page and patch notes plus our own knowledge base, written with AI assistance, checked against our live order form for slots, prices and locations, and reviewed by Matthew Griffin before publishing. QI Games' own website refused automated reads, so it was not used. Found something out of date? Tell us.
