Choose When Water and Electricity Shut Off
Project ZomboidGuideThe blackout is a planned part of Project Zomboid, and you control it. Water Shutoff and Electricity Shutoff pick when each utility dies (or Disabled to keep it forever), and the two Day Override settings can even bring utilities back on a world where they already went out. Nothing about your world
Pick a shutoff window
Each dropdown gives the game a window, and the game secretly picks one day inside it. Your players never know the exact day, which is the fun.
Water Shutoff | Electricity Shutoff |
|---|---|
Instant | Instant |
0 - 30 Days (default) | 14 - 30 Days (default) |
0 - 2 Months | 14 Days - 2 Months |
0 - 6 Months | 14 Days - 6 Months |
0 - 1 Year | 14 Days - 1 Year |
0 - 5 Years | 14 Days - 5 Years |
2 - 6 Months | 2 - 6 Months |
6 - 12 Months | 6 - 12 Months |
Disabled | Disabled |
Disabled means that utility never shuts off. Water windows can start at day 0; electricity always keeps at least 14 days unless you pick Instant.
Open your server's settings and find Water Shutoff and Electricity Shutoff.
Pick a window for each, or Disabled.
Save, then restart the server.
One catch: the windows count from the game's standard start date (July 9, 1993), not from when your server was created. If you set a later Start Month for a new world, part or all of a short window may already be used up on day one.
Power already went out? Bring it back
This is the one customers think is impossible. It is not:
In your settings, find Water Shutoff Day Override and Electricity Shutoff Day Override. They are exact day numbers; -1 means no override.
Set the override to a day later than your world's current in-game day. Day 40 and you want two more weeks of power? Set the electricity override to 54.
Save and restart. The utility runs again until the new day arrives.
Set the override far in the future and the lights effectively stay on for the rest of the run.
Things that will NOT fix it
Restarting, resetting, or re-uploading to bring the power back. The shutoff day is part of the world. Only the Day Override settings (or in-game generators) restore utilities.
Refrigeration or spoilage settings. A fridge without power does nothing regardless of those dials; fix the power first.
Restarting without saving. Settings apply on restart, but only after you hit Save.
What the blackout does to your food: see "Project Zomboid: Control Food Spoilage and Refrigeration".
Start dates interact with the shutoff clock: see "Project Zomboid: Set the Day Length and Start Date".
Every sandbox setting from the dashboard: see "Project Zomboid: Change Any Sandbox Setting".
