A modded DayZ server tells you to join "through DZSA", but the launcher Steam opens when you play DayZ is a different program. So what is the DZSA Launcher, where is the real download, how does it get a server's mods onto your PC, and what do its error messages mean? This guide answers that from the launcher's own site and support page, checked on 31 October 2026. If you run a server, the last section explains why it may not show up in DZSA.
Quick answer: DZSA Launcher, also written DayZ SA Launcher, is a free, unofficial launcher for DayZ on Windows. DZSA is short for DayZ Standalone, and its site says it is "not affiliated with or authorised by Bohemia Interactive". Download it only from dayzsalauncher.com, which on 31 October 2026 offered version 0.0.6.9 as an installer and as a portable zip. It lists community servers with their mods, and when you join a server whose mods you are missing, it offers to fix them: Steam downloads the Workshop mods and the launcher starts DayZ with them. Its mod errors usually come from Steam's connection to the Workshop, so restart Steam first, and after a DayZ update close and reopen the launcher.
What DZSA Launcher Is, and How It Differs From the Official Launcher
DayZ on PC comes with its own launcher: the window Steam opens when you play DayZ. Bohemia built it "to run modded DayZ" (status report, October 2016) and said in November 2018 that it would also work "with startup parameters, server and tools". Its server browser has tabs and a direct connect window, both improved in Update 1.22. Our DayZ launcher and mods guide shows how to use it.
DZSA Launcher is a separate program from a third-party developer. Its site calls it "an unofficial launcher for DayZ Standalone" with "unofficial mod support". It does not replace the game: it starts the copy of DayZ that Steam installed and gets mods through Steam, so Steam has to run, online, on the account that owns DayZ.
| Official DayZ launcher | DZSA Launcher | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Bohemia Interactive | A third-party developer, not affiliated with Bohemia |
| Where you get it | Installed with DayZ; Steam opens it when you play | A separate download from dayzsalauncher.com, for Windows |
| Server list | Tabs plus a direct connect window | One list with filters, favourites and each server's mods under its name |
| Mods | From the Steam Workshop | From the Steam Workshop; offers to fix missing mods when you join |
| Extras | Startup parameters | Join links, paid top spots, a server check on its site for owners |
You can keep both. DZSA's own support page even sends you to the official launcher as a test when Steam will not load mods.
Download DZSA Launcher From dayzsalauncher.com
The only real download is the Download button on dayzsalauncher.com. On 31 October 2026 it offered version 0.0.6.9, "For Windows", in two forms:
- Installer:
setup_dzsalauncher-0.0.6.9.exe, the normal choice. - Portable version:
dzsalauncher-0.0.6.9.zip, linked under the button, which you unzip and run without installing.
The support page is blunt about copies: "Only download the launcher from dayzsalauncher.com; fake copies exist." Skip files from video descriptions, file shares and Discord attachments. The site offers no Mac or Linux version.
Two folders matter when something goes wrong: %LocalAppData%\DZSALauncher, which the support page has you exclude in Windows Security when the launcher will not open, and Documents\dzsalauncher, which holds the launcher's settings (settings.json) and its log (log.txt).
First Start: Let It Find DayZ
Before you open the launcher, start Steam and check that it is online, not in offline mode, and logged in to the account that owns DayZ. The launcher then needs the path to your DayZ folder. If it cannot find DayZ, or says your DayZ version does not match, the support page's fix is:
- Close the launcher and delete
Documents\dzsalauncher\settings.json. - Start DayZ from Steam, wait for the main menu, and close the game.
- Open the launcher and check the DayZ path in its settings. To find the folder, right-click DayZ in your Steam library and choose Manage, then Browse local files.
How to Find and Join Modded Servers in DZSA
The launcher opens on its Servers tab, with a Mods tab next to it. On the left are a search box, drop-downs for Map, Version and Max ping, and tick boxes such as Has players, Hide password-protected, Show modded only, First person, Third person, Not full and Same version only. Each row shows the server name, its IP address and port and the start of its mod list, with columns for the in-game time, when you last played there, the map, players, the number of mods and your ping.
To join a server:
- Search for one word from the server name, or pick its map. Tick Same version only to hide servers on another DayZ version.
- Click the star in front of the server to add it to your favourites.
- Press the play button at the end of its row.
- If you are missing mods, the launcher asks whether to fix them. Click Yes and let Steam download them; the launcher then starts DayZ with the server's mods and connects.
Two things to know about that list. First, the top rows are paid spots: the launcher shows up to six sponsored servers first, picked at random each time you open it and weighted by the amount paid, and owners sponsor from £5 a month (checked 31 October 2026). Use the filters rather than taking the first row.
Second, the launcher downloads the server list only when it starts, so after a DayZ update it can show servers on the wrong version. Close and reopen it. If it still says a server is on an old DayZ version, the support page says you can press OK on that message "and it will join anyway". Bohemia expects a 1.30 hotfix on stable in the week of 2 November (28 October post), so restart the launcher after that update too. Our DayZ 1.30 checklist tracks the patch dates.
Some communities also share join links of the form https://join.dayzsalauncher.com/1.2.3.4:27016. With DZSA installed, clicking one opens the launcher and joins that server.
How DZSA Gets a Server's Mods
A DayZ server reports its mods in its Steam query reply, each with the Steam Workshop ID from the mod's meta.cpp file. DZSA reads that list, which is why its server check can link every mod to its Workshop page, and why a mod whose meta.cpp says publishedid = 0 shows up as an error there.
The downloads themselves run through Steam. When the fix downloads nothing, the support page's test is to subscribe to one of the server's mods by hand on its page in the DayZ Workshop and see whether Steam downloads it. That is also why most mod errors in DZSA are Steam problems. For one of them the support page says: "The mods themselves are fine; Steam's connection to the Workshop gets stuck."
Common DZSA Launcher Errors and Fixes
These fixes come from the launcher's support page:
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| The launcher won't open, or opens with no window | Windows Security is most likely blocking it. In Virus & threat protection, add the %LocalAppData%\DZSALauncher folder as an exclusion. Then under Ransomware protection, use Allow an app through Controlled folder access to add the DZSA Launcher exe. Do this only for a copy you downloaded from dayzsalauncher.com |
| It can't find DayZ, or says your DayZ version doesn't match | Delete Documents\dzsalauncher\settings.json, start DayZ from Steam to the main menu and close it, then check the DayZ path in the launcher's settings |
| It says the game is already launched, but it isn't | In Task Manager, open Details and end any DayZ_x64.exe process. If it won't end, use Restart (not Shut down) on your PC. If it keeps happening, reinstall the launcher |
| It says a server is on an old DayZ version | Close and reopen the launcher, or press OK on the message to join anyway |
| "Steam couldn't load these mods" or "Sequence contains no matching element" | Restart Steam, or log out of Steam and back in, then join again |
| "There was a problem loading mods from Steam" | Close Steam, end every Steam process in Task Manager and start it again. Join one server from the official DayZ launcher, verify your mods in Steam, then try DZSA again |
| You clicked Yes to fix mods, but nothing downloads | Restart Steam, check that it is not in offline mode and that your account owns DayZ, then subscribe to one of the server's mods by hand to test the download |
| Removing mods says a favourite's mods "aren't known yet" | Unfavourite the offline server it names, or wait until it is online and refresh |
| It says your DayZ drive is not NTFS, but it is | Start DayZ from Steam, wait for the main menu, exit from the menu (not with Alt+F4), then try the launcher again |
If none of this works, ask on the launcher's Discord, linked from its support page, and include your log: Documents\dzsalauncher\log.txt.
Server Owners: Why Your Server Does Not Show in DZSA
DZSA builds its list from Steam. Enter your server's IP address and Steam query port in its server check: that is the steamQueryPort from serverDZ.cfg, not the game port, even though the launcher's own list shows the game port next to each server. If Steam lists your server, the check says it "will show in the launcher within about 5 minutes", lists every mod with a Workshop link and gives you a join link. Players who already have the launcher open have to close and reopen it before your server appears.
The common problems the check names:
- "Timeout has occurred": usually the wrong port. Use the query port, and if you host the server yourself, open that port for UDP in your firewall and router.
- "Rejected": check that Steam lists your server by opening
https://api.steampowered.com/ISteamApps/GetServersAtAddress/v1/?addr=YOUR_IPwith your server's IP. Theaddrvalue in the reply is your IP and query port, the one the check needs; host panels and NAT can make it differ fromserverDZ.cfg. - A mod with a Steam Workshop ID of '0': one of your mods has
publishedid = 0in itsmeta.cpp, or your-mod=line still has an old entry after a mod was renamed. Fix it and restart the server. - Many mods, and the check fails or times out: set
steamProtocolMaxDataSizeto between 4096 and 8192 inserverDZ.cfgand restart. The support page adds: "It doesn't help every server."
If the check passes and players still cannot find or join you, our DZSA server not showing checklist covers names, filters, ports, mod keys and logs. A server that stopped starting after Update 1.30 usually has a mod problem, and our 1.30 mods fix walks through it. On our DayZ server hosting you install Workshop mods from the panel, with servers in the Netherlands, Germany, Poland and Sydney.
FAQ
Where do I download DZSA Launcher? Only from dayzsalauncher.com, which on 31 October 2026 offered version 0.0.6.9 for Windows as an installer and a portable zip. The support page warns that fake copies exist.
Is the DayZ SA Launcher the same as DZSA? Yes. DZSA is short for DayZ Standalone, so "DayZ SA Launcher", "dzsa", "dayzsa" and the common misspelling "dza launcher" all mean the same program from dayzsalauncher.com.
Is DZSA Launcher official, and is it safe? It is not official: its site says it is not affiliated with or authorised by Bohemia Interactive. It runs your own Steam copy of DayZ and gets mods through the Steam Workshop; download it only from dayzsalauncher.com, because fake copies exist.
Where do I download the official DayZ launcher? You do not download it separately. It comes with DayZ, and Steam opens it when you play the game. Our DayZ launcher and mods guide covers joining modded servers with it.
Do I need DZSA Launcher to play modded DayZ? No. Bohemia built its own launcher to run modded DayZ, and both launchers get mods from the Steam Workshop. What DZSA adds is its own server list, with each server's mods under its name, and join links that servers can share.
Why doesn't my server show in DZSA Launcher? Check it on dayzsalauncher.com with the Steam query port, not the game port. If Steam lists it, it appears within about 5 minutes for players who restart the launcher. Our not showing checklist covers the rest.
Sources
All opened on 31 October 2026:
- DZSA Launcher: homepage and download, support page, server check, join links, sponsored listings, current launcher version
- Bohemia Interactive on Steam: Status Report, 11 October 2016, Status Report, 6 November 2018, DayZ Update 1.22, 29 August 2023, Thank you, Survivors, 28 October 2026
- Valve: ISteamApps in the Steam Web API documentation (GetServersAtAddress), the Steam Workshop for DayZ